There are certain things that you might find yourself passionate about, but you have been hesitant about turning it into a career because you’re not sure how you can truly make a living from it. Take photography, for example. Although you might take some really awesome pictures and perhaps even have had a couple of photography courses, in your mind, you’ve always considered it to be more of a hobby than something that could actually pay the bills.

The truth of the matter is that with some focus and a lot of determination, you actually can actually do a lot of things with your gift of photography. So, if you’re curious to know about what some of the career options for a photographer are, keep reading.

Freelance photography. Thanks to websites like oDesk, Craigslist or Freelancer, it is easier for photographers to find clients and for prospective customers to find them. As long as people are getting married, graduating from school and having babies, photographers will always be needed to shoot those kinds of events, so make sure to network on these kinds of sites and to also create your own freelance photography website too.

Photojournalism. In many cases, you need a degree (preferably in photojournalism) to get this kind of job. These are the individuals who are hired to take pictures that are featured in news stories. Although some people are hired to do contract work, in many cases, these individuals are hired to work exclusively for the newspaper or media company.

Commercial photography. If you’ve always dreamed of having your pictures put in print ads or home décor, fashion and automobile magazines, then commercial photography might be just the field for you. While there are some people who work for companies as their full-time photographer, in many cases, you can simply submit some of your portfolio for the company’s review and they’ll keep you on file on an as-need basis.

Forensic photography. Perhaps you’re someone who is interested something like criminal justice but you also enjoy taking pictures and you’re not sure how to “merge the two”. In this case, there is something that is known as forensic photography. They are the individuals who are hired by the police or sheriff department or other kinds of law enforcement agencies to shoot crime scenes so that evidence can be properly documented. In many cases, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree is required in order to be considered for this kind of position.

Food, travel or wildlife photographers. Another kind of photography that is usually considered to be freelance work are those who enjoy taking pictures of food, travel, wildlife or even landscape photography. Individuals who prefer to this kind of work are those who can be hired, on a contract basis, by all kinds of companies whether it’s advertising agencies, magazines, personally-owned websites or even the kind of online companies that solicit stock photos such as Alamy, Crestock or Shutterstock. When it comes to finding businesses that will pay for your work, this requires a bit more effort, but having the kind of freedom of photographing what you enjoy, on your own schedule and then getting paid for it, that makes it worth the extra time and energy, for sure.