All a photographer needs are a camera and a lens. Take Henri Cartier-Bresson, he was a one lens shooter. On rare occasions he used a 35mm, otherwise all the way through the trusted 50mm. Times have changed, everyone’s a photographer today, but success in photography still doesn’t depend on bags full of gear and stuff. With the right sense of determination and vision it’s still possible to make a living as a photographer. Or is it?

So, with everyone being a photographer and having a camera, what makes the difference? Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens has some advice: 8 Ways to Know You’re Ready to Make Money in Photography starts a bit lame. What’s this guy telling me, you’ll think. What a waste of time. THEME readers are smarter than this.

Keep on watching. Because after the questionable advice Morgan has some solid advice. Nothing new really, but sometimes we don’t see the wood for the trees and we need someone to remind us, like kids, on what we actually already know.

Everyone knows, the latest full-frame camera and a Noctilux don’t make anyone a pro, and starting out with no experience by learning at the expense of the customer is always wrong.

And would you hire a photographer with one camera and lens only? Right, he or she might be a genius, but no event gets repeated just because of a photographer’s malfunctioning gear…

Still, quantity is not a deciding factor. You need to work yourself up, agree with taking less than spectacular jobs to pay the bills, your clients need to grow with you — and above all you need confidence, confidence, confidence.