What does it take to be a Photographer?

I'd love to be a professional photographer when I'm older. For a few years now I've always enjoyed taking photo's and editing them and such just with phone cameras, webcam's and cameras. But this Christmas I've asked for a proper DSLR camera. The one I've asked for is the Nikon D3000. I don't know much about cameras but hopefully I'll learn. What does it take to be a Photographer, like what GCSE'S are needed? And if you know anything about the camera I may be getting could you write that down too.

A Deep Observation, A Sense of Admiration for Beauty, Knowledge over Technology.

Beyond the basics mechanics of focus, aperture and shutter speed, it's all about light and your ability to see what it does to the subject. That, and composition.

Once you get a basic grasp of those areas, just keep on shooting and experimenting. Soon you'll be able to predict what the results will look like before you press the shutter release.

The camera you said is good to begin with. There isn't much to do in gcse years but in college or sixth form you can definitely do photography, media and art.these subjects would help you to understand most aspects of photography and would prepare you for first job placement/experience or the degree studies.obviously if you consider going to uni.

It takes toe ability to survivie on almost no income for many years. If you are very luckly, you might one day be noticed for having a body of work better than most, at which time you might actually make enough money to live off of.

You can have the skills, and you can have the equipment… But without a good business head you will probably end up bankrupt.

You don't need any qualifications, just to be a shrewd business person. For that it helps to study at a top university such Said Business School (Oxford University), any engineering degree at Imperial, any science, tech, or engineering degree at Warwick, or any serious degree at LSE. These institutes prepare you to be the top of the world, they expect you to be the next generation of leaders, and that's what you need to succeed as a photographer.

Equipment really doesn't matter, you just need to have total mastery over it, and can guarantee it will never break (ever). That will mean top range equipment and backups of everything (except lenses).

To be a photographer, all you need is a camera and an ability to use it…

everything is else is subjective…