Pursing a Career In Photography?

I second Perki's initial comment: it's good that you've found something which interests you. I hope you'll continue with it, even if what I say next might sound mean.

Let's be rude first and helpful second. That picture is not good. If that's representative of your stuff and people are telling you that you have a "good eye" for photos, then they are either trying to be nice to you or they don't know the second thing about photography.

Now, let's be constructive by looking more closely at the picture and seeing how it could be better.

Firstly, it has no real subject. What are we supposed to be looking at? Nothing stands out. That's OK if you're trying to show an entire scene, but this doesn't appear to be the case with this photo, and it's not an interesting enough scene. It's just "some stuff". What you could have done is zoomed in to a particular area and focused on a certain part of the scene which is of interest. We then know what you're trying to show us - could be the roof of a building, part of the port area, etc.

Secondly, it shows little sense of composition. Composition is the art of arranging the elements of a picture so that they are pleasing to the eye and (at higher levels of photography) actually directing the eye through the picture; you're essentially controlling where the viewer looks. What you have in the above picture is basically chaos. There are bits and pieces everywhere and the eye doesn't know where to look, so it zooms around the frame without ever really settling on anything. To improve it, you could have cut out the first roof, which is half in and half out of the picture, which would make the photo neater.

Combine these two points - decide what you want us to see, and present it so that it's clear, while trying to make the arrangement interesting - and you have the beginnings of an interesting picture.

Thirdly, you didn't post process it at all (like you said, it is "un-photoshopped". Why? There's no stigma to post-processing pictures; the vast, vast majority of pictures, however well taken, can benefit from skillful use of post processing software. Because yours is untouched, it is soft and somewhat noisy from what I can see.

Just as an idea of what you can do with a photo like that: crop out the buildings at the front (they add nothing to the picture), sharpen it a bit, and you get the photo I've attached. Hope you won't mind; I did it to show you what can be done with a little thought. (It might be a bit grainy, because the original you uploaded was pretty small in the first place).

There is a ton of stuff to learn about photography, which is why it's such a satisfying field. You need to couple your enthusiasm with a degree of discipline (to study the various elements of it) and patience (it won't happen overnight, but slowly and surely you'll improve). I can't claim to have as much experience as Perki up there, but looking back at my early pictures and the ones I take now, I'm pretty content with the progress I'm making. Hope to continue making it.

There's no real such thing as "typical training" unless you go to photo school. A number of top photographers actually came from non-photographic backgrounds and are essentially self-taught. There are pros and cons to this; the cons are that it probably takes them longer to get the essentials down, but the pros are that they are (arguably) less prone to be slaves to what some people consider golden rules of photography.

I'd get some good basic books on the subject, apply what you learn, get your photography criticised by real photographers (there are a few on here, and there are plenty of other places to get honest critiques) and make notes...and just keep shooting and learning. It never ends.

Keep at it, enjoy it, and look at it as an ongoing process.

It's wonderful that you have found something that you enjoy and desire to make your future career. Unfortunately, the sample you have given does nothing to transcend "point and shoot". Understanding things like white balance, impact, leading lines and composition and putting them to use should be your next goal. Don't let this fact discourage you, everyone begins somewhere.Schools, clubs, tutorials on the web and publications are full of great information. Seek out a local camera club that is not part of a high school. After 37 years in the business I am still constantly learning. It's a wonderful journey and I hope you take up the challenge and do well!

Sorry, but you will have to take FAR better pictures than that if you want to pursue it as a career.

You should get photography books and learn all about Exposure, Focussing and Composition. Read as much as you can and when you get a decent camera, read the instruction manual thoroughly so you get to know all the features of the camera.

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This course has been developed after seeing many potential photographers give up far too soon, wasting good money they have spent on the purchase of their DSLR camera.

First things first. What is the subject in your photograph?

With a sample shot like that, I guess you still have a long long way to go.