Andre Gunther is taking a dramatic approach to pro-photography. He has given up art shows and mixers in favor of a completely online business. Best of all, his site is a great resource for tips on both taking pictures and mastering the business.

Born in East Germany, Gunther majored in Electrical Engineering before taking up a job in Silicon Valley in 2000. It was not until 2003 that he began to seriously pursue photography. Using his engineering knowledge, he has an inside view on the workings of his digital SLR.

Gunther is an advocate for processing digital images with Photoshop. In his autobiography, he likens the data produced by a digital camera to a photo negative.

Among the many guides featured on  Gunther's Web site is "How to become a professional photographer." In this he explains the importance of the internet, both in stealing profits away from photographers and helping to spread their work. He recommends finding a niche for your photos and finding ways to supplement your income, such as writing product reviews and articles. A word to the wise though, there are a heck of a lot of unemployed journalists out there to contend with...

Gunther's site proves to be a wealth of knowledge as far as photography's concerned... and his photos aren't half bad either. Be sure to check out his recent post on the subtleties of being a paparazzi at Comic-Con.  

(photo by Andre Gunther)