There's this philosophy entrenched within the photo business world-that you need to “work your way up” the ladder. Where does this come from? Why is this concept so prevalent for a photography career path? You'll mostly hear this concept thrown around on the forums and such when people are discussing how photographers price their work. A lot of traditionalists actually feel that you need to start at the bottom and work your way up to a decent living over the years, enjoying the “starving artist” phase for the appropriate number of years.