Kevin Mazur
I have been making a living doing only photography since 2006. My advice is simple. Work harder than everyone else. Most people don’t.
Find your weaknesses and fix them. Shoot everything, so you know how to shoot anything… then specialize. Most photographers are very limited. Why limit yourself? You don’t know early on what you really want to be doing. If you want to shoot snails, that is great, but the market isn’t that hot in snails right now.
Shoot everything, take every job you can get but DO NOT WORK FOR FREE. Even when you are starting out. The tendency will be to undercut everyone. Everyone will know you work for free, and it will be very difficult to make any money as word travels. Always charge something, even if it is a dinner at Outback. The first time someone pays you what you ask for a job, raise your rates.
For myself, it depends on what I am shooting, but in general, I try to “look for the better shot.” Not the obvious one, or the easy one, or the one everyone thinks they want. But the Better One. It generally takes more effort, thought, and work, but isn’t that why you would do this job?