For those making money on a consistent basis, how did you make the transition from shooting as a hobby to shooting for profit? I'm becoming more confident in my work, and have seen alot of photographers with a steady client base that I don't think produce work at the same quality as mine. I'm in no rush, but I need to start shifting my mindset because I think that I'm entering the territory of wasting time and my own money by continuing to do tfp shoots.
Keep shooting what you like and shoot a lot of it. Broadcast your work on a bunch of social media outlets and network with different MUA and stylists in your area. This worked for me in VA and is working now that I moved to ATL. I normally don't get paid much, if anything at all when shooting models but, it leads to people seeing my work and asking "do you shoot kids?" or "what are your rates?". I am always surprised when someone wants to book me for a wedding even though I don't market myself as a wedding photographer. If it's seniors that you want to shoot, you need reps. Find the popular kid, take her pictures and work out a deal out with her and her parents; every booked shoot that she refers, she get 50 bucks or something of that nature. There are a lot of videos on CreativeLive about the business side. Remember there are a lot of photographers out there who make a living off of taking crappy photos and getting paid big bucks just because there are "known" as the go to photographer.