Professionally, about 7 years. I have been taking photos since I was 11 years old, by the time I was 13, I knew I wanted to be a photographer. Turning it into a full time job was a much longer process.
I studied after high school; however, it's not often that you are guaranteed a job as soon as you graduate. I spent years working day jobs while developing my portfolio on the side. I definitely learned more in the real world than I did during my studies. I went from charging nothing, to charging peanuts, to charging a standard rate. This process took over 4 years. I gradually started working fewer hours at my day job until I finally quit and became a full-time freelancer.
Package 1 - $300 +gst
Up to 45 min session / 1 background colour choice
Package 2 - $360 +gst
Up to 1hr session / 2 background colour choices
Package 3 - $480 +gst
Up to 1.5hr session / 3 background colour choices