“Photography” is a professional study course under fine arts. If you are an imaginative or creative, then photography is the best career option of your choice. Photographs are the best medium to show your creativity. If you are attracting with the visual world and wish to capture the moments surrounding you, then you may turn your hobby as a profession and can get the profitability.
What is Photography?
With the advancement of science and technology, naive academic courses are generally kept at bay and the present posterity is keenly interested to choose the professional courses that will give them an extra edge over others. “Photography” is one such course which will hopefully shape your career in the right direction. Photography is an art indeed. It creates beautiful works and often acts as the kernel of the whole story when the questions of product, service, media channels and others raise their hoods before the mass. It is certainly relevant to state that mass communication receives a comprehensive range of publicity owing to this very factor.
Categories of Photography:
If one is solely interested in taking up this art as a career, one may consider the following categories, where the soul of this art thrives with aplomb. Now a word for each:
- Portrait: A portrait is usually a candid photography and can be captured by the lens in either formal or informal posture. Indulging in such a kind of photography will enhance the confidence to tackle some more serious issues.
- Product Photography: It is normally linked to the promotion and sell of products. The products photographically displayed show be attractive, acceptable and affordable as well.
- Photo journalism: Press is the fourth estate or rather the fourth pillar of democracy. But to carve out a niche here, photo journalism can an option as well. Today’s media industry is really looking for such professionals who have an eye for nuance and an ear for irony! Be it print, electronic or digital, the photographers are recognized as much as the staff reporters and editors to ensure the completion of the circle.
- Food: Not exactly the foods for thought but to pamper your taste buds as you manage to skip your work for a while to catch the glimpses of the displayed photos of food. In other words your mouth begins to water as you visually come across the pictures of different cuisines, take out some money from your wallet, rush and buy some of them to indulge in some kind of gastronomically delights!
- Advertisement: Photography plays a pivotal role in product promotion and selling as well. The product pictures in newspapers, tabloids, magazines and websites entice the customers to buy them and contribute to the increase of profit margin of the company(s).
- Fashion Photography: In recent times fashion photography has gained a considerable attention! Designed garments, jewelry and shoes reach out to the audience via advertisements in the various crops of media. Not only the promotion but the style quotient matters too.
Career & Jobs
Photography is one of the glamour jobs. You may work with the organizations that are working in press, fashion field, advertisement, documentary field, magazines or tourism.
There are many career options exists for Photographers. Photographer has an option to focus their career in a certain area of photography. Some common areas of specialization are commercial photography, news photography, fashion photography & scientific photography.
Some photographers only shoot portrait photographs. Photographers may work for a company or self-employed. They can find assignments by networking & advertising. Photographers can also work in magazines, websites, television, weddings, newspapers, etc.
As a Photographer, you can also work for advertising & marketing companies. They also sell their pictures in art gallery. You can also rum your own studios.
The job profiles of this field are:
- Photo Journalists
- Portrait Photographers
- Wildlife Photographers
- Feature Photographers
- Forensic Photographers
- Fine Art Photographers
- Freelancing
- Scientific Photographers
- Fashion & Advertising Photographers
- Event Photographer
Recruiters
After the completion of this course, you can get the job opportunity in:
- Add media
- News media
- Documentary firms
- Magazines
- Event management organizations
- Theater
- Movies
Skills Required
To become a good photographer, you have both technical & creativity knowledge. You must have an extra interest & quality in color, visuals, light, etc. Photography field is constantly changing with the improvement of technology. There is not a shortcut to become a successful photography career. You have to work hard. Hence, you have to be fast-moving & willing to learn throughout the career.
Personality Traits:
- Artistic
- Creative
- Independent
- Communication skills
- Good with people
- Originality
- Visual skills
- Business skills
- Organized
Salary
There is no fix salary for a photographer. The salary depends on your skill and your employer firm standard. A fresher can start the career with 100000 per annum, but after the experience if he got better platform, he may get the 3-5 lakh per annum.
Some photographers may be paid an hourly rate. The salary of the photographer can vary depending on a several factors, i.e. talent & experience.
In abroad, the average earnings of the photographers are $40,280.
Courses & Duration
There are so many certificate and diploma courses in photography in India. Beside these, very few colleges provide the bachelor degree in fine arts and photography.
The minimum education required for the professional course in photography is 10+2. These courses contain the knowledge of photographs, angle, lightning, technical knowledge of instruments as camera and understanding of fine arts.
There are various Institutions in India like Pixeltoonz where Students can pursue diploma, degree & certificate courses in photography according to their own choice.
These programmes are offered in different domains of photography such as basis photography, digital photography, fashion photography, professional photography, motion picture photography, photo journalism etc.
The professional education in photography has three levels of study after 12th as the following:
- Certificate courses: Certificate courses are taken the duration of six months after 12th in any stream.
- Diploma courses: Diploma courses are taken the duration of one year after 12th in any stream.
- Degree courses: Degree courses are taken the duration of three years after 12th in any stream. The list of degree courses:
- B.A. (fine arts)
- B.A. (Photography)
So if you are gifted with a creative bent of mind looking for a break to get it manifested, join any reputed institute offering the course. Remember you are just a click away from translating your dreams into reality! All the best!!