Career as Photographer

A Photographer

"A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed"

A photographer is a person who takes photographs. However, there is much more to photographs than just picking up a camera and shooting pictures. For instance, one needs to be aware of the lens aperture, the amount of light exposure, ISO speed etc. It is a photographer who works on these minute details to bring out the best of a present scenario.

A professional photographer usually works for firms, newspapers, magazines, websites, blogs or freelancer. The importance of photographers simply cannot be neglected as they are required in lots of fields. With time, the base of photographers and demand of their work is spreading. As a result policemen, real estate agents and even scientists need photographers for their aid. A few photographers do not work for anyone but themselves. Once they are done with their pictures they put it up for display or sell.

A photographer is also at times responsible for moving pictures and at such times they are called as cinematographer. There are quite a few types of photography and it depends solely on the interested person, which field they wish to choose. For an instance one can take up street photography, document photography, wedding photography, forensic photography, war photography, photojournalism, fashion photography or commercial photography.

What really separates a professional photographer and a casual photographer is the amount of stress given to minute details which make a photo better or perhaps, the best. A photographer has a different perception of life and things and tries his/her best to bring along emotions along with creativity. It is only when people feel they are connected to a picture or photo that a photographer can claim that he or she is successful.

Courses & Eligibility

There is an immense demand and career opportunities available for photographers not only in India but abroad as well. There is no such eligibility criteria for becoming a photographer, however to succeed in the field of photography, one needs to have lots of creativity and ability to perceive things in various ways. The only reason for going for a course is to learn the technical aspects so as to enhance and hone up your creativity. This is the very reason that lots of colleges and institutes have introduced professional photography courses in their curriculum. The following is a list of all the courses that one may find suitable for taking up photography seriously.

Certificate Course in Advanced Photography

Certificate Course in Basic Photography

Certificate Course in Digital Photography

Certificate Course in Fashion Photography

Certificate Course in Photography

Diploma in Fashion Photography

Diploma in Motion Picture Photography

Diploma in Photography

Diploma in Professional Photography

Foundation Degree Photography

The Bachelor of Photography

Bachelor of Arts Design : Photography

Being a photographer opens up a world of possibilities and that is the reason one must not hesitate in taking it up professionally. The presence of so many institutes can only make things better as one gets a chance to learn things very minutely. There is no educational qualification required for photography as such, but if you are willing to join a Diploma course, then one must have completed their intermediate (10+2). One can also take up part time course along with their college degree so that they do not invest additional time in the same.

Though there are lots of institutes and universities providing courses for photography, most of them do not require you to undergo any sort of entrance tests.

Course Fees

The duration of the course and the fee structure depend greatly on the course one wishes to pursue along with the institute. The usual duration of photography courses range from 2 months to 3 years. Depending on the courses and duration, the fee ranges from Rs. 8,500 to Rs. 70,000 for the high end courses.

Where To Study

• National Institute of Design(N.I.D), Ahemdabad - NID is one of the premier most institutes of the nation and has been providing world class courses and training for students interested in photography. The institute provides one year post graduate program in photography design.
• Sir JJ School of Applied Arts, Mumbai - The institute has created a niche for itself with all credits to the kind of training and courses that it has been providing in the past years. One can get a bachelors degree in Fine Arts from the institute which is very helpful for the candidates aspiring to be photographers.
• College of Art, Delhi University - The college was established in the year 1942 and offers bachelors degree for photography under Delhi University. Interested candidates can also pursue Masters degree from the institute.
• Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai - The name Xavier in itself says volumes, so any course from the same would obviously mean a lot in the industry as well. The institute provides with certificate course in basic as well as advanced photography.
• Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University, Hyderabad - The institute is one of the premier institutes in the country when it comes to photography. It offers a part time post graduate course in photography and visual communication.
• Some other leading colleges in the nation for photography are as follows.
• Shari Academy of Photography and Digital Imaging, Mumbai
• Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication, New Delhi
• Bangalore School of Arts and Photography (B.S.O.A.P), Bangalore
• National Insitute of Photography, Mumbai
• Ambitions 4 Photography Academy, chennai
• Shoot School, Thrissur
• Center ofr research in Art of Film and television (CRAFT), New Delhi
• Academy for Photographic Excellence (Apex), New Delhi
• Udaan School of Photography, Mumbai
• Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad
• Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, Varanasi
• Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya, Bhopal
• Deen Dayal Upadhya (DDU) Gorakhpur University, Gorakhpur
• Light and Life Academy, Ooty
• Fortune Institute of Communication and Television, New Delhi
• Academy of Photography, RabindraBhartiUniversity, Kolkata - Diploma Course
• Dept of Continuing and Adult Education and Extension Work, Church gate Campus, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai
• Camera Art Institute, Triveni Kala Sangam, 205 Tansen Marg, New Delhi
• Film & Television Institute, Pune - Diploma Course (motion Picture Photography)
• Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, E.M. Bye Pass Road, Kolkata - Diploma Course (motion Picture Photography)
• Jiwaji University, Gwalior - Integrated course in Photography in Bachelor of Arts
• University of Pune, FergussonCollege, Pune - Integrated course in Photography in Bachelor of Art
• Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu, Chennai - Photography as a subsidiary subject

Pay & Remuneration

The remuneration and pay scale offered to a photographer largely depends on his or her field along with the experience levels. To start off his or her career one generally assists professional photographers and earning is usually below a lakh per year. However, with experience one can get up to Rs. 3 lakhs a year. For a good creative and hard working professional photographer the earnings can be very high also.

Career Prospects

A picture is worth a thousand words and this clearly conveys the propects for a good photographer. With the advent of online media, the need for good photographers has also gone up. Today, there are good opportunities available for photographers, for instance, one can take up a job that is highly technical while someone else may take up a job that requires high creativity. Learning finer points from professional photographers can open up lots of other opportunities as well. As mentioned earlier there are lots of fields in which one can get into such as press photographer, editorial photographer, commercial photographer, feature photographer, portrait/ wedding photographer, advertising photographer, fashion photographer, fine arts photographer, digital photographer, wild life photographer, forensic photographer and at last free lancer.

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