Photographers are the ones who take photographs, especially as a job. They join many degree courses in photography to make their career as a photographer. Some of them join as full-time, part-time, freelancer etc., “Photography is also called the art of capturing something which can be preserved and cherished for your lifetime”. “Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything.”  — Aaron Siskind. 

One can capture photos of nature which includes animals, birds, plants, insects, etc., Even life moments like achievements, tours, games etc.,  “There is one thing the photograph must contain, the humanity of the moment.”  — Robert Frank. 

Every human on the Earth knows about photography as everyone takes photos nowadays. But not all can be claimed as “Photographers” or “Professional Photographers”.  Professional Photographers capture pictures which resembles that moment in a 6×4 inches(avg size of photo). They capture that thing or moment which makes the feel of reality and makes us live in that moment.     “Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.” — Anonymous

So, if you want to make your career as a photographer, you have to plan everything perfectly. Many of you might think “Does photography has a career?”.  Yes, it does have a career. Many Universities in various countries provide degree courses in photography. They provide UG, Masters degree courses in Photography. Even many Indian Universities provide degree courses in Photography. Some of the countries which provide photography courses are USA, UK, Australia, India etc.,

Never worry about the salaries of photographers. It also depends on the platform you are in, the type of work you do, the organization you work for, the experience etc.,  If you become a professional photographer, you’ll automatically get higher pay. Even there are other techniques to earn handsome amount of money which I’ll explain below.

Some of the types of photography are

• Portrait photography
• Commercial photography
• Scientific and industrial photography
• Aerial photography
• Fine art photography
• Fashion Photography  etc.,

Here are some of the tips to grow your career as a Photographer:

Have a good start of your career

I hope you are a very passionate guy about photography and want to make careers in it. At the start, join any diploma course in Photography. If you are pursuing a degree in another course than photography, then try to take your next step in joining courses in Photography like, for example, if you are taking UG in other specialization, try to join PG in Photography (if you want to take PG in photography having other specialization in UG, you should have enough track record like any certificates in photography and many more which will be described below). Though taking PG in photography having other specialization in UG is not that tough, but you have to impress the recruiter with your profile. If you are a PG degree holder with other specialization and want to make a career in photography, then try to go with nano-degree programs, high-level certifications, Internships which are even available on the Internet which we discuss in more detail below (not only PG, even UG students can take it).

Take Certificate Courses

If you join any diploma course or any other course, try to focus more on the subjects which your course covers. Besides that, take any certificate course either offline or online. Complete few certificate courses which make your profile worthy to impress the recruiter, if you are financially strong or able to afford the money. Don’t join any low-graded certificate course institute which just gives you a certificate. Even don’t join any random certificate courses, if you are taking diploma courses or any other. Take only professional certificate courses if you are serious to make a career as a photographer. Take random certificate courses which are good if you are an amateur (at the start) or if you don’t have any degree in Photography (or both the reasons) to start your career.  Take nano-degree programs in your free time which boosts your profile. Some of the online certificate providing platforms are udacity, udemy, skillshare, Coursera and many more (do check on the web for more best platforms).

Though this looks somewhat complex, if you are the passionate guy to make your career as a photographer or if you are serious about photography, this is the path you have to go which feels smoother, enthusiastic, happier and be in serenity. Photography is a relaxed study than any other courses in the world. It is even simpler and moderate compared to fashion courses.

Internships 

The internship is one of the top 3 most valuable assets for the profile of the one who wants to get recruited in higher organizations. Internships boost ones profile if they want to go with further studies, get recruited in top-notch companies or organizations, and want to gain real-time experience which makes them excel in their careers in long-term. Build your profile which is worth for your career. It also attracts the recruiter so that you move on further. Add certificates as said above before going to an Internship. This must be done if you are serious to make your career as a photographer and after Internship, you’ll gain higher insights into the photography.

Work as a Freelancer

If you think you have excelled in photography, then besides searching for a job,  you can try working as a freelancer. There are many online websites which offer you this job. Keep your profile ready before applying for any kind of job. Upload some the best pics according to the category in any websites, blogs, drive, social media etc., You can even work part-time as a photographer as freelancer (if they permit) or anywhere outside. You can even work full-time as a freelancer. If you want to join higher standard companies, organizations in the future then this would be a big asset and impress the recruiter.

Learn various Photo/Video/Sound editing Software Applications

Learn how to edit photos, videos using many Software Applications available online. Make your photos look more real according to the context, situation, etc., by choosing the best type of photograph. Become a professional photographer by gaining these skills. There is much software like Adobe Photoshop, PortraitPro, Pixlr etc.,  If you get into top-notch companies, you’ll get higher/est level Software Applications to work with.

Don’t keep waiting

Yes, never wait until you get your desired company if it takes more time. If you are working part-time, then you might be doing any job, studying etc., then you would be busy with something. If you are not working anywhere or studying, then never keep waiting for the opportunity to disclose your talent. There are many platforms like social media, websites/blogs, etc., where you can showcase your photography skills. Social media is one of the biggest platforms to showcase your skills and there higher chances to impress someone.  Get more followers, likes which attract many people which in-turn attracts (there are higher chances to get viewed by) the people of higher organizations. The best social media to showcase your photography skills is Instagram (as every user knows it).

 Earn by yourself

There are many websites and apps which pay you by uploading on their sites or you can earn by selling your photos on them. Some of the world-famous websites like dreamstime.com, gettyimages, shutterstock, adobestock, fotomoto etc., are the websites where you can sell your photos to earn a handsome amount of money. If your photos got in demand, then you can have a weekly income of a handsome amount of money. Some of the apps where you can sell your photos are foap (there are even competitions held in it), dreamstime, snapwire, 500px, Agora Images, stockimo etc.,

Nanodegree Programs or any Professional Certification

A Nanodegree, provided by Udacity and AT&T among other partners, is an online certification that you can earn in 6-12 months (10-20 hours/week) (Ref:  Udacity). It offers a nano degree program called Computational-Photography  . The below are taken from the given link in the previous point. ( Ref: Udacity)

About this Course

This class explores how computation impacts the entire workflow of photography, which is traditionally aimed at capturing light from a 3D scene to form a 2D image. A detailed study of the perceptual, technical and computational aspects of forming pictures, and more precisely the capture and depiction of reality on a (mostly 2D) medium of images is undertaken over the entire term. The scientific, perceptual, and artistic principles behind image-making will be emphasized, especially as impacted and changed by computation.

For Professional Certification sources, check point 2.

Be Positive and do a lot of Hard work with Smart work

As making a career as a photographer is a time taking process for many people, try to be positive and have patience. Upload your photos everywhere online and share them even offline too. Sell your photos online. As said, go to other countries to gain more knowledge and explore more platforms to get more jobs. There are countries like UK, USA etc., which provide photography courses in PG. They provide placements after the completion of the course with higher pay. Get some other sources too apart from the campus placements for getting money.

Finally, these are some of the tips to make a career as a photographer.

Please do check more on which country provides photography courses and has the highest companies to recruit you.

Hope this blog helps you.

Thank you for this reading this…