A large percentage of the youth in India have photography in their list of hobbies, and many also dream of making it a career. If seeing the world through your camera’s lens and capturing different perspectives is what you desire, it is time for you to start working towards changing your passion for your profession. Since photography is not a mainstream career option in India yet, you might find it slightly challenging to get started for your photography career. This blog will help you figure out all the details regarding photography as a career. From freelance photography to reporting, you should know that there are many options and fields that you can enter into if you want to make photography your career. You also have many diverse opportunities to learn the basics of photography and develop your skills. Besides that, you will also learn and understand the ethics of working with a camera. 

One of the first things you would need to pursue a career in photography is a high school diploma or a bachelor’s degree. Most candidates generally prefer to do a course in fine arts or photo-journalism. However, many candidates pursue journalism degrees and master’s degrees. You will need to understand the practical aspects of working with a camera more than the theory, which would improve when you have years of practice and experience. The view of a course mainly introduces you to the world of photography but don’t underestimate the importance.

How can you start your career in Photography?

Initially, photography starts as a passion, becomes a hobby, and finally, you decide to pursue it as your career. Since the media industry is booming quite well now, there is plenty of competition in the photography field. However, the key to success in any field is how much time you spend on the subject. The hours spent behind your camera would make you the best photographer and not the degree. During college, you would have to submit assignments to boost your overall knowledge of angles, vision, light, changing the aperture, and much more. Here are the ways that you can make photography your career.

1. Enroll in a photography course: The first thing to do if you are a photography aspirant is enrolling on a system. Since technology is rapidly improving, and so are the workings of a camera, you must understand the workings of a camera, both the theoretical and practical aspects. By completing this course, you will start developing the necessary skills and techniques for your career. You could pursue a diploma course in photography or apply to various colleges that offer photography courses.
2. Get your basics right: If you already have some basic idea about the workings of the camera, the theoretical part of the course would be easy for you. However, if you are an aspirant new to the camera, these are the basics that you must know.

• Rule of thirds: The camera frame is divided into nine equal rectangles, three vertical and three horizontal across the frame. The general idea of the rule of thirds is to understand the framing of the picture you will click. The grid helps the photographer to get the essential features into the frame and have a suitable composition.
• Shutter speed: The shutter speed is that unit of measurement that defines the length of time the camera’s shutter remains open when clicking a picture. The shutter speed and aperture go hand in hand. The former is wholly based on motion.
• Aperture: This is the unit of measurement that determines how much the lens opens to let in a certain amount of light entering a camera’s digital sensor. F-stop is used to measure aperture.

Understanding these basics would help you immensely in taking interesting and balanced pictures.

3. Do a couple of internships: After you have completed your course or even in the middle of it, you should consider doing some internships. This would allow you to explore the professional world and also learn skills from veterans in the field. Not only would internships help you greatly in building skills, but you may also find experienced people who help you further in your career. 

Besides internships, you could also participate in photography competitions as they are places where you can show your talent and skills. Even if you do not win right away, you will find things to improve upon. Moreover, if you win, you will have the chance to win certificates and prizes and work with professionals.

4. Build your portfolio: You should record all your work over the years in a blog, website, or portfolio. Your portfolio is your USP or Unique Selling point, and it could be invaluable in the market as the demand for professional photographers increases rapidly. Furthermore, your portfolio, blog or website may help you get noticed and rise higher in your career.

Pursuing photography in India

While some photographers opt for freelancing, much work for companies as salaried employees after gaining some years of experience, some photographers also open their studios. There are many career options in photography, for example, in sports, wildlife, news, political, cultural events, and more. The jobs are pretty exciting, but you must remember that hard work is the key. In addition, you must be constantly updated with the newest trends and the ever-changing working of cameras and lenses. 

This holds that the more experience you have, the better jobs you will get and hence the higher pay. Thus, recording your work and achievements in your portfolio is of utmost importance. An average salaried photographer earns anything between 21-23K INR, which changes according to the experience and designation.

Conclusion

As we have emphasized before, having your basics right is essential, and enrolling in a good institute would get you there. We at JD Institute do not believe in the ‘one size fits all. Instead, we train each candidate according to their skillset and thus ensure utmost success for everyone in their respective field, including photography.