Photography
Career Training for Creative Individuals

Are you creative and outgoing? Do you enjoy communicating ideas and working with others? A career in photography offers the opportunity to create art and work in a rewarding professional field. It takes much more than the ability to operate a camera or liking pictures to become a successful photographer. It takes hard work and dedication to learning both the technical and visual aspects of this field of visual communication. The field of photography is constantly changing as technology advances; it is fast-paced, and demands willingness to learn the technical skills needed to create just the right look for your images and for your clients' needs.

Careers in Photography

One of the most exciting aspects of photography is the variety of jobs available in the field, ranging from highly specialized, technical work to jobs that require the photographer to be extremely creative and visually literate.

• For those people-oriented individuals who enjoy customer service and sales, and who like children and pets, a career in Portrait Photography may be right for you. Portrait photography is enjoyable because your clients are the people from your own community who want images with a personal touch; you can even specialize in wedding photography. Portrait photographers may work for a studio or be self-employed.

• For creative people who enjoy the images found in advertising, magazine editorial photographs, and architectural photography, the fast-paced fields of Commercial or Fashion Photography may be right for you. Commercial photographers produce studio and location images for a variety of clients. Their work is challenging and exciting because it changes every day. Some commercial photographers choose to work for a large studio, while others manage their own studio.

• People interested in medical research may seek a career in Biomedical Photography. Biomedical photographers make images for doctors, researchers, hospital staff, and hospital public relations. Biomedical photography training can also prepare you for a position within the police force doing Forensic Photography. Forensic photographers document crime scenes and work with coroners' offices doing related work.

• For the more adventurous types who thrive on travel and a variety of experiences, careers in Photojournalism, Sports, or Travel Photography might be for you. These fields require very flexible hours, but they offer the rewards of being in the front-line of breaking news and big events; they can even take you to the far reaches of the globe. These fields require creativity and the ability to make split second decisions about creating just the right shot. Photographers interested in these fields might work for a college or university in public relations, on a cruise ship, or for a newspaper or magazine. Often photographers in these fields work on a freelance basis, but there are full-time positions available as well.

Related Fields

Photographers often work in collaboration with other creative people, such as graphic designers and art directors, who also have the task of making images communicate for the client. Trained photographers can work as studio managers, set or food stylists, make-up artists, or as photographers' representatives in stock agencies. They could also work in print production, either in photo labs or in digital image management or prepress operations.

Getting Started

No matter which career path you choose in photography, there are skills you need in order to succeed: visual skills, technical camera and lighting skills, and digital imaging skills. With so much to learn, perhaps the toughest part of becoming a photographer is getting started. The most important element of success is proper training. Photographers need to have a strong sense of visual style and compositional skills in addition to training in the technical intricacies of photographic equipment, lighting, and print production, both in traditional and digital processes. A sound education provided by a quality photography program can help students gain the skills they need to succeed. This knowledge and a technically and visually outstanding portfolio of images will be the marketing tool that graduating photography students will use to obtain a position in the field. Once in the job market, many beginning photographers work full-time as Photographic Assistants for established photographers; this way they learn business management skills, practice working with clients, and experience problem solving in a variety of situations. Many beginning photographers also choose to work as Freelance Assistants, working for several photographers or companies in order to gain a broader base of experience.

Salary Potential

Photographers' salaries are as diverse as the positions available. Salaries depend on the type of position acquired, the area of the country in which you work, and the quality of skills and experience you bring to the job.

Successful photographers are creative individuals who can think and communicate in visual terms. They have good people skills and are able to interpret a client's needs, translating their ideas into images that work. They must have good problem solving skills, and be able to work independently. Photographers who want to be self-employed need to have business management skills. As with any field, success depends on diligent marketing and continued hard work, but if you enjoy making photographs, the work is challenging, exciting, and rewarding.

Provided by Angela Faris, Full-Time Faculty, OIP&T (Ohio Institute of Photography and Technology).