Digital Marketing

Career Options Using Photography and the Skills Needed to Succeed

There are many different jobs that involve photography, including:

-Portrait / studio / wedding: focuses on images of people and sells images to families and individuals

-Sports: action photos, from children’s leagues to professional and Olympic levels.

-Commercial / Product Photography: Each ad has images taken by someone. Photography of jewelry, food, automotive and fashion are some examples.

-Artistic / Landscape: scenic or artistically oriented images, often sold as artwork, postcards, or tourist items.

-Architecture: photos of buildings and other built elements

-Forense: used in police / detective work. Crime scene and related photography.

-Journalism: unstaged real-life images for newspapers and magazines

-School / event: school photos, sports teams, church and other groups where a large volume is typical.

– Stock photography: images taken that other people will buy and use for advertising and other purposes

There are other specialties such as astrophtography and photomicrography.

Frequently asked questions about careers in photography

1) What skills do I need to be successful as a photographer?

-Conceptual- the ability to understand the needs of your customers and communicate with them

-Technical: the ability to identify, configure and use the camera, lighting and accessories to take pictures

-Editing: the ability to process captured images and edit them to meet customer needs

-Marketing: the ability to get your name out there and connect you and your business with your potential customer base

-Selling: the ability to earn money with your profession. It includes prices, negotiation, meeting with clients, production of your final products.

-Management – Attend to the day-to-day needs of a company or professional, including buying things, paying bills, covering insurance, taxes, permits, etc.

-Leadership: build or work in a business environment where you need to create visions, define goals and actions, and implement them to grow the business

-Service: contact and grow your customer base, measure customer satisfaction, solve customer problems.

You can see that only technical and editing skills are included in traditional photography / computer skills. However, because photography involves a high degree of interpersonal communication and subjective needs of the client base, it is necessary to develop and possess good skills with people: listening, documenting, creativity, following, etc.

2) What education do I need to be successful in photography?

You will need to learn or be taught the technical aspects of photography: lighting, composition, camera science, image editing and production. Some people can learn this as they go. Others seek a special degree or certificate from certain schools, or you can earn a 4-year degree in arts / photography from a university. To be very well prepared, you should consider a minor in business or marketing or a minor in your chosen specialty field, such as criminal justice, sports, or journalism. This will give you an advantage over any candidate who does not have this education.

3) What kind of experience is required?

To be employable, you must demonstrate competence not only in the technical areas of photography, but also in social skills. I recommend creating and growing a portfolio of your own images to show your technical and artistic development and skills. A proven track record in any service industry (foodservice, retail, etc.) will show that you can work with people and meet their needs. Using your photography skills in volunteer areas will also increase your skills and breadth of experience.

You can often get a job as a “second shooter” or assistant to professionals in your city. Your ability to take on the dirty work and learn on the job will increase your chances of success in your search for an entry-level job.

4) What are the job functions of a photographer?

They vary greatly from work areas and company size, but here are the general duties:

– Prepare marketing plans to advertise and promote your products and services.

– Interact with clients on proposals to secure the job.

– Prepare for photo shoots: logistics / planning, coordination of equipment, accessories, models, permits, etc.

– Carry out the photo session

– Edit and backup images

– Publish and / or make the images available to clients for their review.

– Interact with customers to develop images into their ideal products.

– Make the sale and collect the payment.

– Manage business accounts – keep the office running

5) What are the prospects for this type of career?

There are good jobs in all of these areas. The development of high-quality digital cameras has given the average person the ability to create great images at a reasonable cost, but the professional photographer will have the training, talent, tools, and motivation to make better images. Price pressure will continue to force professionals to be more profitable.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *