Taking Photography As A Career

Like every other field, photography has also seen a tremendous change in the last few years. While initially, photography as a career was limited to capturing events, weddings and had seen its presence in movies, in recent years a lot has changed. With a boom of mass media, advertising, e-commerce and other fields have created a huge need for professional photographers. 

Day by day, people are becoming more dependent on digital platforms for food, cosmetics, clothing etc and this has led to an increase in the demand for photographers with specialisations like food photography, lifestyle photography and fashion photography.  

Here are a few steps to help you click-start your career in photography : 

1. Learn the basics: It will be impossible to make a career in any field unless you learn the basics. You can start learning the basic principles of photography from a lot of different online resources. But at the same time remember that practical implementation of those principles is equally important to understand them. Having a DSLR is not the first step of becoming a photographer, with the way technology is advancing your smartphone cameras can help you get started. 

2. Take up internships: While you can learn the basics of photography online, internships will help you get a practical experience of the field. You will get an insight into how to work on different kinds of projects and how to deal with different sets of clients. This will also help you build your personal network, which can, later on, help you land freelance photography gigs. 

3. Participate in Photography Competitions: A simple Google search will give you the list of photography competitions happening around the world. A lot of these competitions require you to submit the photographs online, so it becomes easier for you to participate irrespective of where you are in the world. These competitions will help you understand the kind of talent that is already present and will also provide you with insights on where you need to improve upon. In case you do win a competition, then it will be an added bonus for your portfolio. 

4. Build a Digital Presence: Having a digital presence is quite important for anyone who is trying to make it into the creative world. This is where you start building your identity as a photographer and get your work recognised. It will also help you land various freelance projects and collaborations. More than anything else, it will also act as your portfolio which potential employers and clients can check out.  

Mohammad Zeeshan

Guest Author The author is Co-founder & CEO, MyCaptain