Photography
The facts on professional photography
The job of a professional photographer involves producing photographs that record an event, tell a story or express a theme. To produce quality images, a photographer must be creatively talented as well as technically skilled.
Education and Training for a Career in Professional Photography
High school courses in photography are a good start, but most photography jobs require certification or a college degree. There are two general categories of professional photographers: retail photographers and commercial photographers. Retail photographers specialize in areas like portraits and weddings. Commercial photographers work in diverse fields including architecture, sports, medicine, journalism, police sciences and fashion photography.
Portrait photographers, who are generally freelancers, can become technically proficient through a vocational program or an internship at an established photography studio. Commercial photographers usually require four-year photography degrees to prepare them for work in complex and demanding fields, including photojournalism and scientific photography.
Depending on the type of photography career you envision for yourself, additional classes can be helpful. Art history, visual studies, fine arts and journalism courses can all lay the groundwork for future success and greater versatility.
Classes or on-the-job training that teach you the technical aspects of photography equipment are also a must for anyone who wants to pursue professional photography. Advanced knowledge of shutter speeds and functions, apertures, lenses, filters, film stocks and darkroom equipment is required.
Job Considerations for the Professional Photographer
A portfolio of your photographic work will be the most important tool in your arsenal as you try to land a job as a professional photographer. Portfolio pieces should highlight your best work and show that you’re versatile and have good range. Even well-established professional photographers continue to improve and update their portfolios, which essentially serve as their professional calling cards. For photography students enrolled in a college program, the career services office is an excellent resource for helping you connect with entry-level jobs and internship opportunities.
More than half of the professional photographers in the United States are self-employed, although many of these photographers can have ongoing work contracts with advertising agencies or magazine publishers. While the uncertainty associated with self-employment can be a disadvantage, self-employed photographers enjoy many benefits, including:
- Multiple bosses, rather than working for the same person day after day
- A great deal of choice in the type of photography projects taken on
- Flexibility in work hours
- Tax write-offs, including equipment, transportation and meals
Salaried art photography work is more difficult to obtain; these photographers often work for a commercial photography studio, newspaper, magazine, advertising agency or government organization.
