Top 5 Careers That Every Photographer Should Consider

You probably have a lot of questions about photography and the career doors it can open for you. Can it help you make money? Is it a full time job? Well, turning your passion into a source of income involves a lot of struggle and hard work. Learning to become a photographer seems an easier task on the surface, but the reality is far from it. It takes more than a camera and clicks to ace the art of photography. The process requires a lot of practice. Photographers also have to keep upgrading their knowledge of the field. What’s more difficult than learning how to become a photographer is choosing the best photography career that compliments your choice.

Photography might be your passion but pursuing it as a career would require you to put in a lot of effort and creativity. Different careers in photography require you to have different skills. To help you choose we have curated a list of top 5 careers in photography.

Photojournalism

Photojournalism is one of the most sought after careers in photography. Photojournalists have expertise in the area of communicating news events in the format of photos. The reason being the deep emotional impact that photographs have on people.

The shots taken by photojournalists are not easy to shoot and are often taken in difficult and uneasy situations. As the photographs are meant to convey the exact message and deep emotional impact on the people therefore the photojournalists have to shoot while the event is happening. For instance, photojournalists may be required take pictures of riots, terror attacks, protests etc.

Under photojournalism there are a wide variety of career options as well. Some of them are:

• Newspaper photographer
• Magazine Photographer
• Freelance Photojournalist
• Graphic Artist
• Web Designer
• Multimedia Journalist

Photojournalists are hired by different news media publications like newspaper publications, magazine publications and other e-websites.

Travel Photographer

If you are adventurous and love traveling, this is the best photography career option for you. However there is a lot of competition in this field. And rightly so. With the kind of incentives that are attached to this field, photographers all over the world want to make it their full time jobs. Travel photography gives you an option to meet new people, explore different cultures and enjoy a year long vacation.

If you want to be a travel photographer, you will have to develop some additional skills. Patience to create the perfect setting, commitment to capture the flawless shot and willingness to work within a strict timelines are a few out of them. As travel photography projects are time consuming so you need to prepare yourself for heavy and hectic schedules in advance.

There are certain perks of being a travel photographer. Photographers get paid for travelling and go to their dream destination for a project. The photographs that you click also help you increase your social media presence. Sharing your travel pictures on social media apps like GoSocial, Facebook, and Instagram can help you grow your reach. You can also send your travel media to different travel agencies and publications and get your photos featured in renowned magazines, and websites.

See: Travel Memories - Photography Challenge

Fashion Photographer

Fashion photography is one of the highest paid careers in photography. Fashion photographers are famous all over the world for capturing the world of art and glamour. Some famous fashion photographers that have enjoyed the limelight for their work are Zhang Jigna, Tarun Khiwal, Vikram Bawa, Russell James and Dabboo Ratnani.

Fashion photography has been immensely popular for decades and is highly competitive. If you have an affinity for portrait shoots and have the needed skills to create aesthetic fashion pictures then this can be a great career option for you.

All the beautiful pictures of models you see on covers of magazines, newspapers and on social media and online websites are shot by fashion photographers. Fashion blogging and influencing is super trendy nowadays so if you want to pursue fashion photography then you can also shoot pictures for fashion blogs and share them on social media platforms.

Fashion photography is highly commercial and has marketing at its base. Fashion images are used by different clothing brands to promote and sell their garments. A lot of hard work and effort goes behind creating that one single glamorous shot. From deciding the exotic location to experimenting with attractive poses, fashion photographers have a glamorous yet tough job.

See: "Capture Emotions" - Photography Challenge

Wedding Photographer

This is another great career option for photographers. The demand for wedding photographers is really high. A wedding is the most special occasion in a person’s life, everyone wants a good wedding photographer to capture the highlights of the beautiful occasion.

Wedding photographers take candid shots and portrait photos in weddings. This photography job requires you to have additional skills wherein you should be able to translate emotions into stories. Wedding photographers use their creative skills to combine candid photography, portrait photography, and interior photography and create quality pictures. We think that if you enjoy being around people, wedding photography is the career option that you should choose.

Product Photography

Product photography is a great career option for freelancers. Product photographers are in high demand in manufacturing industries and marketing agencies.They mostly work indoors in studios and create desired product shots for brands and industries. You can take inspiration from some famous product photographers such as Nori Inoguchi, Lucas Zarebinski, and Zachary Goulko. Their work showcases exceptional talent in still life photography and you can definitely look up to their work.

Different brands and manufacturing industries require different types of product images. Some might require aesthetic flat-lay shots while some might require pictures with models present showcasing the product. You have to be very imaginative and creative and use specific techniques while clicking product photos as they have to attract potential buyers. Product photography is popular at both online and offline platforms.

These are 5 professional photography career options that you can choose from if you are looking for a full-time job or freelancing.

To master your photography skills you can take up some interesting photography challenges on leading artist-friendly platforms like GoSocial. On GoSocial you can find a lot of fun challenges related to photography, art, and writing. Some great photography challenges that you can take on GoSocial are Mobile Photography challenge, Monochrome Photography challenge, Game of Tones and many more. You can also create your own photography challenges on GoSocial and build your own community. You can also host your own photography challenges and share your expertise with other budding photographers and enthusiasts.