Careers in Photography

Photography is one of the most versatile careers. You can use your camera skills to shoot a variety of creative projects, and no project ever has to be the same as the last. That said, when working in the photography industry it is important to know the different ways that you can make money. Often you will need to pick a specialization that will work best with your camera skills and help you market your business. 

How to Pick Your Area of Photography

While there is a lot of flexibility with photography, it is important to know what you are best at and most interested in so that you have something you feel good about marketing to potential clients. This will also help you find a focus to tune your skills to so that you can create your best art.

Some things to consider when deciding what area of photography is best for you are:

1. What settings do you like to take photos in? Are you someone who likes to be in natural locations or be one with nature when you are taking photos? Do you like the controlled environment of being in a studio or on a set? Do you prefer taking pictures of places you have never been before? Or maybe you like taking photos at an event or sports game where you are on your toes trying to capture important moments?

2. What equipment do you have? Depending on what equipment you own, you might be better suited for different kinds of photography. If you have a telephoto lens, you will be able to take better pictures of subjects farther away or are fast-moving. If you only have a basic camera, studio shoots might be more practical. 

3. What do you have the most experience with? If you have practiced a lot in taking portraits or nature photography, that might be the type of photography you know best and can do the best.

4. What do you want to get out of your photography career? Are you currently focusing on making money, or do you hope to have your photos published in articles? You might want to have your photos displayed in a gallery or shared in photo albums for years to come. 

Careers in Photography

After considering what you want, it is time to pick out the best career in photography for you. There are many different areas to have a career in photography, so here are a few to consider when exploring what type of photography you want to do: 

People: A lot of photography careers revolve around taking photos of people. Oftentimes they are in the form of portraits and in more controlled settings. Many of these are typically done in a photo studio or in more common spaces. Some popular photography careers focusing on people include:

1. Baby or Newborn Photography: Photos when a family welcomes a new addition

2. Pregnancy Photography: Photos of someone who is expecting, typically for pregnancy announcements and family keepsakes. 

3. Senior Portraits: Many high school or college seniors like to have professional pictures taken for their yearbooks and families.

4. Graduation Photos: Similar to senior portraits, many high school and college graduates like to get photos done in their graduation apparel to commemorate their hard work. 

5. Headshots and Portraits: There are different types of occasions where people might want headshots. Actors and performers need headshots for auditions, and many professionals like headshots done for their business portfolios or LinkedIn.

6. Family Portraits: Many families like to have professional pictures taken for family keepsakes, holiday cards, or to have framed. This might include photos of children, siblings, as well as parents.

7. Wedding/Engagement Photography: When people celebrate their love, they usually want to commemorate it with some nice photos. This involves posed photos with the couple, their family, and their guests, and can also involve taking more natural, candid photos of the wedding or event itself. 

Commercial Photography: This is photography for businesses. When working in commercial photography, you must be versatile, as you will have to work on different projects for different companies. Every company will have unique priorities, values, and projects. They will look for you to do your best work capturing the desired emotions and drawing the consumer’s attention to their product. 

Fine Art Photography: This type of career is for photographers who want to create art. Typically these works will go into galleries or be sold for display. Commonly, Fine Art photography includes landscapes, scenery, and specific subjects. 

Animal Photography: Many photographers like to focus their photography on animals. Some prefer to take photos of domesticated animals for families who want the photo keepsake. Others like to become one with nature and take photos of wildlife. These photos can be sold and published in magazines, newspapers, or online blogs about animals, nature, or travel. 

Photojournalist: Many photographers will use their photography to make money by working in photojournalism. This means taking photos for news publications or digital media. This can involve taking photos at local events, travel, landscapes, and other noteworthy stories being covered in the news. 

Event Photography: There are many different types of events that photographers can cover. These can include concerts, commencements, recitals, competitions, and just about any event you can think of. Because these events are normally live and less predictable, event photographers have to be able to work on their toes and always be attentive to get the best shot and capture the moment.

Sports Photography: Sports photography is just like event photography but tenfold. You never quite know what will happen in a sports game so you must always pay close attention and have a good understanding of the game to highlight the athletes and plays. 

Stock Photography: Many photographers will sell their pictures to be licensed and used as stock photos. When taking photos to be licensed as stock photos, it is important to keep in mind that certain pictures will be more popular than others. To maximize your earning potential, you want to focus on popular categories of photos that people are more likely to license. 

Food Photography: A subsection of commercial photography is food photography, where photographers specialize in taking pictures of food. This takes a strong knowledge of what kinds of light, arrangements, and other elements will make the foods being photographed look the best. 

Fashion Photography: Another subsection of commercial photography, fashion photography focuses on taking photos of clothing and accessories. You typically work on creating a certain image and style with the products and models. 

These are just a handful of common careers in photography, there are many more subcategories and specializations that you can discover to find the one you like best. 

What You Need to Have to Start Your Career in Photography

There are a few more things to consider when you are starting your career in photography that may affect what jobs you will be able to get. Take stock of whether you have these things and what you will need to do to have the best chance of success in your career. 

1. Equipment: No matter what type of photography you decide to make a career in, you will need some sort of equipment. Make sure you are getting the right equipment for your work and know how to use what you have to achieve your client’s desired results. Certain lenses, lights, backgrounds, or decor might be important for a job. Also, consider whether you are using film or digital cameras and what would be best in the situation.

2. Portfolio and Samples: It is important to have a portfolio and samples to give to potential clients and collaborators. Having a good portfolio will show clients and employers what kind of work you specialize in and can do well. It will give them a better idea of how you could fit with their projects or work. Creating personal websites or using sites like Auteurnet is the best way to share your work and find other creatives to work with.

3. Connections, References, Outreach: While this might be difficult starting out, it is important to find ways to network and work with people you know to help increase your business. It is hard to start such a client-based career without good references and relationships that will help you find more jobs, so work on extending your contacts and finding ways to increase public knowledge of your work. Discounts or free consultations can help with this, but don’t do too much work for free. 

Some Less Traditional Careers in Photography

Maybe you aren’t quite ready to jump into a career in photography or don’t have the right equipment. Or maybe traditional photography doesn’t interest you, and you would rather try to use different techniques and equipment to achieve cool shots. Here are a few of them:

1. Photo Editing: If you are good with Adobe Photoshop or photo editing, all you need is your computer and the software, and you can start. Many people will hire photo editors to edit their photos– from taking photobombers out to recoloring a photo, there are many different ways to be creative just by editing photos.

2. Real Estate and 360° Photography: Many businesses, most commonly real estate, use photos to give their clients a better feel for the space that they will be entering. They will hire photography companies that specialize in this to use 360° photography systems to capture the space. 

3. Aerial Photography: With the popularity of drones, the use of aerial photography has increased. If you are interested in drones, or getting pictures from the air, aerial photography might be for you.

There are many other career options that you can use for your photography degree or knowledge, like becoming an art director, graphic designer, or camera operator– the possibilities are endless.

With photography, there is no set-in-stone career path that you must take. The work is inherently creative and should be fun. While it is good to find what you want out of your career and what type of photography you specialize in, that does not have to restrict your art. Feel free to branch out and try multiple of these types of photography. Keep learning and developing your skills. Learn to manage your business and time. Build new relationships with clients and other creatives. As Judit Ruiz Ricart says in her photography career tips, don’t forget to stay passionate– “let it guide your creative journey.”

Learn more about Auteurnet and how we can help you build your creative community.