Everything You Need to Know About Becoming a Photographer
Here is an insight into the world of photography…
Do you love taking pictures of your friends, nature, rooms in your house, or of delicious food? Whether you are a beginner or advanced, everyone could use some tips and tricks how to navigate the world of photography. As you read, my goal is for you to better understand the ins and outs of the industry, just as my research was able to better inform me.
If you are interested in being a photographer, this post will give you an insight to everything it takes to become one. Being a professional photographer has many benefits. These benefits often correlate with what type of photography you want to get into, considering there are many paths you can take. Whether you want to pursue fashion photography, still life, event photographer, candid photographer, wildlife photographer or a travel photographer. For example, a benefit of being a travel photographer is that the company you work for could pay for the expenses of traveling the world to take pictures of beautiful landscapes, this means you can travel the world for free while doing something you love. Another type of photography is capturing portraits of people or their families. The benefits that come along with this is knowing you captured moments they can look back on forever and will always treasure. Or you can create a surprise moment by capturing candid photos which means the subject is not posing and are unaware of the photo being taken. These are just three examples of the endless possibilities that your career in photography can benefit you if you happen to choose this career path.
West Chester University offers many opportunities and resources when it comes to pursuing photography as a career path. For example, WCU has their very own photography club which gives you inside access to upcoming events.
The photography club best describes what the club is about by their front-page explanation, which reads “Photography Club provides an opportunity for students interested in photography to share photographic experience, listen to gust photographers, travel to local areas with photographic opportunities, and form a supportive photographic community on the WCU campus.” I have not been able to participate in this club because of the Corona Virus, but after researching the club and everything it has to offer, it has sparked my interest and I plan on joining as soon as I can. In addition, West Chester University also offers a photography course that is offered in the Fall and Spring. The course’s objective is to introduce you into the basics of photography by teaching you techniques in order to better your knowledge and understanding of the photography process.
It is often thought that photographers don’t make much money in their career, but that is in fact not true. The median salary of a photographer is just over $66k a year, with a lot of opportunity to grow your salary as your career goes on. For instance, your salary could have the potential to increase drastically by starting your own business. You no longer have to share profits with your boss or partners within the company you worked for. Another way to earn money as a photographer is to sell prints of the photos you capture. Andreas Gursky, a world-famous photographer, has sold his prints for up to $4.3 million a piece. Although this is not the norm, it is interesting to know that there are opportunities in which you could earn this amount of money for one single picture.
I have researched various photography companies around the area and came across some local companies that you could internship for. Some popular photography companies in the area are, Blue Sun Photography, Wise Owl Media, and Pau Hana Productions. Internships can be paid or not paid, but the internships that are paid are much more competitive and harder to come by. What is really interesting when it comes to internships and jobs in photography is that you can work for big companies. Big companies often have more funds to pay photographers than a company dedicated specifically to photography. There is currently an internship open at QVC, right by West Chester University, to take pictures of the products that they selling. This is a really good way to gain in experience in photography while also getting paid.
An interview done by Andreas Gursky, as stated above, explains his goal when starting his career in photography was to redefine photography. He aimed to photograph things that aren’t beautiful to the naked eye, but when Gursky stops and takes time to take pictures of them, you are able to see beauty in the most basic things that you see in your everyday life that you take advantage of. There is a famous quote that calls on us to “stop and smell the roses,” this means to slow down in your everyday life and appreciate what is right in front of you at all times that you always take for granted. Gursky’s pictures emulate this message to highest possible potential. His photos of supermarkets, warehouses, and solar panels are now world famous. My goal as a potential future photographer is to aim to be like Gursky. Looking at photography in a new and unique way is the best and fastest way to become successful in photography. There are so many photographers in this world, and you need to make sure to stand out and be different from the others. Don’t let that scare you, there are many ways to stand out!
If you have been looking for a sign to step out of your comfort zone and become a photographer, this is it! With there being an endless number of different paths you can take after declaring that as your career, you can’t go wrong. You need to put yourself out there and take a risk, you never know if it will turn into the greatest decision of your life that allows you to express yourself in more ways than one. Take the first step by reading this article and digest the information above, and don’t look back.
