Photography Career Scope: Jobs, Placements, Salary 2023, Top Recruiters/Companies

“Photography is an austere and blazing poetry of the real. It is a fast-growing and popular career choice in this era of a globalised, graphical and digitalised generation. Advancements in the Advertising, Media and Fashion industries have made Photography a successful and exciting career choice for many young strivers. Photography stresses on establishing visual aids and samples of the world around us to curate curiosity, assumptions, wonders and perpetual algorithms that generate willingness amongst the stakeholders to realise the beauty of moments, memories, nostalgia and most importantly the importance of preserving art.

The major challenge that captivates the creative world of Photographers is to create work or strata of imagination combined with the reality that responds to the critical, cultural, social and economic discourses varying at local and cross-cultural levels, exploring new technologies while simultaneously analysing and synthesising their relevance with images and pictures. It stems from a deep desire for self-expression and the belief that art and design can influence the way we encounter and understand everyday life. Whether exploring and applying photography as a means of addressing a personal idea or concern, or using image creation to meet client expectations, this field will teach you the tools, methods, techniques, and processes you use. 

Earlier Photography came to be recognized as a major hobby or only a leisurely activity. But, today, Photography has set the bars high by standardising itself into the category of a major profession. The motives behind this creative and critical practice are diverse. As a photographer, developing a personal visual language involves learning not only about materials, equipment, and processes but also developing an aesthetic intellect.

Why choose Photography?

It is estimated that the Photography market in India is worth over INR 1 lakh crores and grows by 25-30% annually. A revolution has taken place in the industry of Photography in recent decades with digital photography completely replacing film-based Photography. Digital photography has opened up huge opportunities for newer companies. In addition, digital Photography has made it easier for creative and talented entrepreneurs to start a Photography business, as it does not require as much capital or training.

From 2020 to 2030, the global Photography equipment market is expected to register a CAGR of 5.78%. Being realistic and innovative in nature, Photography is recognised and valued as one of the top 10 vocational, innovative and creative courses. There are only 9% of Photography graduates, who are unemployed, while the rest excel within their specific fields of expertise under the broader vessel of Photography.

Top careers in Photography

Photography being interdisciplinary in nature has come a long way, it has emerged as a profound and rejuvenating career option for the upcoming generations in India. It has not only uplifted and proved to be a boon for the advertising and media industry but has extracted more than what one can expect. In today’s case scenario, it is not just considered to be merely a leisurely activity but also a colourful and popular career choice option. Photographers today can work in many horizons without any constraints, some of the significant ones are:

Photojournalist: In contrast to a reporter, a Photojournalist uses a camera to tell stories. He or she will also frequently visit places of particular note or may live in a specific area in order to stay on top of events as they unfold. Their job could involve complimenting a war as a war correspondent, or you could document what's going on in your hometown. As a Photojournalist, your job would involve capturing events in a way that will elicit a response from those watching. Provide them with the sensation of witnessing it themselves.

Event Photographer: Event photographers capture special moments at weddings, anniversaries, parties and shows. Typical tasks for an event photographer resume sample include discussing needs with clients, taking event photos, creating photos, editing photos after an event, and delivering finished products. Ideal candidates should demonstrate customer focus with creativity, communication and interpersonal skills, artistic talent and knowledge of photo editing software.

Portrait Photographer: Portrait photographers photograph people who express their feelings and emotions. A modern portrait photographer may carry out shoots that might have the capability to speak through emotions. Photos of strangers, friends, children, family and even self-portraits are of their interest. They know how to create a perfect image with photographic equipment combined with the use of lighting and filters to enhance images. Nowadays, Portrait Photographers collaborate with museums and work there as well.

Graphic Editor: Graphic Editors use their artistic skills to flourish ideas, inform clients, and solve problems. From curating website layouts to enhancing the graphics of large billboards, Graphic Editors create visual concepts through graphics or photographs, allowing others to interpret the world around them through colours, textures, images and symbols. Graphic Editors are popular in many industries and may be responsible for taking care of a company's advertisements, digital designs, illustrations or branding.

Aerial Photographer: The main job of an Aerial photographer is to capture landscapes from an aerial point of view. Their job involves travelling by planes or helicopters to photograph buildings and landscapes. They are high in their knowledge about gyro-stabilised cameras to respond to aircraft movements and provide high-quality images. Drone photography is on the incline these days owing to the high-definition images generated due to enhancements in technology. Drone Photography involves the use of remotely piloted or autonomous drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicle systems, to capture still images and videos.

Scope of Photography in India

Primarily, it might feel like a burden to make a living in this field but if you’re creative enough and willing to align your career pathways with Photography, you can unfold a rewarding profession for you. Photography in itself is an independent source of income, one can decide to be self-employed and curate their own work studio or might end up in the freelance world. With an escalation in various industries like Fashion, Media, and Advertising, Photography has no bars, it's reaching its full potential and bringing in good luck and fate for all its followers. The below-mentioned are a few industries that have reached their full potential because of Photography.

Journalism and Media: Photography as a course has proved to be a boon for the Media and Journal based industry. It has not only brought a lot of benefits but also changed the entire world of cinema, transiting from the black world to a colourful one. It has also increased authenticity and clarity amongst the audience about a particular news/journal.

Fashion: There is no doubt that most people associate photography with fashion shows in the fashion industry. For years, photography has played a very influential role in the fashion industry, and its contributions are numerous. Photographs have a lot to offer fashion, and not only can they portray it in its most natural state, but they can also help it spread and grow. It is through Photography that Fashion Designers can communicate with the public. People can watch fashion shows online without attending the actual event owing to Photography. So, without a doubt, Photography definitely impacts the Fashion world a lot.

Clinical Photography – Healthcare sector: Using clinical photographs in journal articles and textbooks enriches and livens up the mundane words of text by providing illustrations of clinical findings, operative steps, and postoperative outcomes. Medical records and medical education both require the use of photographs.

Astronomy: Our lives have been greatly impacted by the development of photography in astronomy, especially since the Sun and Moon became more easily observed. In addition, the sky is full of mysterious phenomena that would have been impossible to observe and analyse without the proper tools. Different astronomical bodies can be discovered more  about by taking a celestial snapshot of our sky.

Advertisements and E-commerce: There is an increasing use of photography in various business activities as technology advances. As commercial photography has moved from traditional advertising to online store galleries, its value has increased in the business world.

Average salary for Photography in India

Photography offers the opportunity to capture events as they unfold. In addition to keeping up with politics, sports, music, and everyday life, being a photographer contributes to preparing irreplaceable information for future archaeologists. One can learn about different types of cameras and the wide range of photography styles. Photography is more than just taking pictures with your phone. You can opt for the immediate gratification of an instant camera or delve into the endless possibilities of interchangeable lenses. Art and science meet in photography, allowing you to explore them infinitely and surprise yourself. While photography is extremely demanding when it comes to creative and exploratory insight, the average salary is quite lucrative. The table below lists some of the most well-known profiles in photography along with their monthly average salaries.

Top recruiters for Photography

Photography being extremely blooming and captivating in nature has the capability to uproot and construct Socio-Political, Economical and Geographical constraints. Hence, creative and deserving Photography hunters are willingly recruited by many giant agencies and sectors with no bars or restrictions. The below-mentioned list marks a few companies, agencies and agents who have hired Photography pursuers in their work pursuits.

• Accenture
• Amazon
• Google
• SGK
• Educreate Films
• Canon
• Nikon
• Kodak
• Polaroid
• Panasonic
• Ricoh
• KPMG
• Deloitte
• Adorama
• Olympus

Top Placement Colleges for Photography

The importance of getting into a prestigious college in terms of placements is equivalent to knowing the placement records, companies, and salaries offered by a particular college before you apply. Stepping up into a good Photography School/University would not only help you to attract great creative perspectives and vision but extremely delightful and lucrative jobs as well. At the moment, there are approximately 10,000 schools and colleges offering photography in India. Out of these, nearly 22 of them are public or government-owned institutions while the remaining ones are private. The below-mentioned are a few government-owned institutions that are worthwhile to consider while choosing a college.

Let's now have a look at a few prominent private institutions.

How to get a good job after Photography

If an individual gains a thorough command of photography and lenses, landing a good position in a successful company isn't difficult.

• As a photography graduate, you should create a resume that incorporates all your qualities, strengths, weaknesses, and knowledge. An individual must have a great deal of knowledge of filters, cameras, and lenses.
• When looking for a job, building a network is also imperative. It is necessary for photography graduates to collaborate with journalists, fashion designers, event managers, museum heads, psychologists, etc.
• Students with a degree in photography should be open to gaining real-time exposure through surveys and projects. Gaining a good, lucrative job is a result of this.
• Keeping up with the changing trends and updating yourself as technology enhances is the key to opening doors of lucrative jobs.
• One shouldn’t burden themselves with out-of-the-league knowledge and must consider their own aptitude, interests and intellect while stepping up into a particular field in order to excel and flourish.

Top Indian Cities to get Lucrative Jobs after Photography

Photography is a universal language that helps people connect around the world through art pieces such as images and photographs.  It is a worldwide discipline that has no language bars. Owing to its benefits, it is highly popular in many modern cities. Mumbai amongst them is one of the most popular for Photography and it is also widely popular as “The Film City”. Hence, Photography as a career option is on an incline in sectors there.

Life after pursuing a Degree in Photography

Many Photography graduates are highly satisfied with their lucrative standards of life and interests. The reports and testimonials of many graduates are suggestive of the fact that they are not only happy with their choice of choosing Photography as a career option but also glad for stepping up in an unconventional career and being courageous enough. An Alumni from Photography in one of the interviews mentioned that Photography is not just a mere career option but a feeling, a stratum of their self-expression which allows them to speak their heart and mind out through art. “Photography is a game changer,” an alumnus remarked.