Photography as an activity has enthralled people since the camera was invented. It eventually led to cinematography in the early 1900s and the latter’s humbler version – videography – in the late 1970s. Photos and videos have enriched, enabled and empowered better Marketing in the past century or more. The belief that “a picture speaks a thousand words” is at the core of all marketing campaigns and collateral today.
The
reason photography endures as a hobby or as a profession is that one can be as creative
as possible while staying true to all the commercial or business requirements.
This is a luxury not all professions afford. It is a fine medium for self-expression,
a form of art for aesthetic indulgence, and a lucrative career for long-term
sustenance. Since it requires visualization skills and technical expertise,
talented photographers are in much demand in industries such as Media (print,
online and broadcast), Advertising, and related areas such as Marketing
Communication or Corporate Communication.
Like in
any other industry, demand feeds supply and subsequently - specialization. With
more and more photographers being available, and in demand, they are
specializing further, in order to move up the value chain. Today, one can find
professional training and certification courses that will hone the natural
skills of photographers. One can choose from a variety of specializations like
portraiture, journalistic, wildlife, outdoors, industrial, fashion, etc -photography.
It has
also led to specialization in the hardware: basically cameras, extra
attachments, supporting equipment, etc, as well as software tools. Today, there
are a plethora of software tools available for editing, uploading and managing
images or video files derived from various devices.
Most preferred specializations:
·
Photojournalism – Photojournalists work for online
or print-media newspapers, magazines and organizations that get them to cover important
situations, events or company offerings. This requires agility, alertness,
observation skills and an eye for drama in order to capture the right moments.
·
Advertising: Here, the need is to
blend creativity with relevance in order to convey the right message
effectively. This requires a constant willingness to experiment, along with innovative
thinking. .
·
Fashion: Fashion photography is regarded
as a glamorous, lucrative and interesting career option as one gets to interact
with a variety of clients, designers, models, fashion houses, journals and
newspapers. This requires an eye for detail and knowledge of the latest fashion
trends.
·
Wildlife: Wildlife photography is for those who
have an innate love for nature, wildlife, traveling, adventure and risk-taking.
This requires patience, the right equipment and the knowledge of the right
locales to shoot the desired subject.
Some of the image-editing softwares used today:
·
Corel PaintShop Pro
·
Adobe Photoshop Elements
·
Serif PhotoPlus
·
DxO Optics Pro
·
Adobe Photoshop CC
·
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom
·
Nikon Capture NX2
·
Phase One Capture One Pro
·
Verdict
Like
all creative professions, photography also offers flexibility in the way one
practices the vocation. One could be a freelancer, work for an agency, assist reputed
photographers, manage a studio, or setup a company to manage a team of
photographers. In all these options, what is required to become successful is
the knowledge of latest trends, equipments, softwares and locations. Add to
this – some marketing and money-management skills, then one can have a love
affair with their favorite hobby lasting an entire lifetime.
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