Photography as a Career in the 21st Century

Since the first photograph was taken in 1826, photography has captured the interest of millions of people and inspired many more to pick up a camera and capture their experiences.

With the advancement of technology, having a camera or access to one on a cellular phone, has become common and just about anyone with a Facebook or Instagram account has become a ‘photographer’.

Photography however is a specialized field and training – sometimes lasting up to three years – is necessary to make it in the photography industry.

The market is overflowing with photographers and, because of this fact, many photographers have started to specialize in different fields of photography.

Photographers can be found anywhere, but the really good ones that can make a career out of it, is a dime a dozen. Photography as a career has gained popularity and, with the advancement of technology in the field, photography has become a specialized and precise form of art.

As a career, photography is broad and there are a quite few options in which photographers can specialize. Listed below are a couple of popular choices within the field.

Wedding and Lifestyle Photography

photo by Extra Medium

Also known as Event Photography, these types of photographers will specialize in the type of photography that capture moments like weddings and birthday parties. These photographers will also have a host of editing skills and a great eye for detail.

Photojournalist

Photo by Zoriah

These types of photographers are usually involved in news publications such as newspapers and magazines. Photojournalism has seen much advancement and, during turbulent times, War Photography has been one of the most effective ways to ‘show’ readers rather than telling them.

Photojournalists have a special talent for telling stories with images. They have the ability to sum up an entire news event in only one or two images, or do a photo story with a number of images.

This type of photography has given rise to many specializations within the photojournalism field, including things such as sport photography, travel photography and even food and feature photography.

Commercial Photography

Photo by Anderson Photography

This type of photography will be your ‘advertisement’ type photography. This can include anything from models wearing a specific brand to taking photographs of products. Some commercial photography projects can even call for the expertise of food photographers. Images of this nature will be used in advertisements and product catalogues for example.

Wildlife Photography

Photo by Justin Beckley Photography

Wildlife photography is one of the most specialized fields within photography and it takes a great amount of talent and patience. The really great Wildlife Photographers will end up at publications such as National Geographic.

Scientific Photography

This type of photography is highly specialized and it is closely tied to the scientific and medical research fields. This will entail a photographer having to take photographs of medical data and scientific procedures using equipment such as telescopes etc.

Scientific Photography calls not only for a trained photographer, but for a photographer with and understanding of medical and scientific data.

Forensic Photography

This type of photography will call for a person with a great eye for detail. Your job will be to take photographs of a crime scene, effectively recording every aspect, piece of evidence and angle of a crime scene.

These types of photographers can be employed by government departments or private agencies.

Freelancing

Photo by Open Threads

All photographers, including wildlife photographers and Photojournalists, can have a freelance career. Freelance photography is also a great option when it comes to Event Photography and Commercial Photography.

The list of careers within photography is long and detailed and, before choosing photography as a career path, proper research and an understanding of what interests you specifically, is necessary.