Career advice: When Photography is more than just a hobby

If you are passionate enough to consider photography as something more
than just a hobby, then you may be on your way to discovering a new
career path, one that may well lead you to fame and fortune! With the
explosion of information technology, the growth of advertising and media
and the fashion boom, photography has now become a profession with great
commercial value. This is a field offering a lot of scope for those who
have an interest in it and the attributes needed to be a professional
photographer. It is a must for professional photographers to be
versatile and they simply cannot afford to limit their vision to one
particular area.
Career options
Entry-level positions in photojournalism or in industrial or scientific
photography generally require a college degree in photography or in a
field related to the industry in which the photographer seeks employment.
• Magazines
• Fashion houses
• Design studios
• Advertising agencies
• Hospitals
• Municipalities
• Government departments
• Business
• Research institutions
• Police and armed forces
What is required?
Being a creative medium, photography requires more of a built-in talent
for success than formal training. However, training polishes inherent
skills and helps the individual to stand out in this competitive field,
which has various specialisations like portraiture, fashion and
advertising photography, journalistic photography, wildlife and outdoor
photography etc. One should have a definite mind for the angle, lighting
and the latest equipment and technology to make a name in the field.
Essential skills
• Strong imagination and technical skills with a good eye for colour,
shape, pattern, form and tone
• Possess self-discipline to regularly work unsupervised
• The ability to travel at anytime, anywhere
• The ability to work evenings and weekends
• Ability to work in dangerous environments
• Ability to meet deadlines
• Knowledge of particular computer software programmes
• Strong communication and time management skills
• Enthusiasm and a high level of energy
• Know-how of appropriate cameras, lenses and accessories
Where to go?
• Southshore School for A-level Studies, Karachi (as an elective)
• Lahore School of Photography (LSP)
• Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS), Karachi
• Asian Institute of Fashion Design (AIFD), Karachi
• Karachi School of Art
• SZABIST, Karachi