More and more students in India are keen to pursue a photography course. But, few are aware that there are several photography colleges in India. With the advent of digitization and social networking platforms, photography, as a profession, is gaining popularity in our country. Educationists are realizing this, which is why several institutes across our country are introducing a photography course.
In no particular order, here’s a list of the top photography colleges in our nation. Read on and choose the best one for yourself!
1. Delhi College of Photography
Location: Delhi
The Delhi College of Photography offers Introductory, Advanced, and Specialisation courses depending upon the level you are at.
Their specialisation courses include Wildlife Photography, Candid Wedding Photography, and Fashion Photography. Apart from photography, the college also offers courses in filmmaking DSLR and make-up.
Why enroll in the Delhi College of Photography?
This photography college has a multimedia projector room, a fully equipped B&W darkroom, makeup room, iMac stations, a lighting studio powered by Elinchrom, a well-stocked library, high-speed wi-fi, and a 1,200 sq ft gallery space for exhibitions.
2. Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Arts
Location: Mumbai
The Sir. J. J. Institute of Applied Arts offers its students a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) programme – the duration of which is 4 years.
In the first year, the fundamentals of Applied Art are taught to students. The specialisation programmes start from the second year onward. Students are introduced to elective subjects like Lettering and Typography, Illustration, Photography, Computer Graphics, and Exhibition Design & Stagecraft in this year. Third-year students have to select any one elective of their choice which they have to study till the final year along with Communication Design. The intake capacity is 20 students per elective subject.
Why enroll in the Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Arts?
Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Arts is one of the premier art institutes in the country.
Its notable alumni include the pioneer of modern painting Akbar Padamsee, popular fashion photographer Nisha Kutty, and Rajiv Rao, the creative director of Ogilvy & Mather, among others.
Other than an incredibly beautiful campus with lush green trees and colonial era buildings. it’s equipped with a large illustration studio accommodates up to 150 students. The institute offers seven darkrooms, a well-equipped print shop, computer room and more state-of-the-art facilities. It’s annual art exhibition attracts heavyweights from the creative industry.
3. Light and Life Academy
Location: Ooty
This institute is a not-for-profit education trust. The courses taught at this college include Postgraduate Diploma in Professional Photography, Diploma in Professional Photojournalism, and short duration workshops.
From automobile photography and trans-creativity workshops to food and beverage photography specialisation, this college also offers professional courses in photojournalism and travel and nature photography.
Why enroll at the Light and Life Academy?
Established by famous advertising photographer Iqbal Mohamed, it’s star-studded faculty consists of popular food photographer Mihir Hardikar, fashion photographer Aneev Rao, and Sukhil Tarnas, among others. Its professional photography course is supported by Kodak India, Eastman Kodak USA, LMW- Coimbatore, Calumet-USA, Photoquip-India, ZenTask-India, Gretag Imaging-Switzerland.
The campus is perched atop a mountain at 7000 ft, surrounded by lakes, ponds, and hills. It is equipped with day light studio, equipment room, and state-of-the-art resources for aspiring photographers.
4. The One School Goa
Location – Goa
Headed by the legendary ad filmmaker and fashion photographer Shantanu Sheorey, this academy is an interdisciplinary creative media school. Its courses help students prepare for the media, entertainment, and edutainment industries.
They have an Integrated Photography course for a duration of three years. Their only eligibility criteria is that candidates must have a passion for photography. They also have a one-year professional photography programme.
The academic fee for the one-year photography course is INR 5,35,000. The academic fee for the three-year course is INR 4,50,000 per year.
Why enroll at The One School Goa?
For starters, it’s headed by the legend behind the ‘Taste the Thunder’ campaign with Salman Khan, ‘Garden Vareli’ saree campaigns with Madhu Sapre and Aishwarya Rai, and the Dabangg 2 posters.
The school offers an international curriculum and has a strong full-time faculty and a vibrant visiting faculty from India and abroad. It aims to groom its students into world-class professionals in photography, multimedia and film making.
5. Asian Academy of Film and Television
Location – Noida
The Asian Academy of Film and Television (AAFT) offers a Diploma and PG Diploma in Photography the duration of which is one year. The eligibility criteria for this photography course is a good score in 10+2.
They also offer a three-year Undergraduate degree in Photography which is at the Bachelor level. For those who are looking to pursue Masters in this field, there offer a two-year Postgraduate degree in Photography.
Why enroll at the Asian Academy of Film and Television?
This institute has some notable alumni like travel and lifestyle photographer Aman Chotani and boasts of faculty members like celebrity photographer Vishal Saxena.
Their campus is equipped with infrastructure such as film shooting floors, post production labs, film and video production equipment, outdoor shooting facilities, and much more.
6. National Institute of Photography
Location – Mumbai
The National Institute of Photography offers a variety of photography programmes. Foundation course, Crash course, Basic course, Advance course, Diploma in Fashion Photography, Diploma in Tabletop photography, Diploma in Wedding and Events Photography, Videography, Digital Photo-Editing Techniques, Workshop on Fashion Lighting are the available programmes.
Why enroll at the National Institute of Photography?
Founded by Late Prof Manohar Desai in 1983 and located in the vibrant city of Mumbai, the institute focuses on practical classes to inculcate in-depth subject knowledge among the candidates.
7. Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University
Location – Hyderabad
This university focuses on the development of Applied Art, Painting, Sculpture, Photography, and Animation. Their Bachelor of Fine Arts Photography Programme is a four-year degree programme with an annual intake of 45 students. They also offer a two-year Master of Fine Arts (Photography & Media Communication) Degree, the annual intake of which is 20 pupils.
This institute also offers short-term courses related to photography. You can check them out here.
Why enroll at Jawaharlal Nehru Architecture and Fine Arts University?
The school has good infrastructure with studios, drawing halls, laboratories and well-equipped library.
Gone are the days when one had to learn the nuances of photography on the job or by working as a helper with bigger photographers. Now, you can enroll in any of the above-mentioned institutes and hone your skills with like-minded people.
Found this interesting? Then check out our article on the top free online photography courses in India.
