Before you choose to pursue any profession, you need to find out whether or not it has scope. After all, what’s the use of honing your skills and putting in months and years of hard work if the field you’re planning to pursue has no future?
With the boom of the fashion, media, and advertising industry, photography is turning from a hobby into a profession for a large section of the Indian youth. Keeping this in mind, let’s take a look at the future of photography in India!
Initially, it can be hard to make a living in this field. But if you’re willing to put in the hard work and be creative, photography can turn into a rewarding profession for you.
You can choose to be self-employed and run your own studio or you can take up freelancing projects. You can also start as an assistant with a professional photographer. If you’re interested in pursuing photojournalism, you can also assist various news reporters.
As an assistant, you can earn between INR 3,000 to INR 6,500 per month. If you work as a full time professional, you could rake in anything from INR 25,000 to INR 40,000 a month. Some fields such as fashion photography are even more lucrative if you’re an expert in the field.
As a modern day photographer, you can work in several avatars. Some of them are-
Photojournalism
A photojournalist supplies pictures to the local, national, and global press. This career role demands an ability to photograph all kinds of newsworthy people, sports, places, community, and political events for newspapers, magazines, journals or television. A photojournalist must possess a journalistic sense to shoot a good news picture.
Quick Facts
- Average Salary – INR 4 to 6 Lacs per annum
- Scope in India – Photojournalism has tremendous scope in India as newspapers and magazines are always on the lookout for skilled photojournalists.
- Is it saturated? – It is a near-saturated field.
Feature photography
A features photographer needs to describe a story through pictures. Hence, they require a thorough knowledge of the subject. Many photographers specialize in the photography of wildlife, travel, sports, and the environment.
Feature photographers can sell their work to magazines in the same field. For instance, if you’ve done a feature on a small town in Istanbul, you can sell your work to an online or offline travel magazine.
Quick Facts
- Average Salary – INR 4 to 6 Lacs per annum
- Scope in India – Good scope
- Is it saturated? – Not yet
Industrial photography
Also known as commercial photography, an industrial photographer clicks pictures of merchandise, interiors and exteriors of factories, as well as machinery. His work is then used in company brochures, annual reports, and in advertising and selling.
Quick Facts
- Average Salary – INR 3 to 5 Lacs per annum
- Scope in India – Good scope
- Is it saturated? – Not yet
Wedding and event photography
One of the most happening photography fields in India as well as worldwide, wedding photography has arrived in full swing and it is here to stay! These photographers take pictures of individuals or small groups, handling subjects like pets, children, families, weddings, functions and activities of sports and social clubs.
Quick Facts
- Average Salary – INR 6 to 25 Lacs per annum
- Scope in India – Tremendous scope
- Is it saturated? While there are too many wedding and event photographers in the urban scene, it is safe to say that there is still room for more!
Advertising photography
Most photographers who work with the advertising industry work as freelancers. These photographers work with photographic departments of advertising agencies and photographic studios.
Advertising photography is possibly the best-paid and most competitive branch of all. Success in this niche depends entirely on ability, efficiency, and the right attitude.
Quick Facts
- Average Salary – INR 5 to 8 Lacs per annum
- Scope in India – Good scope
- Is it saturated? Not yet
There are other branches too like fashion and nature and wildlife photography which are gaining momentum in India. However, to practice these types of photography, a professional photographer needs to have highly-developed skills.
The future of photography is shining bright! Photography is a flourishing profession that isn’t going to become extinct anytime soon. So if you want to be a professional photographer in India, now’s the right time!
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