“Eyeing” a Photography Career
Art majors find their inspiration as they work with different mediums: clay, charcoal, ceramics, and more. They are trained to see the world around them and interpret it through the medium of their choice. For some students, that “artist’s eye” is best behind a camera lens.
There are many types of photography career paths available for visual arts majors. Here is a brief rundown of some of them:
Glamour and Fashion Photography – This career path involves working with models and taking photos that accentuate a certain style or the beauty of the model. These photographers will often shoot raw images and then later edit them using computer software to remove blemishes, even skin tone, and add special effects to the photos before they are ready for publication.
Still Life Photography – This type of photography involves shooting inanimate objects, such as buildings or groups of products. The resulting images are often used as art or for commercial purposes.
Photojournalism – Used in journalism to tell a news story, some of the most iconic images throughout history are a result of photojournalists being in the right place at the right time and snapping a photo that captured the feeling of the moment. In photojournalism, a photographer captures some of the most important images in history.
Advertising Photography – The big, juicy cheeseburger on that billboard you see is a prime example of advertising photography. Also known as commercial photography, this field involves taking high-quality images of products that will appear in magazines, internet ads, and more. Sometimes advertising photography involves still life or fashion photography. These photographers are given considerable creative freedom to develop advertising concepts based on direction from the advertising agency.
Wedding/Portrait Photography – Wedding and portrait photography are very common fields for those who either freelance or run their own photography business. These photographers capture family photos, birth announcements, engagements, and other celebrations. They gain clients based on referral and their portfolio of past work. These photographers might also do some light touch-up work before delivering the photos to their clients after the event.
There are many other specialized types of photography, like nature photography, underwater photography, scientific photography, and more. Whatever interests you, keep taking photos and developing your “eye” for artistic images.
Interested in studying photography at a Christian art school? Visit huntington.edu/Art to learn more and schedule a visit.
Original text by Stephanie Morin. Updated for 2022 by Jordan Lynden.
