Do you want to become a photographer after the 12th? There arise very confusing questions in the mind after completing 12th or Degree. When you start thinking about it and researching it, you will definitely find different replies. Here, we research “how to become a photographer after the 12th.”
One of the important options you have is to take a photography course after the 12th or 10th class of study. Let’s see what photography courses one can pursue after the 12th.
Photography Courses after 12th in India
Photography as a profession has become one of the main careers nowadays. Visualise if there is no photographer in the world!
Imagine a website without photographs! Imagine a magazine, newspaper, or book without photographs!
Will any social media will run without images or video?
While watching a website, usually photograph in it makes us click and view the website. Then without photographs, how the Dream of a Digital world will become true?
Obviously, the world can not be imagined without photographs. In fact, the career in the field of Photography is growing.
Hence, when someone asks you, ‘Why Photography?’ then answer to it comes in a very humble way, ‘Why not Photography?’
How to become a professional photographer?
People usually have the question in their minds that “How can I become a Photographer?” “how to become a photographer after 12th?” “Is photography a good career option?”
Proper photography education through colleges is available to become a professional photographer. When you go through a google search, you may find that there are many answers to it. But how will you understand which one is correct? Here we want to share some views for searching photography courses after 12th or degree?
A person becomes educated and well experienced through a proper education system only. A doctor will not become a doctor only through experience. He or she needs to be qualified enough to become a doctor. To become an artist, he needs to learn the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). To become an Accountant, one needs to be qualified with a degree in B.com or M.com.
Admission Open for Professional Diploma in Art of Photography | Click here
When you want to become really a Professional Photographer, then obviously you need to get qualified. There are three ways that can make you a qualified Photographer.
• Photography Degree Course
• Photography Diploma Course
• Photography Certified Course
How can I learn photography?
Most of the students do not know how can they learn photography. Earlier, there was no proper education system in Photography. So most of people learned photography while assisting a Photographer or worked in a studio with an intention to learn photography.
Since 2000, exclusive photography colleges were started in India. At present, there are 100’s of colleges in India. Finding the best photography colleges in India is very difficult. We searched for ‘how can I learn photography in India?” in Google. We got to know that the Google search engine shows about 1,98,00,00,000 results in 0.70 seconds.
As per the request of many students, we have added some of the top Photography Colleges in India in our earlier article.
Two ways to learn photography
- Assisting Photographer
- Learning Photography
As a part of the survey, we talked to many people in the field. One of our correspondents talked with one of the wedding photographers in Kerala. And below is the part of the conversation they had.
The correspondent asked the wedding photographer: “When did you start your Photography Career?”
He replied: “I started working when it was SLR Camera/Film Camera”
Correspondent: “How did you learn photography?”
Photographer: “I was assisting a Photographer. And gradually I entered into the field.”
Before the correspondent asked the next question, the photographer continued with his previous answer and said
“My son also loves photography. But I don’t want him to assist me. I want him to get educated in photography. I will send my son for a proper Photography education to a college.”
Admission Open for Professional Diploma in Art of Photography 2020-21 Click here
Now the world has changed. One may surely learn something while assisting a photographer. But you need to spend at least three to five years for learning photography by assisting itself. That particular period you will probably earn nothing or earn very little.
Now, come to our second option, by learning a Professional Diploma in Art of Photography. After a one year course, from the very next year, you are into the industry and start a career as a Professional Photographer. You need to pay fees of approximately 4 lakhs. This varies from college to college. Some colleges charge about Rs. 8,00,000/- to Rs. 15,00,000/- for a two or three years course.
Is a photography course really worth doing?
We usually have an understanding that ‘Nothing is worth it until you make a profit from it. Isn’t it true? When do we understand that a photography course is worth it or not? or say How do we come to the point that the particular photography course is worth?
In this case, the profit is meant with two important factors.
- Profit with a gain of ample and accurate knowledge
- Profit in Income, a monetary Gain
Yes, for sure, we compare the expense of undergoing a photography course with the income that we are going to make after the course.
In this article, we all started with a thought on “how to become a photographer after 12th?”. All the way long, now we have thought of wealth. ‘How much is the investment and how much will be the Income?’ This is a usual question that stuck all of us in choosing whether to learn photography courses from a college or not? It is where every Individual compares Investment and Income.
Hence, we have mentioned below chart-1 about the expense in learning, while in chart-2 about earning after or during a course in photography. Although it may not be the same for all, there is a general concept behind it. Here, below we have compared the three learning stages with the investment or say expenses that are required during those periods.
“First 1000 days are important in building any successful career.” It has proven to be correct in terms of any profession. The Photography field is globally considered as one of the expensive professions. Thus, the expense, investment, income, and profit are all counted from the learning stage itself. Hence, here we are going to get results for 1000 days from learning to earning.
If the candidate prefers to learn photography by a one-year diploma in a professional photography course, then his or her 1000 days will be calculated as 1 year of study + 2 years of work = 3 years x 365 days = 1095 days i.e approx. 1000 days
For instance, if you pursue a photography course of one-year duration and work thereafter. Then in the first year itself, one has to pay approximately Rs.4,00,000.00 as college fees. And after the completion of this one year course, you start working from the second year onward.
Admission Open for Professional Diploma in Art of Photography | Click here
While you start working, there are two ways to do so.
- Work as a freelancer and earn as per projects.
- Get appointed in a company and work on a salary basis.
Consider if you are a freelancer and working as a wedding or event photographer. You won’t be getting probably more than two projects every month. But, on average, you might get approximately 2 projects as a wedding or any other events and earn a profitable income of Rs.10000/- per project. Hence in a month, a profitable income of rs.10000/ x 2 projects= rs.20000/- per month. Thus in a year, rs.20000 x 12 Months = Rs. 2,40,000/-. By the third year, if you get three projects in a Month ie an average of Rs. 10000/- per project x 3 projects per month x 12 Months = Rs. 3,60,000/- approx. will be the income in the third year.
Now, let’s see what is the difference if you start to work in a company on a salary basis. Then the income will be approximately Rs.15,000/- after food and accommodation in a month in the first year. (Rs.15000/- x 12 Months = Rs.1,80,000/-). Second-year approximately Rs.18,000/- in a month (Rs.18000/- x 12 Months = Rs.2,16,000/-).
From the above graph, it is understood that since in the first year you are learning the diploma in photography one year course, you might definitely earn something. This earning depends on as per if candidates undertake any projects or work as an intern. Finally, after learning a one year course, you start earning more in the 2nd and 3rd years. Hence, by the end of the total of 1000 days, your total income will be close to what you have invested for one year.
Now, let’s see what happens when you learn photography by a degree course. The investment or expense is for three long years. As per the concept, these three years total up to 1000 days in learning itself. The candidate might also earn during these years if he or she undertakes the projects as freelancing or work in an internship. But, since the candidate is unable to concentrate completely on work, the amount of earning will be comparatively less.
The next method is to learn photography by assisting a photographer. The investment or expense in this stage is too less. The same is the condition in the income too.
In conclusion, within 1000 days starting from the year of learning,
- One year Diploma course in Photography = More investment ==> More Knowledge + More Income
- Three years Degree Course = High investment ==> More Knowledge + Less Income ==>More Income only after working for next 1000 days
- Assisting Photographer = Less Investment + Very Less Income
The above comparison enables us to analyze that by studying a photography course, we are not only gaining the proper knowledge but also making ourselves independent for our future career. Without undergoing a course, one will neither achieve proper knowledge nor income. Although you invest in the first year or during the learning period, you gain more when you start working. Thus, making your learning photography course worth.
Always, remember the straight and simple rule for a successful career.
Stick to a Profession for 1000 days. And work hard with complete commitment and dedication. These first 1000 days are going to be the investment for the accent of the coming days. What you saw, so shall you reap. And then just see, how a Successful Career belongs to you.
Do you need to go to College for Photography?
Firstly, if photography is your choice for your future career then learning photography is worth it. But, if photography is only one of the hobbies, then it’s not worth investing your time and money in learning photography from a college. Hence, first, be clear about your needs and requirements. It’s not about just having a thought “how to become a photographer after 12th or studies”. Indeed, it is the time where you need to analyze your real interest and passion in the field of photography.
If you have planned to learn photography then there are three ways to achieve photography knowledge.
- Online Classes
- Assisting the photographer
- Learning from a College
The online classes, tutorials, classes through youtube channels, online books, and or books on photography, etc… are the most used method by the teenagers to learn photography. People think that it is the easiest way to learn as well as it reduces the cost, saves time and most importantly no one else gets to know that you are learning. But, the level of understanding is too low as compared to other methods. Since there is no one to guide you properly and correct your mistakes, the learning becomes partial. In fact, you skip the learning in between.
The second option that is learning photography by working with or assisting a photographer is the choice of many of the aspiring photographers. The main reason behind this is because they find it as less expensive or say no investment of money. In fact, they consider it as use of time, some amount of monetary gain, and knowledge.
While assisting or working in a studio, you will be observing your master or senior photographer working. You might not be taught how to photograph, use cameras or lighting set-ups in detail. And not even allowed to use all the equipment other than to hold the lights, flash, etc… Since you start following your master by assisting him, you start to learn something. But, this stays constant whether you assist for six months or years. And still, after yours, you will either be known as the assistant of so and so or the light boy.
With the first and second option of learning photography, the knowledge and practical approach for a career in photography is not worth. The lack of guidance, practical understanding, correction to the mistakes done, etc.. is all the reasons for this.
The third and the last option is to learn photography by attending a photography course from a photography college.
The main five reasons for why to learn photography from a college are because only a dedicated photography college can have
- Dedicated mentors who can guide their students with the correct knowledge and lead them towards the proper path.
- Well, structured syllabus and teach their students with the latest updates and techniques with hands-on practice.
- Individual students work assessments and prepare them with their portfolio and placement.
- Opportunities to more exposure towards modern technology, companies, brands, and interaction with more people.
As compared to the other two options to learn photography, learning from a photography college is more expensive. And at the same time more effective. You invest for at least one year, but you achieve the knowledge, education, and experience that is always worth for your future career. Hence, learning in a college is always good than any other method.
What is the salary of a photographer in India?
When it’s in one’s mind to become a professional photographer and thinking of how to become a photographer after 12th or at any time, the next thought is about the salary or income through it.
As per our earlier example, in a total of three years, the expense will be Rs. 4,00,000.00 (One year diploma course fees) and Total Income earned taking projects after completing of a one year course (Rs.2,40,000.00 + Rs. 3,60,000.00) Rs. 6,00,000.00
If you are working in a company you are going to earn first-year Rs. 1,80,000.00 + Second year Rs. 2,16,000.00 and total Rs. 3,96,000.00
If you are starting your own business after proper education = Diploma certificate + Profit + 2 Years of Experience
Working in company = Diploma certificate + No profit and loss + 2 Years of Experience
Assisting a Photographer = No qualification Certificate + No Income + Only 3 years of Experience
As per the survey made among photographers, always learning in proper photography college makes it worth it.
For any professional work, the question asked to you is “What is your qualification?”
The answer, ” I am an educated Photographer”. Confidence will increase. Assisting Photographer throughout life and attending the workshops, will never give confidence. Education is the master.
Admission Open for Professional Diploma in Art of Photography 2020-21 Click here
Is photography a good career?
When the question arises “How to become a photographer after 12th?” you will find another question been raised with this. “Is photography a good career?” And “Is photography career meant for only boys or males?” “Is there any scope of photography career for girls or females?”
Photography is not only a good Career but also considered as one of the highly paid jobs. As mentioned above, a photographer needs to be educated and willing to work hard. Photography jobs demand both males and females equally.
In the present situation, photography opportunities are increased. While we searched in different job placement websites till the year of 2012, there were either less or no photography job vacancies. At present all the websites of recruitment and job vacancies have a photography job vacancy and have become one of the searching keywords.
The right time for the Admission of Photography Courses of Diploma and Degree courses is from the month of January to June. Be an educated photographer.
As you are now aware of how to become a photographer after 12th; its the right time to go through which are the top photography colleges in India.
Hope, this article has helped you in understanding “how to become a photographer after 12th?” Read out our other article on Ultimate guide to wildlife photography, travel photography, etc…