Photography is a creative medium of expression, though today with the enormous growth in mass communication, it has become a profession with great commercial value. With a history of over hundred years behind it, photography has seen a lot of technological changes and evolved from the days of pinhole cameras to present day digital cameras.

Photographers generally specialize in one specific area like fashion photography or wild life photography. They have the option to either take up jobs with some news agency, or advertising agency or work as free lancers. Photography being a creative medium requires more of inherent talent for success than tutored learning. A person endowed with good visual imagination, a sense of observation, an eye for detailed composition along with business sense can make a successful photographer. Professional photographers specialize in their area of work. The different areas of specialization in photography include: Editorial Photographers, Portrait Photographers, Feature Photographers, Fashion Photographers, Advertising Photographers etc.

Educational Qualification:
Photography is basically a creative field and success in this field is dependent more on the inherent qualities of creativity than formal training. Therefore formal training as such is not a pre-requisite for entry into this field. However training hones the inherent skills and helps to rise in this increasingly competitive and specialized field. Moreover use of high tech equipments in photography, has made training desirable.

Quite a large number of institutes, including those recognized by the government, offer certificate and diploma courses in photography. The courses vary from six months to three years in duration depending upon the institution. Design Courses at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad have photography as a subject. Indian Institute of Mass Communication and Jamia Millia Islamia University at New Delhi are other well-known institutes offering courses in photography. The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in collaboration with the International College of Professional Photography, Australia has introduced an international photography course. The course started in July’2000 at NIFT centers in Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. The duration of the course is 6 months (3 days a week) and selection is through personal interview.