What is the importance of being a photographer? Profession photographer: how to get? Pros and cons of being a photographer

The profession of a photographer is a fairly common job in the modern world. It usually pays very well, which helps to attract new employees. Today we will talk about how to get a profession of a photographer and what is good and bad about it.

"Hands" - from nature

Quite in demand in the modern world is the profession of a photographer. Its description can be found absolutely everywhere. Your task is to take good pictures for which you will be paid. This can be done for both publishers and ordinary people. After all, to capture the moments of your life, in order to later leave some frames in your memory - this is so necessary for people. But what do you need to do and know so that this profession - a photographer - suits you?

The first thing that every beginner simply needs is the so-called "straight arms". That is, a person must be able to handle the camera and the camera. Of course, if he does not know how, then he will be taught. True, the difference between "already a craftsman" and a beginner will be immediately visible. In other words, a person must have an initial predisposition to the profession. If there is none, then, of course, this does not mean that it is worth abandoning the task.

Educational institution

But where to get a profession of a photographer? What do you need to get an appropriate diploma confirming your skills and abilities? This is a rather difficult question, especially if you live somewhere in provincial town. The fact is that in large cities, various universities and colleges offer applicants to receive the specialty in question. After graduation, you will be able to fully work as a photographer. The history of the profession, by the way, began in 1839. Over the years we have accumulated vast teaching experience.

However, the peculiarity of the craft is such that only theoretical knowledge is not enough here. In this case, the main thing is practice, which cannot be obtained in lectures. Nevertheless, they will teach everything that will help to practice.

In small towns, the organization of various kinds of courses is provided, where you can get certain skills necessary for the profession of a photographer. In addition, such classes are somewhat similar to entering a university - after listening, you will be given a diploma indicating your skills. As a rule, it is the classes in the courses that produce many modern masters of photography.

The profession "photographer", the description of which can be easily found by anyone, quite often brings many problems to applicants. The fact is that in Russia there are few places where you can study for this specialty. Most The best way- Graduate from the Academy of Photography in Moscow. For admission, you need, of course, a portfolio. So try to secure it for yourself by the time you decide to start training. They teach there for 4 years, and you can enter after graduating from school. It would also be nice to graduate from the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University - there is photojournalism here, which takes 5 years to study.

In addition, you can enter the University of Culture and Arts at the Department of Cinema - Photo. Naturally, if someone is familiar with admission to any creative specialty, they already know that, first of all, it will be necessary to "prove in practice" that you are worthy to study as a professional. The term of study lasts, like most students, 4 years.

The profession "photographer" is also available for development at the College of Cinema, Television and Multimedia of VGIK. The direction is called - "The Art of Photography". You can enter here after the 9th grade, and you need to study for 2 years and 9 months. After graduation, you will receive a diploma in photography.

You can also enter the St. Petersburg University of Cinema and Television, the Faculty of Photography. Such training lasts 5 years, the competition here is quite big, and the cost of getting an education is quite high. Usually it is necessary to take exams in Russian, mathematics, history and literature.

As for the courses, there are a lot of them. You can find something like "Fundamentals of photography", "Studio portrait", "Artistic photography", "Macro photography", "Processing photos in programs" and so on. They are organized either by private companies or by themselves. educational institutions. Look for information available for your city, and you will definitely find something for yourself. As a rule, courses last 1 year. You can also find those for which training takes 1.5-2 years. Anyone can join them, at almost any age. For example, there are photo courses for children from 12 years old.

What to do

The profession of "photographer" is very popular in the modern world. For example, shooting objects and interiors is essential for cafes and furniture stores. A person who decides to shoot objects, as a rule, is "trusted" with photographing furniture, food and interiors for various magazines. True, he quite often has to combine his knowledge with some other - "interior" masters of photography do not need as many as it seems. Nevertheless, the ability to remove the situation gives modern photographer a huge advantage over others. There are also wedding, private and "salon" masters "by photo". They are also engaged in shooting, however, each in his own field. Thus, a modern person who wants to take pictures and earn money on it can do anything.

And now let's discuss what is needed for the profession of a photographer, so that they don’t talk about you as a “crooked master”.

Photo equipment

Of course, for any professional, his own tool for work is important. The photographer has a camera and photographic equipment. In fact, the choice the right equipment- this is an important moment in the work.

The fact is that modern companies create many professional cameras, lenses for them, filled with a bunch of opportunities. The profession of "photographer" forces people to study innovations all the time and, moreover, to try them in practice. Only in this way can success be achieved. It would seem that there is nothing difficult in this. Nevertheless, the wrong camera and ignorance of its functions often lead to poor quality pictures and, as a result, a loss of status and popularity of a person as a photographer.

The most prestigious brands of photographic equipment are Nikon and Canon. Which one is better is difficult to judge. It all depends on what shooting you need a camera for. In general, if you don’t know which one to buy, it’s best to ask an already established photographer what suits you. He will definitely help you. But the difficulties do not end there. Let's take a look at what you need to have.

Intuition and inner voice

A good photographer is not only a person who simply takes pictures. This is also a good stylist, designer and just a good conversationalist. The fact is that often the profession of "photographer" includes work in the studio. There, as a rule, there are several types of environments that can be slightly modified to obtain the desired result. These changes fall entirely on the shoulders of the master of photography.

In addition, if you decide to shoot people, then most likely you will be asked for help in choosing one or another image for photography. Often, it is you who will generally have to set the theme and create the very images that you would like to capture. So be prepared for anything. Do not forget that photography is a responsible and important profession for the modern world.

Communication skills and photo ideas

The advantages of the profession of a photographer, of course, lie in the freedom of action, self-expression and, of course, communication skills. Without them, it is quite difficult to keep the audience close to you.

Before you become a photographer, consider how well and how well you can carry on a conversation with your client. Especially if you decide to work with children. It is extremely important to understand here that your client must feel relaxed and calm in order for all the pictures to be of high quality and successful. This is the key to the success of many professionals (of course, if they already have "straight hands" from nature or a lot of practice).

Another "thing" that a good cameraman should be able to do is suggest, and sometimes even name, poses in which to take pictures. Different people, terrain and environments have their own characteristics - it is important to know them. This will help create perfect image even from a not-quite-photogenic client. The variety of poses is just endless. They are best studied through specialized literature.

hard work

But today we decided to consider what the profession "photographer" includes: the pros and cons of work. If we have already talked about the pros and possibilities, now it's time to touch on the negative aspects.

The work of a photographer is a constant movement. On the one hand, this is good - development will never hurt anyone. On the other hand, on one theory "you can't go far" - you need to practice long and hard. But you can't do without it. So, the photographer is forced to practice the lion's share of the time and follow the latest photographic equipment, which is rapidly changing from year to year.

Another downside is the clientele. Finding clients who will often use the services of a photographer is quite difficult. True, if you succeeded, you can rejoice - luck is on your side.

In addition, in physical terms, the work of a cameraman is quite difficult. Especially if you volunteered to take a walking photo shoot for the whole day. Shooting people all day long can be very difficult. Especially if the weather forecast fails you.

Be the best among the best

Speaking about the pros and cons of the profession "photographer", one cannot ignore such a significant point as competition. Of course, on the one hand, this is a great incentive for self-improvement. On the other hand, it is a stone that pulls down all beginners and masters who are not yet capable of serious competition.

Thus, if you are just starting your journey into the world of photography and with all this you do not have any support, be prepared for the fact that you will have to work hard to break into the leaders who you can trust with photos. Do not forget that the work of the photographer also includes processing their pictures - this is a rather significant factor that sometimes helps beginners to break into the light. Taking a picture and processing it well is what professionals should be able to do. Such people will always be appreciated.

As a rule, even the end of a prestigious direction at a university will not give you real opportunity compete. It's all about, as already mentioned, in your practice and skills "from nature." So try to gain "practice baggage" and only after that try to compete with other, more popular masters of photography.

Outcome

So, if you carefully study everything that we talked about today, then you can write a whole list of what is needed in order to become a photographer. What is this?

1. The first step is to graduate from a specialized educational institution.
2. If your city does not have a suitable direction at the university, complete specialized courses.
3. Learn how to use photo editing software.
4. Buy yourself a professional reflex camera and lenses for it.
5. Practice long and hard: take pictures of family, acquaintances, recruit people who want to participate in free photo shoots from you.
6. Watch video tutorials on working with Photoshop.
7. Learn to communicate with people.
8. Be open, cheerful and responsive.
9. To enter a university or college, you will need a portfolio - start collecting it in advance.

When you know your business, fixed in practice, start organizing already paid photo shoots by placing your ads on the Internet on special sites or in in social networks. This is how your photography career will begin.

Photographers. Amateur photographer- a person who studies and engages in photography for his own pleasure or leisure. Shooting for family, friends, for non-material benefit publication on various Internet resources, etc. At the same time, in terms of technical equipment, theoretical knowledge and applied skills, an individual amateur photographer may not be inferior to a professional photographer. Professional photographer- a person who, as a rule, having deep knowledge and skills in photography, has received the appropriate education, work experience, and whose main income is earnings from photography and related services.

• Rating, including rating in the online community: on this basis, photographers are divided into classes depending on their rating, for example, determined independently by the administration of the online community or by voting (for example, it is possible to divide photographers into beginners, advanced and gurus).
• Activity : photo enthusiast- a person who is actively involved in the development and popularization of the theoretical and technological aspects of photography (for example, studies the history and current issues of photography, participates in specialized discourses - artistic, professional or technical, speaks at forums and exhibitions, writes articles, critiques, experiments with photography - technology).

The work of a photographer in the narrow sense is directly photographing. In a broad sense, a photographer is a person whose tasks include preparing for filming (choosing a topic, negotiating, obtaining permits and approvals, selecting models, props, equipment, choosing a location, etc.), photography itself and subsequent work on processing and photo printing, sale of material. In some cases, the photographer transfers part of these works to his assistants, assistants, make-up artists, costume designers, agents, lighting, make-up artists and other people.

History of the profession

The history of the profession of a photographer begins in 1839, when Jacques Louis Daguerre, at a meeting of the Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Arts in Paris, presented original way fixing the image.

For a long time, the right to aesthetic creativity was not recognized for photography. Many photographers have spent a lot of energy and imagination, creating a picture inadequate to the fixed nature. They made extensive use of editing and printing from several negatives.

At the end of the 19th century, with the advent of relatively light cameras and more simple ways reproduction of pictures on the pages of print, photographic journalism has become widespread. From this moment, the concept of the profession of a photographer appears. Two trends in the history of photography: realistic and formative, were determined during this period with maximum clarity.

The first professional organization - Danish Union of Press Photographers(Pressefotografforbundet) in 1912 in Denmark, organized by six photojournalists in Copenhagen. Working mostly for periodicals, photographers in their pictures often touched upon the actual problems of society, showing social inequality, poverty, exploitation of child labor, etc. At first, the name of the photographer was not indicated under the photographs in the newspapers.

Modern photojournalism was made possible with the invention of the small camera. The introduction of the 35mm watering can, created in 1914 and commercialized in Germany in 1925, brought many significant changes to every area of ​​photography. The new camera allowed photographers to see ordinary and familiar objects in new, bolder perspectives and expanded their ability to better see the outlines of form in space.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a method appeared instant photography”, which does not require any image processing. At the same time, there was talk that the profession of a photographer was becoming primitive. Therefore, the profession of a photographer turns into a detachment of art.

News organizations and schools of journalism have established a variety of awards for photojournalists. Since 1968, the Pulitzer Prize has been awarded in the following categories of photojournalism: Feature Photography, Spot News Photography, and Capture the Moment. Other awards: World Press Photo.

The best photographers-journalists in Russia are the owners of prestigious world awards, whose work has made a significant contribution to the development of domestic photojournalism:

Vladimir Vyatkin: "Photography is not just a set of frames, it should be a story about what is happening"

Alexander Grashchenkov: "Photography is how I see the world at the moment when I press the shutter"

Igor Gavrilov: "To become a good photographer- shoot, shoot and shoot, and love this thing "

Viktor Zagumennov: “Over time, I begin to love my photos more and more”

Alexander Zemlyanichenko: “If you don’t see the frame you need, then it just can’t be here”

Sergei Maksimishin: “People pay for art when they have everything else”

Areas of activity

Photographers are divided by field of activity and genres of photography. Among them are:

• Photojournalist(photojournalist) - engaged in photojournalism.
• Paparazzi- A photojournalist who shoots scenes from the personal lives of celebrities without their consent.
• Photo artist is a fine art photographer.
• Photodocumentary is a documentary photographer.
• Advertising photographer is a publicity photographer.
• Wedding photographer- Photographer specializing in wedding photography.
• Forensic photographer- a photographer who shoots scenes of incidents, corpses and material evidence for the needs of forensic medicine, bodies of inquiry, etc.
• Laboratory assistant - photographer- a researcher who provides photographic support for laboratory research
• Family photographer- a photographer who makes family portraits in the interior, making a family album.
• fashion photographer is a fashion photographer.
• Subject photographer- a photographer specializing in subject photography (perfume, food and other small objects). Product photography usually takes place on a special table for product photography.
• Industrial photographer- a photographer specializing in photographing industrial facilities of enterprises, equipment, workers, shooting both architecture and interiors, and reporting.
• street photographer- a photographer who shoots strangers and other genre scenes on the streets for art projects
• Macro photographer - a photographer who specializes in shooting ultra-small objects of the macrocosm: insects, spiders, individual living and inanimate objects of nature, almost imperceptible to the human eye.

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An excerpt characterizing the Photographer

- Is daddy coming soon?
- I think.
“They have the same. They don't know anything! Where can I go? ” thought Nikolai and went back to the hall where the clavichords stood.
Sonya sat at the clavichord and played the prelude of that barcarolle that Denisov especially loved. Natasha was going to sing. Denisov looked at her with enthusiastic eyes.
Nikolai began to pace up and down the room.
“And here is the desire to make her sing? What can she sing? And there is nothing funny here, thought Nikolai.
Sonya took the first chord of the prelude.
“My God, I am lost, I am a dishonorable person. Bullet in the forehead, the only thing left, not to sing, he thought. Leave? but where to? anyway, let them sing!”
Nikolai gloomily, continuing to walk around the room, looked at Denisov and the girls, avoiding their eyes.
"Nikolenka, what's wrong with you?" asked Sonya's gaze fixed on him. She immediately saw that something had happened to him.
Nicholas turned away from her. Natasha, with her sensitivity, also instantly noticed the state of her brother. She noticed him, but she herself was so happy at that moment, she was so far from grief, sadness, reproaches, that she (as often happens with young people) deliberately deceived herself. No, I'm too happy now to spoil my fun with sympathy for someone else's grief, she felt, and said to herself:
"No, I'm sure I'm wrong, he must be as cheerful as I am." Well, Sonya, - she said and went to the very middle of the hall, where, in her opinion, the resonance was best. Raising her head, lowering her lifelessly hanging hands, as dancers do, Natasha, stepping from heel to tiptoe with an energetic movement, walked across the middle of the room and stopped.
"Here I am!" as if she were speaking, answering the enthusiastic look of Denisov, who was watching her.
“And what makes her happy! Nikolay thought, looking at his sister. And how she is not bored and not ashamed! Natasha took the first note, her throat widened, her chest straightened, her eyes took on a serious expression. She was not thinking of anyone or anything at that moment, and sounds poured out of the smile of her folded mouth, those sounds that anyone can make at the same intervals and at the same intervals, but which leave you cold a thousand times, in make you shudder and cry for the thousand and first time.
Natasha this winter began to sing seriously for the first time, and especially because Denisov admired her singing. She sang now not like a child, there was no longer in her singing that comic, childish diligence that had been in her before; but she did not yet sing well, as all the judges who heard her said. “Not processed, but a beautiful voice, it needs to be processed,” everyone said. But they usually said this long after her voice had fallen silent. At the same time, when this unprocessed voice sounded with incorrect aspirations and with efforts of transitions, even the experts of the judge did not say anything, and only enjoyed this unprocessed voice and only wished to hear it again. There was that virginal innocence in her voice, that ignorance of her own strengths and that still uncultivated velvety, which were so combined with the shortcomings of the art of singing that it seemed impossible to change anything in this voice without spoiling it.
“What is this? Nikolai thought, hearing her voice and opening his eyes wide. - What happened to her? How does she sing today? he thought. And suddenly the whole world for him concentrated in anticipation of the next note, the next phrase, and everything in the world became divided into three tempos: “Oh mio crudele affetto ... [Oh my cruel love ...] One, two, three ... one, two ... three ... one… Oh mio crudele affetto… One, two, three… one. Oh, our stupid life! Nicholas thought. All this, and misfortune, and money, and Dolokhov, and malice, and honor - all this is nonsense ... but here it is real ... Hy, Natasha, well, my dear! well, mother! ... how will she take this si? took! Thank God!" - and he, without noticing that he was singing, in order to strengthen this si, took the second third of a high note. "Oh my God! how good! Is this what I took? how happy!” he thought.
O! how this third trembled, and how something better that was in Rostov's soul was touched. And this something was independent of everything in the world, and above everything in the world. What losses here, and the Dolokhovs, and honestly! ... All nonsense! You can kill, steal and still be happy ...

For a long time Rostov had not experienced such pleasure from music as on that day. But as soon as Natasha finished her barcarolle, he remembered reality again. He left without saying anything and went downstairs to his room. A quarter of an hour later the old count, cheerful and contented, arrived from the club. Nikolai, hearing his arrival, went to him.
- Well, did you have fun? said Ilya Andreich, smiling joyfully and proudly at his son. Nikolai wanted to say yes, but he could not: he almost sobbed. The count lit his pipe and did not notice the state of his son.
"Oh, inevitably!" Nikolai thought for the first and last time. And suddenly, in the most careless tone, such that he seemed disgusting to himself, as if he asked the carriage to go to the city, he said to his father.
- Dad, I came to you for business. I had and forgot. I need money.
"That's it," said the father, who was in a particularly cheerful spirit. “I told you that it won’t. Is it a lot?
“A lot,” said Nikolai, blushing and with a stupid, careless smile, which for a long time later he could not forgive himself. - I lost a little, that is, even a lot, a lot, 43 thousand.
- What? To whom?... You're kidding! shouted the Count, suddenly blushing apoplectically on his neck and the back of his head, as old people blush.
“I promised to pay tomorrow,” Nikolai said.
“Well!” said the old count, spreading his arms and sank helplessly on the sofa.
- What to do! Who hasn't this happened to? - said the son in a cheeky, bold tone, while in his soul he considered himself a scoundrel, a scoundrel who could not atone for his crime all his life. He would like to kiss his father's hands, on his knees to ask for his forgiveness, and he casually and even rudely said that this happens to everyone.
Count Ilya Andreich lowered his eyes on hearing these words of his son and hurried, looking for something.
“Yes, yes,” he said, “it’s hard, I’m afraid, it’s hard to get ... with anyone! yes, with whom it has not happened ... - And the count glanced at his son's face and went out of the room ... Nikolai was preparing to fight back, but did not expect this at all.
- Daddy! pa ... hemp! he shouted after him, sobbing; forgive me! And, seizing his father's hand, he pressed his lips to it and wept.

While the father was explaining himself to his son, an equally important explanation was going on between the mother and daughter. Natasha, excited, ran to her mother.
- Mom! ... Mom! ... he made me ...
- What did you do?
- Made an offer. Mum! Mum! she screamed. The Countess could not believe her ears. Denisov made an offer. To whom? This tiny girl Natasha, who until recently played with dolls and now still took lessons.
- Natasha, full of nonsense! she said, still hoping it was a joke.
- Well, nonsense! “I’m talking to you,” Natasha said angrily. - I came to ask what to do, and you tell me: "nonsense" ...
The countess shrugged.
- If it is true that Monsieur Denisov proposed to you, then tell him that he is a fool, that's all.
“No, he’s not a fool,” Natasha said offendedly and seriously.
- Well, what do you want? You are all in love these days. Well, in love, so marry him! said the Countess, laughing angrily. - With God blessing!
“No, mother, I am not in love with him, I must not be in love with him.
“Well, just tell him that.
- Mom, are you angry? Don't be angry, my dear, what am I to blame for?
“No, what is it, my friend? If you want, I'll go and tell him, - said the countess, smiling.
- No, I myself, just teach. Everything is easy for you,” she added, answering her smile. “And if you saw how he told me this!” After all, I know that he did not want to say this, but he accidentally said it.
- Well, you still have to refuse.
- No, you don't have to. I feel so sorry for him! He's so cute.
Well, take the offer. And then it’s time to get married, ”the mother said angrily and mockingly.
“No, Mom, I feel so sorry for him. I don't know how I will say.
“Yes, you don’t have anything to say, I’ll say it myself,” said the countess, indignant at the fact that they dared to look at this little Natasha as if they were big.
“No, no way, I’m on my own, and you listen at the door,” and Natasha ran through the living room into the hall, where Denisov was sitting on the same chair, at the clavichord, covering his face with his hands. He jumped up at the sound of her light footsteps.
- Natalie, - he said, approaching her with quick steps, - decide my fate. She is in your hands!

Photographer refers to a person or specialist who creates photographs using a camera and special equipment for printing them. A photographer is a person who captures beautiful moments of life. The profession is suitable for those who are interested in world artistic culture (see the choice of profession for interest in school subjects).

Short description

The work of a photographer is the direct process of shooting and maintaining equipment. During the shooting, the photographer chooses the optimal lighting, background, pose. But the main meaning of photography is given by the idea. Nowadays, thanks to digital technologies, photographers can transform finished images using special programs: remove defects, smooth imperfections, create the most incredible scenes.

In addition to shooting and processing images, the work of the photographer also includes administrative functions for preparing for the shooting: choosing a topic, negotiating with the customer, obtaining permission to shoot if necessary, choosing a shooting location, props, etc. These functions can be delegated to assistants or other assistants if the photographer is working in a team. Ideally, the photographer should be creative, not distracted by everyday work.

The specifics of the profession

There are several classifications of photographers according to different criteria.

By level of professionalism:

• Amateur photographer who shoots family, friends for his own entertainment
• A professional photographer with a special education and work experience, earning money on photography

By field of activity and genres of photography:

• A photographer is a photojournalist.
• Photographer creates artistic photographs.
• A documentary photographer is a documentary photographer.
• Advertising photographer shoots advertising photos.
• A wedding photographer specializes in shooting weddings.
• A forensic photographer shoots scenes of incidents, physical evidence, etc. for forensic examination.
• A laboratory photographer is a researcher who takes pictures of the process and results of laboratory research.
• A family photographer makes family portraits in the interior, makes a family album.
• A fashion photographer specializes in shooting in the field of modeling business.
• The photographer-subject takes subject photography on a special table for goods.
• An industrial photographer specializes in photographing industrial enterprises, equipment, and working personnel.
• A street photographer captures strangers and everyday scenes on the streets for art projects.
• Paparazzi filming scenes from his personal life famous people: politicians, movie stars and show business without their consent.

Pros and cons of the profession

Pros:

• The profession of a photographer is considered prestigious and profitable, especially if you have developed your own client base or promoted the brand under which the photographer works.
• The work of the photographer is creative, which implies a relatively free work schedule and the absence of everyday routine.
• The advantages of the profession include the versatility of places of work: demand in various fields of activity - journalism, modeling, museums, etc.

Minuses:

• The work of the photographer takes place in a highly competitive environment.
• Good equipment, on which the quality of the photographer’s work directly depends, is expensive.
• The work of a photographer requires a lot of patience: even an ordinary photo shoot involves great amount shots for a few good shots. It is difficult to photograph active children or wild animals.
• The photographer must be able to find individual approach to each client to reveal its most attractive features and an interesting angle.
• A different vision and understanding of the beauty of the photographer and the customer can provoke dissatisfaction with the customer.

Photographer training

A career as a photographer is all about growing in skill and fame. The salary of a photographer depends on the region of residence, place of work, own skill, promotion of the brand on behalf of which the photographer works.

Theoretically, anyone can become a photographer, regardless of education, if photography is his hobby. But to reach a professional level, learn to be a photographer and master the secrets of mastery, special courses for photographers, studios and photo schools, where real and recognized masters of photographic art teach, will help. Higher education in the specialty "Fine and Applied Arts" will also add skills to novice photographers.

The school teaches the essentials. The program provides for 80% of practice, including studio. By the end of the training, you will have collected your first portfolio of photographs of different genres and subjects. Upon completion of the exam, a diploma is issued. Groups up to 10 people. Classes are 2-3 times a week on weekdays or weekends, a missed class can be attended with another group. Possibility of payment in installments. Branches in 33 cities of the Russian Federation. All schools operate on the basis of an educational license.

Place of work

Publishing houses, media, modeling agencies, advertising business, traditional photo studios and photo studios, museums, photo galleries, laboratories, private work on the shooting of weddings, anniversaries and other holidays.

Salary

Below is the salary range offered by employers on hh.ru

Salary as of 06/03/2019

Russia 20000—80000 ₽

Moscow 30000—120000 ₽

Personal qualities

• rich fantasy;
• aesthetic taste;
• developed creative imagination;
• sense of composition;
• patience.

A photographer, as a creative person, needs to constantly develop a visual culture in himself: visit exhibitions of famous masters of photography, go to museums, watch films.

Painting, sculpture, music charge a person with some special energy. Photo art is a deep reflection of our reality, sometimes causing unknown sensations. It excites and leaves no one indifferent. Vivid images, deep content - all this merges into one in an instant under the gunpoint of the camera. Taking the first steps into the world of photography is now easy. The variety of gadgets allows you to do this for everyone and in any situation. For creative and caring people, the profession of a photographer is of great interest. The stereotype that shooting is the lot of losers has long been destroyed.

The ability to create unique masterpieces

The art of photography is one of the few activities that includes the versatility of images to tell a story in one shot. There are two types of photographers: professionals and amateurs. What tasks are included in the circle of graduates:

• preparation for shooting sessions;
• selection of object, model, props;
• shooting directly;
• material processing;
• further implementation of pictures.

Amateur photographers only need to capture the object, take a photo on paper or post it on social networks, electronic photo albums, home archives.

Where to begin…

In order to perpetuate bright moments, to give pictures a special flavor, you need to learn a lot. What needs to be done, what subjects to take when entering an educational institution, not only school graduates want to know, but also people of the older generation.

• Buy a camera. Modern devices are equipped with the necessary additional attributes for high-quality shooting. Getting unique shots largely depends not only on the skill of the artist, but also on high-quality equipment.
• Take a photography course. In the centers where the profession of a photographer means high art, real professionals work. They have devoted many years to creative pursuits, they know all the subtleties, pros and cons of a difficult, but interesting work. In such studios, a fundamental study of all important subjects is provided in order to master an exciting craft.
• Shoot constantly. The job of a photographer is to find material that is interesting and relevant. A specialist needs to look for his images for future photos from the first steps.

Now in what only areas of activity are not required photographers! A large number of studios have been created, both for beginners and for people who want to improve their skills. As a rule, in the courses before the start of classes, you do not need to take any subjects. In some, interviews are held, in others they only conduct creative exams, in others they are asked to provide a portfolio, in some - to submit their pictures to the evaluation commission. In Russian universities, at faculties close in profile, the subject "art of photography" is always present, and upon admission they pass profile disciplines approved by the relevant regulations.

V public colleges teach technical fundamentals, but there is an advantage to this. Receiving a specific specialization, students acquire knowledge in related professions. Graduates have great opportunities: now many employers welcome not only people with higher education but also mid-level professionals. Interested creative people realize themselves perfectly. V Lately most specialized educational institutions due to the increased demand for the profession of a photographer, they are expanding the number of subjects by specialization.

How to develop skills

It is difficult for novice photographers to assess the difficulties ahead. This is a minus that is easily eliminated after a while. The townsfolk think that there is nothing easier than to take a camera in hand so that financial flows go directly to the photo master. This is not true! At the training stage, experienced professionals recommend restraining your impulses to photograph fashion standards. They hold master classes with a demonstration of exclusive works and a description of the smallest details of the authors' ideas. They teach that beginners try to see, comprehend the unique qualities of their usual environment: streets, houses, faces, pets, and also the ability to:

• handle the camera
• competently build a composition;
• take portraits correctly
• be at ease in the studio;
• process the finished material, bring it to perfection.

Mistakes of beginner photographers

Newcomers to the creative process are often dissatisfied with their results. So far, they do not know what needs to be done to ensure that the resulting images are of high quality. In search of solutions, inexperienced photographers are rushing headlong for new expensive equipment in the hope that their work will become better. Experienced specialists warn against rash steps, reminding that the quality of images primarily depends on the person himself. The right point, the harmony of light and shadows, shapes and lines - all this is done by the artist.

Where do photographers work

It would seem that what is common between a physician and a photographer? A doctor without knowing human anatomy will never become a real surgeon. A photographer, not possessing the intricacies of his profession, will also not be able to convey joy and pleasure to people. For those who have learned the art of photography, great horizons are now opening up for the realization of their creative potential. Many companies open their doors to those who are able to convey the beauty, depth, content of the created images:

• mass media;
• ateliers and studios;
• advertising agencies;
• model business;
• museums, exhibitions, galleries, other venues.

Now the profession of a photographer requires extensive additional knowledge and skills, so you need to study and pass exams and tests. A good photographer needs:

• be fluent in applied computer programs;
• know the basics of design, have artistic skills;
• be able to address professional level with photographic equipment;
• have diplomatic skills to communicate with people.

In recent decades, the doors have opened wide for many and in own business. Persistent and purposeful citizens have access to any areas where they can realize their skills. Each of the directions has its own subtleties, but any type of activity requires creative returns. Photographers face some difficulties when creating a business at the very beginning: serious material costs, finding sites to post pictures, advertising costs, accumulating a customer base. This, of course, is a minus, but active and loving photographers will definitely be accompanied by success, recognition and a solid income!

A photographer, first of all, is a person who perceives the world and communicates with the world through a picture. These people are called visuals. Many people know that there are several channels for understanding the surrounding space. This information is quite well-known and taken from the course of general psychology. The most common is the visual channel, when a person perceives almost 80% of the information about the environment through the picture of what he sees. Simply put, the visual channel of perception is the ability to think in pictures. To see, realize and put the seen pictures into a single image.

There are also such channels as auditory, kinesthetic, etc. But they can be ignored, since they do not play a special role in the process of creating a photograph. It begs an unreasonable question. If all photographers are visual, then why are some of them recognized as more talented and some less? Why do some people get great shots and others don't?

It's all about the peculiarities of processing information perceived from the outside world. Awareness of information is carried out with the help of mental processes, such as: the perception of reality, the way of thinking, the experience of emotions or the degree of imagination. These mental processes are also called human cognitive ability. And here it becomes clear that each person has his own personal, individual characteristics processing incoming information. The cognitive sphere of a person is similar in structure and principles of functioning to modern computers. Like them, it accepts, stores and uses information coming from the outside world, which acts for a person in the form of knowledge about the world around.

Attention and memory are end-to-end mental processes that take part in the formation of images and the processing of information in people on an ongoing basis. Human sensations solve one of the main tasks of cognition: in our case, this is what the photographer sees.

If considered at the biological level, then a visual sensation in a person appears when, under the action of a light flux that has fallen on the retina of the eye, excitation occurs in the form of a reversible photodecomposition of substances in the receptors. This excitation is recognized in the form of electrical impulses that are transmitted to the projection zone of the brain - to the occipital region of the cortex of the posterior parts of the brain, where the visual sensory image directly arises.

Within one minute, the human eye can mark up to 120 observation points, and fixing each of them requires a time of the order of 0.2-0.3 s. The result of this will be sensory images, which, depending on the talent of the photographer and the technical capabilities of the camera, the viewer can see in the resulting image.

A photograph is a static image. Due to the properties of human visual perception, unlike cinema, there are special requirements for it in the details and nuances of the image. Talented photographers at an unconscious level take into account these features of visual perception. For the rest of the photographers, additional knowledge helps to achieve professional heights. This knowledge is about how and by what means (for example, lighting) to increase the effectiveness of the impact of the created visual information. How to harmonize the level of visual and aesthetic comfort for other people to perceive from their own creativity (photos), so that the transmission effect personal information surrounding was maximum.

Of course, not everyone is lucky to be born as a talented photographer. But to become one is quite within the power of a non-lazy creative person.