Introduction

Standing at the edge of a cliff and looking far way at the horizon, you see the vast stretch of the lush green ghats spread before you. Villages amidst the green carpet with little children running around and the inhabitants going about their daily chores, makes you want to capture the scene and enclose it in an album; for those times when you need to remember the other side of the urban fast-paced life. You quickly remove your camera and click away to capture the scene before it vanishes like a dream, or lest it gets erased from the frames of your mind. Photographs: your memory banks
Whether it is the hill station you visited or your beloved, there is this sudden urge to trap the beauty within a frame for posterity. While most click away on the camera to fill their family albums, some even make it their profession. Haven't you ever awed at photographs of gorgeous models and film stars, animals and landscapes, or of world leaders shaking hands over an important agreement? Photography today is an important aspect of life, an important medium of expression. It is both an art and science. The task of taking and making good photographs mainly depends upon the right type of equipment and the elements that go into the making of a photograph. Therefore the person behind the camera should be aware of the general principles and capabilities of the equipment involved. The first cameras: The simplest camera is the Pinhole camera, a box that is light tight excepting for a pin-sized hole at one end. Modern cameras are a refinement of this primitive design. In the pinhole camera a few rays of light reflected from each point on the subject get through the pin-hole to create an image depending on the size of the pin-hole. The first Kodak camera was developed by the company founded by George Eastman.
Today there are different types of cameras to meet different user-requirements. All the photographer has to do is aim and shoot!

Nature of Work: Photography involves various areas. Some of these are:

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Fashion Photography Fashion photography as a career has developed recently in India. And work opportunities in the field have grown with the increasing fashion awareness. Most fashion photography is done by specialist studios or freelancers who are commissioned by fashion houses, designers or advertising agencies.

Photojournalism Photographers who work for the print media, are almost reporters, because each of their pictures tells a story. Feature photographers may work with reporters as a team, they may be freelancers, or then work for studios. The work is varied and leads to assignments at any time and in any place. Press photographers must be versatile with an ability to photograph all kinds of subjects. They must know what makes a good news picture; be able to write accurate captions, work well with reporters, be quick and often work under difficult conditions. Industrial Photography An industrial photographer's main emphasis is on taking pictures for a single company or firm. The main intention is to make the company's factory, machines or products look good.
Advertising Advertising photographs are either taken by the photographic departments of advertising agencies, by photographic studios, or by freelance photographers. A large number of photographers do catalogue work, while some studios specialize in 'mail order' photography. This is the best paid and most competitive branch; success depends on ability, efficiency and the right personality.

Digital Photography Digital photography involves the use of a digital camera. The images are captured on a disk, floppy or directly on to the computer. In conventional methods of photography the images were captured on film which had to be processed and then scanned with the help of a scanner onto the computer for any further changes or effects that the image may need. Digital photography saves time and money that goes into scanning images. Digital photography is used largely in the media, as digital images can be stored easily and conveyed quickly over long distances. Nature and Wildlife Photography This field involves taking photographs of amimals, birds, plants and landscapes. While photos of rare species are in great demand, nature photographs are also widely used as pictures for calendars or covers. Romantic sunsets, flowers, trees, lakes and waterfalls, etc, all make interesting subjects for a nature photographer.

Eligibility: To Begin: Best thing for anyone who doesn't know much about photography and camera basics is to read books. There are good books available in the market that give you basic information about photography, how the camera works, equipment, etc. The books can help you decide whether you need to do a course in photography. Regular scanning of books and magazines also gives you a fair idea about the different techniques, lighting, angles, and topics. A basic course in photography, where they teach you how to develop b/w photos, history and other basic stuff, can be a useful experience. It will also help you decide the kind of specialised photography you want to pursue. Unfortunately, there are not many institutes that offer photography as a full-fledged course or career option. You can take up photography after your 12th or graduation. There are many students who learn photography along with their college, doing a part-time course.
Next best thing, to begin your career, would be to assist a senior or professional photographer. Assisting will help you grasp the finer points of photography, and will give you a better understanding of the kind of equipment you would require. You can simultaneously shoot pictures on your own. Shooting various subjects in the beginning will allow you to decide the field you enjoy the most. It also will reflect on your progress. Always aim for a better picture.
Common errors:
Make a note of the difficulties you face while shooting and try to seek a solution through books or experts. As beginners some of the common problems you'll face are:

  • No matter how many pictures you take, they never seem come out right
  • The subjects in your portrait never look natural
  • Parts of the picture are in focus but not everything
  • The picture appears static; there is nothing exciting about it
    • These mistakes can be attributed to a number of problems like bad composition, camera shake, depth of focus etc. It is important for a photographer to know his camera and his subject very well. He should be able to handle the camera well, because a camera shake can ruin good photographs. Composing the photograph is also important to bring out the best. Bad composition leads to static pictures or portraits that don't look natural.