How Many Years of College to Be a Photographer?

Well, the present world provides a wide range of opportunities, mainly in the creative fields, as the employees look for work with more adventure and fun time. Photography is one of them. It is one of the well-paid professions that is rapidly growing nowadays.

Well, it does not matter if you have started photography as a hobby or time pass; you can definitely transform your hobby into a full-fledged career and earn a handsome amount of money. If you are the one who is looking to opt for photography as a profession and are searching for details about what you have to do to be a photographer, here you go!

I have got what you need.

The guide here tells you everything about photography: how many years of college to be a photographer and what you have to do if you really want to become a professional photographer. Let’s dive into the details here.

If we count the formal education that you will need to complete the college degree, then it might take somewhere around six years to become a professional photographer. Let’s look at the steps you need to take to become a photographer.

Steps To Become A Professional Photographer

Following are the details of the steps that you have to follow to become a professional photographer. Make sure to understand the concepts thoroughly so you know what you have to do to start your photography career.

1. Getting The Right Education

The first and foremost important thing you must keep in mind if you are interested in choosing photography as your profession is to find the right education program. Make sure to select the program that matches your goal and gives you the required knowledge you need to learn to pursue photography.

Photography courses are available on every level of education, from certificate programs to masters level. All of the photography certificate programs vary according to the institute. If they are level courses, they could be a few hours to a few days.

Alternatively, associate degrees in photography are usually 2 to 3 years long. In order to become an excellent professional photographer, make sure to find the education program that best suits to your interests. Moreover, you can also opt for a graduation program in photography that is of 4 years duration.

2. Find Out Your Focus

Since there are several sub-specialties in photography, figure out what you want to learn. You have the option of selecting from,

• Commercial photography
• Aerial photography
• Fine arts photography
• Portrait photography
• Scientific and industrial photography
• Select the sub-specialty that you think is appropriate according to your interest.

3. Now Complete Internship Programs

This third step involves the completion of specific internship programs so that you can explore the fieldwork. Doing internships makes it possible for the student to practically engage himself in the workshops and practically perform photography in both the Studio and on location. Internship programs could be paid or unpaid and typically revolve around six months to a year.

4. Get Your Certificate And License

Getting your certifications and license in order to become a professional photographer is not really necessary. It is not part of photography qualifications, but one thing that you must have to keep in mind is that some local governments need certificates and licenses from the photographers to hire them. In order to get an excellent job as a photographer, the first thing is to get a license and certificate of photography.

Look at what your local government demands. If the need for a license and certificate is a must, you can get that according to the authorized department. For example, to get the license of drone operating, you have to contact the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

There are some requirements that you have to fill out and have to pass an exam to get the license to operate a drone as part of your profession. Alternatively, most organizations and local governments need only specific certificates and consider certificates rather than asking you to bring your photography license. Some of the certificates that are offered by the Certified Professional Photographers CPP Association and those that are highly recognized are,

• Certified Forensic Photographer
• Registered Biological Photographer
• Certified Professional Photographer

One thing that you must have to keep in mind is that you have to renew your certificate every four years. Furthermore, the certification requires two years of fieldwork experience from the applicant.

5. Get the Right Tools And Equipment And Boost Your Photography Skills By Practicing

After getting a certificate and license from an authorized department, you now have to get the right equipment and arrange a good camera for yourself. Practice as much as you can and boost the photography skills you have learned in your education.

Start your entry-level job and practice photography as much as you can. You can simply start selling the pictures you have taken or create a freelancing account on some of the online platforms to earn a good income. Otherwise, with proper education and equipment, a professional photographer generally gets an excellent job with a higher possibility of success and better salaries to live a stable life.

Hopefully, you have understood how many years of college to be a photographer and what you have to do in order to become a professional photographer. There are several skills that you have to learn, and you can only learn those by practically performing photography.

This is what my best friend Laura taught me. She is a professional photographer and has been in the field of photography for four years. She told me that it took her around seven years to become skilled enough to start photography as a good and reliable source of income.

All thanks to her for providing me with the facts and figures, and accurate details about how long it takes to become a photographer. And what you have to do to become a professional and skilled photographer to earn a nice income.