Important Skills Photographers Need With Examples

Important Skills Photographers Need With Examples Important Skills Photographers Need With Examples With high-quality cameras on smartphones, it may seem at first glance that paying for photographers is a thing of the past. As photography has become more popular, demand has also risen for better quality photography and for those that shoot professionally. Weddings, newborn photography, family lifestyle shoots, and even military homecomings have breathed new life into the professional photography industry. Photography  can be an art, a hobby, or just a way of documenting your own life. For some, photography is a career. Professional photographers work in a variety of fields, from advertising to journalism. They can also work independently, doing portraiture or creating and selling prints for display. What Skills Do You Need to Be a Photographer? You don’t need a special degree to become a professional photographer, though an art degree can certainly help you hone your skill. Most simply develop skills using professional equipment and then begin taking pictures. Many of the top-selling photographers in the world taught themselves. However, competition can be fierce. The very fact that anyone with a camera can take pictures means you’ll have to be exceptional in some way or another to be noticed. One way to stand out when applying for jobs is to emphasize that you have skills that employers are looking for in a photographer. Types of Photography Skills Hardware and Software To be a successful photographer these days, you need to know the latest  technologies. This includes developments in both hardware and software. Hardware, in this case, refers to cameras, lenses, tripods, lights, and all the other physical equipment a photographer might use. Some of that equipment is extremely complicated to use until mastered. Just as an aspiring poet must first be fluent in the language he or she uses for composition, so must you become fluent in the tools you use. Naturally, professional cameras have unique pros and cons, as well as which optics are best used with a specific camera or location. It is possible to create great pictures by pointing and shooting, but you will have more control and more options the more you know about manual camera settings. Additionally, you must be familiar with visual editing software. Now that digital photography has become standard, the work that used to be done in the darkroom is typically accomplished on the computer. There are many different software packages to choose from. Learn enough to pick your favorite, and then master its options. Digital ImagingEditing SoftwareDSLR CamerasElectronic Image HandlingFilm DevelopmentHigh-resolution imagingImage manipulationISO SpeedsLensesPrintingResizingShooting Film Composition Composition is the artistic dimension of photography â€" knowing how you want the image to look. Although one aspect of composition is simply the photographer’s taste and  creativity, you do have to learn how to think deliberately and intelligently about what looks good in a frame and why. There are certain universal principles that you should learn, rather than having to reinvent them through trial and error. Artistic AbilityBalanceColorCreativityDesignFormFormattingGood EyesightLightingPatternsShape Business While not all photographers work independently, many do. Working as a freelancer or selling prints requires you to be your own business manager. You must handle everything from  marketing  to payroll, and you must know how to speak with potential clients or customers. AccountingCommunicationCustomer serviceEntrepreneurialFlexibilityInterpersonalMarketingMediaNetworkingSalesSelf-ConfidenceAble to Read and Understand ContractsCopyright LawFreelancing Attention to Detail Photographers need to have good attention to detail when taking photographs â€" they need to be able to capture light and color and think carefully about all components of each image. However, they also need to be detailed in postproduction. They must identify and fix any small issues in each photograph. Photographers must also be organized. They must be able to manage thousands of photographs digitally and/or in print and maintain digital albums for each client. ArchivingCatalogingDetail-orientedOrganizationPatiencePreservationRetouching More Photography Skills Close ReadingCritical ThinkingUnderstanding of Intellectual PropertyPayrollDisclosure AgreementsEntity EstablishmentSocial Media ManagementWebsite DevelopmentEventsComputer SkillsAdobe Creative SuiteFlash PhotographyLifestyle PhotographyPortrait PhotographyWedding PhotographyStudio DesignCustomer ServiceConsultingCreating and Managing ExpectationsProblem SensitivityPhysical EnduranceWritten CommunicationOral CommunicationPresentationConsistencyPrice SettingBranding How to Apply for Photography Jobs Prepare to apply for jobs. If you are working freelance and are looking for clients, much of your work may come through networking, and you might not submit formalapplication materials very often. If you are seeking a more traditional job,however, you will likely need to compile job materials and prepare for aninterview. In this case, knowing the top photography skills will come in veryhandy. Create a professional portfolio. When applying for jobs, most photographers develop a portfolio â€" a collection of your photographs â€" that you can share with potential employers and clients to demonstrate your style and range. After all, your value as a photographer ultimately depends not on your history or your equipment but on the type and quality of the images you can produce. List skills in your resume. For example, in your resume, include some of the most important photography skill words in your resume summary and your “Experience” section. You might also create a “Skills” section on your resume, and list some of your key photography skills there. You might also list the photographicequipment and software you are familiar with. Include skills in your cover letter. When submitting a cover letter, you can select one or two key skills and provide examples of how you have demonstrated those skills at work in the past. For example, you might talk about how you took a course on a particular photography software, and explain how you have mastered it and used it professionally. Resume and Cover Letter Examples Review examples of a resume and cover letter for a professional photographer, with tips and advice on what to include. How to Make Your Skills Stand Out Prepare a Portfolio: Create a portfolio to share with potential employers and clients to demonstrate your style and range.Highlight Skills in Your Cover Letter: When submitting a cover letter, mention the skills that are mostly closely related to the job.Use Skill Words in Your Job Interview: In interviews, you mention some of the key photography skills you have and provide anecdotes about times you used each of these skills at work.