You’re behind a large SLR camera mounted on a tripod, lining it up for just the right shot. You want to capture the sunset over the lake at just the right moment, when the sky shimmers brightly with reds, oranges, yellows, and purples. You adjust the aperture of the telephoto lens for a broad depth of field to capture a wide beautiful scene, and you slow your shutter speed to adjust for the dim light. Finally, you feel that the scene in your viewfinder looks perfect. You push the button to release the shutter, and you hear the satisfying click as the camera takes a picture. Now, it’s time to line up for the next great shot.
If you can identify with the thrill of framing just the right picture and of adjusting your aperture and shutter for just the right light settings, you could consider a career as a professional photography. Many colleges have majors in photography or at least offer photography courses. You could get a chance to work with professional-level equipment and gain hours of experience taking pictures of everything from people to abstract patterns in nature.
Working as a professional photographer requires that one practice for long periods of time before making any significant money from the work. You’ll probably to have examples of your creativity and technical skill to show that you can actually take pictures like a pro. A college class in photography can help you put together a portfolio of your work to present to potential clients and employers later on.
If you’re interested in a career in this area, take a look at what different colleges and universities have to offer as far as majors in photography. And who knows, you might get to attend a college near some excellent picture-taking locations. A college in Florida might be near the beach for some great ocean sunset images. A university in Colorado might provide some excellent mountain scenery.
Look through a college catalog and talk to people at the school to find out what their expectations are for classes. Find out what kind of experience you will get. Will you be able to get plenty of hands-on time with cameras to practice what you are learning? Or will you just be sitting in a classroom most of the time?
A career in photography can be challenging but also rewarding. Don’t be afraid to consider an area you’re interested in as a college major and a potential career.