Photography Skills
Do you need photography skills to function well in your job role? This article provides a guide on how you can develop the skills and include them on your resume.
What are Photography Skills?
Photography skills simply refer to the set of skills that are necessary to capture high-quality photographs. Photography skill is a creative ability that captures unique photos but you need technical skills to achieve that. Technical skills imply the ability to operate a camera and edit photos. In recent times, there is a high demand for photographers, and photography skills are needed which is highly valued by companies some people choose to join online classes to acquire photography skills.
What is Photography?
Photography in layman’s terms simply means capturing light with the aid of a device known as a camera with the sole purpose of creating an image. The camera utilized can be a mobile phone camera, a digital camera, and the normal traditional analog camera.
Photography can serve different purposes such as telling a story or capturing glorious moments in an individual life. Photography can be regarded as a document and it can also be an art. Photography can be used for creative and technical purposes and it is also known that people react to photography differently.
Photography Skills may include composition, hardware, and software skills.
Composition
With this skill, photographers learn how to think critically and are very deliberate to take good photos. They put into consideration the shape, color, balance, and formatting.
Hardware
Photographers must be able to utilize physical hardware, such as cameras, lighting equipment, tripod, lenses, and even drones if it is possible. Some of the equipment can be very complex to use so you need to perfect the art of using it. You must also understand the manual setting of a camera and how to utilize it.
Software
In recent times, people prefer digital cameras to analog and so photographers need to edit themselves by utilizing visual editing software. Good photography skills entail using software to enhance photos.
Importance of Photography Skills
- Photography skills bring out beauty
We can discover beauty in our lives through photography. Photography helps us to have beautiful pictures of ourselves, and our loved ones and it also helps us to find beauty in the things around us. It showcases our beautiful environment or the beauty of nature.
- Photography is the art of Creating
Photography is very much important because it makes a photographer a creator of an image. This is why photography skills are an art that document lives journey or the stages of life. It has to do with creating an image with the aid of a camera.
- Photography presents Evidence
A picture or an image can never lie. Photography skills are important because they help present evidence in a court of law and they also help the journalist to report events with pictorial evidence. A good photograph goes a long way to communicating. As the popular adage says “ seeing is believing.
- Photography Document Moments
Photography is important because it helps us to document treasurable moments of our lives the human brain is very short and we can end up forgetting but with photography you will always remember your most amazing moments. Photography also helps us to document the stages of our lives we have passed through. With the aid of photography, you can keep a record of your preschool moments, from high some remarkable college moments. Photographs serve as proof for the future generation.
How to improve your Photography Skills
- Study your Camera User Manual and Apply what you read
Once you have purchased a new camera whether digital or traditional camera; do your best to go through the user manual and be very much familiar with all the tools or keys in the camera. You should ensure that you know each button in your camera, its uses, and how you can utilize it in different ways.
After you must have studied, apply what you have read and also take out time to practice what you have read. You may make a lot of mistakes but keep on trying so that you can hone the necessary skills for taking photos.
- Enroll for an Internship in a professional Studio: once you have acquired the requisite knowledge, you can look for a professional in the field to teach you and this can be achieved when you enroll for an internship in a professional studio. Join a network of Photographers to learn the latest trend in the industry.
- Use a Tripod: once you use a tripod, it can go a long way to enhance the quality of your pictures. A tripod provides you with stability when shooting a photo and it makes your images sharper and more balanced.
The first step is to mount your tripod on a flat and steady surface so that it can fit your camera perfectly, once you have done that you need to ensure that your tripod and camera are on the same level so that your pictures will not come out slanted.
- Expose yourself to good photos and photographers: this can be achieved by reading good books, attending exhibits, and also browsing photography portfolios online. Go online and study how to take excellent shots and also experiment with how to create a particular style with a camera. Another way to boost your knowledge is by visiting online resources on photography and anything related to photography.
- Ask for Feedback: once you have built your portfolio as a photographer, ask for feedback from your clients and other photographers because it will help you improve your skills. You can also upload your photo on Flickr for critique and share your work with a group of photographers to critique it.
Another knowledge you need to have is the ability to utilize post-processing tools to enhance your shots especially when your clients are not satisfied with the pictures you captured them.
Jobs that Require Photography Skills
- Photojournalist or News Photographer: Most media houses such as print media houses utilize the service of a photojournalist to post pictures about events in newspapers and magazines. A photojournalist must possess excellent photography skills to capture events and document other amazing moments. Omomentsthe principle of photography recapturing moving objects, a photojournalist should be able to capture moving objects in pictures.
- Graphic Designer: Graphic designers are responsible for beautifying and adding other elements to pictures for a specific purpose. Graphic designers must take photographs before they start working on the photographs. It is very much important that graphic designers must possess photography skills.
- Photo Editor: A Photo Editor is responsible for editing photos to ensure that they meet up with the standard of the organization or the purpose of the new story. A photo editor must possess excellent photography skills to work on the final product of photography.
- Sports Photographer: A sports photographer needs to have photography skills to take pictures of sporting events such as football, volleyball, hockey, and other sporting activities.
- Commercial Photographer: A commercial photographer is someone that takes pictures for making a profit. He or she needs photography skills to deliver excellent pictures to clients.
- Wildlife Photographer: A wildlife photographer takes pictures of animals, wildlife parks, zoos, and other recreational centers. He or she must have excellent photography skills to capture moving objects or animals when they are acting. A good example is he should capture moments such as when a lion is eating an antelope.
How to Include Photography Skills in your Resume
- Describe your experience as A photographer: You should describe your experience as a photographer by specifying how long you have been a photographer and also the organizations you have worked with. Feel free to also discuss the level of qualification and the certifications you have acquired as a photographer. If you have pictures published online that is credited to your name, include the link to that website in your resume.
- Emphasis your Camera handling Skills: Emphasis your camera handling skills to prove to the prospective employer that you are the most qualified person for the job. Describe how you are very good at handling the camera and the requisite experience you possess handling cameras.
- Highlight your Photography skills: At this juncture, you need to enumerate the skills you possess s a photographer. Keep in mind that photography is all about art so you need skills such as artistic skills. Below are some skills a photographer should have:
- Technical Skills
- Artistic Skills
- Focus or paying attention to detail
- Excellent communication skills
- Visual Editing Software skills
- Familiarity with Photography gadgets
- Marketing skills
- Composition skills
- Sound editorial judgment
- Photo editing and retouching
- Photoshop
Examples of How to Include Photography Skills in your Resume
Photojournalist Resume Sample
- Pitched photo stories to reporters and editors for 5 years
- Performed research on the subject before the photo shoot and planned a dynamic and unique photo session
- Determined and modified subject positions, props, and lightening equipment while subjecting camera angles to optimize the final product
- Digitally edited photos to improve their appearance
- Completed 200+ complex photo shoots at indoor and outdoor venues
- Shoot photographs in regulated labs, fields, and remote environments
- Scheduled and prepared for a 200+ on-location and studio shoot
Graphic Designer Resume Sample
- Spearheaded day-to-day design in a small but prolific firm
- Facilitated team meetings for a project to boost revenue for eCommerce clients
- Collaborated on a project to produce a layout and images for written online content
- Contributed to a customer site that won an award.
Photography Resume Sample
- Cover photos and worked for a magazine production for 5 years
- A typical contributor to the magazine’s sport desk
- Shot and edited 238 portraits with 98% customer happiness
- Trained and supervised a team of 6 freelance photographers
- Serve as a lead photographer for a media house
How to Demonstrate Photography Skills in an Interview
- Discuss your Experience Elaborately: Photography is a skillful profession and when answering the questions in an interview, you need to discuss the level of experience you have as a photographer and also the portfolio you have. Focus on your most pertinent experience to impress the interviewer. This may land you your dream job.
- Be very sincere: The interview is not a place to tell lies or cook up a fake personality. Ensure that you are very much sincere and prove to the interviewer that you are sincere. One of the most pragmatic ways to show your level of sincerity is by maintaining eye contact with the interviewer.
- Ask Questions: interviewers are not the only people that ask questions in an interview; a job candidate can also ask questions. You should ask questions so that you can know more about photography and it will also show that you are very much interested in the interview. Asking questions can also help you to decode your interviewer’s expectations about you and this will help you to meet up with such expectations.
- Demonstrate your love for Beauty: An excellent photographer must be someone who loves beauty; showcase that you love nature, color, and beauty. This will go a long way to demonstrate to the interviewer that you are the most eligible candidate for the job.
- Demonstrate that you are focused: Photography is all about focus, you need to demonstrate that you are very much focused especially when taking pictures. By being focused, you also demonstrate that you are a professional in the job.
Examples of interview Questions to test Photography Skills
- Do you prefer working alone or with a team?
Photographers love to work independently, the hiring manager may ask this question to ascertain if you are comfortable working in a team setting. This can also help them decide if they will work together with photographers or make you an assistant photographer in the organization.
- What are the most important skills a photographer should have?
This question is being asked to discover the necessary skills you have as a photographer. Highlight the necessary skills you possess but start with the most important skill.
- What are your experiences editing Photos?
They may ask you this question to ascertain if you are familiar with editing applications such as Photoshop. In your response, explain what kind of photo editing software you use and why you think it is the best.
- If your client is not pleased with one of your photos, how will you rectify it?
This question is to ascertain how you will handle criticism and conflict. This will also determine your ability to learn from your mistakes and how you can meet up with your client’s expectations.
- Why do think you stand out from other photographers?
Employers ask this question to discover your personality and how you will fit into the team. Employers want someone that is passionate about photography and can also work with a team.