Black Intelligentsia Libraries
The New Way Of Thinking
Photographer
Do you enjoy taking pictures, capturing special moments and events, field trips, nature and animals, and historic sites?  When you look through magazines or at news blogs, do you pay particularly close attention to the stories that the photos tell?  Are you fond of art galleries and photography art?  If so, and if you love Art, Science, Commmunications, and Journalism, then you should consider becoming a Photographer.

Photographers are professionals who photograph people, landscapes, merchandise, and other subjects, using digital and film cameras and equipment.  They use technical expertise, creativity, and composition skills to produce and preserve images that visually tell a story or record an event.  Production of finished images and prints is made possible through the development of negatives (film) or through the use of computer software (digital).  It is often their body of work (portfolio) that Art Directors and clients view when deciding whether to hire or contract with Photographers.

The duties of a Photographer include but are not limited to:  marketing and advertising services to attract clients; analyzing and deciding how to compose a subject; using various photographic techniques and equipment; capturing subjects in commercial-quality photographs; enhancing subjects' appearance with natural and/or artificial light; using photo-enhancing software; editing images on computers; using processing software to crop or modify images; using computers, high-quality printers, and editing software to enhance images through color correction and other specialized effects; advertising, scheduling appointments, setting and adjusting equipment, purchasing supplies, keeping records, billing customers, paying bills, and—if they have employees—hiring, training, and directing workers; maintaining a digital portfolio (on website) to demonstrate work; taking portraits, documenting events, and taking photographs for press releases; building a portfolio—a collection of work—accumulated over years of practice; and teaching photography classes and conducting workshops in schools, universities, and in their own studios.

High school students interested in becoming a Photographer benefit from taking Photography, Art, Economics, Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth Science, Geometry, Trigonometry, Algebra, English, Journalism, Horticulture, and Computer Application.  Students entering Photography Bachelor's of Science programs from high school with no previous photography experience should expect a period of four years to complete said program.

Photography specialties include:  Portrait Photographers (individuals or groups of people—weddings, religious ceremonies, school photographs, etc.); Commercial and Industrial (various subjects—buildings, models, merchandise, artifacts, landscapes, etc.—used for a variety of purposes like magazine covers or images of engineering projects); Aerial (use planes or helicopters to capture photographs of buildings and landscapes); Scientific (accurate visual representation of subjects with limited use of image manipulation software for clarifying images—record scientific or medical data and phenomena and typically use microscopes to photograph subjects); News/Photojournalists (people, places, and events for newspapers, journals, magazines, or television); Fine Arts (sell photographs as artwork); and University (photographers for academic institutions).

Due to corporations' continued need to develop compelling advertisements in the selling of products and people's continued need for new portraits to capture special occasions, employment of Photographers is projected to grow 4 percent over the next decade.  Job prospects will be best for graduates who also possess related skills (picture editing, capturing digital video, etc.).
Job Description
Median Salary & Range
​Median Salary:  $28,490

Salary Range:  ~$17,520 - $66,990+
College Majors & Attainment Routes
​The​ normal routes to becoming a Photographer have been to major in Photography, Interdisciplinary Photography, Commercial Photography, Urban Arts, Art (Studio Art, Photography, Graphic Art, or Visual Arts concentration), Studio Art (Photography/Printmaking, Digital Photography, Printmaking, or Digital Imaging concentration), Communication Media (Photo Journalism concentration), Visual Arts (Visual Media Design, Digital Art, Printmaking, or Graphic Art concentration), Mass Media Studies (Electronic and Visual Media Studies concentration), Mass Communications, Visual Communication, Journalism and Mass Communications, Mass Communication (Visual Storytelling concentration), Visual Communications and Digital Media Arts, Fine Art (Multi-Media Studio or Graphic Design concentration), Communications Media (Production concentration), Commercial Design, Advertising Graphics, Graphic Design, ​General Art (Graphic Design, Visual Arts, or Studio Art concentration), Communications (Electronic and Visual Communications concentration), or Printmaking.

Although a college education is not required for most Photographers, earning a bachelor’s degree can improve skills and employment prospects.  Art schools offer useful training in photographic design and composition.   Basic courses in Photography cover equipment, processes, and techniques, and classes in Biology, Medicine, or Chemistry may be useful for Scientific Photographers.  Entry-level positions in Photojournalism or in Industrial or Scientific Photography require a bachelor’s degree in Photography or a related major.  Business, Marketing, and Accounting classes are helpful for self-employed Photographers.
Colleges That Provide Above Majors
Colleges and universities that have Photography and related majors are:  Howard University (Washington, DC); University of the District of Columbia (Washington, DC); University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (Pine Bluff, Arkansas); Delaware State University (Dover, Delaware); Fort Valley State University (Fort Valley, Georgia); University of Maryland Eastern Shore (Princess Anne, Maryland); Central State University (Wilberforce, Ohio); Kentucky State University (Frankfort, Kentucky); Morgan State University (Baltimore, Maryland); Alcorn State University (Lorman, Mississippi); Johnson C. Smith University (Charlotte, North Carolina); Clark Atlanta University (Atlanta, Georgia); Bennett College (Greensboro, North Carolina); Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville, North Carolina); Coppin State University (Baltimore, Maryland); Bowie State University (Bowie, Maryland); Claflin University (Orangeburg, South Carolina); Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth City, North Carolina); Savannah State University (Savannah, Georgia); Fisk University (Nashville, Tennessee); Florida A&M University (Tallahassee, Florida); Winston Salem State University (Winston Salem, North Carolina); Talladega College (Talladega, Alabama); LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis, Tennessee); North Carolina Central University (Durham, North Carolina); Tennessee State University (Nashville, Tennessee); Virginia State University (Petersburg, Virginia); Alabama A&M University (Huntsville, Alabama); Virginia Union University (Richmond, Virginia); Alabama State University (Montgomery, Alabama); North Carolina A&T State University (Greensboro, North Carolina); Oakwood University (Huntsville, Alabama); Mississippi Valley State University (Itta Bena, Mississippi); Spelman College (Atlanta, Georgia); Saint Augustine's University (Raleigh, North Carolina); Miles College (Fairfield, Alabama); Stillman College (Tuscaloosa, Alabama); Morris College (Sumter, South Carolina); West Virginia State University (Charleston, West Virginia); art schools; community colleges; city colleges; junior colleges; vocational-technical Institutes; private photography schools; and private trade-technical schools.
Available Scholarships