Photography: Diploma Program Summary

About this article
Graduates with a Photography diploma obtain basic skills on operating cameras and other photography equipment while having a good understanding about lighting and composition, photography history, image documentation and computer applications as they relate to the field of photography. Graduates with a diploma in Photography may work in industry, for commercial businesses or portrait studios, or choose to be self-employed. Read on to find out more.
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Why Earn a Degree in Photography?

With a Photography diploma, the world is your oyster. Graduates of Photography can find themselves taking pictures for magazines, commercial and business concerns, families (portraits), advertising agencies, nonprofit organizations, nature centers-the list goes on and on. Photographers are creative with a good eye for art and can have the opportunity to work with a variety of different people in a wide range of places. A career in photography can be very versatile and flexible as more than half of photographers today are self-employed.

Career Possibilities for Photographers

Photographer Career Outlook and Demand

The career outlook for photographers is good but will remain competitive. It is an area that attracts many people with more than half of all photographers being self-employed. Photographers who are most successful tend to be able to adapt to change and stay up on the latest photography technology trends.

Photographer Salary Information

Photographers who work full-time and are not self-employed tend to earn higher salaries than their counterparts. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2004, average salaries for photographers working in areas other than self-employment were $26,080 with over $54,180 being earned by the highest 10 percent of those workers.

Photography Degree Specifics

Coursework for Photography

Graduates with a Photography diploma will have taken many classes in art that relate to the different areas of the student's interest. Coursework in basic computer and design software will be taken in addition to courses in:

  • Lighting
  • Composition
  • Photography History

Skills You Will Learn in Photography

Students will graduate from a Photography Diploma program with many of the basic skills to operate photography equipment. Specific skills acquire upon graduation from this degree include:

  • Operation of analog and digital cameras
  • Working with applicable photography and graphic computer applications
  • Customer relations

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