Back in the 80’s, being photographed inside the studio was exhilarating. That moment when you would enter the studio and stand against a wall coated with wallpapers telling a story of some imaginary countryside. Remember that?
Who would have thought of this day we can capture a moment with our phones and share our life with friends across the web in a heartbeat?
Needless to say, we all have seen the rise of amateur photographers in our city since digital cameras became more affordable and free smartphone apps were rolled out in plenty.
But let’s face it – it’s one thing to toy with a camera or have a photography page on Facebook and quite another to choose it as your full-time profession. Remember “3 Idiots”?
In the past couple of years, photography has evolved as a full time profession for many. There are a few, if not many, that have been driven by their sheer passion for lens and quit their job to embark upon a journey that is still considered rather unconventional in the Temple City.
Welcome to the World of Photopreneurship!
It’s kind of hard to monetize your photography skills in any city, let alone Bhubaneswar, where commercial photography is yet to go mainstream and copyrighted works are not taken seriously.
But despite these seemingly insurmountable challenges, we have seen the rise of many photopreneurs in Bhubaneswar, consisting of both full-time and part-time professionals.
There are many budding photographers out there who nurture an ambition to be a professional photographer i.e, to be able to monetize their skills in the local market.
After speaking a few popular photographers in the city, it turns out professional photography is an ideal blend of skills, tools, and most importantly contacts.
Let’s take a look at the potential opportunities for aspiring professional photographers in Bhubaneswar.
Wedding Photography
With Odia marriages becoming more sophisticated over the years, the demand for professional photographers has gone through the roof. Skilled photographers with a fair bit of experience in post-processing can kick-start their professional career as a wedding photographer.
Wedding photography can be divided into multiple sessions, but generally, wedding photography packages include pre-wedding outdoor photography sessions as a complimentary service. Some photographers offer pre-wedding photography as a stand-alone package as well.
How Much You Make: If you’re starting off your career, an assignment for wedding photography can fetch you anything between Rs. 5000 to 10,000. But with more experience and of course, higher investments, you can upgrade your camera and increase the price of your package as well. Moreover, you can design the pricing based on the specific requirements of your customers. Some may want you to offer high quality printing in which case you may ask for higher price on your services.
Some photographers charge as much as 25,000 to 30,000 rupees for a wedding assignment as well. They usually thrive on their best quality cameras, loads of experience, and post-production skills. You can up your prices as you upgrade to better cameras and acquire more experience in the trade.
Fashion Photography
Fashion photography (also known as model shoot) is another niche where you can start off your career as a professional photographer. There are many people, especially youngsters that are looking to build a compelling fashion portfolio to further their chances in modeling. However, not many of them can afford to spend a fortune on hiring an established agency. Reaching out to them is where you could find your very first opportunity.
How Much You Make: According to Boon Patnaik, a freelance photographer in the city, fashion portfolio shoots could fetch you around 5,000 bucks per assignment. Of course, you could earn much more with the right kind of contacts, skills, and photography equipment. The best way to secure your first opportunity is promote your works on Facebook. Initially, you may have to work with an experienced photographer to learn the tricks of the trade before you can offer it as a service. Also, you can offer a couple of free shoots to showcase your talent.
Corporate Photography
Corporate photography involves building a portfolio for commercial establishments to showcase their infrastructures, products and thereby, helping them promote their brand to the target audience in a compelling way.
Although opportunities in corporate photography are relatively fewer than those in wedding and modeling portfolio, you can still get your first opportunity if you keep looking at the right places. Again, you may need to work with some established photographers who have already worked on these kinds of assignments.
How Much You Make: There are many educational institutes, hotels and other commercial establishments in Bhubaneswar that offer 25,000 to 30,000 rupees per assignment. However, you need to remember that it’s generally a team work and you need to carry a skilled crew along with you to get the job done appropriately.
Freelance Photo Journalism
There are lots of media houses in Bhubaneswar where you can look for opportunities as a freelance photographer. Newspapers such as The Times of India, The New Indian Express, and The Pioneer are some of the places where freelance opportunities could be available.
Event Photography
There are over 60 engineering colleges in Bhubaneswar and may other educational institutes that hold events like annual functions and other events. You can explore opportunities by talking to the college management and offering your services at competitive prices.
How Much You Make: Our sources have been offered 30,000 rupees for a three-day event at an engineering college in the city. This can be considered as the going rate for event photography in Bhubaneswar.
Disclaimer: The post is based on the information available to us at the moment. We’ll definitely keep improving it from time to time. If anyone wants to help us improve it any further, please write to us with your feedback at [email protected].
Image Credit: Photozone
What Do You Think?