Showbiz and glamour photography is big time, offering multiplying opportunities. But there are enough openings for those opting for non-glam specialisations as well
With the indian media scene booming, it’s field day for professional photographers, who are in great demand. Now’s the right time to turn your passion for photography into an exciting, creative career which can be highly rewarding if you have the right blend of artistic sensitivity, imagination, an eye for detail, strong powers of observation in addition to patience and dedication.
There are various specialisations in photography. The earliest and most common genre of photography was portraiture practised in studios, which still dot every nook and corner of the country. But talented professional photographers have now fled to more challenging and lucrative genres like advertising, press, fashion, industrial, and wildlife photography.
Ad photography, which is the trendiest and most paying of photography specialisations, requires an optimal mix of technique and sophistication. Advertising photographers are given a brief before a ‘shoot’, and they have to bear it in mind when choosing subjects and special effects. Ad shoots are usually organised by the creative departments of ad agencies which may employ full-time photographers or hire them from studios.
The vibrant world of print journalism also offers attractive vocational opportunities to photographers, who have to be versatile in capturing subjects and events on film. Working hours are hectic and varied and require lensmen who can combine immediacy and speed with quality.
But for GenNext, glamour photography, which includes fashion, shooting Bollywood stars and other celebrities, is becoming an attractive choice as it offers possibilities of quick upward mobility with some young photographers becoming as famous as their subjects. Moreover observing the glitz and glamour of celebrity life from close quarters gives them a great high, even as the assignment charges keep spiralling. Industrial photography is another popular specialisation within the rapidly growing Indian economy as is sports and wildlife photography.
Among the better known institutions offering professional photography education are the J.J. School of Applied Arts, Mumbai, which has a four-year degree course in art with the option to specialise in photography; Triveni Kala Sangam, Delhi; Xavier Institute of Mass Communication, Mumbai; Photographic Society of India; Shari Academy, Mumbai; Life and Light Academy, Ooty. The Film and Television Institute of India, Law College Road, Pune, offers a one-year diploma course in motion picture photography and the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, offers a three-year degree programme in photography to students with Plus Two certification. The University of Allahabad also conducts a one-year certificate course.
Inevitably for rookies the initial years are hard. But once established, work pours in and with it, ever-rising assignment charges. For starters, freelance photographers can command Rs.5,000 per day with daily assignment charges rising to Rs.25,000-50,000 within a few years with the more experienced lensmen demanding — and getting — Rs.100,000-150,000 per day.
Winner of the Reebok Zoom Glam Award, Asian Photography’s ‘Photographer of the Year 2007’ and a page 3 celebrity in his own right is Dabboo Ratnani (34), who strayed into this career by accident and has never regretted it. “Photography was a hobby from my early years. I always carried my camera along for picnics and family outings. When I entered college, a friend and amateur photographer planted the idea to give photography a shot as a career. I bought a semi-professional camera and in 1990 signed up with well-known fashion photographer Sumeet Chopra as an assistant. I was only 16 then and in higher secondary school. I convinced my father that instead of spending three years in college studying commerce, he should permit me to utilise that time to hone my photography skills. Fortu-nately he consented,” recalls Ratnani.
Interning with Chopra for four years during which period he learned the ropes and intricacies of fashion photography, Ratnani simultaneously acquired a B.Com degree through correspondence. He also landed his first big assignment — shooting all the publicity stills for G.P. Sippy’s feature film Aatish in 1995. “This assignment in Mauritius was the turning point in my career. Thereafter, I set up my own studio and assignments have kept pouring in,” says Ratnani.
A decade later he owns one of the biggest (2,500 sq ft) hi-tech studios in Mumbai with a complement of 12 employees, including five photographers. His client list includes Hero Honda, Coca Cola, Toshiba, D’damas among others.
“With Indian media and industry in the fast growth mode, there’s rising demand for reliable, competent and consistently creative photographers. It’s a great career option which not only pays well but enables working with high performers in different walks of life. Show biz and glamour photography is big time, offering multiplying opportunities to photographers. But there are enough openings for those opting for non-glam specialisations as well. However, aspiring shutterbugs should note that photography is not all glamour and glitz. Capturing a decisive moment involves skill, patience and hard work,” cautions Ratnani.
Indra Gidwani (Mumbai)