How Do I Become a Studio Photographer?

Studio photographers produce professional photographs for individual clients and organizations. Whenever groups of colleagues gather for company photographs or when families come together for family portraits, they usually hire studio photographers. Professionals in this field may either work independently or for photography practices. To become a studio photographer, your first step should be to become familiar with using a camera. Even before you enroll in courses, it is important that you spend as much time as possible taking pictures of things and of people.

A person who wants to become a studio photographer should master taking pictures of different kinds of people. Find friends and family members who don't mind having their pictures taken. While you should certainly experiment with different kinds of cameras, a person who would like to become a studio photographer should be able to use a digital camera, since this is the kind of camera used in most professional environments.

In most cases, a person who wants to become a studio photographer also should get some formal training. For some people, this might mean enrolling in professional certification programs or art programs. Others might choose to enroll in full undergraduate programs. The choice is yours and depends on the amount of time and money you have to spend. Regardless, getting a job as a professional photographer is much easier once you can prove that you have had some training.

Make sure that you learn how to use different kinds of lighting. To become a studio photographer, it is important that you can practice in a studio, as opposed to outdoors. You should become familiar with hair lights and background lights. Learn the effects that different levels of brightness have on the subject of your picture and from which angles to light subjects in order to get the best results.

Many photographers use digital cameras and computer software to improve and correct their pictures. In order to become a studio photographer, you should become comfortable using these programs to improve resolution and perform color corrections. Different photography practices may use different programs, but it is important that you are able to adapt to using new photography software.

A person who wants to become a studio photographer might have to begin as an assistant. This kind of role requires you to schedule appointments with clients, use software to correct photographs, arrange sets in a studio, and send out pictures when completed. As an established photographer gains trust in your abilities, he or she might begin allowing you to shoot pictures yourself.