Jobs in Detail - Commercial Photographer

A Commercial Photographer is the person who takes the picture for advertisements and magazines. it can be a lucrative career and is a specialist sector of a photography career, there are four main areas of commercial photography; Travel, Product, Fashion and advertising. Usually a photographer will pick one of these that they like most and stick to that particular choice but it is very possible to mix and become freelance and take any commercial jobs that you are offered as this may be easier for some than searching specifically for one type of job.

Travel
As glamourous as travel photography may seem this can be a very hard career to be a part of as there is often a very strict deadline and specific kind of picture that a client looks for. yes you may get to travel the world but it may take away some of the fun when you have to go somewhere and focus all your time on getting only one perfect shot. it can be very stressfull and many will argue that the deadlines and strictness of the photograph needed are too much as there are many factors that are included in ruining a shot, such as weather or tourists. you may have to leave your home at any time just get a picture of a specific event or occasion and can be potentially life controlling when youre on such strict times.

Product
Product photogrpahy has a slight margin of error, the hardest part of this kind of photography is getting the lighting just right to emphasise the product you are asked to take a picture of. as most of these kinds of shots are against a plain and isolated background the lighting must be perfect as not to ruin the shot. a client is usually upfront about what they may want but may also be open to creative imput so communication is always key with whoever a photographer may be working with. there may also be problems with reflection and ang angling the camera ina correct position but these kind of things can be simply fixed with either photoshop or a quick reshoot.

Fashion
Fashion photography is a highly sought after lucrative career that just eminates glamour and fame from the very thought of it. being in charge of a large glamourous photoshoot for Vogue and other magazines or fashion labels, it's like having a large playhouse of dolls because you get your models dressed up and then you get to pose and play about with them. This kind of job requires a lot of creative input as you are in charge of almost everything including lights, poses and sometimes editing, sometimes magazines have a specifically hired photograph editor who deal with the pictures after the photoshoot.

Advertising
The advertising world in photography is ever changing and a photographer must be on their toes at all times and must embrace change and be able to deal with anything that comes their way. they must think about what it is they have been asked to advertise, how it can benefit those who buy it, the best way to capture it and show it off in a way that makes people want it. They must also thnk about the targeted demographic and make sure that the advertisements appeal to thoseo f a specific age range or cultural background.