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Are you passionate about photography and want to have a higher income? Whichever career path you decide to pursue, if your goal is to make yourself known, share your art and passion, and gain more professional experience, you can accomplish all these by becoming an online tutor. Everything is possible thanks to online tutoring!
Teaching photography can be an excellent way to complement your professional path with a rewarding job, and enjoy better revenues, of course! Photography has become one of the most popular hobbies due to the great impact of social networks and mobile applications, something you can take advantage of, my friend!
But, where to find people who want to study photography?
You can give it a try with Superprof!, a great online learning platform that connects those who want to teach, with those who want to learn. Here you will find a great student demand to learn photography and the best place for you to start as an online tutor. Your career is cleared for take-off!
However, before getting started, you must know the essentials about the photography business in Canada, how to work independently, and how to expand your career. Also, get to know everything you need to become the best photography tutor!
Get to know some interesting facts about photography!
- The first photo was a mistake! As well as many other famous inventions discovered by accident, such as the X-ray, the pacemaker, and the microwave.
- Louis Daguerre is considered the inventor of photography.
- The largest camera in the world was built in 1900. Its name means mammoth in English and it weighed 640 kilograms!
- Forensic photography appeared in the 19th century and began to be used to recognize criminals.
- Urban legends say that people did not smile in old photos for three main reasons: 1) The models were probably already dead; 2) They did not smile due to their unattractive teeth; 3) People wanted to imitate the seriousness of art portraits.
- Smiling in photos was also associated with the descent into madness. Sorry for all the happy people who lived at that time!
- Put yourself in the best possible position in order to succeed with photography tutoring!
Discover how you can be teaching photography as a tutor here.
How to get your photography career off the ground?
First, let's start with the very basics. It doesn't matter if you have only luxurious cameras, or infinite photographic equipment, to become a professional photographer you have to feel completely passionate about your art. If you are thinking of turning your love of photography into your job, you need experience, a good vision, and the courage to start. Be ready to read some good recommendations that could be helpful if you are starting to work as a professional photographer in Canada. It applies to life, to photography careers, and even to online tutoring. Get to know them all!
- Good knowledge of photography. It does not matter if you have previous studies in photography or if you have taken extracurricular courses. You have to try to acquire new knowledge and photography techniques once in a while, either through face-to-face lessons, or self-taught training. Level up your creativity!
- Specialize in a type of photography. If you are into artistic, advertising, fashion, documentary, portrait, journalism, among other types of photography, follow the one you are most passionate about. If your thing is underwater photography, go for it! Even if you have to take some diving lessons. If you choose the type of photography you like the most, you can develop your style amazingly!
- Be a creative person. When you plan to become a professional photographer, it is going to be easier to succeed if you are an innately creative person. If not, you can always develop it by approaching new photography techniques, attending courses, experimenting, and seeking other perspectives. It is going to be very rewarding to develop your style. Remember that like all art, photography has multiple forms and expressions. Burst your creativity!
- Have a good vision. You must be aware that for having a successful career, talent is not enough. Since you may be self-employed, knowing how to carry out a good financial plan and having additional knowledge in management, will never hurt.
- Seek advice from an expert. Don't worry, not all of us are experts in numbers. If it's also your case, you can always get advice from an accountant. Maybe this could be the best option for you to keep a record of expenses and income. Also, you need to be covered in terms of protection. For you and your mental sanity, hire a lawyer to create a contract template. You will never know what type of client you are going to work with, and having a contract will establish a regulatory framework for both.
- Have good relational qualities. Dealing with customers could be rough sometimes. However, having good customer service is the basis of everything. Having good relational skills and selling yourself effectively are essential qualities to achieve success, as well as a word-of-mouth recommendation.
- Know how to deal with criticism. There is always going to be someone criticizing your work, either positively or negatively. Try to keep the constructive feedback to improve and ignore everything else. What people think negatively about you is not your problem.
- Have a place to work. Like any entrepreneur, at first, we do not have the resources to rent the most elegant photo studio. However, you can create your work studio at home or in a room with adequate space. Give it some time. You will accomplish everything that you are looking for soon!
- Consider constantly investing. As we already said, a good camera does not automatically make you a good photographer. However, it is advisable that you try to invest in good quality material when necessary. In this way, you can adapt better to the new trends, market needs, and evolution. Also, depending on the type of photography you like, you can look forward to acquiring Adobe Lightroom or Adobe Photoshop, or similar editing programs online.
Here are all our tips to start giving photography classes via Skype!
Is it worth it to have protection insurance?
Since we never know what the future may hold, it is always advisable to consider insurance for your practice. In Canada you can find the following options:
- Professional liability insurance for photographers (also called errors and omissions insurance). With this type of insurance, you can better manage the cost of claims, if work commitments are not met. Due to this reason, also having a contract that specifies each of the services provided is essential.
- General liability (or liability of third parties). This insurance covers your protection, your employees, and the client if you already have an established business.
- Business content insurance. This one here covers the property where your services are carried out, even if you are working at home. Protection can extend to all equipment and furniture.
- Personal injury insurance. Helps to manage the cost associated with recovering from a workplace accident.
See online tutor here on Superprof.
Do you need a permit to work as a photographer in Canada?
You must know that in Canada, a large majority of jobs are regulated. These measures ensure to meet the best quality and safety standards for professionals and clients. If you work in a regulated profession in Canada, having a degree, license, or certification is mandatory to practice. And, only competent authorities can grant these certifications. Luckily for you, photography is a non-regulated occupation!
However, if you are looking forward to working for a photographic studio, a newspaper or magazine, a museum, or even public employment services, you will be asked to provide a degree. Within other requirements, maybe you will need to demonstrate professional training, experience in computer photography, or a work portfolio.
On the other hand, if you plan to study photography from scratch here are the best schools in Canada.
The best photography schools in Canada!
If you want to begin your way to photography in a more formalized way, discover some schools in Canada where you can find the best career plan for you.
- The Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD). Has a great reputation regarding its Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). The program focus on the basics of photography, the use of the darkroom, and the latest trends in digital photography. Among the courses taught you can find sculpture and painting studies. The OCAD has some of the best photography facilities in Canada.
- Sheridan's Faculty of Animation, Arts & Design (FAAD). The FAAD is one of the most important art schools in Canada. It offers a professional photography degree that addresses the study of photographic language, the history of photography, and professional practices.
- The School of Photographic Arts of Ottawa (SPAO). The SPAO photography school offers a two-year diploma in photographic arts. It covers the study of landscape photography and portraits.
- Emily Carr University. It is one of the best Canadian schools for arts and design. It offers a photography program focused on photography theory, writing, drawing, and media education.
- Langara School. Offers a professional photography and fine arts program in Vancouver, mainly focused on commercial photography. Courses in technical photography, lighting, and digital photography, among others, are also available.
- The Center of Arts and Technology. Located in Kelowna, British Columbia offers an intensive photography program involving photography theory, lighting, editing, history of photography, and entrepreneurship-related topics.
- Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD). It offers a recognized photography degree, which involves digital photography and film. The NSCAD has excellent photography facilities.
- The Alberta University of Arts (AUARTS). It is one of the most recognized photography schools in Alberta, Canada. The university offers a Bachelor's program of Design in Photography.
- The Concordia University. The Bachelor of Photography lasts for four years, and it is one of the most recognized photography programs in Quebec. It offers both analog and digital photography studies.
Love teaching English online check here on Superprof.
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"Study photography in the best schools in Canada!" Photo by @impatrickt on Unsplash.
Get to know the legal musts about photography!
Even if we don't like it, we have to get serious for a moment! As a photographer, it is essential that you know what a correct practice of photography involves. Get into the following legal aspects to consider about photography in Canada.
What can you photograph?
Canadian laws are often a bit complex and change depending on which beautiful Canadian province you live in. To be safe, double-check the laws and regulations related to the practice of photography in your city. This information will be useful for both you and your future students!
- It is forbidden to photograph people who expect privacy. For example, a person in a public restroom clearly hopes not to be photographed.
- You can take as many photos as you want regarding urban art, buildings, constructions, or sculptures located on public roads.
- It is forbidden to enter private property, no matter how abandoned the place seems to be. Especially if it is about breaking a window or padlock to enter.
- It is also forbidden to use a fake ID card to break into these private properties.
- It is forbidden to photograph the performance of acts of cruelty to animals.
- It is logical, however you can take the photographs you want on your property, as well as photographs of everything your eyes can reach from there.
- You can take pictures on someone else's property if you have permission to do so, and also you have the permission to take photographs on any property or space that has the "photography allowed" sign.
- You cannot take pictures of a person at night, without their permission. In short, ask for consent for everything, ALWAYS.
- You cannot take pictures on private property that is open to the public, such as shopping centers or supermarkets.
- If you are a commercial photographer, it is not allowed to take pictures on a highway, in a park, or on public property without permission.
Now that you know where to take the most amazing photos, you can work as a professional without any issues. And in case you go for private photo tutoring, pass on this information to your students! Read here for more info!
Make yourself known to the world!
Be ready to achieve the incredible in your professional photography career by:
Turning your name into a brand. To take off your career as a photographer, highlight what makes you different. Think about a strategy to define your career objectives and set achievable goals to avoid feeling frustrated. Creating an action plan and focusing on getting visibility is a top priority!
Choose a market niche. We know that photography has many styles. However, even if you have diverse knowledge about this art, you have to focus on a specific area. Go for artistic photography, weddings, sports, or fashion photography. The more basic your services are, the more competitors you will have, and is going to be difficult to position yourself in the market. Make sure to choose the type of photography that you are most passionate about since motivation is a key piece to keep going.
Pay attention to your corporate identity and image. Corporate identity is the set of qualities that your potential customers attribute to your brands, such as your personality and communication style. Your corporate image refers to all the visual elements that convey the essence of your brand. Having a well-defined identity and corporate image can position your brand amazingly.
Create a good database. It is recommended for you to have a follow-up of your clients, by registering their names and emails. Sending them a cute birthday email is a practical way for them to keep you in mind. However, forget about sending irrelevant information all the time. And never email people who have not been previously contacted. This is an invasion of their privacy.
Promote your services through social networks. Choose the social networks where your potential customers are most present. For example, if you are going to focus on being a wedding photographer, perhaps the social network that is going to work the best for you is Instagram or Facebook. Contrary to if you want to start a career in journalism, where Linkedin will be your perfect fit! To promote your services on social networks more effectively, you have to identify your target audience, so invest time here.
Consider networking. Networking is important to take off your career as a photographer, especially in such a creative industry. Meeting people with the same interests as you will always be very rewarding. You never know from where the opportunities are going to come. For this reason, it is also important to keep up to date with your photographic skills, since in these courses you can meet your future professional colleagues!
Promote your photography services through an educational platform. An educational platform will be a friendly environment where you can establish contacts with more people interested in photography and promote your services. You can also easily offer online photography lessons and gain more experience. Online educational platforms such as Superprof are the best for you to start your photo tutoring job!
You can check out photography tutoring rates here.
How to start your online photo tutoring?
Now that you know all the essentials about photography in Canada, are you ready to get started with your online tutoring?
If you are looking for the best way to make yourself known, practice your photography skills and gain more experience, you can start being a private tutor online with Superprof! Superprof is a great knowledge exchange platform that connects people who want to learn photography with you, a curious expert in photography wanting to start online tutoring. We all have something to learn or teach!
Go to the official website of Superprof Canada and click on "tutoring jobs". You can create your account for free and join a great global networking platform. Registering with Superprof is very easy and safe. You can highlight all the professional and academic experience you have, choose with whom you want to work, how you want to set your schedule and working days, and have the entire freedom to set your price. Start to compliment your photography career as much as you want! Reach a large number of students all around the world interested in the breathtaking art of photography, and gain an amazing professional experience.
How do you rate your online photo tutoring?
It is sometimes complex to set the price for private lessons online as this involves many factors you need to consider. Check out the following points to price your photo tutoring in the best way.
- Your academic background and professional experience. You studied for a four-year bachelor of arts degree, or you have been working in photography for years, you need to take all of these into account when pricing your online tutoring. The time and effort invested you always have to take into account.
- Consider the preparation time. When setting the price per lesson, consider all the materials and the time used to prepare your class and activities.
- Transportation. This article is mainly for online tutors, but if face-to-face lessons are your thing and you invest time and money in transport, this will also be part of the cost per lesson.
- Your location. If you live in the city or the suburbs, you need to set your tutoring rates according to other local references. This will help you to establish the best competitive prices for your online photo tutoring. In larger cities, there will be more competition than in small towns. So, to have a better idea about the average price per photo lesson in your location go to the Superprof page, and feel free to compare. On the official site simply type "Photography" followed by your city. You will access all the online photo tutors located near you to set your rates more accurately.
We hope this very informative article has been of your help! Wait no more and be part of the incredible Superprof community! Sharing your passion has never been easier!
Here is how you can find students for your photography tutoring here.
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