Emploment report on the Photo imaging.

For this peice of work we had to include terms on employment.

Photo imaging

In the Uk there are around 43,100 people working in photo imagining with 8,700 companies. The south of England is where most of the jobs are at with 51% of people working there, and 38% are in the south east of England and London. The rest are scattered over the uk. 68% of the photo imaging industry is made up of sole trading and freelance photographers. Other companies are image producers, photo retail, picture and agencies, manufacturers and support services. However 91% of Uk companies employ only five people or fewer, so finding a job could be difficult however searching for jobs on the internet could help get a job as you can search for jobs on a broader scale rather than just in your area.

The photo imaging industry is quite skilled with just under half the workers have a degree. The workers are at an average age of 42 which some could see as quite high however this is a similar age to the rest of the wider economy.

If choosing a career in photo imaging you will need a wide range of skills. A mix of technical quality with creativity and visual awareness is needed so it is easy to think of new ideas and develop them on technical programs like Photoshop. If working on Photoshop you will probably have an editorial role. Other new software will come around and it is key to continue professional developments and learn how this software’s work.

 As photo imaging is a business individuals must develop strong market awareness, marketing and financial skills to understand how to make money and help the business grow. Passion and enthusiasm for taking a photo is required especially for freelancers who need to go out looking for work themselves. A freelancer will need to have administrative skills as they will be managing themselves. Once again the importance of needing to go into higher education is evident as there have been reports of concerns of the quality of applicants.

Working permanently in the photo image word full time or part time depending on the amount of hours you work for and depending on what you actually do. For example working in photo retail you’ll probably have to work part time because in retail it’s hard to get a full time job, whereas if working as a photographer you would probably have to work full time as you’ll have to plan photo shoots, create portfolios, and take photos. Some companies pay workers in this industry like photographers by the job, which is like piecework.  Other companies pay workers hourly which is the common throughout the UK.

If you are unemployed a way to impress an employer when going for a job interview is to have written down that you’ve worked voluntary on your curriculum vitae, this could make the employer realise how determined you are to gain experience and get a job. Showing the employer you have a personal website or blog will also benefit you as it shows you already have work out there but also shows you want to get recognised and are independent. If you don’t have a personal website it is important to present a showreel which would include your photography, presenting work on a showreel can also show moving images if the applicant has created them. Other important things to have on your CV include a couple of decent references to show how reliable and well skilled you are. Employers would look for attendance and punctuality so in previous jobs and school life it is important to show up to show you are committed and dedicated.

A good way to learn and work at the same time is to take up an apprenticeship, an apprenticeship is perfect for photo imaging especially for people who don’t have the higher qualifications needed.  Whilst working on the job for a photo imaging company you may learn the following - Agree the Photo Imaging Brief, Undertake photographic assignments, Colour management procedures, using minilab equipment, Technical adjustment of images. Work off the job you may find yourself doing is – photo image capture and presentation, Specialist photography and presentation, specialist photography and image output, Image capture and manipulation, Principles of Crime Scene Investigation photography and Image management and storage.

 Nick Knight is a world known fashion photographer who studied photography at Bournemouth college in 1982, he got a distinction. Three years later he released his first book “Skinheads” he won best book cover for this piece of work which led to Yohji Yamamoto's art director Marc Ascoli commissioning Nick Knight for 12 successive catalogues - at a time when Yamamoto campaigns were among highly admired.