Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) Photography Top Colleges, Syllabus, Scope and Salary

Updated On - December 10th, 2019

Sakshi Gupta

Content Curator

BFA Photography is a 3-4 year undergraduate degree course. The course is conducted in full time mode under both annual and semester pattern. An aspirant needs a pass in class 12th boards or equivalent from a recognized board or university to apply at various institutes offering the course.

Some of the popular universities/institutes running the full time course in BFA Photography are:

• Osmania University, Hyderabad
• JNAFA University, Hyderabad
• Indian Institute of Photography, Noida
• Symbiosis School of Photography, SIU, Pune
• Sir JJ School of Applied Art, Mumbai

The course fee shall range between INR 10,000 – INR 7,50,000, differing from institute to institute. 

Admission to BFA Photography course is based on entrance conducted by various universities/institutes separately. JNAFAU FADEE is an important entrance for BFA Photography aspirants. In case of selection to some institutes, a candidate may only need to appear for a personal interview round.

The three year degree BFA Photography course teaches basics of advanced photography and industry internship that puts up an attractive portfolio that will be a gateway to enter into the professional world of photography. It’s an ideal choice for those who are passionate about photography and want to make a career out of it.

Successful graduates are likely to get jobs roles as Digital Imaging Specialist, Portrait photographer, Photo Journalist, Fashion photographer, Sports photographer and Event Photographer. The salary for a photographer shall differ as per profile, assignment or the company they are working. Freelancing is the most popular choice that most of the graduates opt for as per their interest area in photography. However, a new entrant can earn anything between 3,00,000 – INR 4,00,000 per annum.

BFA Photography: Course Highlights

BFA Photography: What is it about?

BFA Photography integrates theoretical and industry based models of photographic practices when applied to media and other commercial sectors. It helps in getting the technical, conceptual, professional and visual knowledge needed to enter this profession. Students may even have an option to choose a specialization in a more rigorous course. Some of the specializations offered by institutes include Fashion Photography, Photo Journalism, Social Documentary, Interior & Architecture Photography, Table Top & Product Photography, Business & Industrial Photography and Interior & Architecture Photography. However, not all institutes will offer these specializations.

The aim of the course is to train and guide participants in all major disciplines of photography through subjects like Advanced Photography, Designing softwares and Exhibition Displays, Audio -Visual Application, Videography, Computer graphics & Multimedia, Professional Videography, Video Editing, Non-Linear – Editing and Digital Photography. BFA Photography curriculum involves a lot of practical and project work along the opportunity to intern in the last year.

 As a graduate in BFA Photography with professional skills and professional knowledge, you will have a lot of career opportunities to explore individually and with experts and companies. With robust industrial training in various aspects of photography, a passionate learner can chart out a career that gives excellent remuneration, fame and job satisfaction.

BFA Photography: Top Institutes

BFA Photography: Eligibility

The eligibility to pursue BFA Photography course shall remain pass in class 12th or equivalent from recognized university or board. Few Universities may need minimum 50% marks in aggregate in class 12th final examination.

BFA Photography: Admission Process

Admission to almost all universities and institutes is done on the basis of entrance exam and in some case through Personal Interview. Among all entrance exams, JNAFAU FADEE is an important entrance which all aspirants must prepare in order to appear in other entrances as well. Final selection in some institutes shall be purely based on creative visualization and personal interaction of the candidate.

The syllabus for entrance exams conducted by various universities/institutes shall be based on the topics that would cover concepts on Composition & Visual Communication along with MCQs. The question paper can comprise of the following questions:

• Drawing and Compositional skills
• Drawing with lead pencils providing light and shade effect
• Adding and drawing appropriate objects to a given diagram/picture
• GK & Current Affairs
• English
• General Art Oriented Questions

BFA Photography: Syllabus and Course Description

The syllabus is not uniform across universities/institutes where some institutes have more practical and project work while others have a more rigorous syllabus. The estimated syllabus is provided below to provide an idea of subjects taught in semesters. 

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BFA Photography: Career Prospects

As a graduate in BFA Photography, there shall be no dearth of job opportunities in India as the craze for photography has gone up with ever-expanding social media platforms. The Indian Photography industry is growing at a very fast pace and is expected to generate revenue of 275 million US Dollars by the end of this year.

On successful completion of BFA Photography course students can look out for job opportunities:

• Academic Institutions
• Event Management Companies
• E-commerce companies
• Photography Studios
• Artefacts Shops
• Advertising Agencies
• New Channels
• Print Media

The top recruiting companies for BFA Photography graduates would be National Geographic, Food Panda, India Times, Imageskart.com, Snapdeal. 

Students who wish to study further may study plan to study programmes like Masters of Fine Arts in Photography and PG Diploma in Photography.