I believe all of us picked up a camera at a very early age, be it those old black and white cameras, or the new age digicams. A camera has become an essential part of our lives. Capturing those birthday parties, parties at the mess, course mates get togethers, new year parties, dinner nights, or picnics. But ever considered photography as a hobby? Or even better, ever thought of changing your hobby into a business which could earn you a lot of moolah.

Travelling not only gives you a golden opportunity to pursue a super creative hobby like photography, where getting to see different parts of the country you can capture a variety of  places, natives, monuments, festivals but also once you think your creative skills have improved you can take up freelance photography or start working with a media house to shoot weddings, monuments, events, and sell your photos to travel magazines, or put it up on websites where the audience can purchase your work.

To pursue this hobby all you need is a good basic dslr (you would probably want to buy a better dslr or lens according to your improving skills & needs at later stages), a subject/product/place/person, and a creative eye.You can buy a basic Canon dslr like EOS 1100D or a Nikon D3100 which will cost you Rs.28,995/- and Rs.28,950/- respectively, apart from other brands like FujiFilm, or Olympus. I personally use a Nikon D3100.

You can go ahead and be a self taught photographer like me, starting by roaming around the streets, clicking people and monuments and going through photography magazines like Better photography, Digital photographer, Photography monthly magazine, Popular photography.

Once you are ready you can start showcasing your talent by signing up on websites like www.tumblr.com, www.flickr.com, and uploading your work. You can also use website like www.500px.com where you can not only upload and showcase your work but buy and sell photographs too!

If you are living in metropolitan city you can pursue the courses at the following institutes: