Astrophotography is one of the most adventurous, exciting, and skilful hobbies. For all the enthusiasts and professionals who love stargazing and have a deep passion for handling a camera, the opportunity to become an astrophotographer presents itself.
This is because, in the recent past, the study of astronomy has recorded a surge in its popularity, hence leading to an increased job market. It combines science and photography, enabling one to take pictures and beautify the universe while expanding knowledge about it.
Being a professional astrophotographer, you can work in numerous fields of astronomy production like research, and education. Irrespective of your desire to have a job at an observatory, planetarium, or educational facility, there are numerous opportunities for your skills and talents in astrophotography.
What is astrophotography?
Astrophotography is the art of capturing breathtaking images of the night sky. It is not only a fascinating hobby but also a promising career path. Watch this video before you get into astrophotography:
Since the technological advancement and inclination of people towards astronomy, the requirement to capture good-quality astrophotos has been rising. Thus, astrophotography develops actively, and even the humblest of its initial starts can be considered a victory.
Astrophotography is a relatively young science that developed in the early days of the nineteenth century, the astronomers began to try to photograph celestial bodies.
History and Development of Astrophotography
Some of the first photographers were William Herschel and his son, John Frederick William Herschel, who in the early times photographed the moon and some clusters of stars.
Astrophotography is a clear example of how photography can be a result of scientific research, an art form, and a travel activity all at the same time.
Astrophotography also involves utilizing special gear and procedures to reveal many different objects in the universe that are not visible to the naked eye; objects like Black Holes and short-term occurrences like supernovae.
The art form enables people to express the enormity of the universe and make it more accessible through the lens of the camera. Starting from the bright beauty of galaxies, which are located far beyond our world, to the stunning shots of the mysterious nebulae— each picture has its story and inspires the viewers to know more.
How much money does an astrophotographer make?
The typical wage of an astrophotographer is determined by several criteria, including experience level, talent level, and type of employment. According to Jobzmall, The average salary of a beginner-level astrophotographer is between $25,000 and $50,000 per year, while an excellent astrophotographer might earn up to $75,000 per year.
Who hires astrophotographers?
Astrophotographers are hired by a variety of research institutions, universities, government organizations such as NASA, ISRO, and ESA, observatories and planetariums, media and publishing agencies, and tourism and event companies. In total, there are numerous job opportunities for astrophotographers.
Career opportunities in astrophotography
Scientific research
Astrophotographers can be directly involved in science providing their work to astronomers and other established observatories. As a result, their exceptional quality can be employed in the analysis of astronomical objects, observation of changes within the night space, and further investigation in the process of other research.
Moreover, astrophotographers can also perform an educational function, to prepare interesting materials for astronomy classes and other courses of popular science. One can also participate in astrophotography competitions such as the astronomy photographer of the year competition, which will give you a much bigger platform to showcase your skills and become famous.
Night sky tourism
For the past few years, night sky tourism has rapidly grown, whereby people in urban areas try to locate the places with the least Light pollution to have the opportunity to view the natural marvels of the night sky.
Depending on one’s abilities, an astrophotographer can make use of this trend by selling their services of being guides, hosting classes on astrophotography, or even planning astrophotography tours. Specialists endowed with the ability to take excellent pictures, their services can complement the stay of tourists.
Publishing and media
Publishing houses and media still require high-quality images of astronomy. Editors and producers of magazines, Web, and print media, and book publishers utilize high-quality astronomical photographs as supplements to their content.
Astrophotography is helpful to the media industry as documentaries, films or TV shows require beautiful visuals of astronomical objects.
Stock photography and licensing
Any person who takes a course in astrophotography can sell his/her pictures through a stock photography platform since it is a money-making venture. This implies that the taken photographs can still be used for other purposes like in adverts, on websites, or for promotion purposes.
