A way of expressing yourself and creating art through photos has a new home–in a cell phone. That’s right–a cell phone! Many professional photographers have taken these lightweight, pocket-sized technological wonders to a whole new level.

With a cell phone, photographers are able to capture those serendipitous moments that they would not otherwise be able to capture with full-scale photography equipment. Shawn Rocco, a professional photographer, says that that cell phone pictures allow him to “escape the ‘megapixelmania’ of contemporary photography, in which every aspect can be rigorously and technically controlled.” He then drew the connection between cell phone and Polaroid photography, stating that “with Polaroid, it wasn’t a crapshoot, but you left a lot of things in the hands of the chemistry.”

For all of you artistic types out there, cell phone photography may be a great way to start building a portfolio. Fiddle around with your cell phones and see what kinds of pictures you can take. You might even find that you have an undiscovered talent. Professional photography is a pretty exciting career, especially if you get a steady job working for a magazine or newspaper.

Why does the world need professional photographers? Wherever you go, pictures are unavoidable, which this is great news for the aspiring photographer. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that median wages for photographers in 2006 was $38,730 annually. However, many wedding, freelance, and portrait photographers make well over that figure and into the $57,000 range! To be a successful photographer, you will not only need a creative edge, but also a degree to set you apart.

Top-Colleges has many resources to aid you in your degree search. Check out a few of the many exciting opportunities in photography below:

Portrait Photographers take pictures of individuals or groups of people and often work in their own studios. Some specialize in weddings, religious ceremonies, or school photographs and often work on location.

Photojournalists (also called news photographers) take photographs of noteworthy people, places, events, etc. These photos show up in magazines, newspapers, and journals and television.

Scientific Photographers take pictures of many different subjects to illustrate or record some sort of medical or scientific data. This specific type of photography mainly attracts people who have an interest or knowledge in areas such as medicine, biology, and chemistry. However, this additional knowledge is not necessary to complete the job.