Photography in India is nearly as old as photography itself.  The oldest record that could be traced was an advertisement of a Daguerreotype Camera on sale in a Calcutta Daily in January 1840, just months after its invention.  Indian Photographers have proved themselves parallel to photographers from any part of the world.  The veterans had a hard time learning the process by trial and error method.  The quality of equipment and other raw materials of the yesteryears were inferior to what it is today.  But the good work they have done is just outstanding.  We, with better technology have not been able to achieve those standards. We need to concentrate on learning the Art & Science of the process thoroughly rather than be driven by the modern equipment.  We have to drive the equipment to produce the results we desire.    Photography being a multi-disciplinary subject, learning the entire process with a high level of competence is not an easy job.  Photography is not being offered as a curriculum at the degree level in the universities, barring a very few places.  The scope and applications of photography is so wide and vast it is a good career opportunity.  Among the popular options as a career are – Photojournalism, Advertising Photography, Industrial Photography, Fashion Photography, and Wedding Photography etc.  There are further sub-branches within these categories.  Like Photojournalism includes – News Photography, Sports Photography, Travel Photography, Social Documentation to mention a few.  There are other branches of photography that are very exciting like Nature Photography, Wildlife Photography, Macrophotography, and Architectural Photography.  The High Art Photography is practiced mostly for creative expression, called Pictorial Photography.  Some branches of photography, call for very high skill and scientific knowledge,  -  Scientific Photography, and it includes Medical Photography, Aerial Photography, Forensic Photography, Under-water Photography, Infra-red Photography and many more.  To achieve high standards of photography we need to open up courses in photography as a ‘subject’ and not as a ‘trade’.  The demand is building up and it will compel our universities to make avenues. We need to look beyond just photography as a pastime or a hobby.