 Holly K. Leahy |
beginning photograhpy Just curious to know how people got started. I'm a teacher looking to change careers and since I love taking pictures I thought I take some courses at the community college to get a digital photograpth and a digital imagin certificate. Just wondering about others background? Do most photographers have a degree in phography? How did you get started?
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Holly K. Leahy |
Sorry, for being a teacher I sure can't type.
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Mike Rubin |
I'm not a Pro but would think that courses may be a good idea, if you feel that your images need the help, and to learn the business. But potential customes will base their decision on the images you display in your studio and will not care about the certificate. ( there are plenty of MD's with impressive degrees but would really want them to touch you?) Best of luck, I hear that it is a very demanding business in which only about 10% of your time is behind a camera.
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TERESA J. SWEET |
Hi Holly, I would definitely agree that the best way to start is to take some courses (hands on) is always the best, and some online courses here might be helpful. But to start off with, I would suggest the community college. Above all, shoot! shoot! shoot! I agree with Mike about the certificate. Not many people are impressed with it (unless of course, maybe if you become a photography teacher at a school). But when clients book you, they'll most likely ask what your experience is and your work will sell itself. I started off with classes in a classroom, taught myself a lot just by trial and error, and then started to work with another professional photographer and he taught me the ropes. Now, I continue to work with him as well as on my own. Just stick with it if this is your passion and see what the future holds! And always come to BP for questions and suggestions =) This is a great site to help you out!! Good luck!!
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Buddy Purugganan |
To teach digital photography to students who are novices and have no idea what film terms i.e. cameras using no LCD screens on their cameras, different nuances in lighting requires FILM photography technical literacy ( which digital cameras utterly cannot display unless you require your students deploy higher megapixel SLRs which students will definitely find burdensome. Unless your students use laptops and drive Ferraris to school then its no BIG deal!) Have the students use FILM SLRs just to ORIENT themselves to the usage of film cameras.I guarantee you they will gain knowledge MORE in such a curriculum.( with digital EVERYTHING comes too convenient---the students must learn using 'manual' cams, how to load films ( memory cards are like ATMs!), the various combinations of shutter speed and aperture, zoom lenses, right ISO in FILM, etc.)---its like teaching folks to use a turntable and vinyl records with a hi-fi stereo instead of pushing a button to play CDs and marvel at technology's innovations---but getting to the roots.
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Alicia McMahill |
Holly, K so to let you knwo I am in the same place I think. I work as an aide at the local school and I love to do photography. What I have been doing....this summer as I have two and between work and them and everything else in my life this is when I started anyways.... is I went to a wedding my husband was part of and did a bunch (4 rolls of films)of picts and as our gift when they got back I had an album (from Target) and I had picked around 75 of the best and gave it to them. From that I did another wedding in May and now I am doing a fasion review for the local fair. I got my name out there as starting and a mom asked me to help her son for a 4 H project with picts....it was my first paid job! I am using this summer to get my name and work out there. I just talked to my husband tonight and the couple that I started (he works with my husband) with told her gandparents about me and they may have me do the picts for their aniver. that is coming up. I am going to be doing some of the school picts for the paper and although I haven't made enough to quit I think I am well on my way to getting a footing in a profession that I love! Just a thought....and a bit of a ramble:}
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Mark Feldstein |
Howdy Holly. As a teacher, I'm sure that you know the old adage, "a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing". I started my professional education in a journalism program, studied fine arts and photography, then a masters in photojournalism with an apprenticeship, so-to-speak, at a large metropolitan daily newspaper. Experience, however, in my view anyway, is always the best teacher. Before giving up your day job, I strongly suggest (to you and Alicia as well) that you drop a dime on an associate membership of a local chapter of a professional photographer organization like Pro Photog. of America (PPofA), Wedding Photog., American Society of Media Photographers at ASMP.org or Advertising Photographers of America. Going to meetings will not only imbue you with additional knowledge, but the associations are important for lots of additional reasons, including teaching you how to get reasonably compensated for what you want to do. Take it light.
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Robert M. Nicholson |
Photography is a saturated field! There are many...many...many photographers out there. I'm not pro yet and have read a lot about becoming a full time photographer. I have never taken any art/technical/real photography classes. I feel that art schools would give me too many rules to follow! After spending 6 years in the Navy...I hate rules! However I'm completing my degree in business which will compliment my photography biz nicely. I think of myself as a business man that like to shoot pictures. Some of the best, highly educated individuals out there fail miserably in this field! Yet some “avg joes”/biz savvy people...do great and are very successful! Which makes sense…because 10% of the time you are shooting pictures...the other 90% you are making calls, packaging and sending out your work and conducting other biz related tasks. I’m still pretty new to this photography thing...but I feel I’m a seasoned business man. In two months I’m going to do this full time...kinda scary and exciting at the same time...PRAY FOR ME! lol Good luck,
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