I'm really interested in photography but im not sure what qualifications are needed. I am already taking my GCSEs so will these affect it as i have not taken art, does that matter? what A levels are needed or which would you recommend?
how do you suggest i help improve my photography? Start here: http://www.rps.org/careers and give them a call. I personally think the education route is best, although you can be a photographer without.
Foundation year at art college or A-levels. (Art) being the most important, then onto a BA.
On leaving education, you will need a few years assisting before things will probably start to happen.
One last thing, learn to drive. Here's a very general outline of the various types of pro photography and what's necessary to get into them:
- commercial (two years college)
- wedding (apprentice with wedding photog or go to college)
- photojournalism and editorial (two years college)
- portrait (job with pro, WalMart)
- stock (go to www.shutterstock.com and see what sells)
- freelance (get a copy of Photographers' Market from amazon.com)
- pets (same as portrait)
- art (marry someone rich)
NOTE: These are minimums -- the more training you have the better your chances of success.
If you have supreme sales ability and talent you may be able to short-cut all of this but don't count on it.
Three other things:
....very few people actually make enough from photography alone to even raise a family, so don't count on driving a Ferrari
....equipment is dictated by what type of photography you go into
....the number one thing overlooked by pros is business sense -- get some!
HTH. Have a good look round http://www.redbubble.com/ to get an idea of some good work by photographers.
If you are already taking photos, you can join for free, upload your pics, comment on others, and also get comments/tips back. And if you are lucky, sell some of your work.. I have !!! Allot of people on my degree are there without the aid of an Art Foundation - they have made it their through the route of A-Level Photography. The best advice I can give you from someone who went into Photography having not enjoyed their first degree (totally un-related) is to do an Art Foundation - it allows you the freedom to experiment with what aspects of art, and more importantly, the aspects of Photography that you may like - it will also help you to build up a strong and dynamic portfolio which is essential for any University Interview!!
If you can, then get as much work experience as you can - and not just in commercial portrait places - ask your art faculty if they have any contacts with Photographers from all walks of the industry and like someone mentioned before join an art website and make contacts and just ask them what you need answering
Best of luck - I've never looked back The best advice I could give, bearing in mind that my HNC isn't worth anything in the professional world, would be to know what area of photography you want to be involved with. Qualifications are not always needed and plenty of good photographers have no formal quals in the discipline.
And take lots of photos, read as much as you can, hang out with photographers and learn everything that you can. Get some time in a darkroom and work with film - at least as a learning exercise. Nothing can replace the knowledge that comes from understanding the principles. The best place to go to is your local college or library, they will have a prospectus of local courses including photography
Depending on what your looking for there are two City & Guilds courses 6922 Photo and Digital Imaging at an introductory level or 6923 Photography at level 2. You do not need to be working in the photographic industry to do these courses.
hope that helps. It all depends on what academic level you are at now.
I did a GCSE in Photography at Horsforth School in Leeds. Its rare to find a school that offers this option.
I then went onto do a BTEC national diploma in design Photography at Leeds college of technology
There was then a HND in photography, again at college.
After this is had the option to study photography at university but decided against this.
I would apply at a college to study first of all - even just a short term course to llearn the basics. Then you can go onto Study at University.
Good Luck.
***** well there is blatently three tos*ers giving thumbs down to people because they have nothing better to do. Stop watching Jeremy kyle and get a job you morons **** I think this depends on if you are looking to work for someone else in some capacity or for yourself.
I've looked at my local colleges, they don't appear to have a minimum entry requirement for Media Studies or Photography. Varies a lot at degree level some require A-Level Maths, others require BBB in any A-level subjects.
I've done an online course to help with some of the basics, but also been attending photography events to meet people and get advice. I use courses to fill in gaps in my skills, such as studio and landscape. Pros of a course are you get feedback and can talk things through with the tutor.
Get prospectuses from your local colleges and if you see something you like, ask if you can speak to someone (preferably the tutor) and they can tell you how helpful it will be to you. If you are looking to do media degree, speak to a few Universities and see what their entry requirements are and work your way backwards to where you are now.
You could also phone a professional body such as http://www.swpp.co.uk/ and of cause give local photographers a call see what has helped them.
Other places of help:
Clubs: There may be a local photography club, where you can get help and support in developing your skills.
Books: "The Photographer's Handbook" by John Hedgecoe, getting a little old now, but the techniques are still relevant.
Magazines such as "Practical Photography", etc... These cover basic techniques with the camera and digital editing.
If looking to generate a little income you could get "The Freelance Photographer's Market Handbook 2008" this covers what the market is currently looking for - and who to approach with your photos.
Summary:
* Courses
* Speak to professionals
* Attend photography events (eg Nikon Expo or http://www.focus-on-imaging.co.uk/ )
* Join a club
* Just have fun with your camera
* Read a book/magazine
* Get ideas from others, eg www.flickr.com
Hope this helps, Charly, I reckon everyone is going to have a very personal view on this according to their own experience but I know of very few top class professionals who have degrees in photography (in the same way that most professionals start off studying other subjects, so a degree is important in my book, but not necessarily photography!).
I don't decry the value of good education in any way - but the quality of courses and tutors varies, as do professionals who take on assistants (another option into the profession). It's important to learn the right stuff and to continue to develop that knowledge... poor information can be damaging.
One key element of a successful career, as opposed to just 'being a photographer' is a massive appetite for information though, so those who do not do courses tend to constantly research and expand their knowledge in any case!
The fact is that with enough talent and (more importantly, because the skills can be acquired, learned, taught) dedication you don't need formal qualifications. Most clients, corporate in particular, will view your body of work as your key qualifications. A personal preference for a particular photographic style, your professionalism and a capacity to surpass your clients expectations is more important than any piece of paper.
I am now a highly qualified photographer but I started out with absolutely no qualifications at all. The main tips I can give you are:
1. Keep practicing.
2. If you look for courses, mentors or tutors then try to pick the best ones you can find (I have had plenty of students work with me from well known colleges and unis that have been taught badly and missed out absolute fundamentals!).
3. Use your creative talents in every aspect of your 'business' - because that MUST work if you are to be a successful pro and in 3 vital areas: the product / service, the sales and marketing, the cash flow and profit.
4. Don't wait - try to get some commissions as soon as you can as this will give you client experience... you can always start out small for friends and relatives and you can use that information for invaluable feedback.
I suggest you take a look at Image-Nut, a website that is currently under development with over 750 pages of tutorials written by professionals - below.
Finally I'd suggest you do a 'Myers-Briggs' personality test, which is used by major companies for high level career selection. This can be very useful for understanding your own particular strengths and weaknesses and the 4 letters you get from the test can be web searched + 'career' for more info. There's a free test on tickle.com - the Career Personality Test.
Good luck! Hello there. These days, qualifications are less important in photography than ability. A great amount of the technical things that we had to know in the old days (well, back in the last century, anyway) aren't needed now that digital is taking over. Most important is the ability to "see" a picture, whether it is press, landscape, weddings or whatever. I have been a professional photographer for some 35 years, this after a 3-year course at a technical college. My wife is also a professional now, having started a couple of years ago, and has no training in technical things at all:- however, because of her natural ability, she regularly outsells me at the same events!
If you have a camera club near you, you should join and pick as many brains as you can:- if there is a particular area that interests you, go for it. See if you can get a job as assistant to a professional photographer, or on a newspaper. No use asking me about school qualifications, I did French and German at A level!
Good luck with your future, we don't make vast amounts of money, but it beats working for a living! I personally wouldn't recommend studying purely photography as the chances of making a living out of it these days are slim.When I left college 12 years ago only 3 of us out of 30 got jobs in photography. The way things are with Digital technology there isn't such a need for expertise and precision so more people are 'doing it themselves' so to speak. I would consider something broader like graphic design which can incorporate photography but will also give you other options as well such as webdesign, animation etc.
Good Luck,
Rick.
ps. I teach photography to Graphic Design & Fine Art students at both undergraduate and post graduate level. Not taking art at GCSE does not matter in my opinion. I am in my second year of doing a BA Photography Course at university, with no real art background. The only artisitc course i have done is a Photography A-level- however getting a very high grade in this was required (A). I was advised to take an art foundation course, but having spoken to many people who do this course have found that this course is more about finding your true artistic side- however it sounds to me like you already know which direction you would like to go, which was exactly the same as me. So literally take photography at a-level ( i also took business studies and ICT) and get a good grade and hopefully you should make it. Also, register on sites like photo.net, modelmayhem.com or flickr.com, as you can submit your images for critique and hopefully find ways to improve them. An art background useful but not essential. After finishing school do a foundation course, work hard, really hard to get a place on a respected course (University of Westminster, Brighton don't waste your time and money at some regional place), do as much work experience as possible, work on self generated projects, get involved with things (lots of people start bands at university, they always want pictures). It is extremely competitive out there you need to know where you are going and what it you want to do (press, documentary, fashion etc). Be prepared to be poor for at least a few years after you graduate. Like any job in the creative industries you need to be willing to put 14 hour days as standard. The key is to find what you are good at and work like a dog. Initially be prepared to do hack work.
To improve your photography, take lots of pictures, learn how to use your kit, especially how to use depth of field creatively. Read books on photoshop (there are so many functions you would never find if you didn't know they were there). Appriecating and understanding the work of others is one of the best ways to improve your own work, go to exhibitions, collect pictures from magazines, newspapers and scan stuff from books, establish in your own mind what you like then try to work how the images were made.
Useful books to read are Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes, On Photography by Susan Sontag and The Photograph As Contemporary Art by Charlotte Cotton.
Easy as that.... I'm doing my M.A. in photography at the moment and have got an A-Level and a B.A.hons in photography....not once have I been asked what qualifications I have when taking on work, and in an academic environment they've only been interested in my portfolio and my reasoning behind the projects.
The best thing you can do is to get onto a short term evening class in photography...each module usually lasts about 6-8 weeks and cover black and white processes and digital printing etc. You will then have a portfolio to get you onto your A-Levels. You can do a degree in photography but at the moment it is totally over subscribed, everyone is doing photography! In my opinion it is only worth pursuing in an academic sense if you can get into a top college.
You'll probably need an A-Level in photography or Art, however I sat in on some B.A. interviews a couple of years ago and they were taken on a portfolio and personality basis.
Also, if you're looking for a career in photography you might be better off becoming an assistant, rather than following an academic route. (this is the traditional route) You'd save 拢15,000+ and develop much faster than a student. However, you would miss out on the constant critique of your work, that at a good college, can be invaluable.
Hope this helps a little, good luck. I came into photography after an entirely different career & was mainly self-taught. I did do a post-grad 1 year vocational photography course but in retrospect I don't think this was important. What WAS important though, and what I would recommend you definitely try to do, was working as an assistant to a number of different photographers. This gives you a fantastic overview of the industry, teaches you different techniques, but more importantly will give you confidence and help you realise that there isn't necessarily any 'correct' way to photograph something. At the end of the day, it's down to what effect you personally want to achieve.
If you're interested in assisting, I would seriously recommend you have a look at www.photoassist.co.uk - a site set up for people looking to break into professional photography. You will occasionally find work placements and assistant jobs on there plus there are related articles.
p.s. The business skills tip is key - a number of good photographers don't survive because they're not able to run a business. After all, as a freelance photographer starting out, you'll need to be acting as your own marketing, publicity and accounts departments rolled into one. Good luck - and remember, perseverance is everything! |
