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How important is a degree for a photoagrapher? |
Is a photography degree or arts degree really important and/or useful in getting jobs? Or is a great portfolio good enough? A degree isn't as important as being able to do the job. I worked for several years as a forensic photographer. No degree, only OJT. I know several people like myself that work in the photo field but do not have a degree - we all do pretty well for ourselves. If you had a degree, it would be very beneficial to you if you are going for a corporate job (like those people who photograph catalog's and sales flyers), but even then a good portfolio would be just as beneficial. In many instances, a degree shows the employer that you are committed enough to do something, it isn't so much about what you can learn, just that you CAN learn. wow thats a great question i love photography myself and im gonna stay and wait for the anser :P :P it does show that you didint learn it from a friendddd What kind of work do you want to get? Going to school can help you get up to speed more quickly perhaps, but if you can do the work and have a 'book', the piece of paper doesn't matter much... It isn't necessarily the "degree" that matters but the experience and knowledge you get; the "degree" merely substantiates that you've gotten the training in the field of photography. While you're pursuing your degree, you take classes in different aspects of photography and, hopefully, you also take courses in academic courses which will also round you off so that you can express yourself better (to make a good impression, to assist you get contracts or assignments, to understand contracts, how to run a business, etc), which will also give you skills so that you can find employment in other areas related to the field of photography, as opposed to those of us that learned by reading and out in the field. I know a couple of photographers now ready to retire and they put in extra hours at big camera stores, after they do their commercial work at home. They can work the film developing and processing machines like second nature, and they are well-versed in many areas of photography. They can discuss optics and chemistry, etc. They are well educated enough to author their own books (as they have already done). In photography, knowledge is earning power, and it complements your other skills and talents. Not important. You need to know how to do all the lighting and shooting, etc. and if a degree happens to fall in there- fine! You either have the talent for it or you don't School only teaches you what to do with it. Go from there. BTW, as far as employment; Lifetouch (the school picture-taking people) hires regualr Joe Blow's and sends them to couple days of training. So do the photo studios in Wal-Mart. It might be a good job to have while you go to school if you chose to get your degree. In the US a degree will have little meaning. In the creative arts it is much more about your results than your knowledge of the craft. For the US it is much more of a relationship business. Check out sources like "The Professional Photography Show" podcast avialable free from iTunes. |
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