You should go to photo school if you want structured learning. Groundwork from the fundamentals to the bigger concepts. It will move too slowly for many of you, too fast for others. There are lots of great programs, worldwide.
If you don’t do better with structured learning and you are highly motivated and prefer real world experience, don’t go. Instead, teach yourself, take workshops, get mentors, read books, build your support network, work for other people. And most importantly take a helluva lot of photographs. Dig the long ditch that it takes to learn to make a living with photographs.
If this is too simple a post for you, then go to photo school.
I agree. For the most part, don’t go. Assist and find mentors for life. Photo school is by far the most expensive way to go in an expensive career. The internet has changed everything.
Randolph Community College in Asheboro, NC. One of the best photography colleges in the nation!! I just received my Commercial and Bio-Communications degree from there. Awesome teachers!!
I went to school. It was one class in high-school. Taught me how to use aperture and shutter speeds. How to use rule of thirds and develop film. What makes for good compositions. Other than that I have been taking self assigned classes. Watching Creative Live, reading a TON of posts, blogs, how to’s, etc.
So yea, I’ve been to school. Just depends on your definition of school.
What do you mean by photo school? A complete university degree or random photography courses? I have learned halfway alone and the other half on courses. My opinion is that a course, seminar, workshops or whatever you call it is a good place to make your way shorter in man aspects. You can actually meet other people that like the same stuff, you share and learn from them, and also from the content of the course itself. I am not totally against a photography course, I believe in self learners, but if you can broaden your horizons, why not?
Camila, check out the second paragraph. I’m all for classes, workshops, seminars (free or paid). Not so hot on photo school. Yes, get a good school education, but learn to learn. Then go out in the world and learn. And share your knowledge. It is so easy to fall into the “curse of knowledge” trap where it is difficult to understand what it is like to not have knowledge of something once you know about it. You had to learn it. I had to learn it. The next person will have to learn it. Ask questions. Answer questions. I often learn more when answering because it makes me re-think some concepts.
Use all the avenues available. But be smart about the choices.
John
“Use all the avenues available. But be smart about the choices.”
So very true!
You’re just so right man. Amen! to that.