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 couldn’t agree more, either way.
Or a combination of the two .
Should you go to “photo school?” No.
You should go to school to not only learn and enhance your photography skills, but rather primarily, to develop your knowledge base and critical thinking skills about other things as well, including the humanities (literature, languages, history, sociology, psychology), the sciences and sure practical things like communication skills and business.
Sure, the strategy to “teach yourself, take workshops, get mentors, read books, build your support network, work for other people” is taking charge of one’s direction with photography, but imagine the possibilities if this is further enhanced with a formal education that includes photography in relationship to other endeavors and interests.
And most importantly, “making” rather than “taking” a helluva lot of photographs would be helpful whether you’re in school or not. Yes, there is a difference. Click on http://aphototeacher.com/2007/08/19/beyond-the-surface-thinking-about-photographs/ and scroll down.
Haha! Love the kicker at the end. Sums it up well I think.
Dont forget a business class & or workshop along the way either!