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Five Reasons NOT to Attend Photography School
suspended from class by Charlie Lumanlan
Photography schools, bah! Who needs ‘em? More and more, new photographers are learning their craft from the wealth of information online instead of some dull, stuffy classroom. So you know what? Forget all that crap I said. Don’t go to photography school; stay home and teach yourself photography. Why?
1. There’s a Wealth of Information Online
You can’t navigate five pages without tripping over useful information on how to become a photographer. The explosion of digital cameras in our society is well reflected in the amount of relevant content online. It’s an amateur photographer’s wet dream!
Take half an hour and visit some of the sites I’ve linked to here or in my blogroll on the sidebar. Check out their flagship content, their best work, and tell me you don’t agree that there’s an amazing amount of quality photography information online.
2. Art Directors Care About Your Portfolio, Not Your Degree
For all intents and purposes, your resume is just a piece of paper with your contact details. Your portfolio is the deciding factor in whether or not you’re on the road to a great photography career.
Can you seriously picture an art director saying “WOW! This woman’s portfolio is perfect, it’s everything we’ve been looking for! Oh wait, she doesn’t have a meaningless little certificate. Guess I’ll call this other guy with the lame portfolio instead.” Because I can’t. Sure, a diploma could be the deciding factor if you have identical portfolios, but there’s an easy solution. Have a better portfolio!
3. You Set Your Own Pace and You Choose Your “Classmates”
No stressing over assignments, no fighting over studio time, nada. You work on developing your skills when you want and you go to the beach with your family when you need a break. If you wanna spend a week and burn out your flashes learning about specular highlights, you can. You don’t have to wait for the rest of the class to catch up; you are the class.
You also won’t be stuck with some wacko obsessed with taking photos of Bratz dolls. You get to learn and work with the people you want to grow with; photographers whose work you respect and whose enthusiasm matches your own.
4. Stay on the Cutting Edge of Photography
New developments in photography are all over the Internet inside of 24 hours. Someone writes about a great way to take photos of smoke; it’s right there for you to read and learn from. Bam! No wait time. It’s faster than a McDonald’s drive-thru staffed by coke addicts.
For the same developments to be integrated into a course at a photography school, it could be months, if not years. Most institutions can’t keep pace with the Internet. If you’ve got the drive, you’ll learn new techniques much faster by taking the route of the self-taught photographer.
And finally…
5. Photography Schools Cost a Bloody Fortune!
Classes can be a serious hit to your wallet. Don’t they know you have children to feed and Canon ‘L’ glass to buy? Ouch. The cost of teaching yourself is measured in time, not dollars by the thousand.
Everyone has their own learning style, time constraints, and budget. However, your success is only limited by your passion for photography, whether you go to school for it or not. So what are you waiting for? Go out and take some photos, dammit!
Enjoyed reading this article? Subscribe to my RSS Feed to keep up with the latest digital photography tips and digital camera news. Missed the first part? No worries, I kept it warm for you. Read part one, Five Reasons to Attend Photography School, right here.
Ed Z Said,
August 2, 2007 @ 6:23 am
I would tend to agree with you. However, I did find some photo classes to be extremely useful. At least when it come to the “basics” of understanding photographic principles (exposure, EV, aperture/shutter relationship, metering, lighting, the inverse square law etc…)
for a lot of these things I think a “hands on” learning method is much better than a book or internet resource method. Maybe not a class necessarily, but at least hook up with a more experienced photographer who can teach, and more importantly *demonstrate* the basic techniques and ideas.
Once you’ve got that down, I agree entirely… learn it on your own, and practice, practice, practice!
photographyVoter.com Said,
August 2, 2007 @ 9:50 am
Five Reasons NOT to Attend Photography School…
Photography schools, bah! Who needs ‘em? More and more, new photographers are learning their craft from the wealth of information online instead of some dull, stuffy classroom. So you know what? Forget all that crap I said. Don’t go to photography …
Ringu Said,
August 2, 2007 @ 10:35 am
As a former college educator the biggest challenge was fighting a system that was not focused on teaching but rather on backstabbing and egos. I still believe in the educational system. There are certain things that you can only get through quality supervision. You have to search for the good teachers. But, education moves much slower than a real world. I’m sorry that the previous comment states that classrooms are dull and stuffy. When I read that I think that either the system failed that individual or that the person was not ready to learn. “When the student is ready the teacher appears.”
There are reasons to embrace both the onine world with the structured setting until technology can provide a seamless integration between the two.
Brian Auer Said,
August 2, 2007 @ 12:36 pm
Nice contrasting article from your previous one. I’d have to say that I completely agree with you on much of this one, though. I wouldn’t mind taking some classes on photography, but the informal education system (the Internet) is definitely my kind of thing.
I’ve also found that not only can you learn from other bloggers and photographers, you can learn a lot from yourself if you become involved. I’ve learned so much since I started blogging about photography, and I wouldn’t have had the same experience by just reading other people’s work.
mompop Said,
August 2, 2007 @ 12:52 pm
You may be right regarding the technical aspects of photography. But, what about the art part? Those selftaught internet photographers may be technically competent, but most of them are artistically average.
Ringu Said,
August 2, 2007 @ 1:37 pm
In regards to mompop Said, this is quite a Catch 22. I’ve seen very talented minds come into a classroom with an already impressive portfolio. Placing them in the wrong hands has, in some cases, dulled their visual senses preventing some from ever recapturing their photographic grace. On the flip side, there are those who are fortunate enough to be paired with someone who connects helping them grow and reach their potential. These teachers are also aware their own personal limitations and tend to expose (no pun intended) these students to a variety of human resources that can add to the overall effectiveness of their growth. Looking back it has been the classroom that tends to have the advantage in these cases.
Johan Said,
August 2, 2007 @ 1:38 pm
Im going to attend to a photography school for a year. Starting in August, not because i Need to learn how camera works. Without getting friend and inspiration from others. And its always nice to listen and get personal tips from famous photographers. :-) And where I come from education are free.
Susheel Said,
August 4, 2007 @ 12:48 am
Ha ha ha… boy, you had me… I agree with both your posts. I guess each one of us has his own path to enlightenment…
Hummie Said,
August 31, 2007 @ 10:33 am
I love photography, but do not plan on doing it as a profession, so I am thankful that I can learn as a hobby with all the great resources.
Rodolfo Said,
December 17, 2007 @ 1:08 pm
Everyone has its own learning style.
The technical aspects of photography can be learned in a class or by self-learning from books, internet, or videos.
The art part is different… That is a gift that either you have it or not!!!