Studying Photography
When I decided that I wanted to study photography, I was scared. I was choosing this over doing honours, something not to be taken lightly considering the scarcity of jobs here in South Africa and how much qualifications help one’s CV. Add to that the fact that there are thousands of photographers out there these days, and this decision was a pretty daunting one. It would have been an easier if I had been doing this for years or if I was a photography prodigy who was taking award winning shots from the moment I picked up a camera. But the truth is, I am still relatively new to this, and I am going to need to develop and work at my photography before I can compete proudly with the pros whose work I admire, and even then success is never guaranteed. However, I had chosen to make a go of becoming a professional photographer, even if it wasn’t the safe choice, but if I was going to do this, I wanted to make sure I did it right.
My first thought , as would be most people’s I would imagine, was that studying through an institution is the sensible, logical way to go about this and that I should find the school that boasts the best reputation and student portfolio and go there. But I ended up choosing to do it differently, and here is why:
Whilst comparing the different institutions, I found that the curriculums involved allot of theory and would spend a couple of weeks at a time on subjects such as the history of photography, ethics, building your own pinhole camera etc. For me, this felt like it was drawing a one year course over two-three years (which is the duration of pretty much all the diplomas offered).That would mean spending another 2 years studying before I even started to get any experience in the actual field.
I was also feeling a little weary of doing something too theory based for such a practical subject, I had previously done a degree that spent allot of time on theory , was very interesting, but it did not leave me feeling at all equipped to actually do the job I was supposedly being trained for. I wanted intensive, practical training.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying I think theory is irrelevant, not at all, especially with the ethics of photography. You need to be prepared for what kind of ethical dilemmas you might be faced with, where you stand with your views on them and the laws you will need to know etc. I had however, already covered these topics in previous courses at great length and was not looking to repeat them.
I was feeling a bit frustrated and did not know what I should be doing. Not wanting to make a hasty or ill-informed decision, I started seeking advice on whether to study at an institution or not. If so, which one? If not, how should I go about teaching myself photography?
I called up a photographer friend I looked up to and asked him for advice. He had taught himself everything he needed to know through shadowing a photographer, reading blogs, finding resource material and building a network of photography contacts which he could turn to when he needed ask questions or seek advice. He felt that the courses/diplomas were “criminally overpriced”, and with each one costing around R45000 a year, I had to agree. His advice to me was not to go through an institution but rather to shadow a photographer and invest the money in equipment.
I started to get very excited about the idea. What my friend said made sense, with photography you do not need a degree or diploma to show that you have what it takes, everything people need to know about your ability as a photographer is in your portfolio. Whilst shadowing a photographer, not only would I be learning about photography, building up a portfolio and gaining experience in the actual field, but I would be learning the ins and outs of running a photography business as well. It would also mean that when I started doing my own weddings, I would have some professional equipment.
As I said I wanted to do this right, and so before making a decision, I looked for some second opinions from other photographers whose work I respected. I phoned both photographers who had studied at an institution, and those who had not, and everyone (apart from one, singular person) said the same thing, don’t study, shadow. They all seemed to share the opinion that the money could be far better invested in equipment, and that by shadowing, you would be able to learn everything you would have learned at an institution and more.
So, I have decided to follow the advice of the pros, and this year I am going to be shadowing a photographer, reading blogs, finding recourse material as well as doing a couple of workshops at the Cape Town School of Photography. This way does mean that I am going to have to make sure I am taking responsibility for my own education, setting up my own syllabus and asking the questions I need to, but I am happy to trade some added responsibility in for an intensive, practical learning experience.
The World in Thirds 