What's your photography educational background?

[aar]

just trying to see what I NEED? Thanks!

[CobyPhoto]

No one...I will start: BA in Fine Arts (Photography) RIT, Rochester NY 1986; MS in Accounting and one in Finance University of Houston, 2004. And alot of stuff in between, but these are the ones that matter.

CJ

[movingex]

Trial and error, internet forums, books. I've still got a long ways to go. I hope to attend a few specific seminars and/or classes in the future.

[rphoto]

Trial and error and lots of looking through books and magazines.

[bondarnes]

Although I have a B.A. in photojournalism I didn't get that much photography training out of college. I recommend those that want to do this as a serious business should get a college degree in business with lots of Marketing classes and intern with a working photographer. My interns learn enough photography in one summer to start a business.

Even though I was a pretty good photographer when I went full time, I almost went out of business the first year because I didn't have a clue about running a business. Some other photographers helped me learn the business part of it.

Most of my photography training has come from programs and seminars, especially almost twenty; five day classes at "Texas School" of Professional Photography sponsored by TPPA. http://www.tppa.org/school.htm

[brad]

A lot of reading and a lot of experimenting over 25+ years with an SLR.

The absolute BEST thing you can do for yourself is to try some things, take notes of what you did, post for critique, and listen to the answers. Around here, you will get lots of advice, some good.. some not so good.. but it will give you ideas on what else to try. This place is friendly to a fault and sometimes its hard to get a real answer to what is bad about a photo unless you really ask for it...... and then you have to know how to take it - as an honest attempt to give an honest opinion.

In the end, though, remember that they are just opinions.... and only two opinions truly matter -- yours and the person paying you. LOL

[robert t]

In the mid 70s, after having a fascination with television, I signed up for film making class in 8th grade. I could only take it one year so the next year (9th) I searched for an alternative and signed up for photography 1. My Dad got me the best camera we could afford, we found an Asahi Pentax SP1000 (which I still have) in a local pawn shop. As soon as I could save up I added a Vivitar 28mm, 200mm and a Braun RL515 flash. I was hooked. I finished out high school with Photography 2, Journalism (shooting for and writing in the newspaper) and last was the yearbook class. In 1975 I entered the TAPPS state competition and won 1st place in show and 1st place again in 1976. In those same years I also won various awards in the TCIL competitions.

I credit those awards to a fantastic teacher, Othel O. Owensby a AP/UPI Houston Chronicle staff photographer. We were fortunate to have excellent darkroom facilities at school, the old lab fixtures from the Chronicle when the remodeled. He also taught us both sides of the business, news photography and the artistic side and how both can co-exist and ran the classes and lab just like we were at the Chronicle, passing out assignments and deadlines.

I wish I had pursued the college degree after high school, but money was an issue at the time. A degree certainly will not hurt. Carry the camera with you and experiment with it get to know everything you can about it and what it will do. Seek a job with a pro as an intern or assistant. Read, lots of book out there on photography and photoshop.

I had great learning experience and a great teacher but for me I am still in the hobby category wanting to go pro.

[Chief]

Started out doing what they called spy shooting in the Navy. When we would encounter Russian or other Countries ships/Planes or enter International ports of call we were assigned to take as many shots as we could. Develop, print either on paper or the preferred format slides.
It was fun and it was a great beginning in Photography, ( circa 1970-1989 )

It wasn't my main job. It was a volunteer thing.

Gordon

[ttusa]

none-trial and error- lots of errors!

[JohnT]

I was a staff photographer for my high school yearbook and newspaper, and I took a couple of courses at a local community college after high school (this was many moons ago). Since then, I've learned more by reading books and looking at the work of some more advanced photogs in forums like this one. Trial-and-error, experimentation, and shooting a lot helps too.

[Dsheree]

AA in Photogrpahy from ACC.

[Daniel Bates]

A good book and a ME Super got me started... then a DiMAGE A2 and this forum got me well on the way.

[adirty1]

i believe that your best education can come from a good community college. you will get more hands on and taught by working pros. you also learn how to run a business.

I have a AA from ACC in professional photography and a BS in Commercial Photography from Sam Houston State.

lots of free slave labor to some of the bigger photographers in town. I still work for free just learn something new and take a class or two from ACC when i have time.

[HotHolly]

Training: BA - Ministry Major, Art Minor; Masters - Ministry; commissioned artist for the past 10 years or so.

Non-formal training: Tons of reading, critiquing, and interaction with other photographers. PPA and WPPI involvement/ memberships.

Ditto to Don on the photojournalism degree. Turns out, that the colleges around here - it is possible to graduate with a BA in Photojournalism and not own a camera. Having a pro take the time with us, plus reading, plus background has been very helpful. Then of course shooting a lot.

[NathanJK]

I was a "staff photographer" in high school, then went on to try to get a business degree in college, changed to a B.A. in Photography, but I failed/dropped introduction to photography like 3 different times...I just would never go, then I'd forget to drop by the last drop date and end up failing, the class was so basic it was painful. The most education in photography I actually got was a higher level photojournalism class taught by a Dallas Morning News staffer, he was a nice guy and I actually made a C in the class, which was probably fair since I didn't try very hard on the assignments and had a bad habit of skipping class . I then switched colleges and gave it another go, actually made it through the basic photography course this time with an A or a B, I didn't go any more often my teacher was just more lenient , but I managed to fail Drawing and a few others by again...not going. Well, that and I told my drawing teacher what my opinion of her class was (it in no way helped my further my photography goals and only slowed me down), she wasn't fond of me. In the end I decided I could learn much more efficiently and thoroughly by teaching myself what I needed to know. Now, I just read read read and try to practice when I can! If your the sort that can actually learn a thing like photography in a classroom environment then by all means do it, but some people just dont work that way! My biggest complaint about college photography classes is that there is no organized shooting in them. I dont understand why they dont organize class trips to different places so that everyone can learn together and build on each other. It's all great and good to critique each other after the fact, but it'd really help pull stragglers along if they could get advice while actually practicing their photography. Sorry if this is a bit of a rant, I'm a bitter ex-college student