The field of photography is exciting; imagine creating wonderful images with nothing more than your keen eye and a camera. If you are thinking about starting a career in this field, you will need to develop some skills and a background in the field. Toward this end a good education, proper coaching and a mentor are invaluable. When you have all of these in place and are willing to put in the work and practice required you will soon be graced with the title, professional photographer.
As with any profession you should do some research on proper schools, choosing the photography institution that best fits your requirements. Below are a few key areas you will want to consider when you begin looking for a great photography education.
Begin your search by considering the big picture of your photography career. The best school for you will be one that is best aligned with your specific photography goals. There are many different sub-genres of photography, much as with any business, as well as a broad range of categories. For instance, you may be interested in portrait photography instead of sports, or weddings instead of portraits. You might be in the position that you just want a general overview of photography as a whole, and that is okay too, just choose a school that serves your needs and wants. Remember, if you have a specialize interest look for an institution that best serves this specialization. It is your money and time after all and you want to be in the best position possible to begin your professional career.
You probably already know this, however it bears repeating, photography is more than point and shoot. Professionals need a wide skillset to be successful including marketing, mathematics, business management and a good eye. These are more criteria you should use for choosing an appropriate photography school. Eventually you will be out on your own and many photographers prefer to go into business for themselves, which means business management will be key.
It is appropriate to ask about the ratio of students to teachers when considering a photography school. When there are large classes, it can be difficult to get the proper instruction. This is a field that requires teachers to provide valuable hands on supervision to each student, which will be hard to accomplish in a large class.
Technology today is much more advanced than just a few short years ago which means you will likely need education about computers. Make sure the school you are considering offers at least basic computer skills and perhaps advanced classes. Digital photography is really the wave of the future and you want to be prepared to use this technology to its fullest. There is also the issue of specialty computer software you may be interested in learning about. Photography is a very competitive field and the more knowledge and education you have the better.
Finally, you should remember that education is rarely free. Unless you are extremely fortunate and have all of your funding in order, you may need to check into available financial assistance or scholarships. Inquire about these programs up front before applying for admission. Cost of classes is not the only expense you may encounter; you may need some photography equipment as well. Each school should list what equipment they will provide and what you will need to bring with you on the first day of class. This will figure into the total cost of your photography education.
These are just a few recommendations for how to choose the best photography schools. Use this list as a basic guideline as you are conducting research, soon you will be well on your way to a profitable career as a professional photographer.
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