Student help!

J

Jane1991

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Hi all
Im currently studying at Art college, and about to complete a National Diploma in Art and Design, and have decided i want to go into photography.

I love Natural History, although i want to try as many different aspects as possible so dont want to limit mysef to a certain area of photography.
I love travel, so would like to be able to combine the two one day.

Im not not sure though whether to carry on with education, or try and get an apprenticship.
Ive been to some univeristy open days but feel i want to get some work experiance to find out exactly what its like to be in the photography industry.

Im not sure what the best route for me is.
I would be very grateful for some suggestions or tips!
thankyou Jane :D
 
Yes, ive had experiance in the darkroom, in the photography studio in my college, and currently have a Nikon D80
which i use basically everyday :)
 
Well that's a good start. :)

Seriously though, there are a million different ways you could go. An apprenticeship is most likely going to be very difficult to find. Although that depends on how good you are, what genre you go for, and most importantly who you know.

Regarding uni, there have been a million and one discussions on this forum and every other as to how useful it is or isn't. I'm working on my first year final folio at uni now (applied photography) and so far have found the course fairly lacking in many areas. I already knew more on the technical side than is expected from the course, and the workload can be pretty mediocre for a course that's supposed to be preparing people to work in such a competitive industry.

On the other hand, it has opened up a whole new world of contacts and gives me access to a wealth of resources that I wouldn't have otherwise.

I'm rambling a bit here, so it's probably best if I go to bed and come back to this tomorrow. :D
 
Thankyou, its good to hear different oppinions, especially on Uni courses, as thats what i thought too about my current course, it no way gives a realistic view of how competitive the Art and Design industry is.
Im definately prepared to work very hard to get an apprenticship if one came up though! :)
I think il just have to keep doing research and looking at univeristies!
Thanks Jayst84 :D
 
It depends very much on what type of photography you really want to do Jane.

Some photography jobs do require a degree and others require a top drawer portfolio. (still more require brass neck but let's leave weddings aside :)) For things like forensic and medical work, university archiving and teaching, yes you require a degree.

For fashion, news or anything else likely to be self employed then no you don't need qualifications. Apprenticeships don't really exist in any formal structure but tend to be in the form of an assistant to a pro for a period of time. As has been mentioned, a lot of the time that's going to happen via connections rather than sheer will.
 
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