Which do YOU think is more important?

[mmphoto]

he makes a good point. And also something to think about is, if you get a degree in photography, then what happens if right out of school you dont get a job in photography?? you have nothing to fall back on. But mabey think about majoring in something besides photography, and minoring in photography????

yes. i would say major in marketing or advertising, graphic design- if you have an eye for photo you'll probably have a natural talent in these kinds of areas. a major in one of these will help your photo career. and its a lot more secure than photo. cause you're gonna need MONEY to start out in photo! not to mention business and marketing knowledge.
lots of people can take good photos. but how many know how to make money with them?

 

[morydd]

he makes a good point. And also something to think about is, if you get a degree in photography, then what happens if right out of school you dont get a job in photography?? you have nothing to fall back on. But mabey think about majoring in something besides photography, and minoring in photography????

I would warn that if you focus on something to "fall back on" you'll most likely end up falling back on it. Get a broad enough education that you have options, but focus on what you want to do with your life. (This is true regardless of what you want to do. Accountants should take art classes too!)

 

[Jim Gratiot]

If you plan on being a starving artist you whole life I would go for the degree in photography. If you plan on being successful and using photography as a career I would suggest hands on experience and a degree in business.

Well said. Obviously a certain level of "technical education" can't hurt, and is in fact necessary... but it is business/marketing savvy that will allow you to pay the bills.

I'd even go a step further, though... and suggest that a degree in business can, depending on where you get it, do you more harm than good. $1,000 spent on the very best biz/marketing books could be MUCH more valuable than a stuffy college diploma.

I know several streetwise entrepreneurs who are making lots more money than their better educated counterparts.

 

[mmphoto]

I know several streetwise entrepreneurs who are making lots more money than their better educated counterparts.

mee too... the diploma does not make the man, so to speak.

 

[danalec99]

a degree in photography......or the hands on experience??

Both, if you have the option. Plus courses/books on business/marketing.

 

[danalec99]

Upon further thought:

I know photographers who make solid funds with a photography degree and those who do well without it.

A degree in photography from a good school is not just about ‘how to make a well exposed print’ or a list of rules to mug up. It will rather guide you to find/hone your individual voice - which I believe is the most important asset above all. Now tie that up with an education in business/marketing/branding (not necessarily a degree, even though it would not at all be a waste) and drive; I don’t see why one must starve.

I agree with the above advice that education will open doors that otherwise would not budge.
I also agree with that in order to just ‘make money’ in photography you do not necessarily need a photography degree. If Richard Branson could start and run an airline company with no prior education or experience in the field, so can anyone run any business, as long as it is backed by ample drive and passion. I'm all for entrepreneurship. But when it comes to creative business, if your forte is just in the business side of it and you don't have a body of work that sets you apart, clients will choose you based on your Price List and the 'free' key chain . It's not at all bad if you have no complains about it. But most of us, I'd assume, would primarily want to be known for our work.
Therefore, in order to be ‘truly’ successful and free from insecurity (you will not worry about that new photographer who set up shop next door, because clients will be choosing you and him based on the work), an education in photography, business and experience (which you should start doing part time while in school, so by the time you are out of the school, you have portfolio & exposure and are ready for world domination ) will help you a lot.

Just one opinion though.

 

[craig]

Yeah bro! Truer words were never spoken!!!!

It is all about the work.

Love & Bass

 

[-spam-]

Like most people, i would say both. But if i had to choose one, it would be hands on experience every time. I know people going through photography courses at uni and tafe and in the last 6 months, ive learnt more from getting out there with my camera and talking to other photographers than they have been taught.

And the best part? Im not paying what they are to basically learn the same thing I mean, yeah they are getting taught it in probably a better environment, but i feel that by making mistakes and then figuring out what i did wrong myself, i get a better understanding of what works and what doesnt and why it works that if i was just told how to do it right first time.

 

[mysteryscribe]

When I am being really really honest I tell people I have three years experience 11 times. Truth is most of your real learning should happen in the first three years. After that you add bits and pieces to refine what you know. At least that's what I think

 

[Iron Flatline]

Another thing: pro photography is not just about photography - the handson experience you talk about (which you will also need, but probably not get till you're done with school) is how to get clients, how to manage clients, how to present to clients, how to bill clients, etc. That's as important as shooting, and harder to learn.

 

[Seefutlung]

Hi guys,

Am in a dilemma, but believe in my heart I know the answer... Am currently finishing 1st year at uni and no doubt going to take a year out to experience my main passion....photography!

So....which do you believe is more important in the real world... a degree in photography......or the hands on experience??

xx

All depends on what field of photography you plan to enter. If it's photo journalism then a degree in communications/journalism is a requirement. The competition in news is such that you won't get a job in a major marketplace without a degree ... photo journalism isn't about good photography first ... photo journalism is about communicating with photos (like a good writer can paint a picture with words ... a news photog can tell a story with images.)

If I was planning to be a commercial/studio photog then a minor in business would be good ... a major in business with a minor in photography would be better ... a major in business and a major in photography would be best.

In commercial photography an average talented photog with superb marketing skills and business sense will do better than a very talented photog with no marketing skills and a poor business sense.

Remember for opening doors of opportunity, a degree is the best key to have ... a degree doesn't make you a great photographer (only experience will do that) ... but education will get you into more doors than experience.

Gary

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Remember for opening doors of opportunity, a degree is the best key to have ...

Actually, it's not what you know but who you know that counts.
The list of visiting lecturers on my Degree course read like a Who's Who of Photography. This meant I could meet the top dogs and go for a beer with them. Then when I finished the course I could call round to see them, they would remember me and I'd get work.
Other Colleges which were at least as good technically but didn't have the contacts produced students who found it much tougher to get a break.

 

[Seefutlung]

Actually, it's not what you know but who you know that counts.
The list of visiting lecturers on my Degree course read like a Who's Who of Photography. This meant I could meet the top dogs and go for a beer with them. Then when I finished the course I could call round to see them, they would remember me and I'd get work.
Other Colleges which were at least as good technically but didn't have the contacts produced students who found it much tougher to get a break.

In college you typically will run into a higher caliber/more successful person/people than at the local watering hole. One of the reasons for attending a better/expensive college is that the people you meet in college can/will help you for the rest of your life. The better/expensive college = students from more successful "families" which = more opportunities. Higher education is a magnet for meeting successful people (like bees to nectar) ... not only will you meet more successful people from "education" than from "experience" ... but those you meet from education are more apt to help than those you meet from experience.

Gary

Disclaimer: There are always the exceptions.
G

 

[Hertz van Rental]

I was just lucky enough to go to the best College for Photography at the time. Top photographers and ADs would queue up to come and talk to the students because we made the best assistants - and the best photographers. The College wasn't affluent or well equiped - it just had good staff who knew how to network.
And there were only three rich kids in my year - the rest of us came from the gutter (the place you always found us after a good party )

 

[Riggaberto]

I'd go to college. You can go off on your own in the meantime, and then after you finish when you go on your own, you'll know more.