Did you go to college/study photography?

I hope this is the right section..if there has been a big thread like this before then please link me.

I was just wondering if you all have studied photography or if you just taught yourself?

I bought my first dslr 7 years ago so have loved it since then. What I know I have taught myself but admittedly I could read up on a lot more and intend to do so!

Do you think it's necessary to go to college and get some grades to set up a business or do you think it's all about your talent?

I daresay a business course would be more useful if you're wanting to set up a business than a photographic course. I guess it depends on what you want to do though, and also how well you're able to learn on your own. Not everyone can learn very efficiently on their own, as indeed some people actually learn much better in a structured environment with peers.

I've never studied photography myself, but then I don't have any ambition to do it professionally. Having said that, in creative fields, portfolio is generally king, not pieces of paper. If you know your stuff and have the work to prove it, there's nothing really stopping you.

I'll second Leigh's point, a more business oriented course would serve you better in terms of setting up a business.


On the photography side...

Are you aware of Bristol & South West Modelling Photography? Plenty of good togs (and models) on there if you ever want advice in person.

I studied photography in a 2 year professional program after having graduated from a 4 year college. Professional photography is not an easy career to pursue, and it's probably more difficult now than ever. While formal training is no guarantee of success, it's definitely a step in the right direction and I believe it increases the odds of success (providing that you have the talent to go along with an education).

See the links in this: General Info

Photography School (Schools/Degrees/Bills​/Aftermath = SCARY) Pro's?

DunnoWhen wrote in post #15012989
I'll second Leigh's point, a more business oriented course would serve you better in terms of setting up a business.

I agree, business skills may count more than photography skills !

I always have to laugh at those that don't do it full time that seem to have all the answers.

I have a B/A in photography. I shoot advertising/commercial work and have been doing this full time since graduating in 1986. My experience is take some business and marketing classes but if you are going to go college and want to study photography learn all you can about who you are as a photographer and all you can about the craft. Do what you have to do to get a job with a photographer that works in a field you want to get into after college and learn all you can from him/her. College business and marketing courses are good if you are planning to work for IBM but you will learn more in a couple of months working for a successful photographer about how to run a successful photography business than and MBA would teach you about running a successful photography business. In fact most MBAs usually work for a large corporation after graduating. Rarely do they just go and open their own business. Plus most really creative photographers will not do well in business courses (right brain/left brain thing)..

Most successful photographers I know do what they love and are very good at. They get help to do the other things that they are not good at. Commercial shooters usually when just starting out hire reps to help market them. If they have studios they hire studio managers to run the studio and they all have very good accountants. They hire people that are good at what they do so it leaves them the time and energy to be the best at what they do.

Great chefs usually hire managers to run the restaurant or partner with a business manager. Drs hire practice managers to run there practices. They understand to be good at what they do they can't get bogged down with the things they don't so well or don't really have the passion for so they hire people to help do that. If I had to spend 80% of my day doing the business crap I would hate being a photographer.

I have seen them come and go over the years. The failure rate is HUGE when you try to do this full time. You have to find a way to separate yourself from the herd. Education from the right places will only make you stronger and if you want to be a photographer then put your energy there. Don't try and draw up a business plan though because if you are in it for easy money you better open a KFC franchise instead. Its tough out there and the more tools you have in the tool box the greater the chances are for success. Theres a reason why most fail.

I have been successful and have been for a couple of decades and this is my advice.

Also see foodguys response

I am totally self taught, both at business and at photography, but starting my own business was not a simple matter. I built it only after studying philosophy and ethics at University, then working in, or managing, sales, customer service, logistics, supply chain, operations and cost accounting at different levels in several very different businesses.

Currently I have access to advice and mentoring from a business partner and my father, as well as friends in the industry who also run their own business and access to a professional organisation, and of course I have a good accountant.


The result is a set of skills and experience I can apply to the business, and looking at actual vs budgeted sales it appears to be working very well.


I do know a number of photographers and other creatives who studied for degrees in fine art etc, only a small number are successful, and most of those only because they know people in the industry and get support from them, or their agency.
As generalization they are also very inefficient in how they work, meaning they don't fully realize their maximum potential revenue and often incur unnecessary costs.
I consider them easy competition as they maybe better photographers, but have a total lack of understanding of business.

The few who are very successful also have plenty of business knowledge and experience, or a natural talent for it.
They make a difficult combination to compete with in the market, as they excel at both photography and business.

I only took a photography course at a community college years ago. Wanted to continue while reaching to the university level, but then stopped and studied different major. I learned photography mostly on my own with tips and advices by professionals.

Great advice, will have a look at those links PhotosGuy. Thanks

Four-year degree in broadcasting. Much of what is done to digital video signals applies to digital still work.

Straight transfer of training...

FlyingPhotog wrote in post #15017605
Four-year degree in broadcasting. Much of what is done to digital video signals applies to digital still work.

This is actually similar to my experience too. I studied fine arts and then graphic design, and since then I've racked up more than 12 years working in television and film as a digital artist. A lot of what I learned in art school and over the years in my career has absolutely benefited my photography. As with any creative discipline, there's a lot of cross-over knowledge.

Yes. Studied commercial photography for four years at college level. This was the predigital era.

Enjoyed it immensely, hard work though.

Self-Taught. Now days you can learn new photography stuffs on the internet or this forum.

I have taken a few classes with CPLC (Canadian Photography Learning Center) here in Edmonton, AB. They have locations in Calgary and Toronto as well. When I began photography I learned a lot from blogs and information online and I wasn’t sure I would learn much from those courses but I sure did! It’s nice to have the knowledge behind it all along with your artistic ability.

I highly recommend them if you are in those areas! http://www.cplc.ca/