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Career change, studying in the US, EU or in Japan?


helinophoto

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Hi

 

This is a question about where and what to study but first let me tell a few

things about myself:

 

I have a bachleor in computer science here in Norway (Scandinavia, Europe :) )

and I have been working full time as a IT-Consultant since 1999. I have a well

paid job and I currently enjoy being co-owner and shareholder at my current

workplace. All this provide me with a steady income around $100k per year (+-

$25k depending on how the industry is doing). It's just the last 3 years that

have been providing the really good income how ever, from 2000-2004, the

industry did suffer a great deal. (dot-com bubble bursting, 9/11 etc).

 

So yes, I'm currently in a pretty good situation, from an economical

standpoint.

 

But there is more to life than a nice pay check, no?

 

Since 2005, I've been pashionately interested in photography. I haven't taken

any courses, I haven't joined any clubs or nothing. I did how ever buy several

books; First, books on basic photography theory (A. Adams "The

Camera", "Photography" (6th edition), later, more advanced things like "Birds

as Art" my A. Morris, B. Tharp "Creative nature and outdoor photography",

M.Perkins "Professional Portrait Lighting", C.Grey "Master Lighting Guide for

Portrait Photographers" and a few others. I have also bought the Finelight DVD

collection with the late Dean Collins. A lot of tips, techniques and pointers

have been red and noted both from photo.net and dpreview.com and this has been

really helpful during the short time I've been doing photography as a hobby.

 

This has abled me to try witts against, landscape photography, wildlife,

portrait and in the past 4 months; studio work.(I bought a set from PCB, Alien

Bees).

 

As a hobby, you can do what you want, when you want to, I understand that. But

I love it! It's so much more reqarding for me to create something great from a

camera than it is to crack some logical puzzle in Java code or to make a

really intelligent database query. (doesn't happen often, but it happens :P)

 

The past 6 months, I have been doing some paid work and I also "got published"

in two Japanse magazines trough a job I did for a friend. (a mag was doing a

story about her and she wanted me to provide the pictures for the story, the

mag paid me for the photos and published the story). Not really a story about

me or my work, but I still managed to check out the mag and see my photos in

there, which was cool. :) I do recognise that I have a long way to go before I

can truely say that I am starting to master the medium, or even beginning to

develop my own style.

 

So, I have a dream, about changing my career. I know that it is a dog-eat-dog

business indeed. I'd like to shoot high fashion/commerical/advertising work, a

line of photography that the amateur "soccer moms" with their canon 350's

cannot thouch at the moment.

 

In that context, I am currently looking at educations, both in the US (brooks,

parsons), in Europe (Praque, Paris, other?) and also in Japan (Tokyo,

Osaka??). Remember, even though people say that Paris, France is the home for

fashion, a lot of new stuff is collected from the streets of Tokyo and appear

in Paris 1-2 years later. (or so I've been told).

 

I do have a good foundation in my education and my work experience. I am not

contemplatning a career change for the fun of it, if I do this, it will be

120% effort from day one to try and make it.

 

But imo everything starts with education, after that, internship/practical

training. I can probably support myself in down periods doing computer related

jobs, so I do have something to fall back on.

 

Now, if you were free to choose today, would you attend a school in the US, in

Europe or maybe even in Japan? If any, what college would you attend? For how

long would you study?

 

I know that a lot of people have been asking this before (I have been checking

out some previous threads).

 

Do you get a "better" education about fashion/commercial/advertising

photography in Europe than in the US? Why do we never hear about Japan as a

place to study photography (especially fashion)? After all, it's the home of

all the camera manufacturers, as well as having a unique environment

conserning fashion and trends.

 

Is there anything like "cred" from having studied in this or that college, or

does it simply come down to your portfolio, who you have been assisting and

where you have done practical photography? I thought good education was a

initial door opener anywhere, but to get an actual job, you'd have to have

something to show for. (work experience, CV, reccomendations etc).

 

I am now 33, going on 34. I am planning to make the initial change into a

student situation around 2009 (I think I am too late to make it within 2008).

I am thus looking at being 37 and green as grass if I go for a bachleor, fresh

from college, will that be problematic concerning internship/job oppurtunities?

 

Sorry for the lenghty post (and the spelling errors), I felt I had to lay out

my current situation for you, so you'll understand my current situation.

 

Any tips/experience about fashion/advertising studies that really gives you a

solid foundation to build your career on would be much appericated.

 

Kind regards

OH

Oslo, Norway

 

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I think you might google the words Graphics Designer.

 

It looks like you will fit in and about 25 percent are self employed.

 

I just got a new friend on Myspace that has her own magazine and I would like to do something like it once I find a nich.

 

Im not telling you to not be a photographer because if your a graphic designer it can put your camera to work so much you will get sick of it. It really doing the same kinda work in a closely related field just different title.

 

If anyone here has a fashion mag they can tell ya about it.

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Hmm... Thank you for an interesting reply, though I don't know if the path concerning graphic design is the right path for me.

 

I spent the better part of 1 year to try to create/design a nice homepage, http://znapper.ath.cx , in the end I ended up downloading a finished free design template and then making that into a living web app using java. :-)

- Thus it is safe tn say that my design skills kind of suck.

 

I see myself more in the pure photographer role in a new career, though post processing and computer technology will be a natural part of that indeed.

 

Regards

oh

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The good thing is that your income can cover the initial investment in photographic equipment. Most students in photography have to struggle with that aspect. Allot wind up taking loans that take years of hard wotk to pay back and getting into photography is not very easy. Well not as easy as finding a job in computers. As far as schools, If I was living in the US I would go to school in the US. Europe then I would attend a school in Europe. Why put extra pressure on yourself by moving to unfamiliar environments. The schools are not that different anyway everywhere you go. The most important person is you and not the schools.
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Well, I speak Norwegian, off course. I speak and understand English well (all my reading material during my engineering studies were in English) ,and I do understand German to a certain degree. (I don't speak German very well though, because we never practice it here).

 

A general or basic understanding of the Japanese language doesn't seem all that hard if you go for it. Still, it's a thing I must learn if I go to Japan. Actually I think all foreign students must attend a mandatory Japanese class upon enrollment in the universities over there.

 

I don't think language is a big issue (If I'm not planning to study in France :) ), what I am really wondering about, is where it is generally "better to study". In my own country, there are just a few privately own companies that provides limited education (0.5-1 year). My plan is to be very technically skilled as well as develop my business skills, so I will be able to (after a while) do high fashion or similar. (aim high, make an effort and it will pay off in the long run is my mantra :) ).

 

Regards

OH

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I'm living in Japan, and for studies, you'd need to pass at least level two of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, which is quite difficult. In my opinion of Japanese photography, of what is commonly seen on the train advertisements, album covers and the like, it has either poor lighting and shadows or it's very formulaic. I'd stick to European training if you can.

 

However, I'd hate to see you throw everything in, lose your comfortable life just to see if you can live off of your hobby. It might be best to go part-time in your first job and part time as a photographer, rather than taking the plunge off of the deep end.

 

This website was designed for beginners, but might still be useful for you: http://www.winjeel.com/photography/how_to_take_photos/making_money.htm

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