Where to study nature photography

Dear All

 

I am quite seriously considering giving up my homelife and career in

London to pursue a longstanding dream of mine to forge a living

(however small!) from wildlife/nature photography.

 

I have been on a few mini photography courses in the UK but lack the

confidence to go it alone without further tuition etc. As a result I

have been researching colleges etc that offer structured courses.

Very few colleges, if any, seem to have much of a bias towards

wildlife/nature photography. One that has stood out of the rest is

the Colorado Mountain College. Which in part, due to its ideal

location in the rockies, seems to offer some tuition during its 2

year course on this subject and doubtless many opportunities outside

the classroom. Has anyone come across this college? Alternatively,

can anyone recomend a suitable establishment other than the Colorado

Mountain College that I should check out?

 

I would be so grateful for any views/comments on this matter. I am

feeling both excited and nervous about my future. I realise the

investment and risks I take now are huge and therefore am eager at

this stage to make informed decisions.

 

With thanks

 

Helen

My advise is rather spend the money on good equipment and airline tickets and join a good photographic club that is strong in wildlife/nature. I've learn't must of what I know by joining a club and seeing what works and what doen't and then going out into the field to develop you're own technique. The more you shoot the better you get. When you're in a good location with lots of subject matter and good equipment it won't be long before you start getting some good hits.

Helen, I honestly believe that a 2 Year College would be a waste of money. Some might disagree with me, but I feel that alot of reading at home on the technical aspects of your camera system until you feel VERY comfortable with it. What your aperture does, Your shutter etc. You might very well be beyond this point allready. Follow this up with some creative reading, theory on composition etc. Look at tons of photographs and examine them. Find what it is about them that strikes you. Then take a few workshops to polish what you've learned on your own. The money you save on tuition can go towards alot of film and time in the field. And there are some great workshops on business offered by various photographers. John Shaws are very informative. If you want a recommendation on workshops, I would recommend Rocky Mountain School of Photography, as a start. I haven't taken any of their classes, however I have taken one of their business seminars and found it to be very well organized. You can find them on the web at www.rmsp.com. I'm sure someone will post their experience with their workshops and classes. I hope this helps. P.S. RMSP does offer summer intensive programs if you feel you really want spend the time in the west and have the money. Maybe someone in the Forum has taken course. Check the Archives. Good Luck.

I agree with the previous poster's reccomendations, I think two years worth of classroom tuition could be better spent elswhere. Take a workshop and read as much as you possibly can on the subject. Also, realize that to do well as a nature photographer you really need to be proficient in three areas:

 

 

1) Photography -- obviously you have to have lots of marketable images.

 

 

2) A knowledge of natural history. The more you know about your subjects the better your images will be.

 

 

3) Finally, you need to have a good business sense and marketing skills. If you don't have a buyer for your images, it doesn't matter if you have the greatest nature images in the world. They won't make a profit for you.

I doubt that a 2 year course is needed for wildlife/nature photography. I can see how such a course mught be useful for commercial photographers doing a lot of studio work who want a solid background in theory, but nature/wildlife work is much more about finding your subjects than the technical aspects of photography.

 

In fact I might go as far as to say a course in business might even be more useful!

 

Some sort of short intensive photography course (workshop) could be very useful, but I don't think a 1 or two year academic photography course is necessarily the best way to go.

Helen - I agree with previous messages. While I am a staunch advocate of "Book-Lernin'" I agree that two years worth of classroom tuition could be better spent elswhere. Enroll in workshops, (both the Free with your Camera as well as the 'paid' kind), Take time to get to know your subject (what ever your preference is - Mine's flowers/mushrooms/insects for example) and read as much as you possibly can on the subject. I also agree that you really need to be

proficient in three areas:

 

1) Photography -- Get as familiar with your Camera(s) and lens(es) as you can (maybe not to the point of disassembly in the dark, but who know?) I can change lenses by feel in a darkroom (and get the right focal length lens) at will.

 

2) A knowledge of your natural subject. What are it's habits/habitats? When does it Bloom/Rut/Feed/grow?

The more you know about this aspect of your subject, the more consistant and (hopefully better - see item 1 above) your images will be.

 

3) Finally, you do need to have a good business sense and marketing skills. Take time to read a wide variety of periodical literature (i.e. Arizona Highways, National Geographic, Field and Stream, etc) to see what is currently 'selling' - and get as much advice on things like business plans, capitalization, and advertising/marketing areas as you can.

 

Good luck and good shooting!

 

Derek

I also agree that taking some workshops with professional nature photographers and then applying what you've learned in the field is the best bet. Some specific people with whom to take workshops would be Rod Planck, Jon and Barbara Gerlach and George Lepp. They all have one day seminars which are very affordable and very informative.

The only field work I have done with a professional has been with Arthur Morris, who of course specializes in bird photography, and is a very inspiring person to be around.

If you feel a need for a degree, then get one in zooology or

biology. Nature photography is not something that can be

learned in a classroom, you need to be out in nature, studying

the animals and their habitat. Study the work of great wildlife

photographers. Not only the American giants that the Photo.net

crowd will tell you are the greatest. Study at the works of Hannu

Hautala or your fellow countrymen Laurie Campbell and Chris

Gomersall. But keep in mind that becoming a good wildlife

photographer only comes with experience. Quit your London

career if you feel that you should, but rather spend your money

on quality glass, film and time in nature.

 

Laurie Campbell once put out bait somewhere in the highlands

of Scotland, to attract White-tailed eagles. He went up there more

than fifty times without any results. He did not give up and went

again the following years and eventually got outstanding images.

Persistance is vital and if you want to make a living in todays

wildlife photography business you are going to need nothing

short of outstanding images (or a helluva business talent).

All of the above, PLUS! Write about it. You will be able to market your photographs better if you can write stories for newspapers, magazines, et al..,If you can't or don't like to write--team up with someone who can/does. it will go a long way to opening up your options.

Helen - "seriously considering giving up my homelife and career in

London to pursue a longstanding dream of mine to forge a living

(however small!) from wildlife/nature photography".

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Sounds like you have drive! However giving all that up for a small

income is NOT a good idea at present (IMHO).

<P>

I dont think it is necessary to make that move. For one thing most of

the potential buyers of your work are in the vicinity of London.

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Far better to stay put for the time being, where presumably you can

earn money (in London) and use that cash to bankroll your career as

you dip your toe in the water. Good lenses and all the other

paraphernalia is not cheap - if you want to compete with the pros you

need to match their quality, so start with gaining that. Then make

each holiday opportunity a dedicated and intensive wildlife/nature

trip. Do a bucket of research before you go so that you know exactly

what you are going to shoot and why. Doing this game professionally

means trying really hard to take all the 'chance' out of the equation.

You'll welcome the 'luck' when it comes along but doing the groundwork

before you go away somewhere can make the difference between success

and utter and abject failure.

<P>

As Daniel mentioned, Laurie Campbell puts in huge huge effort, to a

level that would surprise you. He leaves bait out, sometimes dragging

roadkill up mountains to attract eagles, then waits for days in a hide

in midwinter for the birds to appear, sleeping in the hide as well.

(He was well snowed in that winter - I know because he was due to buy

me a beer one week when he came down and didnt show!). But Laurie, and

a few other pros I know share a common trait - patience. And also, and

this may sound perverse, they are really really good with people. You

have no idea how important that trait is for a nature photographer!

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Nowadays to get access to many subjects and sites, you need to get the

cooperation of say......gamekeepers, stalkers, ghillies. You need a

rapport with these folks and to gain that you need to be able to win

their confidence, and that takes a combination of confidence in your

photographic ability, communication skills (both verbal and body

language), and a sound knowledge of the subject matter. You also need

a huge dose of humility because the fieldcraft skills and biological

knowledge of some of these people is incredible, and a result of

decades of hard hard work. They dont suffer fools.

<P>

Courses are good, but I would caution against investing huge amounts

of time and money in a full time 2 year college course.

<P>

The advice offered above by the Photonet folks is excellent and should

get you started - get business experience, some tech knowledge, and as

much biological and fieldcraft as you can absorb. You can learn as

much from Photonet contributors as you'll need to get going - a lot

of the info is from people actually doing the stuff in the field on a

daily basis- - that level and quality of knowledge is priceless. Just

remember - if you learn anything here - repay the favour and post back

some advice yourself when you are doing the business, and have a

learned a bunch of stuff you can share with us!!!!

<P>

If you really want to attend courses look at some of the stuff

happening in the UK. In Scotland there are plenty of courses led by

respected pros like Laurie, and Niall Benvie and Neil McIntyre, all of

whom are not only very experienced but are good fun to be around. A

week with them is well worth considering.

<P>

Good luck!!!!

All above has been good advice to date, but you also need to investigate the rewards, ie what people are prepared to pay for the photographs you take before taking the plunge.

 

Very very few people in the UK can eek out a living solely as a freelance nature photographer,partly because the UK is a relatively smallplace and already well covered, but alss there are few publications to take the work.

 

With a few exceptions, I think you will find that much of the commercial work is obtained by travelling abroad, especially when considering bird photography - ie another cost to consider. Or that they have another source of income,eg as a wedding photographer.

 

There are a few publications held in libraries that list the photo agencies. It may be worthwhile exploring what the agencies are prepared to pay per photograph, to work out the number of quality photographs you have to submit to earn a living.

 

Good luck

 

Mike Smith

There is at least one nature photography course in the UK. I know

nothing about it but it is based in Blackpool and is part of the

University of Lancaster. The URL for details is:

http://www.blackpool.ac.uk/study/prospectus/HE2000/HE_COURSES/hep20_artdes_wildphot.htm

This still begs the question of whether a college course is useful to

get into the business. At least some of the most successful did some

form of general course at the beginning of their careers. Good luck

with what you decide.

Helen,

I am not a professional photographer, but I do share some of your ambitions in a similar manner. I'd like to offer some thoughts for your consideration.

 

I have degrees in both business and the natural sciences. I've yet to see any great value of these as they would apply to a nature photography career. I don't think you would learn anything there that a good basic accounting book and some field guides would offer. What I do see as having value is years of loving and exploring the outdoors previous to my interest in photography.

 

I don't know how much photography you've do (maybe you've done this), but would offer this as a suggestion before you quit your day job. Take a week off and pretend your a professional nature photographer. Get up early every day, spend the days in the field regardless of the weather, catch the sunsets, drive here and there, camp or rough it if required. See how it sets with you. Sometimes when I've done this, I'm quite happy to get home and a bit of the glamour to the work has worn off. When your photos come back, spend evenings cataloging and labeling them. And of course most would advise that this is only the beginning, that marketing is the key to making money. I would also advise taking photos until you get one or a few (again, maybe you've done this)that are marketable by a professional or experts standards. This will allow you to appreciate the effort required to get good photos.

 

I've not been to a college course in photography nor have I been to a workshop, but I would think that there are perhaps equal leaning opportunies that are just as good a use of time and money. There is much information on the internet and in books and magazines. See what other photographers are selling. And of course, practice. Those are my thoughts.

A different opinion. If you can afford a 6 month sabatical, go for your dream.

 

The Leadville and Glenwood Springs campuses are in the middle of some of the most spectacular country in the world. Non-school related activities abound. Even if you take only one semester then decide return to the UK, you won't regret the experience.

 

What you will regret is not pursuing your dreams.

 

Enjoy

Helen

 

You probably know this already but there are thousands and thousands of people for whom nature photography is a strong if not dominant part of their lives and would love to do it full-time. What this means, and increasingly so with the growth of massive global libraries, royalty free CD's etc. is that it's going to become even harder to make a living of any sort without having some sort of competitive advantage or excellent contacts.

 

Can you claim any personal relationships with people who can buy or strongly influence the purchase of photo.rights or prints in volume? Can you think of any area in which what you do is materially and usefully better than what's available from the libraries or what you see being used commercially or editorially? Can you think of any new market that the rest of us haven't reached first? Unless and until you can give an objective "yes" to at least one of these questions then the odds are stacked heavily against you, and I'd certainly agree with other posters that this isn't going to change if you invest a couple of years in improving your technical skills.

 

My suggestion is not to lose your commitment, but to allow the answers to the above to trigger the timing of the risk. As soon as you can decide on the area that you're going to "own" and you have some evidence that there's a market demand for it there's an option to take up or not. Until then all you have is a desire and sadly a desire doesn't provide a living. How to find it is the hard part of course, and there's no process I can think of that leads to a certain competitive advantage in a fragmented field like this one. BUT if you look at a lot of images, think about how you might have treated them differently; think hard about the sorts of subjects and locations you handle best; use the money you earn to finance trips to a wide range of alternative locations avoiding the obvious "done loads of times"; make at least some of these trips alone since you need to learn how to put *your* stamp on a destination and not just what Niall Benvie or Charlie Waite or whoever suggests; then you should be part-way along the road to develop an approach, a subject or a style that will be yours.

 

Finally I should say that any process of experimentation risks blind alleys. This is inevitable and they should not disappoint you. Don't be afraid to recognise that an idea won't work, and find another.

An earlier poster mentioned Rocky Mountain School of Photography and I would also recommend them. Specifically, I would recommend their ten day workshop on Professional Nature Photography taught by David Middleton. David is probably one of the best when it comes to teaching photography and also the business of nature photography. I took this course in 1999 and not only got a lot of useful information and inspiration, but made some wonderful friends. Give them a call or check out their website at www.rmsp.com.

 

good luck

 

rod

If you considder to take up shorter courses and workshops you might find it interesting to check what's going on at Duckspool.

http://www.duckspool.com/

See workshop diary.

 

Joann

Nature photographers need good woodcraft skills.

 

Jim Brandenburg was a couple of years ahead of me in high school and I seem to recall that he was into bow-hunting deer and trapping mink.

 

Both of those require a lot of outdoors savvy, and I think that helped him a lot when he was doing the wolf pictures.

The Rochester Institute of Technology is the top photography college in the USA, check it out:

 

http://www.rit.edu/

Hi,

Some brilliant advice given above. Not sure if this thread is still live, but thought I would mention my business Loch Visions. I have been a professional wildlife photographer and tour guide for a year now and in July started up the Loch Visions experience. This is a one day wildlife and photography experience on the banks of Loch Awe, Argyll. We provide all equipment including pro standard lenses, but you can also bring along your own equipment with you. This maybe to basic for you, but if you are interested in wildlife photography it is a great and cost effective way to try it before investing heavily in anything. My website is www.lochvisions.co.uk and to find out more follow the links through to 'the experience'.

Sorry about the shameless plug, but thought it might be of use.

 

In terms of formal courses, I would agree with what most people have been saying above and not recomend a college course. Just get out and about and enjoy the wildlife, that is definitley the best way to learn. Cities are a great place to learn as well, wildlife is used to people, you get great light (due to smog and building reflections), and it is not as well photographed as other more popular rural locations, so more room for innovation!

 

hope this is of some use,

cheers

Philip