Top Photography Schools - Your Opinion

<p>Hello! We're conducting a really short survey (it won't even take a minute to complete) to put together an independent, real list of schools (global) that photo.net could recommend to students. There are so many photo schools out there! Would you take just a moment to anonymously let us know what your choice would be and why? <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/topschoolsPnet">https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/topschoolsPnet</a></p>

 

<p>Not wanting to be too difficult, because I think your idea could be helpful, but how can a person answer any of those questions? You are asking them to compare (since you are asking for the "top" school. Most people only went to a single school (at most). They may like or dislike the school, but how can they compare them to others? By hearsay? That isn't a very accurate method because the standards of quality are never the same between different people.</p>

<p>Also, based on the comments here at Photo.net regarding different photo schools, a lot of people have opinions on the schools without any real experience. </p>

<p>Parsons The New School of Design. </p>

<p>Since I haven't been to every photography school in the world your questionnaire is impossible to answer.</p>

<p>Cara,</p>

<p>In all of these discussions one school always gets left out, so here is a plug for it -- the Defense Information School. People who enter any military service as a photographer are sent there for training, then released into the wild to earn a living as a photographer or combat photographer. As they advance in their careers they return to the school for advanced training. All of this training is accredited and therefore transferrable to four-year colleges for credit. I can't speak for the other services, but Air Force people who go to school there can earn a two-year degree in photography from the Community College of the Air Force, also a fully accredited school. Also, civilians may attend if they are hired by the Department of Defense to be a photographer or public affairs specialist.</p>

<p>Ditto on Parsons School of Design.</p>

<p>I never went to it because it was darn near impossible to get accepted or afford even back in my 20's during the early '80's, but as a school for creatives, it's top notch and well respected and so would attract the best of the best.</p>

<p>Throw in The Cooper Union as well. Both of these institutions produced some of the most creative folks not just in photography but in a wide range of media some of which were part of the golden age of visual communication that inspired the series "Mad Men". As an example here's a pioneer in typography design from The Cooper Union...</p>

<p>http://cooper.edu/about/galleries-auditoriums/lubalin-gallery</p>

<p>Sticking with just a dedicated photography school (if they do exist) would be limiting the student from experiencing a wide range of cultural influences and creative thinking and approaches to communicating with images. Photography isn't just suppose to be all about technical know how. </p>

<p>If photography will just be a hobby, school isn't really necessary. You can learn quite a bit online and in short run community college courses. </p>

<p>My friend went to ICP and she had a great experience. She got an amazing global network of photographers out of the deal as well.</p>

 

<p>Perhaps you're asking the wrong people these questions. Would it not be more effective to review the bio's of successful pro's to determine where they went to school? All to these rockstars have an "about" page somewhere and that would possibly answer you questions. On the other hand, in a ridiculous market flooded with wanna-be's what are the job prospects for graduates? I've never had my credentials enter into a hiring decision - my work is always the determining factor. </p>

<p>Good points, Gary. But your points don't seem to take into account the thousands of government photographers (although some might be on furlough today) who earn a full-time living taking photographs. Art? Not for us to decide. Photography? Yes, certainly. For those folks, both military and civilian, credentials mean a lot, and they had better be on the resume -- applicants for those jobs don't usually get a chance to show their work. By the way, I'm not talking about only federal government photographers; state, county and local governments all over the U.S. employ full-time photographers. Some are better educated and higher paid than a lot of independent photographers. Some of the best examples of government photography can be seen at <a href="http://www.af.mil/News/Photos.aspx">www.af.mil</a> and <a href="http://www.navy.mil/viewGallery.asp">www.navy.mil</a>. I don't mean to leave out the Army, Marines and Coast Guard, but I think Navy has the best.</p>

<p>Thanks for the answers and discussion - I only saw these just now (I was monitoring the survey itself). I have visited Parsons before and agree - that is also a wonderful school. The professors were inspiring to talk with. <br /><br /> It is hard to say when you haven't visited every school of course, but some people on the site have taught at different schools, many of us have circles of friends who have all gone to different schools and have a lot to say about them, etc. Not scientific here - just anecdotal help for those who needed a starting spot - even if it was plugging your own alma mater if you feel it gave you a good foundation.</p>

<p>There are lots of websites available for photography.<br>

1. lynda.com<br>

2. gradschool.usnews.com<br>

3. lerablog.org</p>