Anyone know about Hallmark Institute of Photography?

[sally_metzger]

hi everyone. Great news . . . my sister Ashley just got accepted to attend HIP this Fall as well!! I'm so very excited for her, and for me, as we are great friends and i'm really happy to have her there. She's a really great girl, and i know she's going to do so well in this program.

 

Well, i'm not sure what else to say. This coming monday, August 6th, my husband and I will start our 6 day drive out to Mass. from Salem, Oregon! Road trip!

 

Good luck to everyone else - I can't beliee how quickly time is going by, and can't wait to meet everyone and get started!

 

Hopefully i'll be back soon.

 

Thanks all!

 

Sally Metzger

[brandy_brown]

Hi Ya'll!!

 

I just moved to Greenfield from TX to attend Hallmark in September. I am looking forward to

the next 10 months. I don't really know anyone yet from the class of 2008 so if any of ya'll

are on here feel free to write me.

 

~Brandy

[sarah_l3]

Hi everyone. I'm in the '08 class, and living in Turners. I'm origially from MA. I grew up

about 45 mins away. If anyone needs any help feel free to contact me, as I'm up here

bored, and waiting for my roommate and school to arrive. Hope the summer is going well for

all!!!

[leo_burgess]

Well, I should have been at Hallmark today. Everything was in place finance wise and I would have been able to collect unemployment while attending. The failure point came with the support of my wife waning the closer it came time to start. So, I guess I will be "working" again and trying to improve my skills and new equipment on my own. I wish all that are able to attend the best of luck.

[jules_johns]

CONGRATS to all those who have started their year at Hallmark today! I wish you all the best of luck and if you have any questions please feel free to post on here or email me! <br>

Good luck again! <br>

- Jules

[httpwww.photo.netphoto1664881874]

I read all the postings and I have to say that Wayne you have to be getting paid by

Hallmark for the ass kissing your doing. That's one man's opinion. I taught at The Small

Mark Institute that's what we called it. I was there for 2 years and it was a very very silly

place. Wayne I had you as a student you know exactly what I'm talking about. The owner

of the school is a pimp this guy puts the term sleaze ball at whole new level. Ask him

about his $100,000 plus Porsche and $200,000 Benz and the Rolex then ask him why

is school so expensive. Then ask this guy why does he treat his staff like they are his

slaves

and they are so he thinks. There are so many things I saw in the 2 years I was there it

would take me a month to write it down and I would have to do therapy. I had a great time

with the students

it was all about the students for me. If I "got caught" their words not mind having lunch or

dinner with students or being with a student after school I would be fired. But I had

breakfast, lunch and

dinner with students I would go to their homes and they would come to mind. I would go

mountainbiking or rollerblading or running with students for the 2

years I was there. Because I was not going to let this psychopath tell me what to do on my

time. You will be taught the basics of photography there but, you can get that at a few

different schools in New England. I left that place to take a much better teaching job in

Boston. Anyway if ANYONE out there what to talk to me about anything I said here you call

me anytime. Thanks for your time, 617-568-9000

 

P.S. If my english is not perfect sorry about that. I'm very dyslexic.

[wayne wallace photography]

I second the Congrats to the new Class of '08 as well!

 

Be sure to stop by the http://www.hallmarkhipsters.net blog and sign up now that you're officially students.

 

To Tim Lynch:

I'm very surprised at your post. I thought you were a bigger person than this, very disappointed.

 

You were one of my favorite teachers while I was there. I still remember that little talk you gave during our first class and admired you from that day. You talked about being a leader, the 5 agreements and gave us a long quote which I don't have handy right now. This is not the guy that I head speak then. Was that a load of crap?

 

If you're sore about how George runs the school or have a bitch with him then take it up with him. Don't go dissing me and my school. I think highly of the school, George, and everyone I know from there and will always promote them and speak highly of them. Part of the value of my education at Hallmark is being a proud graduate and award winner so please don't diss the school because you have a gripe, you are hurting the students and graduates of that school the ones you say it's all about.

 

I will even forgive you because that's the kind of guy I am.

 

Re-examine your self buddy.

 

All the best,

Wayne

http://www.waynewallace.com

Proud '05 Graduate and Hipster<div></div>

[httpwww.photo.netphoto1664881874]

Wayne, First of all I will apologize to you for disrespecting you. You were gushing about

Hallmark and to me it sounded a little fishy. I know you had a great time their and I have

to say that you were one of the best students that I have ever had and I mean that. The

talks I

gave to you and the students about being leaders in the world was not a load of crap.

Leadership is learned behavior. And I said it before and I will say it again I loved the

students that I had at Hallmark. I will never forget them. If you could understand for a

minute what it was like to get kicked in the face by one of the most deeply twisted humans

that I have ever met. And you said something about if I have a problem George I should

bring it up with him. I would never speak to that zero again. I wish it had not ended like

that but it did. I know thats not your problem. I will say

that I saw your work online and it just gets better and better so keep up the good work.

Later,

Tim

[tom_appel]

So wait, is George Rosa a clown pimp or not? This is hard to follow.

[httpwww.photo.netphoto1664881874]

Tom, This is not hart to follow. I was taught by my parents that when you see injustice in the

world. Try to make it right. Try to make a different. Try to speak for the people who can't or

in this case won't out of fear. And have no fear at all. If that makes some people angry thats

just to bad. I don't like bullies at all, I never have. I was taught to speak my mind and its

always gotten me into trouble. It make know I'm alive. Later, Tim

[tom_appel]

Then you understand completely how I feel when a professional photographer insults an amateur's work. No one likes bullies.

[wayne wallace photography]

Tim,

 

I accept your apology, thank you.

 

Being a leader is tough job. Whether it's a person or a business when you are on top people are always trying to knock you down. When I worked for one of the most respected software companies in the industry people were always taking hacks at us and our products.

 

Being associated with Hallmark is no different for me. Personally I looked at all the schools out there and for me I felt like Hallmark was the best choice for me and I will always highly recommend it and stand behind it and George.

 

The one thing I've always respected about about great leaders is they never resort to bashing the competition or making changes. True leaders just keep doing what they do best. George is no different and has a tough position and the thing I always respected about him was his commitment to the school and the students. Whether that means changing the staff as he sees fit or providing the best facility and equipment possible.

 

It's true George likes nice things, don't we all, but that reflects in his running of the school too, he does his best to give the students the best equipment and education facility possible. I've watched George continuously upgrade the program and the equipment year after year and that was one of my motivations for attending Hallmark.

 

During a divorce whether it's in a marriage or from a company there will always be some hostility and hurt feelings. I know I've experienced them both but the bigger person always just moves on and tries to better himself and the people around him. Bashing someone is not the true sign of a leader. If you think your new place of employment is the best then do all you can to make it the best and have people rave about it like I do Hallmark.

 

I highly recommend Jim Collins, http://www.jimcollins.com/, and his teachings about leadership to everyone I know that cares about leadership. I've personally always tried to be a leader to those around me and I will do all I can to support the school and my fellow graduates.

 

Take care,

Wayne

http://www.waynewallace.com

[wayne wallace photography]

Tom,

 

Are you a student or thinking about Hallmark?

 

First off you need to take all postings about anything with the understanding that they are all biased. I'm a grad and big supporter of Hallmark so that's what you're going to get from me.

 

Others have other reasons for the things they say.

 

Ultimately you need to weigh all this and do your own homework and make your own decisions.

 

If I can help you in anyway please feel free to call me

 

Wayne,

http://www.waynewallace.com

[tom_appel]

Wayne,

Thanks, no, I am not a student, nor am I likely to become one, at least not at this level. I am full-time employed in another field, and have a family, so a school like those discussed here is out of the question. I am looking to learn, and have been looking for something beyond the photo-store clinics. I live in Chicago and have been looking--very casually--for something I can do weekends of evenings. I have been shooting enough that I have again gotten comfortable with my camera, but I have by no means mastered the digital fundamentals. Your stuff is impressive, by the way. Best of luck plying my hobby as your trade. Looks like a great life.

[wayne wallace photography]

Tom,

 

I was where you are back in 2001.

 

I made the jump into full time photography in 2002 and went to Hallmark in 2004/5, the best thing I've ever done.

 

Now I'm living my dream and do all I can to encourage others to follow their dream.

 

Thanks for the kind words on my work and future.

 

Cheers,

Wayne

http://www.waynewallace.com

[amberrae_johnson]

As far as George is concerned, it it unfair to him that you would be bringing up any

material items of which he may or may not own. He has worked hard and put everything

he has into Hallmark and he should beable to benefit from his accomplishments as he so

chooses without someone attemping to make him feel guilty for his hard earned success.

Anyone who pays attention can not argue with the fact that George does, in fact, make

investments in updating and building the school EVERY year. The school is costly but what

you need to understand is that if you apply all the knowledge you gain from hallmark into

your career after graduation, your financial income should easily allow you to make the

sudent loan payments, take care of living expenses, and make a profit. The people who

are more apt to have a problem with affording the school, are those who do not

successfully make it through the program. This is exactly why hallmark does such intense

screening in the admissions process, they do everything that they can to eliminate people

whom they do not feel will benefit in full from the program. I have not worked at hallmark,

so I do not know what it is like to have George as a boss, but I can say that I do not believe

the aligations you're making against him, and I believe you're out of line. I CAN SAY,

however, that I was a student there.... and not only was Georges office door always open

for students and they were more than welcome to talk to him about anything, but he

doesn't forget about them when they leave. George has remained in touch with me at least

monthly since the day I graduated. Where else can you go to recieve and education and the

PRESIDENT OF THE SCHOOL, with all his agenda and heavy work load, takes time out to be

in contact with graduates just to see how things are going and offer advice. I am a proud

graduate of hallmark to ends that I can not even explain and the school did a 180 for my

life and future. If you have any questions about life as a hallmark student, feel free to

email me at ARJ@AmberRaePhotographics.com, I would be more than happy to share my

story.

[jules_johns]

Hey, <br>

I personally think that everyone needs to stop discussing George and personal grievances etc. etc. on this forum. Getting in a tizzy isn't going to help, I can speak from experience as something similar happened right before I went to Hallmark. This forum is supposed to help people looking into going to Hallmark, and while information on the people running the school is useful, I don't think that the previous posts really have helped anything. There are more professional ways to say that you don't like the leadership of the school, but if it is a person grudge or dislike of one person, please keep it off the board. The same goes for the opposite, if you're gushing about how much you love the school so much that it sounds almost irrational it's probably not going to help. I think that if you want to gush, go ahead, say how much to love it, but then list out the reasons and somethings you didn't like. Keep it balanced. There will always be biased posts, but hopefully people will be able to find good information to help make the right decision for them. <br>

- Jules

[amberrae_johnson]

To Jules Johns: I am sorry that you feel that the above posts are unrealistic, but the many

people that agree with them, and there are a great deal of people who do, don't have

anything bad to say about Hallmark. I personally, cannot think of ANYTHING I would

change or believe the school should do differently. Don't get me wrong, there is always

room to improve, however, that does not mean there is always reason for complaints.

Hallmark is an outstanding school, point blank. This forum was created as an

informational source for prospective students and I agree that individual personality

differences or dislikes of any of the staff or alumi, no matter what their position, should be

left off. This forum is not titled "What do you think of the president of Hallmark?" so I am

unsure as to why anyone would believe they had any business in bringing him into this

discussion, but being as he had been targeted, I and others, out of enormous respect to

the school, and the president, have and will continue to defend what we hold such value

in. As far as your post is concerned, I can not comprehend how you state that we're all in a

"tizzy" and that we're unprofessional by defending our school, when you, in fact, are

simply in a "tizzy" of your own sort. Maybe you should be more clear of your opinion or

eaborate so that we may better understand.

 

I respect you as a fellow alumni, but I do not agree with or understand in full as to the

purpose of your post.

[jules_johns]

Hello AmberRae, <br>

I never said that I thought anything unrealistic at all. I know that we all love the school, myself included, I could gush (and probably have, if you read the whole forum) but I don't think that getting into an argument about it helps anything or is professional. Everyone has to realize that there will be people who don't like the school and that's their opinion. So what? We don't have to defend the school and tear that opinion to shreds. That is not right. Let everyone say what they think, that is after all what we're doing. I just think that we shouldn't say things like Tim Lynch's first post and Wayne's response to it. To me that is personal arguments and saying things about George being a twisted individual or being disappointed in Tim, isn't appropriate. We had a similar thing going on earlier with a person who didn't like Hallmark the responses to him. <br><br>

 

What I meant about listing all the things you like and then listing some you didn't, I didn't mean complaints if you don't have any about the school, but you could list some improvements you'd like to see OR complaints about other parts of the experience. Things like housing, things to do in the area, ability to find models, anything. I'm sure that no one had absolutely no trouble at all in everything involved. I feel that we need to present a balanced look at it. I loved the school and going there was wonderful, but I personally said some of the things I didn't like as well. When I was looking into Hallmark myself, I wanted to hear some things that weren't perfect as well as all the good things so I could get a clear picture of what to expect. A few complaints or notes about things that could be improved didn't keep me from going, in fact they made me more willing to go because I felt I was getting an honest view of the place. Does that make sense to you? I mean no disrespect to anyone or the school. I love Hallmark and would recommend it in a heartbeat, but it's not perfect either.<br><br>

 

I appologize for the word "Tizzy", I couldn't think of the correct word to use. I really just did not want the arguments about George to get out of hand because I agree that we shouldn't be discussing hi on this board. Perhaps I am not agreed with, but thank you for respecting me. I hope I have explained what I meant better. Also, when I spoke of being unprofessional, I was referring mostly to Tim's posts than to you or Wayne. You both are a good part of this forum and have provided great information. My main goal with what I said was to try to keep the argument about George from getting out of hand. Tim's post was refuted, and George was defended, and I hope that the forum will move on from this issue.<br>

 

Thanks!<br>

- Jules

[amberrae_johnson]

Jules, Thank you for elaborating. I certainly have a better idea as to what you meant by

your original post.

 

I have a deeper comprehension as to where you were coming from at this point and

appreciate your quick response.... I just want to make sure we all understand the

importance of us supporting our school, the people who work there, and our alumni alike,

it only benefits the alumni and future graduates to do so, and hallmark is, in fact, an

excellent photography school.

 

Thank you for being active and addressing your concerns as a hallmark graduate and for

your kind words concerning Wayne Wallace and myself.

[sharon_m2]

Hi. I've been following this thread for a little while now..

this is going to sound crazy but..I am from Ireland.I want to emigrate to America next

June/July but it's not just me,my dog is coming too..the thing is I've been looking for a

college such as Hallmark, I am ready to work my ass off and pour everything into this and

if I had any doubts about packing my stuff and leaving... Hallmark has cleared them, I'm

probably viewing it throgh rose tinted glasses due to my disappointment in the Irish

education and job opportunity system {in case no-one here knows, Ireland is pretty much

being taken over by polish immigrants and they're getting more rights than Irish citizens

do..anyway back to the point, this is a huge move and and I need advice, of course I need

accomodation and of course college campus' [i presume] would not allow dogs. She won't

be left behind and I will put her before my education and career, if she does'nt get into

america then neither do I [avid pet owners will understand what I mean]. I'm not sure

about buying a property, though I have the funds to do so, I never thought about living in

the middle of Boston...I need to be near the coast [absolute surfing fanatic] I just turned

21 and having a mid-life crisis!!any advice/comments are deeply appreciated...

[wayne wallace photography]

Sharon,

 

You're making the right choice for sure!

 

Have you ever heard of burning your bridges or boats behind you so you can't retreat? This is talked about in some motivational books about Alexander the Great and other leaders and how they motivated people to to win the battle.

 

Anyway, make your decision and go after it with all you have. That's what I did and I'm so glad I did. Don't let anything or anyone get in your way.

 

Many of my classmates had dogs and they did bring them to school on occasion, they make great subjects. You just need to find a house that will allow them which shouldn't be a problem. TIP: You want to live as close as possible to the school while attending as you will be there a lot.

 

If you've not checked out the http://www.hallmarkhipsters.net blog do so. You will find lots of current students and alumni posting there. It inspires me daily.

 

Best of luck in your move and if I can be of any help just let me know.

 

Cheers,

http://www.waynewallace.com

[floyd_kendall1]

Hi Sharon

I am a current student at Hallmark and would be happy to answer any questions you may have about the school . Is early in the year but will do my best to help you out .

Good luck Floyd

[sharon_m2]

Thank you for comments!!

Just to ask, I sent an e-mail to admissions at the institute wondering when should I send

an application because I know it is in high demand, I want my foot in the door as early as

possible, and I'm waiting for a response, I need to know, how soon do they ask for an

interview after you send an application because if it is a personal interview, I'll be flying

over on a 6 hour flight and just to go for an interview would probably cost about $2000!!

Should I fly over in person and hand in an application and have the interview then and

there or what?

Floyd:youre just after starting so could you tell me do you have much time in the

evenings? I don't want to neglect my dog and I'd consider hiring a dog-sitter for when I'm

in the college but when I come home after, I was wondering will I have time to take her for

walks, drive to the coast to surf etc etc.any comments on this are much appreciated

[floyd_kendall1]

Hi Sharon ,

You should not have to come to Hallmark for the interview , mine was done over the phone . As for the time in the evening , right now there is plenty of time after school to take your dog for a walk . I don't know about later on maybe someone else who has been through it can answer that. I know that there is people here who have pets and other that have families so if you plan your time right you should be able to do it . The staff is good about getting your information to you but if you have any questions , I would not hesitate to call them and find out .

Hope that help , let me know how it goes .

Floyd