haley_ivey Posted December 19, 2007 Share Posted December 19, 2007 Congrats Chris...I also received my acceptance letter about 2 weeks ago..I can't wait to attend hallmark. I look forward to meeting you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floyd_kendall1 Posted December 22, 2007 Share Posted December 22, 2007 Congrats Chris and Haley I am current student at Hallmark and would be happy to answer any questions you might have about the school. Floyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqueline_morrison Posted December 27, 2007 Share Posted December 27, 2007 i'm a little late in replying maria.. but from what i've checked out unfortunately from canada it seems the closest airport i can access is boston!! thanks though :) if anyone's on myspace feel free to add me. (i'm a huge geek) http://www.myspace.com/allthegoodnamesaretaken23 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gidgetsgallery Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 Hi everyone. Thanks for the great info (less the drama, lol). I am enrolled in the class of 2009. I am very excited and can't wait to start!:) Anyone else out there attending 2008/2009?? Gidget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharon_m2 Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hey Gidget Ill be attending the 2008/2009 class, looking forward to meeting you and all other future attendees! Ill be moving to America in June, sorting out the housing in Turners Falls then spending some time in California,then back to North Carolina to surf the outer banks for a while before retreating hopefully to Costa Rica for a month before college starts! Anyone that knows of a place to rent in outer banks close to surf please please contact me..Dog is coming too so she'll be available for modelling, she charges a small fee though and shes kinda high maintenance... Sharon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gidgetsgallery Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hey Sharon! Sounds like a great time before classes begin. I'm sure you will have loads of fun. Does you dog surf, too? lol I am bringing my cat, and she is afraid of people. So no kitty model here. lol Can't wait to meet everyone and start...Gidget<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janet_davis Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 I'm interested in Hallmark, but I'm wondering about older students. Any silver-hairs there? Is everyone pretty friendly and non-judgmental? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne wallace photography Posted January 15, 2008 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Hi Janet, I decided to change careers and go back to school at 39. I was also not the oldest person in my class, I think the oldest was 53. Hallmark does a good job of integrating the class and mixing you up with different people throughout the program. I have many friends of all ages from my class. I enjoyed having a mix of younger and older people, we all learn from each others viewpoints, energy and knowledge. Feel free to contact me if you'd like any more info about Hallmark and or my experience. http://www.waynewallace.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
floyd_kendall1 Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Hi Janet, I am a current student at Hallmark and am 44 years old. I had some reservations about the age thing but the people are great. I have friends that range in age from 19 to 55, you get to work with all of these people everyday and get to know them very well. Don't the age thing get in your way if you really want to go. Floyd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juanita_hong Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Hi Everyone! I went to visit the school over the weekend and I have to say it was really amazing. I'm a bit nervous about the price...it's $50,000 for the 10 months. I know everything is included, but it's still rough. Especially since I have no support from my family and I would have to do this all on my own. I'm wondering if I should go ahead and apply or spend that same amount or even less for a graduate school in photography and receive a master's degree. Any thoughts? And are there any current students around? If so, I would love to speak to you guys! :-D Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_b5 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 To all the Hallmark graduates that have posted on this thread, I have some questions I hope you are willing to answer: - How many of you own your own business rather than work for (or assist) someone else? - Those of you who own your business or studio, what was your gross income for 2007 on photography alone? - Those of you who work for someone else (photography related), what was your gross income for 2007? - Those of you who work for someone else, is it full time with insurance benefits? - Did your experience at Hallmark lead you to financial success? (I define financial success as being able to afford a modest mortgage, car payments and health insurance via a steady income). - If you had it to do over again, would you still have attended Hallmark knowing then what you know today? Why? I would ask that if you choose to answer, please answer all the questions that apply to your current situation, don't just pick whether you would do it over again. As someone interested in a career change, and seriously looking at Hallmark, it helps to see what lies ahead when deciding if the investment is worth it. One may say "its all what you make of it", but that is true of everything in life. As one who would need to quit his current "secure" career, sell his home and spend his savings to attend the school and have some capital left to invest in a studio, I have much to think about. Some have said its a "leap of faith"... but when you look at the prospect of being homeless, jobless and without insurance, its going to take a lot more than faith to be successful after graduation. Sometimes hard work isn't enough either. For the fall 2008 class, the cost of tuition is now 49K and students no longer get to keep the equipment they're issued after graduation (though the school claims they will sell it to you for a substantial discount). This is an increase of 12K over what the tuition was for the fall 2007 class (37K). At 12K / student @ 200 students, this is a profit increase of 2.4 million dollars for the school from last year. The last major addition/improvement to the school was in 2006. So does this concern anyone? Especially given the earlier comments by a former faculty member who now teaches for CDIA at Boston University. A program very similar to Hallmark, but approximately 20K cheaper. The operating costs certainly haven't increased nearly 2.5 million in just a single year. I'm not trying to insinuate anything, I'm just a very cautious individual and want to invest my money wisely. There seems to be a lot of staff turnover for a program that's been around for close to 40 years and collecting the tuition they do. Brooks institute was highly regarded until it was investigated for recruiting students under false pretenses. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C01E6DA143FF937A15754C0A9639C8B63 Any thoughts from graduates? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne wallace photography Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Hi Kevin, I run my own business in Las Vegas. After graduation in 2005 I worked for the Bellagio shooting weddings for a year or so until I got my business to the point that it could support me. Last year my business income was my sole income. My company is private not public so I don't need to reveal my income to anyone except the IRS, but I'll put it this way I made more last year than I did in my last corporate job before I went to school and I had a good job with one of the top software companies in the country. I would not go back to that career for double what I made last year. I changed to this career to have freedom to do what I want, how I want, and when I want. You can make as much as you want in photography. There are many different styles of businesses you can run such as portrait, commercial, volume, boutique, wedding, etc. It's really up to you and what you want to do. When I worked for the Bellagio I didn't make as much as I do on my own but it was a decent steady income and I had benefits and it got me started and I got that job because of Hallmark. You are going to make more in your own business no matter what field you work in. If you want to assist someone you don't really need to go to photography school because you are not going to be shooting, you will be carrying stuff and being a slave. I know some photographers that won't hire someone out of photography school to assist because they don't want a photographer they want an assistant. My thinking is why would you go to school and pay all that money if you want to go assist someone, I went to school to better my photography education and be a shooter not an assistant. I would not be where I am today without the experience, education and connections I made at school. As I've said many times in this thread and to others personally it's all about what you do with it just like any other education. If you work hard, are a smart business person, and do the right things you can be as successful as you want. I know photographers that make millions of dollars a year in their business, travel a lot and have great lives. I will tell you that your education will not stop at Hallmark, the industry is changing at light speed and even people that have been doing this for 25 years which talk with regularly are learning new things daily and improving their business and craft constantly. Hallmark will prepare you for this fast paced industry it's built into the program. If you can't handle the program you can't handle this industry. You can spend way over $50,000.00 dollars learning the business and trying to build a portfolio to market yourself, but I guarantee and will bet you anything you want, that you won't do it more efficiently in 10 months on your own or anywhere else than you would at Hallmark. I know a lot of Hallmark graduates from different years and don't know a single one that regrets their decision to go to Hallmark no matter what they are doing at this point. It's a life changing experience! Of course I wouldn't do it again for the education, I already have that, but for the experience of checking out of life for 10 months and working 24/7 on my portfolio I'd do it again in a heart beat. The inspirational and motivational environment Hallmark creates in their program can't be matched IMHO and I attended a few educational institutions before attending Hallmark and quit all of them because I felt they were a wast of my time and I could teach myself the same thing I was learning at their institutions. I changed careers at 39 and decided to go into this field while many old dogs were leaving this field because of digital. I tried on my own for 2 years to learn on my own and from assisting professional commercial photographers in San Francisco and realized quickly that I needed to go to school and kick start my new career because I was not getting anywhere fast. I considered Brooks but decided on Hallmark. Personally for me it was more about doing something I wanted to do no matter what it took, even if that meant making far less money in the the beginning which was true. After a 20 year career and making a good living I wasn't happy even making a lot of money, owning a house and living the good life, and I wanted to do something new with the rest of my life that made me happy. I suspect the same is true for you. I know photographers that do it for the purely for the money and I know photographers that do it for the love of the art, I'm the latter but I also like to make money too. I didn't make a lot of money starting out in my first career, no one does, no matter what school or type of career you get into. I took me 20 years to get to the same place I got to in just 3 years with my new career. You do need to make some important life changing decisions and you need to look inside and ask yourself why you want to do this and set realistic expectations and goals for yourself. This is not an easy business and you will need to work hard and make sacrifices if this is the field you want. It's a very competitive field and only the strong and smart survive. I don't know about the tuition these days, I suspect it will go up each year just as everything else in life does. I just raised my prices too. Any business that is growing and expanding is going to raise their prices. I don't know about CDIA but I highly doubt they compare to Hallmark no matter who is teaching there. Hallmark has 30 years of experience behind them and the money as you know to hire good people and do things right. Sure there are probably ex Hallmark staff members that have gone to teach at other schools but they didn't leave Hallmark because it was a bad school I can tell you that. Hallmark is constantly upgrading and improving their program to make it the best in the industry and that's something that I really respected and still respect about the way Hallmark is run. They don't just stay status quo and raise prices for nothing. It's good to be cautious and invest wisely - I don't blame you one bit. I'd say talk to everyone you can about this industry and the schools available and make the right decision for you. I'm sure if you wanted to sit down and talk with George Rosa before investing he would do that. Try that at any other school. George's door is wide open to students and graduates of the school. George is the real deal as well as a former student of the school, if thats not a testimony to his commitment to the school I don't know what is. Feel free to contact me if you want to talk to me personally about Hallmark. Wayne Wallace http://www.waynewallace.com HIPster '05 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_b5 Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Thanks Wayne for taking the time to respond and for understanding that I wasn't critizing the program. I've been following a number of your posts over the past year in this forum as well as at Hipsters and the blog on your website. I think you've become the unofficial pitch man for Hallmark! :) Your situation was so similar to my current one. While I no longer enjoy my current career, it does allow me to live comfortably and affords me peace of mind should tragedy strike (employer contributed health insurance and retirement pensions have a way of doing that). These are about the only positives that come from my career anymore... for the most part, I dread going to work each day. The idea of altering my current standard of living to accomodate a new career is not a problem for me. Nor is the commitment to work my *$$ off to make a living and pay the bills. Change is not something I'm scared of. What I am afraid of, and this is something the younger crowd doesn't yet relate to, is the thought of being diagnosed with prostate cancer two years down the road and not having adequate insurance coverage. Money is not everything. But I certainly don't want to trade a life of stress caused by the job for a life of stress caused by financial woes. When you're 39, starting over financially at square one is a little daunting after you've already worked hard for 20 years to put the issue to rest. Any other 30 - 40 something Hallmark veterans want to share their experiences, success stories and how they addressed similar concerns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne wallace photography Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Hi Kevin, Glad to be of help. I know exactly what you are going through. I was right where you are today and making the jump is the best thing I ever did. One thing is for sure you and I are going to die one day. Personally, I don't worry about the future, my previous life was causing me more stress and illness than my new life. The thing I did fear was later in life looking back and saying I wonder what would have happened if I had followed my dreams. Don't hold yourself back from pursuing your dreams no matter what they are, this is the reason why I'm so vocal about my experience because I waited so long to go after my dreams. I wish I had done it at a much younger age. Before jumping I would watch shows and read about mountain climbers, athletes, artists, etc. and hear them talk about following their dreams no matter what, they were so passionate and happy and some even faced death doing what they did. I was like wow, that's great I want to be like that. I'm glad you've found my posts and websites helpful, that's why I do what I do. It's sounds like you're in the right position. I would highly recommend a visit to the school and see for yourself why Hallmark is different. If you can time your visit with the student open house that's an amazing event put on by the current student body. If I lived closer I would go every year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gidgetsgallery Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 To Kevin B, Just a few thoughts that might help you make your decision. Sometimes no amount of information about someone else's life no matter how much details you receive will help you make a right choice for you. What you could ask yourself is: What quality of life do I want? Is pursuing my life's passion of (photography)going to get me to that quality of life? If you look at those answers and still can't get pass the fear of the "what if" it may not be the right time for you to make such a change in your life. Life is strange and sometimes it is predictable. Maybe looking forward to the quality of changes that could happen in your life instead of the fear of what could happen might make it easer to make your choice. I only offer this as a different way to view your situation. I too am making this decision. I too am an older student. I too will be getting loans. I made this decision solely based on the fact that I can not see myself not following my passion one day longer. I have chosen to take the risk of change and am embracing the uncertainty. Whatever your decision, I hope you the best in your life! Gidget Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maria_powers Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Kevin, You have incredibly practical questions that I only wish a cros section of graduates would have answered for us before my husband attending Hallmark (graduated 2006). Wayne has a great story, but I would venture to guess that his is an exception. It's wonderful to follow your dreams, as Gidget said, but it is neccessary to think about practical issues (such as paying a mortgage) as well. We own our business in a small city in California and grossed less than $10K last year. In the area that we live in, there simply are no jobs in photography (outside of Lifetouch, which pays about $8-$10 a hour last time I checked). Our experience at Hallmark has definitely not lead to financial success (yet). But, would I do it all over again? I can't answer that yet. I'm hoping our situation will change in the next couple years. ...I'd be too embarrassed to answer those questions if I wasn't aware of how many graduates are in a similar situation. We know of very hardworking graduates who struggled to make ends meet working in portrait and commercial studios and then either got laid off, switched back to old jobs, or who moved back home with their parents, because coupling the meager income of a new photographer (even in a big city) with heavy student loan debt was overwhelming. I really hope other graduates will answer your questions honestly. Thank you for asking. Good luck in your decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne wallace photography Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Maria, I would beg to differ. I'm no different than anyone else and anyone can do what I've done, in fact I'm willing to teach you or anyone else everything I know. I moved to a city where I didn't know a single person. I worked hard as a slave for someone else. I worked overtime getting my name out there and marketing myself and built my business one customer at a time. I started with old sub pro equipment, a Canon D60 and couple of lights. I lived modestly and made personal sacrifices, but on the business side I put almost every dime back into the business and I didn't stop my education after Hallmark. I studied business and marketing materials, paid coaches and mentors, talked with established photographers, went to conferences, and just plain worked like a mad man. The end result is that I made enough to pay off all my debts, quit working the day job, and bought all new pro equipment. If you want to learn some of my secrets for success check out http://www.photographymarketingsecrets.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharron_j Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Hi Everyone, I have an interview on wednesday (March 5) and I'm looking forward to it! I'm also wondering how it is for (much) older students, however, I'm ready to take the plunge if accepted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_gilbert Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 I'm a current student @ Hallmark - i'm looking to sell camera equipment so I can upgrade, so if anyone is interested definetly let me know. my email is rob@fenixfire077.com - for students attending 2008-2009 - this is all the equipment you're going to have to buy! and it is all in excellent condition. so if you're interested in saving a ton of money, do what i should have done, buy this equipment from a current student. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin_b5 Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Rod, I think you are going to be out of luck. The folks at Hallmark (Tracy Carner) informed me that fall 2008 students will be issued all of their equipment to use and won't be required to purchase any. The down side is the students won't be allowed to keep it when they graduate and the tuition is signficantly higher for 2008 - 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_considine Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 I've been following this thread for a few months now and it's provided a lot of great information, but I'm especially grateful for Maria's response. Hearing about someone for whom things haven't quite gone as planned has opened up a whole new bunch of questions for me. For example, since Hallmark students spend 40% of their time on business and are supposed to come out with a solid business plan, where did things go wrong? Was it a flaw in that business plan? A change in circumstances? Bad luck? I'm another midlife career changer and I've got an interview scheduled on the 21st. I don't know if it will work out (it is an awful lot of money, after all), but I'm sure going to give it a try. I've had a few photos published already and have gotten good feedback on my work, but I'm looking for that huge dose of self-confidence that comes from being put through the wringer and coming out intact. For me, that's the one missing piece. Bottom line for me? Hallmark isn't the only way to get where I want to go, but it sure seems like the fastest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne wallace photography Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 Peter, I've answered just about every question on this thread so I won't go into all that again except to say that you nailed it. "I'm looking for that huge dose of self-confidence that comes from being put through the wringer" You can learn a lot on your own as I did and possibly even make it big time on your own, but when you pay the money and make the commitment to put in the effort to complete the Hallmark program you will have something much more than a piece of paper and knowledge. Sure my piece of paper looks cool on my wall but the credentials I have from being associated with Hallmark as a graduate of the program as well as my actual 10 month experience and the connections I've made as a result of going are priceless. Business is business, no matter how you slice it. No matter where you get your education you will still be out in the real world afterwards and it's up to you to create and run a profitable business that you can live on or go work for someone else that knows how to do that. I've studied business intensely before and after Hallmark and developed a system that works for me. I'm doing all I can to educate and help my fellow Hallmark alumni on the business side of photography through my site http://www.photographymarketingsecrets.com Good luck and feel free to call me if you'd like to talk to me personally. Wayne Wallace http://www.waynewallace.com HIPster '05 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharron_j Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Hi Everyone, I had my interview on March 5th and I'm soooo excited! I had a wonderful and informative time and I didn't want to leave. I was in awe--from what I saw--Hallmark is state of the art and I see myself attending, learning, and becoming a top rate photographer. Sharron J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wayne wallace photography Posted March 19, 2008 Share Posted March 19, 2008 Hi Sharron, Congrats! We just had a big alumni gathering and photo shoot here in Las Vegas. I managed to gather about 50 people, alumni, models and stylists and we had a great time. Be sure to check out http://www.hallmarkhipsters.net for more images being posted over the coming weeks.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharron_j Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 Thanks Wayne, The Alumni pics from Las Vegas are absolutely beautiful!!! Looks like everyone was having and great time together. I received my acceptance letter today!!!!! I am so excited--just a few more steps and my place will be secure. Others may want a vacation, however, I wish September 3rd was next month--I'm ready to get started. On the calm side (smile), I have housing and financial aid to secure, so it's a good thing that Sept is still some months away. Good Luck to all that are applying to Hallmark for the class of 2009!!! Sharron J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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