Opinions about the Art Instittute.

[mike_tornero]

Im wondering if anyone has any experience with or has any imput about the Art Institute's photography program. I

am very interested in taking classes there and obtaining my bachelors in photography with them. however, the one

thing holding me back is that it will cost me 80,000 at the end with all the student loans and with no guarantee of a

job. So im curious to see if anyone has gone through the program or has any imput about them. Its a lot of money

but i've taken a tour of the campus and it seems really legit. I currently live in Las Vegas, Nevada and its the only

Bachelors in photography in my area with out moving away. Also if anyone knows of any alternatives for a degree in

photography I would be delighted to know about them.

 

Thank you for your time.

Mike Tornero

[robert_hall2]

Go back through the older posts where I have written several replies to questions like yours. If you cannot find them, write again. To answer your question briefly, photography is a tough choice for a career. You should not be discouraged, but enter "eyes wide open." I would get a job with a photographer who does the kind of work you would like to do, just to make sure you know what you are doing.

[robert_hall2]

Well, I searched and did not find what I was looking for. I will have to rewrite it for you. This time I will put it in a document I can save.

[wclark5179]

I would recommend you join the PPA and attend their trade show, discovering photographers who see the world the

same as you and, if a particular one offers, in depth seminars, usually lasting up to 5-7 days in length. Find a

photographer in your city who would hire you or let you work for them. Discover what it means to run a successful

photography business.

 

I find many photographers who can take pretty good pictures but know or care or desire what it takes to run a business.

I'm not at all afraid to tell you that I enjoy making money in the business. Awards, kudos, winning print competitions are

fine but it's hard to get a bank to accept for deposit a trophy or certificate. Maybe for some, one will lead to another but I

have found that to be the rare case.

 

Find someone who could be your coach and mentor. Even the best, like Tiger Woods has a Coach, someone to help

them along the way. I believe we all need a coach to help us with our journey here on earth.

 

Best to Your Success!

[short1]

I agree with Bill Clark and Bob Hall ( who are apparently professionals ) particularly regarding an elite photographer in

your area for whom who can work ( and -correct me if I'm wrong, Bob and Bill - expect to do a great deal of "scut"

work, with your hands rarely touching a camera - this is based on my daughter's experience as a photographer's

paid assitant. It makes sense, as clients hire the photographer - not his assistants - to do the work ). I'm pursuing

the alternative - taking formal training with the most prominent photographer in my immediate area. There is, of

course, a fee, but I'll have a camera in my hands, and I'll be tutored in PS. As an old timer - a film photographer - I

need recurrency training in digital. As solid as the tutorials on PN may be, you have to get out into the real world ,

with some form of guidance, to refine your technique...and to see if this is your life's calling. As Bill indicated,

professional photography is a business, and a highly competative one - as well as, at times, tedious, your artistic

inclinations suppressed as you photograph court houses and such in various stages of development, or the lay of the

land for contractors. It's not all fashion and portrait shoots. I'm not a professional, and doubt I'd ever have the

talent,patience, and the ability to develop a client base to ever have become one. I like taking photos as an adjunct

endeavor to fine art. I think the message through-out this forum is: Before you lay out $80,000, be certain of what

you're getting into. ( By the way, $80,000 is quite a hefty sum for a photgraphy cirriculim. Is it really that expensive?

For $40,000 more, you could get an M.D. Of course, that has it's downside too, and I really didn't know what I was

getting into.)

[natalya1]

$80.000 does sound like an awful lot for an Art Institute. For that money, you can go to a good private 4-year school and

get your degree there. And from the commercials that they run on TV, I had an impression that the Art Institute was

supposed to be faster track than a traditional 4-year college, and also less expensive per year... Otherwise, why go there?

It is strange that you say there is no other photography program in the area, even my tiny private university has a BA and

an MA in photography...

I actually just e-mailed the Art Institute to inquire about their tuition and fees, I'm in Houston, not Vegas, but I suspect their

prices are about the same, will try to return and update this when I get their reply.

[christina_becude]

Mike:

 

I too investigated the photography program offered by the Art Institute of Charleston. Like you, spending $80,000.00 on a degree and no promise of a job definitely scared me away. I've been looking at School of Visual Arts in NYC, and have found they offer a lot more in terms of experience and different avenues in photography. While narrowing down the school options, I have been taking classes at a local studio. Granted I'm not getting a degree, but it seems that some of the best photographers out there dont have a degree.....just a thought! Best of Luck!

 

Christina

[catherinevankempen]

Mike,

 

Please please please do not spend $80 000 on a bachelors in photo. If you have a chunk saved up or you have your parents helping you maybe, but please do not take out that much in loans. I put myself through college and ended up with not quite that high an amount but I'm getting there. I have to pay over $800 a month just to for my loans. Forget buying a house, saving, going on vacations, some months you can even forget about eating.

 

Find a nice little, or not so little, state or community college where you can get a BA or a BFA, develop your technical skill, find your own way of shooting and then, if you are still way into it and have found that you have talent, go to a good school to get your MFA and if necessary spend the big bucks there.

 

That's what I should have done.

 

And don't forget that art is an insanely expensive degree to get when it comes to all your supplies. Most, if not every, program will have you taking painting, sculpture, drawing, digital photography, traditional photography, non silver, ... plus all your electives that I can assure you you will want to dabble in, print making, installation, ceramics. It is all so fun and I wouldnt have missed it for the world but I would have found a cheaper way to do it.

 

Good luck,

Catherine