alexie_jenkins

I would highly recommend taking a class. I agree that 1-2 day seminars are not going to be that helpful if you're just getting started. I would recommend a 10-week class at an art/design college (e.g. extension course) or a community college - they're not that expensive (e.g. $60-400). When I finally took one a couple of years ago (after reluctantly giving up shooting, developing, and printing film), I was glad I did. Instead of trying to figure out everything myself, the instructor led us through the basics and was available to answer questions. There were things in Photoshop that I would have probably not even known about if it weren't for the class. We had weekly assignments with specific goals (e.g. learning to use the clone tool, adjust color balance, scan film, etc) - that kept me on track and gave me enough time to practice without being frustrated. I'm still no digital expert but much better off having taken a class.

This topic has come up a lot at WPPI seminars. Several top photographers - the ones who charge $10K+ for a wedding - say that you have to learn to let go of certain parts of your business if you want to be successful. If your talent and passion is shooting then you need to learn to let go of the things you don't enjoy (e.g. accounting, Photoshop work, etc). By focusing your time on the things you do well and love, you can grow your business and be happier. I know this is easier said than done and it's probably a gradual process for most people but I think it's valid advice.

"I had it brainwashed into me by my last 3 real employers... They used the word "permitted" since if anyone was found to have done anything beyond confirm employment and salary (if asked), their career would have been very limited."

 

This comment made me laugh because I can relate. When I left a company 3 jobs ago, the woman in HR informed me that no one at the company was allowed to give me a reference. They can only confirm that I worked there. Even though I knew this, I played dumb and said to her "But you ask for references." She had no response. :) This system seems to work for bad employees and against good employees.

I second the "WOW!" I've never encountered this situation but good to know!

I know a lot of professional photographers but I'm pretty sure that most of them do not have official degress in photography. I do think there are numerous advantages in attending a school with a good curriculum though. Not only do you get up to speed on the basics quickly (e.g. lighting techniques), you also get feedback on your work, get to meet and network with other up-and-coming photographers, get to try out equipment, get advice from instructors who are often working photographers, etc. I don't believe that the program has to be expensive for it to be worthwhile and I don't believe you have to finish the program - just go as far as you think is useful to you, to develop the tools you need.

I would highly recommend checking out your local community and state colleges, universities, and art schools - most of them will have summer programs, extension programs, or continuing education programs. Go visit the campus, check out the facilities, and talk to some of the students who currently go there. I've been at some great schools with great teachers but also great schools with horrible teachers so ask about the instructors.

 

A good photography program does NOT have to be expensive. When I first started out, I paid $18 per unit for a 3-unit Into to Photography class during a 10-week summer session. All you needed was a manual camera (you can buy one cheap on Ebay these days) and slide film! I had the time of my life. Although you should go out and shoot for yourself, the assignments gave me structure and focus. I actually learned a lot about the city I lived in and got some amazing photos. I've also taken 10-week extension classes at nearby design schools. You get the same instructor and facilities that regular students pay $10,000 in tuition for but you pay only $400 per class. The extension and continuing education classes are more lax but I think that's a good thing when you're just getting started. When you finish high school, you can look into a more serious photography program.

 

I know that even though a lot of photography is digital now, learning to shoot film will help you be a better photographer. I've talked to a lot of master photographers and they are depressed by the fact that a lot of new photographers are sloppy. They don't understand proper exposure, etc - they just shoot and assume they will fix it in Photoshop. Although some of this is true, you don't want to use it as a crutch. Photoshop is a tool.

 

I am so envious of you just starting out! Just remember to have fun, to shoot often and experiment with your photography!

I think adding a slideshow with some music would be a good start - photography is very visual and weddings are very emotional - let your web site help you do more business! I think investing some money in either hiring a web designer or finding some place that has templates geared towards photography sites would be a good business investment. Good luck!

You can definitely do much, MUCH better. I'm not sure what your budget is but there are a huge range of tools, services, etc. out there for photographers and photography. I am only familiar with the more high-end (i.e. expensive) resources like bigfolio.com and photoidentities.com but hopefully someone else here can name some companies with more budget-friendly alternatives...

Oops - duh - I meant o say it's NOT legal to use music for marketing, advertising, promotion, etc. without permission or some kind of license.

I used to work for a big music company and it is legal to use copyrighted music for marketing, advertising, promotion, etc. without permission or some kind of license. Yeah, you could probably get away with it but that doesn't mean you should do it. Music companies are desperate to find new ways to make money with the decline of CD sales and it would not surprise me that their next big revenue stream is suing businesses for illegal use of music - LOL. There are a lot of affordable music licensing sites. I just read a blog about a couple of them: <a href="http://www.heygirlniceshot.com">www.heygirlniceshot.com</a>

Years ago I worked for one of the big music companies. It was quite depressing actually. :) Licensing any major label artists is virtually impossible, esp. for non-broadcast use, because one, their systems are not set up for it, and two, there's just not enough money in it for them to bother with it. I once saw a flowchart that had about 20 steps for getting approval for licensing a major artist's song - ugh. And all the deals are done essentially by negotiation, who you know, who you are, etc. I still know people in the industry and they tell me little has changed even with all the new technologies, etc. When a national commercial uses a 15-second clip of a major artist, there is no formula for how much it costs so it varies widely but the magnitude is like $60K. So it is highly unlikely that a song has been legally licensed when you hear a "popular" song on a photographer's web site. I guess not impossible because maybe the photographer is friends with the artist and the artist happens to own the rights to their music - which is unfortunately rare if you've heard the song on the radio. I think Dave Matthews now owns the rights to his music so I guess you can contact him. Prince now owns his music. But the majority are owned by the labels or some big, bad organization. :) Anyway, as a photographer, I would hate it if someone stole and used my work so I personally would feel guilty stealing another artist's work. I've heard of a lot of royalty free music sites, some better quality than others, at recent seminars and on blogs so it's not like there are no legal choices now.

I just mentioned Santa Monica Community College in another post and then saw this question. Santa Monica community college has an excellent reputation for its photography program. I heard about them originally from a celebrity photographer based in Los Angeles and I had the opportunity to take some classes many, many years ago. At the time I had no idea that they were actually a well-respected program. I mean it's a community college but I guess it's misleading in terms of quality. Only recently have I heard from big-named photographers that they have an excellent program. I've studied at the Art Academy in SF (again, a long, long time ago) and Santa Monica College is not as fancy but it's a solid, affordable program. You won't be paying back student loans for a decade. It's expensive enough with all the equipment you have to buy without having to pay thousands in tuition.

 

I would definitely talk to some students there. One thing I've found at every school I've been to is that there are good instructors and there are not-so-good instructors - it makes all the difference!

Creative fields like photography can be tougher to make a living at but I think you need to follow your passion. If photography is something you love, you're more likely to be successful at it - and you'll be a lot happier! My personal opinion is that you don't need a fancy degree or a fancy school or an expensive diploma to be a great photographer or a successful photographer. Unlike other fields, no one is going to ask to see your transcript before they hire you. They just need to see that your portfolio is amazing. A lot of the big name photographers learned a lot of it on their own. However, it doesn't mean that school is not important. You still need to learn about lighting for example.

 

I've been told by many well-known photographers that Santa Monica College in Southern California, for example, has an excellent photography program. It's a vocational school and it only costs something like $20 per unit (a bit more if you are not a California resident). You can easily spend many thousands of dollars for tuition at one of the fancy art colleges and it may or may not be worth it. Do your research and check out the programs for yourself - just know there are options that don't require you to be paying off student loans for a decade! Good luck!