So, you are an aspiring street photographer? Street photography has become an important part of your life, and now you want to shift your passion to the next level and want to study Photography? Forget about it. I had exactly the same thoughts a few years ago. Here are the reasons from my personal point of view that changed my mind.
Making a living as a commercial photographer these days can be tough. But trying to keep the lights on at “for-profit” schools that teach photography to budding professionals ain’t no picnic, either. Just ask anybody who used to work for Brooks Institute in California or Hallmark Institute of Photography here in Massachusetts.
Here's a video from 2011 in which respected Los Angeles-based social documentary photographer John Free vents about his personal frustration with photographic education.
A few weeks ago, we shared what 7 top photographers said they wished they had learned in school. Unsurprisingly, many mentioned a desire to have learned more about business and marketing. But beyond the selection of course subject, there is a more fundamental aspect of learning in the 21st century that should be addressed.
Recently, I attended a lecture by Dr. Yong Zhao, a renown researcher in education, who has espoused many progressive ideas about the education system and how it is failing us. His thoughts made me reconsider the role of school for photographers and other creatives. Here’s what you really should be learning in photo school.
Mystery semi-solved. Singer and recently-infamous celebrity Miley Cyrus' baffling sale of a used Nikon N80 SLR on eBay last week might have been part of her plan to consolidate into a digital, Canon-based workflow.
At least we can surmise as much from a recent Rolling Stone interview in which the former teen queen revealed that she considered going to photography school as part of a career reboot after her smash run on Disney's "Hannah Montana" show ended in 2011.