Expert: Don Wood - 4/5/2011

Question
I'm a 20 year old student from Portland, OR, aspiring to work in the photography field. I've been a photographer since i got my hands on an instant camera when i was 10. It's all I want to do. I know it's a challenging career to launch and run successfully. I also know it's a very relational career, and marketing yourself properly if the most important skill to master. My question is how can I best prepare myself for this not-so-stable career commitment (education wise, experiences)? It it wise/necessary to get a degree for this career? Is there anything I can do right now while I'm in school to help myself become a better photographer for the future?
Response is greatly appreciated :)

Answer
Stay in school. Take as many business courses as you can. STAY IN SCHOOL. What area of photography do you most prefer. Groups, portraits, weddings, etc. Or is it advertising? What about stock photos which are merchandised by a photo representative? Of course, you will need to have a basic photography background before you determine upon your field of interest. Take as many photo courses as possible. You might investigate the possibility of a training experience such as New York Institute of Photography, (http://www.nyip.com/) a correspondence school, which will give you a good overview of the various fields. Brooks Institute of Photography, (http://www.brooks.edu/) not a correspondence school, based in California is a pricy course but it does give much good training.
This field is very suited to be an extra part-time job, since most of your weddings are celebrated on the weekends, (Friday evenings, Saturday or Sunday). Scheduling portrait sessions is at your convenience. You will not be dependent upon your photos to provide the rent, food, living expenses, car expenses, equipment needs, etc. Then after your photo net income greatly exceeds the amount that you receive from the day job and you have built up a nest egg of at least 6 months to pay your bills during your off-season you can consider the rest of your career. Bear in mind that the portrait/wedding/group studio is very much determined by the economy. In a down-economy such as now people will exclaim over your pretty, awesome photos but when faced with having to buy food, pay the rent, which gets the short shrift? You can survive your initial training/venture but it is difficult unless you have as much knowledge as you can get and can ease into your photo career through part-time work.
I hope I've helped. If you have further questions, please ask in this venue.
Good Luck!
Don