Expert: David Silver - 4/5/2006

Question
David,

Here's a question and answer we exchanged back in 2002.

Expert: David Silver
Date: 9/17/2002
Subject: Photography Education and Career

Question
David,

My son is a high school senior with a very strong interest and passion for photography. He has shown great talent but is not sure what area of photography he wants to get involved in. Currently he has applied to the Art Institute of Colorado looking to get a bachelors degree in photography. Can you give me some practical advice as to where he should look to go to school and how he should approach a career in photography? Thanks much for you time. I appreciate it. (I'm a volunteer in another area and I understand the time commitment.)

Thanks much.

Craig Siphers

Hello Craig,

Boy, there's no easy answer to this one. At least there's no easy answer that your son would want to hear!

I deal with photographers every day, most of them highly successful within their specialties, and the truth is that VERY few of them hold degrees or certificates in photography. The vast exception is that group of "photographers" who really never made it as image catchers and became photo teachers or wedding shooters instead. I have a feeling this isn't what your son has in mind.

While I would never want to dissuade any young person from following their dream, there are certain other points to consider for both the student and the parents. Since there is limited space in a forum like this, I'll cut right to the most relevant point. No photographer worth his salt had to go to school to learn his craft, nor needed a degree to validate it. If your son is a senior in high school and does not yet know "what area of photography he wants to get involved in", then he's already running late. School won't help him make that choice, and it'll more likely dull the prospects for him. "Art institutes" don't produce artists and original thinkers, they mass produce graphic designers and laboratory techs. Nope, I don't like that prospect at all! Yes, they'll give you a fancy sales pitch about all their "successful" graduates, but the same pitch can be used for most community colleges if you spin it right!

Photography is a craft/art best learned through individual hard work and a desire to be "seen". That means your son will need to go out and shoot NOW, the things he thinks interest him NOW, and try to sell the end product right NOW. Whether it be sports, or landscapes, or architecture, or portraits,...while he's young, he needs to shoot, make mistakes, shoot again, build his own darkroom, find "clients", keep books, screw up the books, shoot some more, try to sell, make the books balance, convince a gallery to show his work, persuade an established photographer to let him apprentice for a summer, learn how to submit to publishers, and MUCH more. NOW is the time! Before he's too old and needs to leave the nest, he can flounder and experiment and make all those mistakes, and SUCCEED because he spent his time REALLY learning rather than doing "homework projects" that bear little resemblance to the reality of life in the world of photography. Seriously, within two or three years of steadily pursuing the field on a reasonable part time basis, he can either make it or break it as a real photographer. Or, he can spend the next two or three years as a photography student, after which he will be,...STILL a student, and still in need a several years experience to know if it will work for him!

Meanwhile, as for school in general, I would try to convince him to enter a traditional college and get a BA in a traditional core subject. ALL colleges today offer elective classes in photo technology and theory, so he will still have the opportunity to take those if he feels it's necessary. However, at 18, if he doesn't already know most of this stuff, he really needs to get a start on it NOW. The real issue is that if he eventually sees no legitimate future as a photographer for himself (a decision much better made after several years of real experience rather than several years wasted in an institute) he will still have a valuable college degree in another practical field to rely on.

Hey, so little space, so much to say!

I've been asked about this MANY times in the past and I know how important it is to the youngsters. It's not a subject that can be dismissed so easily in a session like this. Look, if you need to "talk" more about it, please, don't hesitate to contact me at and we can go into greater detail. It would be my pleasure to help! That's what I'm here for!

Best wishes,

David Silver


   
UPDATE:

I thought you might have some interest in his current position.  In July he will graduate from Brooks Institute of Photography and Motion Picture out of Santa Barbara with a BS degree.  His specialties are Architectural and Food.  He has excelled because of his passion and some great breaks.  He's worked as an intern in LA for some very good money and has created a very impressive porfolio including being represented by a stock photo company.  He's off to live in Hawaii in July and will be working with several of Honolulu's largest specialty food companies and restaurants.

Thought you might enjoy seeing the results of your advice.  Thank you.

Craig Siphers  

Answer

Wonderful!  Sounds like he's already reaping the rewards of four years well spent in the pursuit of his dream!  A real portfolio, a proper paid internship with some real photographers on his resume, and an established relationship with a real stock photo agency.  Now THAT spells success!  Give him my best, and tell him, "Well done, little grasshoppa!"

Best wishes,

David Silver