Developing a Career in Photography

[DanielBlack]

Hey there!

My name is Daniel Black, and I'm 19 years old. I am currently in my second year working at Whitebait TV in Christchurch as a Production Assistant. I have only recently come to the conclusion that the world of Television is not for me, and that I want to pursue a full-time career as a Photojournalist (or something similar).

I really like the idea of Photojournalism, and street photography. I prefer a candid approach to taking photos, rather than having everything staged. Travel Photography would also be really interesting for me.

Apart from NCEA (Level 1, 2 & 3), I have no qualifications as of yet. I wanted to wait until I found out what I really wanted to do before I dedicated my time and money into Uni. I have only just bought a decent camera (Canon EOS450D with 18-200mm IS), and other than the few weeks I have spent experimenting with it I have no experience in Digital Photography. I would have done photography as a subject at school, but I was afraid of the course costs. I did design, however, so I am relatively experienced with Photoshop and photo editing software.

Now I need some help figuring out what my next step will be. I am more than happy to go to Uni and study, but I am not sure what courses would be beneficial towards a successful career in Photography. Any help would be appreciated!

Also, if you are going to name courses and qualifications, could you please also explain how they relate to a career in photography? That would really help and I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance! I'm the new kid. :)

[drspangle]

Hey there!

My name is Daniel Black, and I'm 19 years old. I am currently in my second year working at Whitebait TV in Christchurch as a Production Assistant. I have only recently come to the conclusion that the world of Television is not for me, and that I want to pursue a full-time career as a Photojournalist (or something similar).

I really like the idea of Photojournalism, and street photography. I prefer a candid approach to taking photos, rather than having everything staged. Travel Photography would also be really interesting for me.

Apart from NCEA (Level 1, 2 & 3), I have no qualifications as of yet. I wanted to wait until I found out what I really wanted to do before I dedicated my time and money into Uni. I have only just bought a decent camera (Canon EOS450D with 18-200mm IS), and other than the few weeks I have spent experimenting with it I have no experience in Digital Photography. I would have done photography as a subject at school, but I was afraid of the course costs. I did design, however, so I am relatively experienced with Photoshop and photo editing software.

Now I need some help figuring out what my next step will be. I am more than happy to go to Uni and study, but I am not sure what courses would be beneficial towards a successful career in Photography. Any help would be appreciated!

Also, if you are going to name courses and qualifications, could you please also explain how they relate to a career in photography? That would really help and I would really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance! I'm the new kid. :)

Let me know what you find out! I'd be interested to know also! (My job is crushing my soul....)

[stic]

I don't even have no steenkin job...:eek:

[ShutterNut]

I would start by finding out the quals of people in the line of photography you are interested in getting into. There is a huge range out there in terms of training and/or experience. Some amazing photographers are self-taught, and other amazing photographers have degrees in visual arts or similar. Attending uni can give you life skills too that help build a career.

I have just started a photography business. I did a degree and postgrad diploma in a field nothing at all to do with photography, and I worked in that field for a number of years.

In terms of my learning experience for photography - mostly self-taught. I have spent around 20 hours a week for the last 10 months learning. Most of this is via a US forum, and more recently I have started an online course.

[shutterbug]

What online course did you end up doing??