Educational options?

[Alex Bishop-Thorpe]

My first post here to boot.
I've got a question about sort of the education involved in the presentation and marketing area of Photography. As I'll be studying photography at university in 2008, I have a year free between the end of high school this year and starting Uni then, so 2007 is basically free for me.
I'd like to take up a course in that time (I'm not sure if other countries have anything similar to TAFE here in Australia) that could be useful in selling my photography later on. Knowing stuff never hurts anything.
But while I know there's plenty of stuff around for marketing in general, I'm wondering; is there any formal training involved in the presentation of photos?
Beyond framing and mounting, as well as choosing the right materials, I never figured there was more involved with it, but my mum's sure I need to take a design course or something similar. Does anyone know what sort of training there is out there for these kinds of things?

 

[Roger Hicks]

The answers you get will depend on the age of those posting them. When I started as an assistant in the 70s, my gaffer (the late Colin Glanfield) would only very rarely hire graduates: he much preferred self-taught photographers. But that was 30 years ago...

Anyway, a suggestion: instead of taking a course, bum around all the critiques you can get to -- maybe I'll see you in Arles next year -- and see how other photographers present their work. Also ask those giving the critiques what they want to see.

If at all possible, try setting up your own portfolio and getting critiques or even interviews: write to photographers explaining where you're coming from (career, not Australia!) and asking if they can spare a few minutes, at their convenience, to look at your 'book'. Explain that you're trying to see how it all really works BEFORE you go to university so you can focus your work better. Nine out of ten working pros will be a sucker for that one!

This way you are cutting out the middleman, be he a lecturer or someone on the 'net, and seeing what actually works RIGHT NOW, instead of what worked for someone else 10 or 20 or 30 years ago.

A lot depends, too, on the person to whom you are presenting the pics: not just personal variation, but what area you are trying to get into (advertising, editorial features, fashion, news...)

Finally, there are fashions in presentation: laminated/not laminated, big/small, loose-in-a-box/loose-leaf spiral bound... This changes sufficiently that what's fashionable in 2007 may or may not be any use when you graduate.

Cheers,

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com -- which is what I do a lot of now I'm semi-retired)

 

[Dave Wooten]

You Can do this Fleath!

What is your present level of skill?

Do you develope and print?

Do you work for your high school publications, is there a class or journalism club at your school?

Have you contacted any professional studios or labs in your town to learn basics of assisting as per Rogers post above...

Will your local newspaper take you on as an intern? to hang out and get a bit of a grasp of the business is invaluable and you could make some very beneficial contacts....

Shoot some freelance story work and present it to your local publications...take some human interest stories about town and submit them, submit the complete essay with photos well printed, and on disk.....what are the "hot topics" right now in your town news...shoot it and present it from a students point of view....

just some thoughts

good luck

 

[roteague]

Fleath,

There are a number of APUG members in your area, I would suggest getting with them - they usually have an outing or two during the year. Also, if you can do it, I and another APUG member (chiller) will be in Alice Springs 18 October. You are welcome to join us, and learn a little about large format landscape photography - color and B&W.

 

[Q17]

Depending on your location, I would like to add that many museums offer internships that can prove to be valuable learning experiences, especially in marketing.

Good luck!

=michelle=

 

[Ian Grant]

Fleath, Michelle makes an excellent suggestion.

I'll just add that you could work as a volunteer at a gallery, either a photo gallery or an art gallery that shows a lot of photography, maybe do that in the day and work in a bar or restaurant to make ends meet, and perhaps travel to do this

Ian

 

[Christopher Colley]

I am a 23 yr old photography student who has been attending nearly full time for 2 years after spending 2 years teaching myself..

I have found that while there are some things to learn in the structured environment I have learned most about how work can be presented from going to places where it is being hung and collected or by having critiques/portfolio reviews. Museums and Galleries are a great place to start! Of most interest might be a museum near where you live.. Some places allow, upon appointment, opportunities to view photographs from their collection that are merely mounted with a window mat, that is without a frame or glass and stored in a box with a bunch of other prints. I think viewing photos this way really helped me to understand a bit more about how photos are dealt with and how to present them in a way that working professionals can cope with. (also, depending on the collection it is a great way to get up close to the work of master photographers)

Along with that suggestion I think it is important to go to local galleries or shows that have art for sale, you will see what is acceptable to a wide range of people and it is sometimes displayed in a way not seen in a museum (which is generally trying to protect the work, whether it looks great or not) From folks who mount their work as a museum would to people who dont do any real presentation work at all and just tack it onto the wall..

In the end I think it becomes a personal choice as to how you feel your should be seen there doesnt seem to be any rules.. Granted, a gallery owner might not want to put thumbtack holes in their wall and might prefer a photograph with a window mat and a nice black frame.. But from the displays I have seen it can be perfectly acceptable to display work any way you see fit...

It seems to me that having experience with all the different ways people expect a portfolio to be displayed (goes to an above comment about getting all the critiques you can) and all the different ways a gallery show can be hung (going to many shows/museums) will give you much more of an idea of what you could be doing than a structured class that will likely focusing on showing you HOW to cut a mat, or HOW to frame... not the why to frame a certain way or why not to frame a certain way..

(I dont mean to imply that classes are of no use, they are! I would suggest taking as many as you can afford)

edit: do not be afraid to ask a lot of questions..

 

[Craig Griffiths]

Unfortunately from what I have been able to find there are not many TAFE type courses around for what you are after, and I would have to agree with what has already been posted. Look at museums etc, go to galleries, see if you can spend some time with some current pro's etc. You may find some evening courses but in most cases I would question their value.

You might also want to consider doing a little travelling over that 12 months. Get out and do some seasonal work around the country, meet people, talk to them, learn from them, photograph them and the places that they live in. You may find opportunities as a result of doing this.

Learn what you can over the next 12 months, read, go to galleries and exhibitions, observe what the pro's do and above all get out and use your camera.

Craig

 

[Roger Hicks]

In the end I think it becomes a personal choice as to how you feel you should be seen ..

Excellent advice (as was all of the post) from someone who is on the spot, and not (like me) reciting the experiences of decades ago. Some things don't change, others do.

Consider also some way of making yourself personally, visually memorable; of standing out from the crowd. This does no harm as long as people's memories of you are positive. After all, pros and galleries see a lot of people; anything that helps you stick in their memory is useful. A friend of mine, Big Al, achieved this by being 6 foot 7 (1.95 metres) and riding a Honda Leadwing which, under him, looked like an ordinary-sized bike.

If you are not similiarly instantly memorable, try something else -- always wearing red, for example. Ideally it should be something that comes naturally, not an affectation. For example, at the risk of appearing self-centred (but the advice is for your benefit) if you ever see Amateur Photographer magazine you'll have seen my monocle. This started because I'm strongly right-eyed. As I became shorter-sighted in that eye, I needed eyesight correction, and monocles are harder to lose than glasses. Now it's part of the image.

I'll also second the advice to travel and take lots of pictures. It'll do far more for you than going back behind a desk at any time in your gap year.

Cheers,

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com -- where you'll also find the same portrait, by Marie Muscat-King).

 

[DKT]

there's another way at looking at appearance though--as fuddy duddy as it may seem--having a neutral look does help in terms of being a working photographer (i.e. not an "artist"). The institution I work for is under an umbrella of a number of cultural organizations, almost all of which have photo departments that offer internships to students, including the one I work in a photographer.

I remember a few years ago, one of the other photo dept's quit offering internships for a while, because the students started showing up in the wrong attire and the like, and it just didn't fit well with shooting in a business type environment...you know, where you're working at gov't photo ops and tghe like and someone has spiked hair and a ratty tee shirt while even the local press is dressed better.

so, yeah, individual look and all that--great--not so great for mainstream employers and prospective job seekers.

my opinions of course, from a guy in the working world.

 

[Alex Bishop-Thorpe]

Thanks to everyone for the great response, and sorry it took so long for me to reply myself.
It's been quite refreshing to read everything here, the only real photographer I knew died last year before I started looking at this as a career, and since then the only advice I'd been given was to take up formal training so I have some qualifications (I think all parents sorta do this)

I come from an art background of painting and sketching and such, with an unlikely mix of programming, design and electronics to boot. I like to take things apart and making things, and coincidentally taking apart a Minolta Hi-Matic 7 fits this rather well.
My training so far is a semester of darkroom photography, and a semester of creative photography being the only person in my class who shoots film, with all the references to darkroom work crossed out in our workbooks. So I have about a year of photography under my belt, after shooting 95 rolls, and learning the stuff in between from textbooks or experimenting.

As for local galleries, there’s a room of photographs at the State Gallery of South Australia that I’m quite fond off - all black framing, simple presentation. Apart from that I must admit I haven’t really looked, though I’ll be keeping an eye out apart from local photographs in cafes. I know we have a rather sizeable gallery of paintings locally, but the last I heard they have no photographs, though for the experience in presentation it might not make a lot of difference…
My reason for going to University, as since I’ve been readily told a degree in anything arts related is relatively worthless to prospective employers, is to get to use their darkrooms and get to meet people with similar interests.
I don’t have any experience in developing (I never got to do the hands-on darkroom stuff), but coincidentally my dark-bag, tank and developing chemicals get here tomorrow, so I’ll soon find how adept I am at it.
As for the style thing, I constantly wear a grey beanie with my curly brown hair, old jackets, a white shirt and cargo pants. My intention is to look vaguely like John Lennon if he was a lazy Australian teenager, so I guess I have that down for now. I’m also reasonably respectable and professional when the situation calls for it, I have a set of good clothes, but time will tell all of that I’d suppose.
Right now I’d love nothing more to have as much hands on experience as I can, and hopefully having the money to fund it will help in the next few months. At least over the summer I’ll have as much free time as I can wish for, but the museum and gallery suggestions sounds brilliant for what I wanna do. So thanks for all the suggestions and encouragement, I’ll be sticking around for when I ruin my first developing attempt.

 

[Roger Hicks]

so, yeah, individual look and all that--great--not so great for mainstream employers and prospective job seekers.

my opinions of course, from a guy in the working world.

You could certainly overdo it, but even in the days when I wore suits, people tended to remember me -- well-cut, made-to-measure 3-piece suit with watch chain (and pocket barometer...) Of course the red-gold beard helped (alas it's all white now).

There's a difference between neutral and bland -- and, of course, a difference between both and totally inappropriate. I don't say this to be combative, merely to clarify what I said before. Sorry for the delay in replying but I've been away for a couple of weeks (mostly northern Portugal, but obviously via France and Spain on the way there and back).

Cheers,

Roger