20.05.10
Will a degree make it easier to become a professional photographer?
The first step into the world of professional photography has always been a difficult one for students, but in today’s climate, it is an even harder one to take. But will a degree in photography make it any easier? Professional Photographer editor Grant Scott doesn’t think so, unless students are taught the right things.
You’ve got your degree, a portfolio of college projects and personal images and you want to be paid to take pictures. You want to be Don McCullin, Rankin, Bailey, Mert and Marcus, Andreas Gursky, Martin Parr. Your desire is simple, the reality is not. You’ve been told to start by assisting for the first two to three years, to learn your craft, maybe meet some clients and build your portfolio by testing. It will be tough, but it will come, you’re told. But will it? And does this tried and tested formula of the past still work today?
Over the last 27 years of reviewing portfolios, the line I have most repeated is: “These pictures got you your degree, but they’re not going to get you work.” The young, ambitious photographer is instantly confused. They’ve got a first or 2:1 with these pictures, and been told they’re good. But they haven’t been told how tough the competition is, what is expected when presenting their work, how to present themselves, or most importantly, how to convince someone to risk money on them.
I have lost count of the times I have had to start explaining the importance of presenting work professionally before I have even started discussing the work itself. The majority of students I have seen have no idea how to do this. A few poor, inconsistent prints pushed into grubby vinyl sleeves in a black vinyl zip-up portfolio is not good enough. I have never understood why students are not taught this. It has never been easier or cheaper to produce a quality and appropriate portfolio, so there is no excuse for poor presentation. A simple black print box, well-controlled, balanced prints and some clean print sleeves are all that is needed.
Having overcome the problem of presentation of the images, we get to the presentation of the photographer. Dress, attitude and personality are critical. You only have to read the frontline interviews in this magazine and on our website to see how important it is to get these things right. Commissioners place high importance on these personal attributes. Be yourself, but in the right way for the client. Your work and personality need to work as one and be appealing and attractive; you are not only selling your work, but also who you are. If you are lucky and actually get to show your work in person, but get it wrong, you may never have a second chance, so preparation is vital. You need to find out about the client’s products, what they commission and how, but never ask what they pay, however hard up you may be. A client meeting is not a college crit.
It amazes me that colleges do not have client presentation as an essential module in any course. It’s a simple equation: good images + bad attitude = no work. Arrogance is never good. At a recent portfolio review, I was told by a young photographer dressed as a rock god with a mess of a portfolio that everyone wants to work with someone who’s a little cocky and confident. No they don’t! The same photographer came back the next day with a reordered portfolio and a better attitude. By the end of the week, he had emailed to tell me he had got his first paid commission.
I was pleased that a simple one-hour review had helped him achieve this, but it left me wondering why his three-year degree had not prepared him better. What had he been told to make him think his previous approach was appropriate? Once you’ve got your presentation right, it’s time to decide who you are going to show your work to. Again, it shocks me how often I’ve been in a position to commission work and been shown a portfolio of images which have no connection to the project I’m working on. Black and white images of European wind turbines are never going to get you work on a fashion magazine, but the photographer who showed me these didn’t understand why. She had never considered what the client was looking for or how she might fit their requirements. This was despite the fact that she not only had a photographic degree, but was also working on a master’s. I suggested she work out who she wanted her clients to be, look at her work and see how realistic her expectations were. This had never occurred to her before.
Expectation is the biggest problem with photographers leaving colleges, art schools and universities. Their expectations are largely unrealistic, unfocused or ill-informed or, at worst, a combination of all three. Three years should be enough time to produce well-informed young professionals. A similar time spent assisting an experienced professional would create a very different end result. By working in the real world, the harsh realities of the business can be quickly learned. Client relationships, budgeting, working to deadlines and shoot behaviour are essential skills to master. The problem is that fewer photographers are working with assistants since the advent of digital, and if they do, the role of the assistant has changed dramatically – along with the pay.
Assistants are now digital and lighting assistants. Downloading images, keeping an eye on a laptop or setting up lights and holding reflectors, their involvement with the camera is now limited to changing lenses. You may say that this was always the way, but the need to reload and Polaroid allowed the assistant to be on the photographer’s shoulder, seeing what they saw and being able to absorb a way of working. Add to this the fact that few photographers have enough work to employ a full-time assistant and lower assistant fees than ever before, and you have a very difficult and limited career choice.
Despite this, it can still be a more successful form of apprenticeship than a degree. In fact, it is the path the majority of lecturers suggest young photographers take once they graduate. The problem is there are just not enough assistant roles for the amount of students leaving college. So what’s the best route for a graduate? My advice is to do your research and be realistic. Get the presentation of your work and yourself together and decide who you want to work for and who would realistically commission you.
Focus on working for those clients. Find out who the commissioners are, what kind of work they like, speak to established photographers already working for those clients and offer to assist them – for free, initially. Keep your portfolio fresh, but when you shoot new work, always have those clients you want to work with in mind. It should be like a creative military operation.
Network at the right openings, parties and events for the client base you’re focused on and try to befriend those at the bottom of the commissioning rung. It will not be long before they are in a position to help your career. Be friendly, focused and don’t give up. There’s no guarantee you will make it and I am not underplaying how spiritually and financially tough it may be, but if you follow these guidelines you will put yourself in the best position for success. It’s these guidelines that art schools, universities and colleges should be explaining to students. Of course, if you just want to spend three years taking pictures, enjoying photography and finding yourself and to never have the chance of earning a living from photography, then ignore my advice. Photography is a fun and rewarding hobby; it is a far more complicated profession. Good luck.
Check these out:
www.student.the-aop.org
www.studentphoto.com
www.foto8.com
www.skillset.org
www.worldphotographyawards.org/studentfocus
- Average Article Rating 0 Stars
-
Your Rating
Login Required!
Sorry - You must be a registered user & logged in to rate this.
Login | Register
Back to Categories