Teen Undecided about my Future ( here's my Gallery =) )

Mark - I can relate 100% to what you've said. In some ways, I wish I would have gone straight into photography from high school, but I had another parallel passion (technology), so I went to college, etc. The difference is that I'm several years older than you, and you've already moved back into your passion. Photography is still by second career at the moment... I like your last sentence - I've heard varied quotes, but that one is good as well.

My advice to the original post - consider talking to a career advisor (career counselor). Some high schools and all colleges have them - and any of them should be happy to speak with you and hopefully give you some good advice.

Daughare said:

...I wish I had gone straight to
a photography/art school out of high school. I'm now a
photographer, but I'm 31 and fairly early in my career with 10 or
so years "wandering in the desert" so to speak. I will say that
most of that 10 years was in sales and business management which
has become invaluable experience that I use everyday selling my
work and running my business - you can get that in school as well,
but I would suggest you get a sales job while you are in school.
Even if that means working the digital camera department at Best
Buy, there is no substitue for face to face sales as a sales
education. Good luck to you, I'm a firm believer in following your
passions wherever they go - you will never be better at anything
than those things you love.

Mark

Click to expand...

Ditto. Excellent post. As an earlier poster commented, we all ask ourselves these questions, some more than others. Some more 'often' than others.

To the original poster - you're doing the right thing by asking advice. You're young - get ALL the advice you can to make a decision. Being young, there's no huge rush to make a decision either. Also seek the advice of career counselors at colleges - they have a feel for reading young students and knowing the marketplace in various job families. There are also various aptitude tests that help reassure you what areas/skills you like to do and use.

Also, ask yourself is there a partcular area of photography you really want to pursue as a career? If so, find a mentor. Find the professional(s) you admire most in this area and contact them for advice. Most professionals (especially ones who also teach), are glad to offer advice. Most, if not all, of them have websites and e-mail addresses to contact them directly.

Hope this helps.

Rylee Isitt said:

I like these kind of threads, because I end up learning just as
much by reading the comments as the original poster will.

Just a few things I'd do if I were you...

I'm reading an excellent book at the moment, in fact two of them.
One is called "The Little Red Book of Selling":

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Red-Book-Selling-Principles/dp/1885167601/sr=8-1/qid=1166643943/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-8413081-3432419?ie=UTF8&s=books

And the other is "The Little Red Book of Sales Answers":

http://www.amazon.com/Little-Red-Book-Sales-Answers/dp/0131735365/ref=pd_sim_b_1/105-8413081-3432419

The writing style is somewhat odd (written by a salesperson, they
like things BIG!) but it's an excellent, fun read.

I originally got some excellent advice from Alain Briot, by
purchasing his Marketing CD. The adivce on that CD inevitably led
me to exploring marketing and sales and I can tell that the advice
and tips given in the books I've linked to above will help me
greatly in the future.

Some things which are a recurring theme no matter who I ask for
advice or what book I read:

• network with people who are already successful and where you want

to be. You are most likely to become like those people you call
friends.

• dissasociate yourself from anyone who is not positive, and anyone

who tells you "your better off doing something else". As such,
there are some responses in this thread I would simply disregard.

• You will never be better at anything more than what you love to

do. If photography is your passion - then pursue it.

Hope that helps!

--
~ Rylee Isitt

Click to expand...

A few questions:

What do you folks recommend as a good way to find an internship / apprenticeship / assistantship? Should I contact every photographer in the area, with portfolio in hand?

Should I look for a photojournalism intership with a local paper, again asking everyone in the area? (Or the region, though I'd really rather stay in Boston over the summer.)

I've seen people talking about the value of a sales job, say at Best Buy or similar. If you work with both commercial and consumer clients, how important do you consider face-to-face sales skills for either?

How should I best compose my portfolio? Should I cut it down to the images only relevant to the photographer / newspaper / magazine to which I'm submitting it? Or should I make it as broad as possible? What if I don't have enough images to make a really tight edit in the former case -- err on the small side, or on the loose side?

I'm currently a mechanical engineering major. (read below for more details) Those of you with engineering backgrounds, have you found it useful at all? (Even if only as a backup should the photography not be enough to support you.) What about those with a management/business degree?

What other questions should I be asking?

--

I'm in much the same situation as the original poster, though a bit farther along. I'm currently majoring in mechanical engineering at MIT, and it's become obvious that I enjoy photography a whole load more than engineering.

Not hobby photography, though. Ever since I joined the school newspaper, yearbook, and started shooting catalog-style macro photos for a friend's book, shooting as a hobby isn't very fun. Doing something with my images makes photography that much more fulfilling.

That's why I want to go into photography, as a pro.

Yeah, I know it's hard. I ran two different web-based businesses before I came to MIT, and it was a royal pain compared to the various 9-5 jobs I've held. It was also a whole lot more interesting and varied than a 9-5. Those made me feel like I was in a rut.

I like the idea of ending up in advertising photography. It seems to be the best-paying of opportunities, as well as one of the most creative and technical. (A PDN survey quoted in "Best Business Practices for Photographers" put salary averages for photojournalists way low, commercial/consumer photographers around $50/60k, stock at $100k -- not that that holds anymore with iStock -- and advertising shooters at $160k average.)

Obligatory links:
Preliminary portfolio: http://web.mit.edu/unlocked/Public/photography/
Macro / studio example: http://web.mit.edu/unlocked/Public/fichet-lock/
PJ example: http://web.mit.edu/unlocked/Public/worldcup06/page1.htm

If you want to make it, get a business background. You'll be 90% ahead of any of the other photogs out there and in a position for higher earning potentials. Art school doesn't teach that, and if you have the talent you don't need art school either.

And if later you decide that it isn't for you... you have something valid to fall back on.

--
Nicholas
http://www.msu.edu/~thonnich
-Excuse my spelling/grammar. Yes, English is my first language.

Are you addressing "many photographers around" or making a statement to the OP about the number of existing photographers.

lllZ3R0lll said:

I'm a senior in high school and college is coming up. I love
photography but I'm unsure if that's what I want to persue. It just
seems like an iffy career and I come from a middle income family so
I'm trying to have a pretty secure future.

I have'nt taken any photography classes I just learn from reading
photography books, online tutorals, magazines, editorials, ect.

Anyways, I'd really love if you guys could rate my photography. I
put about 40 of my best pictures on the site, I'd appreciate any
comments =)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/htamez/
--
Check Out My Picture Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/photos/htamez/

Click to expand...

I would start in college first, you have two years before you have to declare your major, and those two years are supposed to be the explore years. If photography is not your burning passion, then I really would not think about making a career out of it, and if it was your burning passion, I would find a way to get into working in it some as a volunteer before I declared it my life career. I thought that I had a burning passion for a career prior to college but once I got into college and had a chance to explore other career avenues, I realized that what I thought was a burning passion for a career was only an interest I ended up in an entirely different career and loved it. Make preparation in college classes before you leap. That mountain that you are jumping off of just may be too steep for you to climb back up to the top and start over again. You hear of a lot of people who make career changes in the midstream of their life.

Real nice stuff. I love the candle. What I've discovered as a photo newbee is a great many folks out there can take excellent pictures. With so many of today's cameras being wonderful, affordable, easy to learn/operate and combined with software like photoshop...well, this blows away the photographic situations people had in the past. Just consider being limited to expensive gear and film-only. With today's stuff, seemingly EVERYONE is doing it and many are doing it well. That said, the biggest $ earners appear to be the people with the most stones + business savvy. Certainly an education in photography would be cool to get. But be careful, as such a degree may turn out to be a useless one. I've know people who studied this and that and ended up changing oil. Their degrees just weren't very useful out in the real (cold and cruel) world. Aside from being able to carry on neat conversations at cocktail parties, their college studies trained them for very little. A great many posters on this board harp on the business end of this picture taking life, and I believe they are 100% correct. That should be given a hard look. Good luck, and again, nice stuff.
--
People want the best stuff and they want you to give it to 'em.

Go for it. Always follow what you really want to do. Just figure out how to do it.
--
David Gibb
http://www.dgibbphoto.com

You have received some excellent advice here. No matter what you decide to pursue as a career, I agree, get a good solid education first. If your eventual chosen career field doesn't involve photography, keep at it, if only as a hobby, because you have some real talent and it can deliver a lifetime of enjoyment. Good luck

If you like to work with kids, you should look into getting a teaching degree. Once you get your Masters degree and 45-60 credits beyond that, the salary will be in that low to mid 60,000 range depending on the state you work in. I'm lucky in that my wife and I are both maxed out on the pay scale, live in a state that pays OK and I get to teach digital photograpy to 12/13 year olds. It is a fun job. I get to spend time off with my 3 kids in the summer which is priceless.

There are 5 teachers in my family. It is very rewarding carreer dispite the beating you will take in the media and from others who dig on the educational environment.

Good luck!

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

7th Grade Multimedia Classroom
http://forestviewmultimedia.com
Brainerd Public Schools

You only live once.
Go to photography school.

Listen to everybody, then disregard what they say, and do what you really want to do.

When I was 18 I did what the last sentance says and I have been doing professional photography for 41 years and still love what I do.

Your photography is good.

--
photography

Masgrada said:

If you want to make it, get a business background. You'll be 90%
ahead of any of the other photogs out there and in a position for
higher earning potentials. Art school doesn't teach that, and if
you have the talent you don't need art school either.

And if later you decide that it isn't for you... you have something
valid to fall back on.

--
Nicholas
http://www.msu.edu/~thonnich
-Excuse my spelling/grammar. Yes, English is my first language.

Click to expand...

Photography has become more difficult to make a living. Masgrada is giving you good advice.

Of the pros here--

How much time do you spend working on the management / marketing / finance side of your business versus on the creative side?

How much thought and planning do you put into the business aspects?

You are at a point in life when you can have a go at whatever you really want to do. No children, no mortgage. You can't really lose.

If it all goes wrong (which it hopefully won't) you can always get onto the treadmill in a few years time and it won't take long to catch up with everyone else.

If you don't give it everything you've got now, you will always wonder whether you could have made it. That's what happened to me with music

Good luck - go for it!

Tony

For the amount of education (degree) that teaching requires, it is about the lowest paying profession. If you go into it, do so for the reason that you love teaching. But, that applies to all professions.

DIPics

Jim in MN said:

If you like to work with kids, you should look into getting a
teaching degree. Once you get your Masters degree and 45-60 credits
beyond that, the salary will be in that low to mid 60,000 range
depending on the state you work in. I'm lucky in that my wife and I
are both maxed out on the pay scale, live in a state that pays OK
and I get to teach digital photograpy to 12/13 year olds. It is a
fun job. I get to spend time off with my 3 kids in the summer which
is priceless.

There are 5 teachers in my family. It is very rewarding carreer
dispite the beating you will take in the media and from others who
dig on the educational environment.

Good luck!

--
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

7th Grade Multimedia Classroom
http://forestviewmultimedia.com
Brainerd Public Schools

Click to expand...

lllZ3R0lll said:

I'm not going to lie, I want to be pretty good off financially when
I'm older. Not rich or anything, I mean $45,000 a year would be
allright for me and something like $65,000 would be prefect. My dad
only makes about $40,000 and we live pretty hapilly.

Click to expand...

You'll find that almost anywhere you can make doing photography you'll be ill-equipped to afford very much. Sharing an apartment and driving a beater...

Overall though, you really shouldn't pick a career based on income, but on love of the job. You'll be spending probably 35 years doing whatever you pick, day in and day out. If you can't get motivated to do it when you're sick, tired and grumpy, then it's not the right job.

Let's face it, photography isn't a growth industry. 2MP cell phone cameras, low-end DSLRs and the like are taking the business away. Once stills from video get to the high-quality stage, even weddings aren't likely to be a given. Stock's increasingly difficult to make real money in, and there's a lot more competition than there used to be. Sure, some folks will make money at it for the next 30 years, but it's not a growth industry.

If you're especially creative, or especially good with people, you're more likely to find a niche that'll support you long-term.

If it's your passion, then by all means give it a hard run, but if it's not then try to find something that is.

Paul

I teach photography at a community college, and see students on many levels. If, in fact, you are a HS senior you have what we call a "square eye". That is something that is extremely hard (read impossible) to teach. Regardless of what others say - you will continue to do your art for life. The degree may vary but the fact is you have that natural ability and desire to create visual images.

Don't get me wrong, you can build on this natural ability. But don't expect to have others tell you what to do and plan to just obey. My suggestions are very similar to what many other have written:

Go to school and pursue a degree/education in Business Management or some other field that will teach you how to survive in the world of MONEY if you want to go up from middle income class. While in school take ALL of the photography and art classes you can as electives. You will excell in these (and they won't hurt your GPA). Pick a school that has a lot to offer in both fields. It looks to me like you are from Houston, you might consider Steven F Austin. I have toured their school and they offer 3 different photographic departments, and I often refer students to SFA.

With your "eye" I also suggest that you target very "high end" markets. Don't sell yourself cheap. Find the right market (customers) that/who can afford very high quality and make them happy to pay for it. They will be your ticket to more customers.

One last suggestion, whatever you do - have fun doing it. If you don't enjoy it, it just doesn't pay enough. Good luck.

Ditto that - you have the art side nailed. Now focus your effort on the business side.

Tom Batinich said:

Masgrada said:

If you want to make it, get a business background. You'll be 90%
ahead of any of the other photogs out there and in a position for
higher earning potentials. Art school doesn't teach that, and if
you have the talent you don't need art school either.

And if later you decide that it isn't for you... you have something
valid to fall back on.

--
Nicholas
http://www.msu.edu/~thonnich
-Excuse my spelling/grammar. Yes, English is my first language.

Click to expand...

Photography has become more difficult to make a living. Masgrada is
giving you good advice.

Click to expand...

--
Excal

Business school is always a good idea for anyone that wants to run their own business. Fair warning though, the old saying about "those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." probably applies more to the school of business than just about any other degree plan.

DIPics

Masgrada said:

If you want to make it, get a business background. You'll be 90%
ahead of any of the other photogs out there and in a position for
higher earning potentials. Art school doesn't teach that, and if
you have the talent you don't need art school either.

And if later you decide that it isn't for you... you have something
valid to fall back on.

--
Nicholas
http://www.msu.edu/~thonnich
-Excuse my spelling/grammar. Yes, English is my first language.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the great responses everyone.

I came to the conclusion that while I do love photography, I will most likely keep it as a hobby or at most a side/weekend job. I just don't want to "gamble" my future with photography. Like I said, I come from a low-middle class family so I don't have anything to "fall back" on if photography doesn't work with me.

I'm thinking of attending the University of Houston for a few reasons because it is a pretty good school and it's extremly convenient for me since I live in Houston, the cost is good, and it has a pretty diverse offering of majors.

Does anyone here have any opinions on UofH?

Right now I'm not quite sure, but I think I will major with something dealing with business. I MIGHT minor in photography too, as they offer photography classes.

The only thing that I am worried about with University of Houston is that it doesn;t offer a "real college experience". A few friend go there, and it doesn't have such a great atmosphere.
There are many comuters and teh social life there isn't really lively.

A good thing though, is that I know quite a few good friend attending school tehre,a dn since I am staying in Houston, I will remain close to many great friends.

So I am about 80% sure I will be attending UH although I am also considering A&M in college station.

Any comments, suggestions, or advice?

BTW, although I've said this before, I am very thankful for everyone giving me advice here.

--
Check Out My Picture Gallery
http://www.flickr.com/photos/htamez/