Advice to a budding young photographer
Barbara Robinson
I absolutly love photography. I have ever since i took my photo
class in school. Unfortunatly, my school was small and had limited
resources. The only A i got in my entire college career was in
photography. Now that I have graduated, I find myself longing to get
back into it. This past weekend I bought the developing supplies and
developed my first rolls outside of school. It was exhilerating.
They came out so perfect... total blacks and total whites - and all
the greys inbetween. However, the problem I face now is that I am
VERY low in cash and don't know where to begin. I am I am looking
into working for a photo store so i can get experienced in color -
is this a good idea? I want to keep doing this but i feel so
limited. Any help? Also, what are the first steps I should take
towards working to become a professional.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
BTW - I am in the Atlanta area (in case that helps at all)
Thanks...
Barbara
bjr...@mindspring.com
BhPhot
<Also, what are the first steps I should take
towards working to become a professional. >
Depending on your location, finances, and the type of photography you want
to pursue, the smartest thing you can do, IMHO, is find a working pro in
the genre you want and whose style you admire and develop an apprentice
relationship. This might mean holding lights and shlepping stuff for a
wedding guy, filing negs and learning to spot in a portrait studio,
sweeping the floor and loading film holders for a commercial shooter.
Long hours, low pay, incredible experience.
Another way, but much less rewarding in the long run, would be to find a
school portrait studio and have them train you for a season of school
yearbook photography. The landscape is divided into the K-11 crowd (lots
of kids per day -- real xerox shooting) or the senior (12th grade) market
-- fewer kids per day, more poses per kid, marginally more opportunity to
learn portraiture. The senior crowd also does sports & in-school event
candid shooting, proms, etc.
Good luck
-----------------------------------------------
Henry Posner / B&H Photo-Video
70550...@compuserve.com
Adam
>Hello everyone...
>I absolutly love photography. I have ever since i took my photo
>class in school. Unfortunatly, my school was small and had limited
>resources. The only A i got in my entire college career was in
>photography. Now that I have graduated, I find myself longing to get
>back into it. This past weekend I bought the developing supplies and
>developed my first rolls outside of school. It was exhilerating.
>They came out so perfect... total blacks and total whites - and all
>the greys inbetween. However, the problem I face now is that I am
>VERY low in cash and don't know where to begin. I am I am looking
>into working for a photo store so i can get experienced in color -
>is this a good idea? I want to keep doing this but i feel so
>
>
>BTW - I am in the Atlanta area (in case that helps at all)
>Thanks...
>Barbara
>bjr...@mindspring.com
I once had a conversation with Bill Eggleston, a color photographer of
some stature (his work now hangs in SF MOMA & NY MOMA) and in between
whiskeys, he slurred at me: "My advice to you is stay away from
photography, it's terribly boring and you don't make any money."
I was once a student of Ellen Landweber's, a photographer whose images
have appeared in text-books, the Time-Life series on photography and in
many other places, she was also a recent recipient of a Fullbright
scholarship, which she used to travel to Turkey to take pictures. Her
advice to me, on the subject of street photography, was that I buy a
Leica system; "because that's what Winogrand used, and they are small &
quiet." (Great advice, I thought, for a college student especially.)
My point, here, is to say that whatever advice you *do* get, take it with
a large grain of salt.
-A.
Keith Morison
am looking
>into working for a photo store so i can get experienced in color -
>is this a good idea?
>Barbara
>bjr...@mindspring.com
Do it, I worked in photo retail for about 10 years and learned most of my tech stuff there, I am now a working news photog at a dail=
y. The ability, if you work at a real camera store, to play with and learn about equipment and supplies is un-paralelled - if you wa=
nt it to be.
Also, being in Atlanta, get in touch with the olympic committees and try and volunteer with the media. No doubt the wire services w=
ill be looking for film runners and other areas of local help. It WILL be a slave labor situation where long hours and hard work wil=
l come into play, BUT you will get the chance to at least talk to these guys after the day is done and pick up a few pointers.
That's my 2 cents worth,
Keith
rein karp
>
>My point, here, is to say that whatever advice you *do* get, take it
with
>a large grain of salt.
Yes, But keep doing what you LOVE !
It is VERY hard to "get started". Try to find as many opportunities
for publicity/exposure as you can.
Check your local Banks, civic offices,"coffee shops" etc. Often
they are willing to display art as a "common good". The exposure of
your work will eventually build into a reputation.
Trying to break into the "Big-Time", via a gallery or museum is quite
frustrating.
If there are any small local publications in your area, talk to the
editors, perhaps the have a need or an idea which you can fufill, even
if they can not pay a lot of money [if any].( Of course, one does not
give them the "best" images" )
Often they are anxious for contributions because they are "small", and
can not pay for "top-talent". it is a stepping stone.
Once you can say that you have been "published" many times, Editors of
larger publications, art directors, curators , etc. , will pay more
attention to your work. They prefer to take risks with a "proven
thing", rather than being overwhelmed by "wanna-bees" with questionable
professionality.
Pax,Love,
Rein
JManno1032
I have two suggestions, for what they're worth. Atlanta has a photo
school called The Portfolio Center. Many a fine photo assistant has
graduated from the program, and several of them are on their way to a
professional photo career.
Or, if you can and if you must, work for a good photo studio. You'll
learn more there than anywhere else. Most photo assistants go to schools
like Portfolio Center or Brooks or RIT just so they can land one of these
assisting jobs. But you may be lucky - give it a shot.
John Manno