Best Business Practices for Photographers [240]
Although I have lectured for about a decade at trade association meetings and tradeshows on a variety of subjects, I still relish the opportunity to learn from the presentations I am not giving, and even then, I hope to learn something from the audience questions that might cause me to view in a different light something I presented. When that happens, I make a note to myself to follow up on that or to reflect further afterward.
The worst thing that could happen would be for me to sit back and think, "Oh man, I don't need to know anything more!" Even physicians, who spend the better part of a decade learning how to save lives or make them better, attend annual seminars and read professional journals to stay current on the latest techniques that will make them better doctors. Lawyers do the same, learning about the latest precedent-setting cases and how those cases will affect their clients. All photographers should look to have a plan to regularly learn and grow from the knowledge bases of others.
Tony Luna, author of How to Grow as a Photographer: Reinventing Your Career (Allworth Press, 2006), has this to say about education:
I have had the honor of being involved…showing portfolios…. There is one thing I can categorically say about those presentations: no one has ever asked me to show them a diploma of the talent I was representing…never asked where the talent I represented ranked in their graduating class. They just wanted to know if that talented person could produce the work on time and on budget and infuse it with unique vision. Of course, if the talent had a solid, formal education in photography, the work should display a high level of professionalism, right from the start…. Education—scripted or by total immersion—sets the patterns for work ethic and discipline…. Douglas Kirkland gave this advice based on how he handles the subject [of education]: "Explore the latest technology. What I do is the following: I keep looking at pictures all the time, everywhere. I keep trying to extract from them. I don't want to copy them but I want to get some nourishment from them."
One of the common refrains I hear from those who intern for me is that they felt their college was a waste, and they should have come through my program or a similar one, and that real-world experiences far better prepared them for the freelance world.
I can see their point and understand that to a certain extent it may be true, but that degree is worth a great deal. That said, do not underestimate the lifelong value of a degree from an accredited institution of higher learning.
But what degree?
First things first—graduating from college is critical. Don't be an idiot and think that it's not worth it. So many people I know say that getting your degree is the ultimate test in being able to demonstrate that you can finish something you started. I agree with that sentiment.
From time to time, discussions arise about the qualifications for a particular teaching position being advertised. More than one has read, "Faculty members must have teaching experience at the college level and are required to maintain active participation in their field of photography." Active participation? I can't say I know a lot of professors who would fit that bill. A few, but not many. One read, "The perfect candidate for this job is someone who has an MFA in photography, plus commercial and teaching experience." And here's where I, along with others I've discussed