Photography Qualifications

[DemiLion]

I think of many reasons a shot would be legally unsafe... can you be more specific? Are we just talking about journalism here? That's just one small slice of the photo industry.

Yup it's a small slice, but that's what a couple of us were talking about. There can be more than one strand of conversation on a thread.

It's the use of a photograph which might have legal implications, not the taking of them.

Steve.

Nope, how and where the photograph is taken has a huge bearing on whether it can be used or not.

 

[Paul_W]

There can be more than one strand of conversation on a thread.

I thought it was best to keep the threadon topic

 

[DemiLion]

I thought it was best to keep the threadon topic

It is on topic though. The original question was will a portfolio suffice without paper qualifications, given that much of the photography world is based on freelancing. To respond to that question fully you have to look at different genres, because they are not all the same and the answer will vary accordingly.

 

[Pookeyhead]

Yup it's a small slice, but that's what a couple of us were talking about. There can be more than one strand of conversation on a thread.

Woah.... ok.. LOL.

For what it's worth... I agree with you. For some reason you always seem poised to tear my head off.

There are specifically designed courses for photo journalism though, and I don't mean ones geared to NCTJ, or whatever, but honours degrees in photo journalism, and I'm quite sure those courses will be quite implicit in covering such issues. A general BA course probably wouldn't though.

 

[DemiLion]

Woah.... ok.. LOL.

For what it's worth... I agree with you. For some reason you always seem poised to tear my head off.

There are specifically designed courses for photo journalism though, and I don't mean ones geared to NCTJ, or whatever, but honours degrees in photo journalism, and I'm quite sure those courses will be quite implicit in covering such issues. A general BA course probably wouldn't though.

I don't think that I ripped your head off. You're reading too much into what was a straightforward reply!

 

[Pookeyhead]

I don't think that I ripped your head off. You're reading too much into what was a straightforward reply!

Maybe it's me then....... I'm taking flak from multiple direction in here tonight. Getting paranoid.

 

[Spooky]

Hi Pookeyhead

I have formal qualifications to teach; BA hons in English, PGCE in English and Drama, MA in Film and Media education. I now teach film production and photography but it is the photography part where I don't have letters after my name. I sometimes feel like a fraud but my results are among the highest in the school (85-100%) so I must be doing something right.

Coming back to Sid's point / question I guess I am an example of where no qualification but a good portfolio can get you, but I am also stuck with wanting to move into lecturing at HE. To that end I have started my BA in photography.

 

[Sidney]

If after all the previous comments you still intend on going for your LRPS

All i can say is why wait 3yrs???

Why not do it now?? i was about your age when i gained my LRPS, though that was quite a few years ago now!!!

The answer is quite simple - my work is not up to the standard at the moment. Although I have been photographing for around 2/3 years, it's really only within the last 6 months where I have been happy with my results.

I feel prior to this, my shots were just hand-picked from a large quantity of ****, and couldn't take credit for something I felt was just luck.

During the second half of this year, I hope to start doing some TFP in a "proper" studio. Still need a little way to go before I feel I can deliver good enough shots though.

If I find that A-Level Photography gets in the way of this - I will drop it at AS Level. That's when I will start thinking more seriously about the LRPS. I feel like I have spent 3 years being a jack-of-all-trades amature, and now I just want to focus on portraits, and at a later point, maybe weddings too.

Thanks for the responses, I will be interested if anyone has any further ideas.

Thanks,

 

[Jambonier]

Two observations:

I loved my time at University. It was a great ...best three years of my life. It's not just about the qualification..it's the eperience too.

Why the assumption that every aspect of a degree has to be work relevant? If this was true, no one would be studying Classics. Darkroom work may or not be relevant to modern workplace, but it's a significant part of the history of photography, and in my opinion anyone studying photography as an art would benefit from this aspect.

Universities are more than about just preparing students for work.

If Nick Clegg hadn't screwed us all over tuition fees making 9k unaffordable for me, I would go back to University and study Photography. Not for an entry into the profession, but for my love of the subject and the opportunity to devote time to studying it in an academic environment.

These days a degree has to be work relevant or it's a waste of 3 years and 40 thousand pounds

 

[DemiLion]

These days a degree has to be work relevant or it's a waste of 3 years and 40 thousand pounds

That's a complete misconception, otherwise subjects such as PPE, Greats, History etc would have disappeared long ago.

 

[Jambonier]

Well maybe people with rich parents have the luxury to study anything they want but the normal person cant afford to spend 3 years and 40 thousands unless it helps them get a better job.

 

[DemiLion]

If you've got the brains for it, you're much better off studying a decent degree subject rather than a generic industry based one such as tourism or media studies. That's excluding vocational subjects such as photography of course.

How rich your parents are has little to do with it.

 

[dkh]

Hi Pookeyhead

I have formal qualifications to teach; BA hons in English, PGCE in English and Drama, MA in Film and Media education. I now teach film production and photography but it is the photography part where I don't have letters after my name. I sometimes feel like a fraud but my results are among the highest in the school (85-100%) so I must be doing something right.

Coming back to Sid's point / question I guess I am an example of where no qualification but a good portfolio can get you, but I am also stuck with wanting to move into lecturing at HE. To that end I have started my BA in photography.

Isn't it your school or college that thinks that DKH stands for something extra?

Studying photography allowed me to experiment (and learn) and develop to not 'clickclickclick' xxxxxx times to get 400-500 images that could be considered acceptable.

 

[Spooky]

Isn't it your school or college that thinks that DKH stands for something extra?

Studying photography allowed me to experiment (and learn) and develop to not 'clickclickclick' xxxxxx times to get 400-500 images that could be considered acceptable.

Hi Dilip

Not my school, or college, but some of the students I teach there use the initials as an abbreviation for something quite unpleasant. Am wondering now, how you know that?

Agree with your comment about studying Photography; I cut my teeth in a pre-digital world where we (A Level students) had to really understand exposure, and where every shot we took cost us a few pence.

Spooks

 

[tamphotography]

Yup it's a small slice, but that's what a couple of us were talking about. There can be more than one strand of conversation on a thread.



Nope, how and where the photograph is taken has a huge bearing on whether it can be used or not.

couldnt agree more, to be a good press photographer, you realy need training, as said the law HAS to be known, and thats just one aspect. Its not just as simple as being able to take pretty pictures.

for example, a new untrained photographer is sent on a court snatch, do they know how to go about this, what they can do, where they can photograph? for starters do they know how to find out what the person looks like? I doubt they would know without previous training,

or...

an untrained photographer is sent to photograph an mp who is cheating on her fella, the have been sent to get a photograph of her, they jump onto a 8 foot wall and snap he in her home through a window. would they know the legal pit falls? I doubt it

 

[Hazza]

I'm currently doing A2 photography having got a B last year, and in honesty it's more geared toward your understanding of the subject rather than how good a photographer you are. You spend the majority of the coursework comparing your work to paintings that have literally no links to your work other than the subject, it's stupid. You also have to demonstrate ability to ruin, sorry I mean edit, a perfectly good photo.

The exam paper I have got asks you to respond to various photographers and none of them mentioned (2 per question over 8 questions) are actually still alive!?

I'm only doing it as I need an AS and A2 or 2xAS to go with my engineering diploma. I could have dropped it last year as I also did physics at AS but I decided to carry it on as I enjoy it (well the taking photos).

In short the qualification isn't just about your skill with camera.

 

[Sidney]

In short the qualification isn't just about your skill with camera.

Yes, Harry. I have learnt that from the GCSE. Which was/is why I was thinking of doing a L-RPS, where it assesses purely photographic skill.

You also have to demonstrate ability to ruin, sorry I mean edit, a perfectly good photo.

I don't think I would ever feel comfortable showing someone one of my RAW Shots. I always play around with the curves and clarity. I find that just about all of my out of camera shots look horrifically flat (although that is changing now that I am experimenting with off-camera flash).

The exam paper I have got asks you to respond to various photographers and none of them mentioned... are actually still alive!?

That does seem rather stupid. However this doesn't really surprise me as it is the AS/A2 "academic" level, so I would have guessed it would be looked at "the greats". I wonder if there is a BTEC option that is more photographically assessed. Perhaps that would look at some of the 20th/21st century stuff?

Thanks for the responses, good luck with your A-Level.

Sid

 

[Steve Smith]

an untrained photographer is sent to photograph an mp who is cheating on her fella, the have been sent to get a photograph of her, they jump onto a 8 foot wall and snap he in her home through a window. would they know the legal pit falls? I doubt it

Probably not but that's something for the editor to worry about.


Steve.

 

[tamphotography]

yes and as a freelancer who do you think the editor will blame when court action is taken, they may swiftly wash their hands act dumb and blame the photographer

far easier to be trained correctly and employ trained staff and prevent such happenings

if you know the law, not to mention the pcc code, etc etc it is a great advantage, its not as simple as just running around clicking away, knowledge is priceless, you then know what you can and can't do, what boundaries you can push,

im all for learning on the job, but the NCTJ offers those first building blocks needed in press photography, as its a mine field to someone who knows sod all

 

[DemiLion]

Probably not but that's something for the editor to worry about.

Steve.

Have you seen the contracts that Which Magazine and Archant (amongst others) are handing out now?

 

[Steve]

I'm currently doing A2 photography having got a B last year, and in honesty it's more geared toward your understanding of the subject rather than how good a photographer you are. You spend the majority of the coursework comparing your work to paintings that have literally no links to your work other than the subject, it's stupid. You also have to demonstrate ability to ruin, sorry I mean edit, a perfectly good photo.

The exam paper I have got asks you to respond to various photographers and none of them mentioned (2 per question over 8 questions) are actually still alive!?

I'm only doing it as I need an AS and A2 or 2xAS to go with my engineering diploma. I could have dropped it last year as I also did physics at AS but I decided to carry it on as I enjoy it (well the taking photos).

In short the qualification isn't just about your skill with camera.

After reading this I wasn't sure if you were saying the A Level was worthwhile or not.

 

[minibloke]

Having a daughter who's gone through this and is studying photography AS at the moment my advice would be to study what you enjoy (as you've chosen a career path that doesn't rely on qualifications). Use the time to learn as much as you can for free, and make the most of the next couple of years.
You'll be working for a long time so don't rush into it.

 

[dubcat]

I looked in to this myself in some detail. I came to the conclusion, after paying for and signing up to a course, that the qualification in itself means absolutely nothing. It's all about your portfolio and your network as others have said.

Having said all of that the course is helping me to see the world in a new light. I am now able to sometimes articulate why I like an image versus why I don't like it. This is as much a reflection of my inability to learn from books as anything else though. By forcing me to actually go out and do stuff the course is helping me to learn basic things that I simply did not know. I don't think you need to do a course to learn these things. There are plenty of books that can teach them. I seem to be cursed with an inability to learn from them myself though.

 

[POAH]

worth while if the job you want requires it or you are interested in actually doing a degree after reading what you would learn.

Hi Guys,

Just thought I would seek your opinion on this one. I'm currently doing a GCSE in Photography, which I will continue to at least AS Level, maybe to A2.

As much as I enjoy the course, it isn't really photography focused. For instance, only 25% of the overall mark is based on how well you take pictures. So, this got me thinking, are photography qualifications still respected.

To be more specific, I am thinking of trying to obtain a Licentiateship in around 3 years time. Will even this be respected by employers?

Considering the vast majority of photography is freelance now, surely the sole requirement of a photographer is a strong portfolio? What I will say about GCSE is that by being forces to research photographer and techniques, I feel that I have improved my raw photography skills, but is that the extent of the qualification?

Would love to get some responses to this,

Thanks,