Can You Teach Yourself Photography?

I recently received an email from someone who was interested in becoming a professional photographer. She wanted to know if she should go to school for it, or could she do it all on her own.

My answer … Yes.

We are living proof that you don’t have to have a degree in photography in order to become very successful professional photographers. Andrew studied business in college, and I have a master’s degree in financial management. No photography or art classes anywhere in our background – on a college level.

Yet what we did have was a knack for photography, a love for business, and a passion for putting the two together. And that’s really what started it all.

We also realized that there were two ways to become better at the art of photograph. One, take more photographs. Like everything, practice makes perfect. The more you practice, the better you get. And two, study under other successful photographers to learn the secrets along the way.

If someone has “been there, done that” it makes sense to follow in their footsteps. Why reinvent the wheel? Instead, if you look to them for guidance, whether its reading a book or taking a one-week intensive training program, you gain the knowledge that they are willing to share with you.

Pros and Cons of Teaching Yourself

The top benefit of teaching yourself photography is the cost. College is expensive these days. A friend of mine has a student in an art college studying photography, and it will be well over $120,000 for a four year degree. Add in the extras – books, cameras, computer equipment, software – and you are looking at a very expensive path. While a four year program can be pricey, the one thing they do give you is intense training. You live and breathe photography for four years, and learn everything about the arts. If you teach yourself, you have to be dedicated to living that same type of lifestyle and subjecting yourself to the same intensity level. [Read more…]