Good colleges for photography in America
To successfully identify the top colleges for photography you need to know what your goals are. If you are considering pursing a degree in art, with a focus on photography you need to look at more than overall rankings and reputations. A good photography college is one that teaches you the skills you will need to pursue your specific artistic and professional goals, and it also starts providing you with the networking opportunities you will need to develop your future career.
A great first step is to identify faculty who have good reputation in the type of photography you want to pursue, and find out where they teach and whether they are effective mentors to up-and-coming photographers. You should investigate the rate at which graduates are employed in their chosen field. If this information is not publically available, don’t be afraid to ask! You can also send brief, polite enquiries to recent graduates to ask whether they would recommend the program. A top photography school should also allow you to apply your skills as you develop them with internships, gallery shows, contests and other interfaces between education and industry. This will help you graduate straight from college into a professional photography career.
If this still leaves you with a number of desirable options you can investigate less tangible advantages in terms of lifestyle, cultural and employment opportunities at that location and scholarships. In the end a good photography college is not a case of one size fits all, it is a photography college that meets your idiosyncratic requirements and aspirations–and will provide that bridge you need between your talent and your dream job as a photographer.
Did you know:
According to US News and World Reports the following are the top 2010 National Schools offering Art majors including colleges for photography
1. Yale University – New Haven, CT
2. University of Chicago – Chicago, IL
3. Northwestern University – Evanston, IL
4. Brown University – Providence, RI
5. Rice University – Houston, TX
Acquiring knowledge, or a photographer career outlook, is the best way to prepare before committing oneself to a future in photography. All over the world, nearly half of photographers who have careers are self employed. The other half, have jobs in magazines, newspapers, companies, etc. It is therefore important to contemplate which kind of career one would like to dive in. After making these two choices, one is again presented with other choices; and it is a vast potpourri of subjects and an ocean of sub-genres. One does not simply set sail without knowing which direction to go. Since there are lots of categories, a photographer career outlook is needed for reference. Depending on the genre of photography, one needs to be well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of one’s choices. Having awareness is always very useful when one is planning a career.
Skills Required
A natural inclination towards art and never-ceasing creativity is a high bonus for the working photographer. Having these qualities propels one to increase in experience and jump ranks. Also, the task of dealing with a lot of different people falls in the category of flexibility, therefore acquiring these talents is also a priority. An above average technical know-how of your genre (whether it be Portrait or Nature Photography) is highly prized and expertise in more than one genre is always a good asset to have.
A business mind-set as a photographer, apart from the artistic perception, is also an important career building block.
Earnings
Naturally, photographers who work full time or at least have steady salary, tend to earn more than the self-employed photographer. Freelance photography can be very hard to sustain financially, as it cuts holes in one’s pockets due to upkeep (maintenance and repair). There are a few freelance photographers successful enough to do this but it takes more patience to generate enough profit from the work. Intense planning is needed before thinking about buying expensive cameras and other equipment.
The average salary for the photographer is estimated around $27,000 every year, with as high as $50,000 dollar earnings and as low as $15,000.
Visit http://www.findyourartschool.com/ep/photography-schools.php to find top rated colleges for photography.
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