About Photography

OG pretty much covered the basics. I'm a photography major right now & do freelance work currently. Internships take up a lot of time while being a full time student so I chose the freelance path for now. After I get out of school I plan to try to get a job as a photo assistant. Its a ton of b**** work & what not, but I'm cool with starting at the bottom & working my way up

What if you don't wana go to college for years?

I mean.. Is it different for people in Ireland would you reckon? Teachers at my school never knew anything about it, and when i google it, i just get photography classes and such.. nothing about proper college..

See.. I hated everything about school. and i cant go to college just to do photography. i'll have to study other crap too.. and i just don't want to.

when OG Sean said:

There are also freelance photographers, who take pictures of stuff on their own, and then sell the photos to the proper outlet (a la Peter Parker). This is considerably harder usually.


How much do they pay?

Is it good money, and what do they look for? Just pictures of crimes etc. being committed so they can have exclusive photographs?

Exactly. I mean, it's not impossible to be a photographer with no school experience, but it's a lot tougher to get secure jobs (such as at a newspaper or magazine) without education. Also, with no formal education, people can see right through your photographs and tell that you're an amateur.



As for freelance work, it really depends. It depends what type of place you're selling them to (newspaper, magazine, tabloid, etc), the subject of the picture (as mentioned, a celeb, or a famous incident) and where you are.

I mean, if you're in Los Angeles taking pictures of Lindsay Lohan right after she just ran someone over driving high on crystal meth, you're going to be raking in thousands, as long as it is exclusive. If you are taking pictures of local happenings in Ireland (say, the aftermath of a house burning down) you might only be making pocket change.

It really just depends on a million different things. I mean, only get into photography if you have a burning passion for it, there's no room for fair-weather photographers, because there are so many people that go to school and study photography every night and every day that they'll bury you every time. If you want to make it your life's work though, then you should really go to school.


Now, let me give you a bit of background about myself. I'm a filmmaker that dropped out of school after 2 years because I started getting paid jobs to do rewrites, and I was going to school with the intention of becoming a director, but then I kind of decided I mainly wanted to write, for now. So I quit, and I've been getting jobs here and there writing for the past few years. Still, I wouldn't be getting the stuff I'm getting now if it weren't for the experience and contacts I gained through formal college education.

So I'm not saying you have to go to school for it, but if you really seriously want to become a photographer, there isn't much hope for you if you don't at least try school, to see where you're at compared with everyone else in the field.


Again, hope I helped, any more questions be sure to ask, I'll be around, and I'm sure HHH316 will keep checking back.



HHH316, are you the one that was going to Columbia College Chicago? I can't remember, someone on here was going there, I went to Columbia College Hollywood when I was in school.

OK, I live in a town called Drogheda (Prenounced draw-heada ) and most weekends there would have been a fight or someone left in hospital or maybe even someone stabbed (not the safest place in the world) so if i were to take pictures of that kind of stuff, would it be possible to sell it to local papers?

Also, would you be able to make a decent weeks wage doing such a thing?


I enjoy photographing things (hence the inspiration to do the loose Jakks database, I also take photos for my brother's cabinet making company -just pictures of stuff he makes, nothing major, and when i go to WWE all i practically do is constantly take photos) but I just enjoy going around taking photographs. I find It fun.

So yeah, would it be possible to make any kind of living off that kinda stuff. Also, say i had pictures of some 'thugs' kicking the crap outta some guy, and he ended up in hopspital or whatever, how would you approach them about selling those photographs (if it was at all possible to do so)?

They told us the two schools were no longer affiliated in any way, except for in name. It might have changed in the past 2 years though, even though CCH is specifically a film/television school. When I first went there we had like 190 students, now I hear they have like 500 students in their tiny little building. Just one of many reasons I quit going there. One of my best friends went to CCC though before he decided to come to CCH because LA was where the film industry was. He said the school was cool, but he didn't like the size of it. Now he's in the same spot with CCH. lol





KKV, as HHH316 said, it really depends. I mean, it's not impossible, but ethics and job procurement is something you study in school. It sounds like you have the investigative spirit needed for photography, and you even have a little bit of City of God (fantastic movie, check it out if you haven't, it's Brazilian, but I plead with you to check this out, it seems like you would relate to it well) in your midst.

If I were you, I'd try to gain contacts inside a newspaper, even if it's through like one of the people that does the daily delivery, try to talk to them about it.

Still, it seems like you have all the right elements to pursue it as a profession, and while I can't say what's best for you, I'd highly recommend talking to someone that's established in your area, and see how they got the job, and what schooling (if any) they pursued to get where they are.

No prob, I just wish I knew more about the area, or that you lived here, I could make better recommendations, I just don't know anything about the Irish newspaper industry. Keep researching photographers, try to find some in your country if not in your town/city, for advice if anything.

Like I said, any other questions, feel free.

Like I said, no problem, I know what it's like to try to get into a field where you have no clue how to approach it.


I say you should even check out the photo club, even if it's more art-based, you'll meet other people interested in photography at the very least.

And I MUST still bug you to watch City of God, even if you hate subtitled movies, because that movie would hit really close to home. It's about a Brazilian kid in the ghetto who tries to stay out of trouble, and he gets into photography, and he starts taking pictures of the gangster kids in his neighborhood. He thinks he's going to get beat up for it, but it turns out they think he's awesome for being into photography, and he makes a statement about the conditions of where he lives, bringing insight to the outside world into the neighborhood he lives in. He also makes artistic statements through pictures depicting the brutal violence of his neighborhood. Great movie, and from what it sounds like, you will definitey relate to it.