# need HELP... photog schooling



## Mansi (Feb 10, 2006)

i dont know if this is the right forum but i really need some help!
i graduate in visual communications in 2007... the only thing i want to do thereafter is photography... and i really want to sstudy some photog

there's a course at the london college of communications that i am currently looking at:
http://www.lcc.arts.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/ma_photojournalismdocumentaryphotography.htm?token=

also i heard of an institue in new york offering a similar course... any idea anyone? new york i feel would offer more interms of what i want then the uk.. .opportunity wise

option for now... 
is summer school this year worth it? thats just a few months down the line

http://www.summer.harvard.edu/2006/courses/31635.jsp#top : some thing like that but not quite that

my question is.. can anyone recommend any real good photog schools for photojourno or doc photog? 
and is summer school a good option? (a few months off-so if i deceide to do something of the sort i need to start preparing for it now)
what do you think is a good option for me to move ahead in my photog?

thanks so much


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## JonMikal (Feb 10, 2006)

can't answer any of your questions, but find a school in DC :hug::


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## Mansi (Feb 10, 2006)

lol i'd love to  
anyone heard well of the brooks inst of photog? http://www.brooks.edu/programs/visualj.asp
im thinking of doing something this summer if i can(summer school) or then next year once i graduate will do a years post grad dip then


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## danalec99 (Feb 10, 2006)

Brooks, Rochester Institute of Technology, San Francisco Art Institute, School of Visuals Arts, are some of the finest photography schools in the US. 
Since you lean towards documentary/pj photography, you may want to look in to this program at the Missouri School of Journalism. This school is supposed to be the cream of the crop in the journo/pj field. 

The Newhouse School - Syracuse University, which is in upstate NY, is also very prominent.

If the quest, is to get a 'job' in the pj field, you do not necessarily _need_ a Masters degree. I'd just get the [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1582973954/104-4525366-6187116?v=glance&n=283155"]Photographers Market 2006[/ame] and [ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581150768/qid=1139602858/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-4525366-6187116?s=books&v=glance&n=283155"]The Photojournalist's Guide to Making Money[/ame] . That said, a good school will always mould/expose you. So, don't skip the chance if you have it.

You may also find this NPPA link helpful.



*Edited to add:* 
1. Rockport College is another awesome school that I missed to add. It's the product of the much acclaimed The Maine Photographic Workshops.
2. Another VERY important school that I missed is the International Center of Photography (ICP), based in NYC. Cornell Capa is the founding director of this pretigious school. The school is a beehive for prospective photojournalists.


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## markc (Feb 10, 2006)

Just from what I've head from others... Brooks tends to be all about the tech. A friend of mine went there. They taught you how to get a perfectly exposed image, but felt that "art" was best left to you.

At RIT, they have a variety of paths. I've heard from those that went the fine art path there were a little disappointed in the depth of the tech. There was a lot of equipment in the cage they never got to use.


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## Mansi (Feb 11, 2006)

thanks a lot daniel and mark! some really helpfl advice
at this point i feel myself stagnate in photog... i need to learn more and do more... not much i can do till i do finish my grad.. toh i am taking on photo assignments (first photo gig with lse coming up next week) as and when they come and m hoping for some work on the side...
i need a course where i can learn.. i dont just want a job and money... thats not important.. i need to be somewhat satisfied photographically (i know i can never be fully satisfied with my photog.. i feel the day i am fully satsfied its the end of my photo career)... i just need to do more.. and i need the right direction to go in... i dont know how many of you understand all of that crap i just typed 
but i need direction is what i mean in short...

i know i want to cover reality even if it means being in the toughest of spots... i know i want to travel and i know i want to be a 'photographer' till as long as i can.

so help me some more.. heheh just dont say that i need to see a shrink after reading all of that^^^ 

i dont want to ever feel that im bored with photography... i want to do something short term 6months-a year... something that would refine and mould me as a photographer:mrgreen:


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## JonK (Feb 11, 2006)

I know what yer sayin mansi.(especially the part about never being satisfied photographically!)

the best school lies outside your front door! 
you live in india and there is a million reality tales waiting to be told....it doesn't get much more real than the streets of chandni chowk or the like. Give yourself assignments and just do it.
You have a natural ability to put ppl at ease; you just need a story and to go out and photograph it -  that is what will ultimately mould and refine you photographically. 

If you want to learn the technical side of things or composition or gain some insight from seasoned documentary pros ...yeh go to school or find someone who will mentor you. I've always found those experiences to be invaluable. You just need to shop around until you find one offering a good balance of those elements or the one element you want to focus on. 

It will definitely help you along the way but the real learning, refining and moulding will come from your experiences in the field (your upcoming assignment is going to be some of the best schooling you can get!) ...so just keep doing what you have been and it will all come together.  It sounds like you know the direction you want to go....you just need to get on the path. That will come with time. 

therapy is not the answer here!  go for it.


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## danalec99 (Feb 11, 2006)

I have to agree with JonK's post. You've got a _very_ diversified world, right outside you door. There are a million topics that you could cover. I totally agree with Jon's idea of self assignments :thumbup:. Let me know if you have a dearth for topics! 
But at the same time, I cannot stop you, if _you_ think you need a masters in this field. _I_ personally would not do a masters in PJ to become a photojournalist. Your call! 

If you haven't yet, check out Ami Vitale. She was in India during the time of the Gujarat riot. Here she is, featured in nikonnet.com.

Btw, when I see your work, I kick myself for not having discovered photography, while in India. 

Now, get out and start shooting, girl!


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## markc (Feb 11, 2006)

I haven't been on much, but you might want to ask the people over at Lightstalkers what they think. It's a site started by Teru Kuwayama for travelers, photographers, journalists, etc.


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## danalec99 (Feb 11, 2006)

markc said:
			
		

> Lightstalkers


That's a site, where I'm a lurker, when time permits. 
Teru's story on India-Pak border, which was featured in Outside, made me one of his admirers.


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## Mansi (Feb 11, 2006)

or what you guys said is option #2...
... another pro photog told me not to go school but to learn while shooting and just said 'get out there'
the problem is that i can not do much while im at school.. i just have to wait till its over really.. annd the place you stay in never really inspires you... which calls for the impossible (as of right now) , to travel.
Daniel, Ami Vitale : i have been following her work for a bit... and i had been thinking of contacting her for some help... 
i dont have to have a masters in the field.. coz i know the real learning will only come from the field...
question still remains ... to school or not to?
i really need to do something fast  

also maybe instead of summer schooling during summer break i should just get hands on experince in the field? with another photogrpaher?

thanks a lot guys for allll the help


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## ShutteredEye (Feb 11, 2006)

I think more schooling can only help you.  A degree can open a lot of doors for you, that might not be opened otherwise.  Regardless of the level of your work, sometimes people in charge want to see credentials.

Even if all you learn at school is how you DON'T want to do things, it's been worth it, aye?

0.02


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## JonK (Feb 12, 2006)

ShutteredEye said:
			
		

> I think more schooling can only help you.  A degree can open a lot of doors for you, that might not be opened otherwise.  Regardless of the level of your work, sometimes people in charge want to see credentials.
> 
> Even if all you learn at school is how you DON'T want to do things, it's been worth it, aye?
> 
> 0.02


too true robert. 
in order to break the rules you first have to learn them...and when it comes to photography breaking the rules is what keeps the medium current...it stops that staganation we all want to avoid so much.
i think what mansi is saying is that she'd like to do some short courses/workshops in the interim between now and when she graduates from her current schooling to help increase her proficiency and perhaps give her some insight into which avenues may appeal to her most photographically.

I think your quickest route to learning - in the direction you seem to be aiming mansi - is any and all hands on you can get; couple that with courses here and there in the meantime and yer set.  :thumbup:

just suggestions of course



			
				Mansi said:
			
		

> annd the place you stay in never really inspires you... which calls for the impossible (as of right now) , to travel.



too true most of the time as well....so easy to be complacent about the place you're in (man, how i know it!:meh: )
this is the hardest thing to overcome....if there was a magic pill for overcoming this I'd be an addict! :mrgreen: 
the thing of it is...everyday delhi may be mundane to you but to the rest of the world; the people you want to see it, it is an exotic location teeming with life from every spectrum of society....you just need to look at it from the perspective of an outsider looking in and you'll see the diversity and variety.


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## danalec99 (Feb 12, 2006)

Mansi said:
			
		

> Daniel, Ami Vitale : i have been following her work for a bit... and i had been thinking of contacting her for some help...


It might take time for her response, but she is a nice person. I'm sure you'll get some great tips from her. :thumbup:


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## Vincent_21 (Feb 13, 2006)

Mansi said:
			
		

> i dont know if this is the right forum but i really need some help!
> i graduate in visual communications in 2007... the only thing i want to do thereafter is photography... and i really want to sstudy some photog
> 
> there's a course at the london college of communications that i am currently looking at:
> ...


*i know this school in philippines called "IAFT" they offer photography course! i asked my cousin about it coz she's studying there (film making)! and they are an expert in teaching students "underwater photography",if ur into that kind of thing like me  im actually goin' there to take a photography course too! but first i will try for their scholarship program! if ur interested here's the site of the school... http://www.filmschool.ph/index.html
let me know how it goes! *


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