Considering Fine Art Photography. Haven't taken related courses. Is this a mistake?

Okay, so, I'm considering applying for a degree in Fine Art Photography next year. I meet all of the academic requirements and I already have a portfolio which I am constantly working on and adding to.

Unfortunately, I must admit that I truly know very little when it comes to photography. I have never taken any courses on the subject, nor have I ever really picked up any books about it. So despite having had an interest in photography as well as having spent a lot of time building a portfolio for a few years now, I generally don't know anything about this artform or about cameras. In fact, I use a very basic point and shoot camera because any money spent a more upscale camera would just be a waste since I wouldn't know how to use it to its full capability.

Despite this, people have always told me how great my photos are. I've even had a professional photographer say some really amazing things about a few of them before telling me I have a lot of potential.

So, if I have potential then what's the problem, right? Well, I'm really worried that, if I were to successfully make it to university, everyone on the course will have taken courses at college or read loads of books about it and know significantly more about it all than me. This would make me feel completely stupid. Not to mention the fact that it would also make me feel really out of place and as though I don't belong there because I'd be so much farther behind in comparison to everyone else. Or worse, I worry that since I don't know anything about photography or cameras beyond the very basic, that I won't be successful on the course because I will have been required to already have certain knowledge that I don't possess.

So, would applying to Fine Art Photography be a huge mistake because I am setting myself up for failure, or am I being completely paranoid for no reason and should just jump right into it?

Reply 1

Magic Frog

1

I don't think anyone can really say if you'd be setting yourself up for failure or not.

Have you started looking at particular universities? Do they say anything about requirements of skill for the courses? I only ask this as I started a Digital Media degree course two years ago, but came from an art and design background. Digital design was something I'd always been interested in, but had no prior experience of aside from the things I self-taught myself and had an interest in generally. Luckily at interview when I asked about whether I needed prior skills in this field (as I had the academic requirements for the course) they said that technical skill wasn't always a requirement, it was enthusiam and passion for the subject, as well as an eye for creativity - which they said I had plenty of in my portfolio. And I've picked up my skills along the way, and not found that side of things that difficult to pick up.

Maybe you can contact the photography department in the universities to ask what type of modules they cover and talk about what skills you'll need on the course? Or even have a chat with the lecturers themselves via email about the course generally? Or see if you can talk to current students at the universities doing these courses?

You could begin to self-teach yourself about photography from a technical and contextual aspect. There are plenty of books in libraries and shops which deal with teaching from the very basics of photography, both in analogue and digital form. The ones I've looked at (as I've been doing a couple of photography modules at uni) are usually very clear and informative. Even online there are several guides to the basics in photography - aside from differences in individual cameras, the basics of aperture and shutter speed are the same for all :smile:

Do you have any photographers whose work you admire? Even taking an interest in other photographers work will help you to gain knowledge about the subject area - even if it just the intention of the shot, lighting, focus etc to give you things to consider from your own point of view.

You could try contacting local photography studios, ask if you could do some mini work experience. Even pop in for the day to gain some knowledge about the workings of photography. Are there any local vocational photography courses or clubs you would like to join?

Practicing photography in your own time is good to keep fresh, and will keep you creatively thinking. Don't let the technical side hold you back if you are worried about that - ask around the universities like I said, chat to the lecturers and try some self-teaching in the basics.

Have a look at a couple of these websites - they might not tell you everything, but they'll give you a bit of insight into cameras:

http://www.shortcourses.com/use/

http://photo.net/

:smile:

Reply 2

BoyinBlue

Jumping head first into a degree you don't have relevant qualifications or training in can be worrying. However, in the case of art & design I know a lot of universities looks for passion, not just technical ability. If you're passionate and dedicated enough, that should show in your portfolio and at the end of the day, that's the most important thing.

However, what I can suggest perhaps is an Art & Design Foundation course? Or a Foundation degree in Photography. Some universities ask applicants when interviewed to reconsider and apply for foundation as it gives the student the opportunity to develop a stronger, technical grounding in their specialism. A Foundation course lasts a year, and is a fantastic opportunity to further construct a portfolio and develop a better grounding in Photography. It is also a qualification that is generally expected by a lot of universities. An Art & Design foundation course is a requirement for certain universities. So it also all depends where you're applying :smile:

But good luck!

Reply 3

JellyBean123

11

My boyfriend applied for photography last year and went to Falmouth. He's great at all the technical side but he prefers more traditional imagery to all this new arty stuff. He dropped out of Falmouth at Christmas because he got so frustrated that they didnt care about the technicalities and were only concerned with being contemporary.

Therefore, i dont think any lack of technical knowledge will matter that much. Not saying its a bad thing, it just depends what your tastes in photography are.

Reply 4

tea_cakes

10

In my experience the first year at least is almost entirely based on your conceptual ideas and way of thinking. The technical aspects will be learned through workshops as the year progresses.

Reply 5

Captain Nebula

1

It would be a failure to not even try.

Reply 6

¬_¬

OP

Well, yeah, I have started considering some universities. A couple of them stated they were open to novices in their course descriptions. This did give me a little boost, but it didn’t completely erase my nerves about there being loads of really experienced people on the course. My paranoia makes me think that, despite the course being open to people who are more or less beginners, I’ll be only one who really is starting from the very beginning. That would just be the worst feeling and would definitely break down my confidence a fair bit which would likely end up holding me back a fair bit.

As for contacting universities and asking about whether technical skill is a requirement, that’s definitely a thought. With any luck, I am hoping that at least a couple of the universities I am considering do not require that I have technical skill before starting the course.

Thanks for all the suggestions and support, Magic Frog.

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Thanks for the suggestion of taking an Art & Design Foundation course, BoyinBlue. I have considered this already and, unfortunately, for a variety of different reasons taking a foundation course isn’t an option I have. Thanks for the information about some universities requiring a foundation course, though. That I didn’t know so it is definitely good to be aware of that now so I don’t waste my time applying somewhere that requires taking a foundation course.

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Thanks, JellyBean123. It is good to know for certain that there are courses out there which do focus too much on technical aspects of photography. Not that I mind ever learning the technical aspects. That would be a great thing, in fact, but I would need to learn it from the beginning so if a course doesn’t require prior technical ability then I am not at too bad of an advantage because any technical training the university would give would start on the assumption that none of the students on the course have any prior knowledge.

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Thanks for the information about what the first year is like, tea_cakes.

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And as for you, Captain Nebula, thanks for the encouragement to try.

Reply 7

tea_cakes

10

It does depend where you apply of course but there were a lot of people on my course who had never studied photography before. You probably won't be the only one who has no photographic experience at all.

Reply 8

¬_¬

OP

So I'm probably just being really paranoid by being so concerned about this, right?

'Cause I do really, really want to apply for photography, but I am so scared of not being good enough and even more scared that I will fall behind because everyone will be starting the course with much more knowledge, skill, and experience than me.

My fear is really keeping me back from taking the leap and deciding to apply for Fine Art Photography.

Reply 9

BuryMeInBlack

¬_¬

So I'm probably just being really paranoid by being so concerned about this, right?

'Cause I do really, really want to apply for photography, but I am so scared of not being good enough and even more scared that I will fall behind because everyone will be starting the course with much more knowledge, skill, and experience than me.

My fear is really keeping me back from taking the leap and deciding to apply for Fine Art Photography.

I think the creativity and passion is much more important really, as the technical side they teach throughout the degree, mainly the first year and second year.

Reply 10

tea_cakes

10

Ideas are more important, they can't really teach you how to think. Sure your final photographs have to look good but the technical aspects you'll pick up along the way, but if you can't come up with a good starting point then that's where things will go wrong.

Research everything & look for inspiration everywhere. Photographers, film makers, animators, illustrators, art directors, places, objects etc! And experiment. Those are the important things.

Considering Fine Art Photography. Haven't taken related courses. Is this a mistake?

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