Would you go to a photography studio if the photographer didn’t have a college degree in photography?
Would you go to a photography studio if the photographer didn’t have a college degree in photography, but had a solid portfolio and good prices for his work?
Bits of paper saying someone has been to college mean absolutely nothing whatsoever.
It is what their work is like which defines a photographer.
So, Yes, I would go to a photographer who did not have a degree.
You’ll find that the majority of "photographers" don’t have a degree in anything.
Basing your choice on whether or not the photographer has a degree is up to you. Their portfolio should be a better guide to their abilities than a piece of paper on the wall that you can buy anywhere.
Edit: You don’t need a degree, even in the technical photography side. Although I have shot weddings, and landscapes, and all that stuff, I get paid as a forensic/crime scene photographer. I have no degree, not even an associates in basket weaving. I get along just fine…
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If you’ve seen his work and like it, by all means.
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In the end it’s the quality of work the photographer puts out. Some have degrees and their work is crap, whereas there are some who self-educated and praticed (some are Top Contributors on here) and their stuff rocks. And the roles can be reversed.
I’d go with a solid portfolio over a degree any day, as would just about any employer.
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I don’t think going to school creates a talent.
If the photographer has amazing talent with his portfolio and impresses me then of course i will seak out to his studio.
Photography is an art,
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if you ask the majority of people about college degrees – they are used to let potential employers know that you have the ability to learn.
If a person knows photography and caqn produce images that are to your liking, then why not use them? Does that piece of paper make your images any better?
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Yeps, they are usually the best to use!
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That would depend entirely on the type of photography needed. For family portraits, weddings and social events of that nature, a degree hardly matters. The portfolio is the best barometer of his / her ability.
For commercial, medical, aerial, industrial and other sorts of technical photography, I would want to see a four year degree AND a solid portfolio of that type of work.
Edit 1) Wow some folks get pretty defensive about not posessing credentials.
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Who on earth is going to walk into a photographers studio before a shoot and ask "Can I see some credentials please"?.
Photography is more about the results you get than the qualifications you hold.
The exception being (as pointed out above) certain areas including medical or forensic photography, or if you wish to go into teaching.
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Hi,
If you like their portfolio – which by implication you do, then yes, go for it. Be careful if you are asking then to do a type or style of work which clearly they have not done before.
Portraits – no issue at all.
Cheers
Charles
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I would base my decision solely on the quality of their work. You don’t need a college degree in photography to be a great photographer. If they have a gallery full of great pictures that tells me most of what I need to know. I would be VERY fussy about this because I am a photographer myself. Therefore if I were hiring a photographer it would have to be for a specialized reason, like taking pictures of my wedding – something I could not possibly do myself.
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Like the others here I would not let that stop me from using them. That is not to say that a degree is not a good thing. Getting a degree in photography means you have proven an established level of competancy in the technical aspects and at some point they made you take even the type of pictures you do not really like taking and learing to do a decent job of that. Plus you will have some art theory to know why certain compostions look good. So I alway encourage people to get formal education in photography when they can.
But formal education is not the only way to learn these things. Certainly working your way up through the system and alot of self study can also accomplish it. So no the paper is not a requirement.
If they do have a paper though what do you ask next to see thier transcript. They could have gotten a degree with a 70 or they could have graduated summa cum laude ,,, wait my doctor has several degrees on his wall and I never asked him if he only sqeeked though … should I ?
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A rock solid portfolio speaks volumes more than a piece of paper on the wall. Especially in today’s age of digital madness. Its no big deal to take 300 pics even if you just want one good one. Just keep the one, delete 299 others and that’s it. Even if he had high prices and a solid portfolio, you still pick him. There’s no guarantees with or without a degree. If you’re comfortable with him, go with it.
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Bits of paper saying someone has been to college mean absolutely nothing whatsoever.
It is what their work is like which defines a photographer.
So, Yes, I would go to a photographer who did not have a degree.
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Would I go to a Photographer without a college degree in photography? Of course.
Photography is a put up or shut up profession. As an experienced pro, I’m a very knowledgeable consumer.
I would pick a studio that does the type of photography that I want done in a style that pleases me and can show me they are competent at doing it. Comptent means that they can consistently do it and their portfolio is going to show me that. After that, as much as possible, I’m going to work to get the best price deal I can.
I’m not interested in where they learned to deliver the goods. They could tell me that they learned by Channeling the great photograpers.
Photographers get hired all the time based on their portfolio. By all the time, I don’t mean commonly, I mean all as in it only happens that way. Degrees may, or may not, influence things, but they can’t determine them in photography.
If you’re asking your question as a potential consumer, go ahead and go to photographer without a degree.
In case you’re asking if anyone would come to you if you didn’t have a degree, and your question could be interpretted that way, they will if you have the solid portfolio and you are in the price range they are willing to pay. In this conext, I see ads all the time for ‘Photographer – should have … degree.’ I also see ads with ‘Must have … degree.’ These are all potential jobs for me.
"Should" ads? The minute I see should, I ignore it because it is just short hand for "Should be able to do …" "Must" ads are a little different. I immediately look for the special qualification that would rule me out, like forensic or medical certification. Other than that, I treat must as just a stronger way of saying should. Either way, they’ll be hearing from me.
Vance
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Freelance commercial photographer
if you have no degree but your work rocks then who cares about your college degree or not?
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my head