Photography Student? Here is Some Advice from Teachers

Are you currently a photography student? Are you enrolled in high school, college, or graduate-level photography classes this fall? Here is some unsolicited advice from professional photographic educators to take with you into the classroom or out into the field.

1. “It is totally natural to emulate other photographers who you admire as you start your journey with the medium of photography, but the sooner you can begin to make unique photographs that reflect what you are genuinely interested in, the more rewarding your journey will be. Be vulnerable, take risks with the “rules” of composition and exposure, but above all, make photographs that mean something, to you, to your subjects, and hopefully, to the world.” — Amanda Dahlgren, Grossmont College; El Cajon, California
2. “Understand that art school is a strange, brief time in which you subject yourself to endless differing viewpoints. Embrace that aspect of it. Try it all out, and muster as much enthusiasm as you can for that genre that you have disdain for—you’re in a dressing room trying everything on. You have your whole rest of your career to be opinionated and focus in on your One Thing. But I promise, open-mindedness now, and really trying in all areas, will beautifully inform what you end up doing in the long run, likely in beautiful and unexpected ways. It gives you a much more robust understanding of the larger photography landscape.” — Kris Davidson, Academy of Art University; San Francisco, California