Hey everyone, well considering I think of many of you as family I have a pretty important question to ask. So I've been pretty depressed lately. You see I am at the age of 19 and should have already been in college for a year but I haven't. For I can't decide what I want to go into at all. I know it is either between Photography or Car Modifying. I love both but cannot decide between the two. I am leaning towards photography but I am kind of wondering. Now I'm wondering, do you find it necesary to go to school for Photography to make a career out of it? Is it hard to make a career out of something such as Photography? Because if it was possible I would like to do both things. Go to school for Car Modification and do Photography as a said thing until I was recognized enough to get a job at a Publication of some sort. It has been really bothering me because my parents are not very supportive of either choices. They tell me all the time, "You won't make any money doing that, there is no career in that." But they just won't realize that I don't exactly care about money. Life is short and I'd rather be doing something I love and enjoying life then dreading waking up every morning. So basically I just want some advice. What is it like being a Professional Photographer? Is the pay decent enough to have a rather comfortable life? Is it worth it? Along with the questions I asked above. Really just about anything that has to do with the above topic please post it up. I need to decide soon and every day I feel worse about it. My apologies that the post is so long but I feel it was all needed to say. Thank you in advance Renderosity! ~Brock

lol... well i wouldn't know what it's like to be a pro anything... but from what i've read the best way to learn photography is to throw yourself at the feet of a pro photographer in your area, work for free if you have to, carry their equipment... but see if you can be their assistant to learn first hands on experience.. that way you can still go to college... start out as a liberal arts major to cover all your bases & see about going into car modification... they have good college counselors who can help you on your choice of study... if your parents are offering help to go to college... don't pass on it!!!

Yes my parents are going to pay for my education. So exactly how can I get to one of these photographers. Any idea of where I can go looking for a pro or how to start out? I think my dad knows a guy that works for a magazine that travels around everywhere. Maybe I should talk to him? Edit: Do you think it would be possible to go to college at the Car Tech school (1 or 2 year school not sure) and maybe work with the guy my dad knows? Because like I said it's not a matter of whether I will like it or not as much as it is which one to do. I feel that both are possible to do at the same time. The way I was looking at it is start with opening a car shop or working at one and photographing the cars that I work on and sending them into magazines and such then once one gets in a magazine or whatever I can start talking to them more and more and eventually retire from working on cars and just work for a magazine.

Message edited on: 07/19/2005 13:07

Gotta echo cynlee here. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I went to college so started out taking the liberal arts courses. 2 years later I had to decide and went the fine art route and got a BFA in Drawing. It didn't really help me get a job at all, but was a great foundation. Learning is never wasted, you get from it what you put into it and you may find something while at school that really fuels your passion. Later, I went back to school for 1 1/2 years to get a Associates in Graphic Design and a portfolio together. I got a good job from that and the rest is history. I know you may think that $ isn't everything, but it sure is a lot. You will want to be able to support yourself and live moderately comfortably, even if you don't aspire to being rich. Insurance, gas, food, rent...it all takes the green stuff. Follow your dreams but be practical too. Maybe do something else as a fallback while you pursue your other goals. Whatever you choose, the sooner you get at it the better. With photograhy, aside from cyn's suggestion, practice, practice, practice. There a lot of photographers out there, and most aren't making a living at it. Good luck Brock!

Well I am leaning towards attending the car school as a good job and an alternative to the photography. I will still pursue my dreams of being a photographer and work hard at it but if it fails then I have something to rely on. Like you said 2pynts, "There a lot of photographers out there, and most aren't making a living at it.
" I'd rather spend my parents money on something more reliable such as the car school. If I am a truely great photographer people should not look at my degree but more towards my portfolio. EDIT: I shall still call/email the man my father knows and try to set something up with him. Thank you very much you two. I knew by coming here I could get the guidence I needed! Bless you both.

Message edited on: 07/19/2005 13:19

it wouldn't hurt Brock to talk to your dad's friend... & check the yellow pages... but by all means! get to college if it's paid for!! you're not going to get into many specialized classes the first 2 years anyway... & you can figure it out from there (you can combine photography/commercial art/journalism/graphic design with a Fine Arts Major too & hope you can get on working for a car publication) you'll never know until you try, just get your foot in the door... your future awaits young man! :]

to answer your edit... you'd be better off at Sam Houston State... don't narrow your options down with a tech school... imho...

I've heard Sam has an amazing photography program. Also I'm thinking that since that school is only 2 years long I would still have time to go back to school also. It's just that Cars is something that I've always wanted to do also and I have this feeling that if I don't I will regret it. 2 of my Uncle's work with cars. One makes 100k dollar hot rods and the other is a race car driver/mechanic. It is something in the family and something that I love. Why does life put forth such difficult decisions? cries =P

That is sound thinking. Keep learning all you can about photography (and art) on the side. Good luck!

cars is something you can always do... get your foundation first at a reputable university... (sounding like your parents now? :)

Actually cynlee not really! My parents do not know anything about going to college because they did not attend it themselves! And since I am an only child it is kind of tough because none of us know what do! laughs My dad supports my car dreams. My mom doesn't count because EVERYTHING I throw at her she says, 'There is no job in that, you'll never make money doing that, etc." So it kind of helps talking to someone older and much smarter then me about these things. AND someone besides my parents.

Okay, cyn is right about the education. An sooner is always better than later when it comes to academics, trust us. Maybe you could work with your uncles on the side? Touch choices, but I have a feeling it will all work out in the end.

expand your dreams... anything is possible... let your college advisor help you... & my best to you too! :D

If this helps, my brother is 28 years old and a massage therapist. His dream is to write novels. Well, he didn't finish college and most publishers look for at least a BA and preferrably a MA when you write, even if it is fiction. So he's having a tough time getting his stuff even looked at. You might not see what schooling is good for now, but it usually pays for itself in the long run. Maybe we can get some other advice in here, will shut up for now. =]

If you are depressed and thinking that you may have made a mistake, maybe you have. But it's not that big of one, and though life is short, you haven't wasted much on the grand scheme of things.

I'll share with you what I told my daughter when, at age 20, she came home from California, hat in hand, crying that I told her not to do what she went and did anyway. She was pregnant and the father wanted nothing to do with her or the baby, and she wasn't married: I told her, life is not about not making mistakes. Life is about learning, and learning from mistakes, mistakes made by ourselves and others. Life is also what you do after you have made a mistake. What you do with your mistakes is more important than the fact that you made a mistake.

These are lessons you can learn in no school.

If you like cars, and creating things (sorry no plug intended) go to Rhinoceros 3D download a copy and come see us in the Rhino Forum here at Renderosity.

If you go back to school and remind me in the fall, I'll line you up with the folks at Society of Automotive Engineers, and sponsor your membership.

I'm sorry I don't have any advice for you. All I know is that you should definately take advantage of your parents paying for school. I never went to college because I made a BUNCH of mistakes early on (and I just can't stop making them, even though I'm almost 30!). There are a lot of things I have always wanted to do. The main things are photography and writing. I have no time and no money for school, so what I do is just keep writing and taking pictures. Maybe someday it will pay off. I would love to be a prof. photographer, but I have 2 kids to raise and I need to make good money. So, I'm pretty much screwed for now. I did meet a prof. photographer, but I can't afford to work for free. We'll see what happens. Moral of this long story......think about going to a regular college first and then work from there. You might learn some stuff you need, no matter what profession you go into. Good luck with whatever you decide!!

can't really help much here as i am only 18 and have myself put off applying for university due to indecision well actually complete confusion as to what i want to do with my life just don't do something just cause your parents want it my father wanted a family of doctors (he wants us to get rich) which is totally unrealistic, if i had done what he wanted me to at school ie maths chemistry and biology i would have been totally miserable but i decided that he could just be disappointed in me, which he sort of is but hey on the other hand if they are funding you that kind of complicates the matter, my parents aren't anyway that's not very useful for making a choice but i would say don't get despondent about not having decided yet occasionally i feel a bit left behind with every single one of my friends having already applied and most likely all be going to uni this autumn but chances are i have plenty of time left in the world and a year or two this early on isn't going to make that much difference in the overall scheme of things all that's not particularly helpful i know i guess you could always just try rolling a dice or whatever good luck anyway

I have been in art all my life been an art teacher at a school and have always desired to make money doing it. NEver had the money to go to college though for art ... i followed my parents advice and went to Bible college .. then a few other school .. i ended up making my money in sales... sales and realistate is the way to go it you want to have lots of money.. but from the heart i would say dont listen to what anyone else says follow your dreams... the old expression starving artist is true lol but if you are good .. and have natural talent as well as learned school there are many ways to make it my family friend Christopher glenn makes 200 thousand a year in wedding photgraphy but it took him many years and he had to build up his reputation... and worked long hours and almost lost his marrige .. so its allot to think about... dont get too stressed it will all come in time ... in the meantime my advice is to enjoy your youth it is a magical time Kimarie...

Well, I graduated. And went to do something that almost has no connection to what I graduated. :-) If you want something that will make money for you almost immediately, go with the cars. You will at least be able to work in a garage. But if you want to do photography, take care to work on it. As cyn said, find somebody who will show you what to do, even if it's just one or two days a week. Carry a camera, take photos, read about it. Photography, like any other visual art, will not start making moeny immediately.

Get the education!!! It doesn't matter in what (unless you are studying history, many of the facts you lean will be obsolete 20 years after graduation). You will be learning how to learn, and those skills will enable you to keep learning for the rest of your life. You can teach yourself anything once you are grounded in the principles of research, analysis, and writing clearly. (The only way I can be sure I understand something is if I can explain it to someone else.) There are jobs that I couldn't have applied for if I didn't have a BA. It also helps if you end up managing projects or teams. What if you want to apply for a government grant to fund a photography project or to a corporation to fund a book? That 4 year degree says that you can be disciplined enough to work at and achieve something. A striking portfolio image could be a stroke of luck, but a degree says that you can commit to an undertaking and complete it. Don't limit yourself to what your uncles have done. You like working on cars? What about Martian rovers or those robots that go down into volcanoes and collect data? Or that flying bicycle? There are lots of souped up vehicles coming out of the labs! You may end up combining photography with robotics and cars (those rovers are sending back pictures, aren't they?)... but you'll never know unless you get exposed to the classes and the professors who push the dreams. Carolly

The more education..the better! I have my degrees and my employment is not related to that...and that is another story. Get the education..it will help in the long(and short run) regardless. Credentials and the effort to do it are important in the job market. Consider the member Lalani, she is a super photographer and is in school as we speak. You are just a bit younger than she is...she is getting her education. Even if you don't use it later, not directly...you do have it and having "it" says a bunch to prospective employers. That is just my 2 pence worth, 2 cents worth, whatever. TomDart.

Carolly and Tom speak wisdom. It might not seem like it is necessarily what you want now, but I can almost guarantee that if you don't get an education while the opportunity presents itself, you will regret it later on down the road. You might think you already learned how to learn in HS, but college is different, believe me. It seems like you are getting mostly good advice here so take heed. The older crowd (heheh) is pushing college. Well, that is because they have the benefit of hindsight.