Photography Education and Training

A snapshot of photography education and training
By Nikki Davis Whether you are an aspiring photographer or the parent of one, finding the best photography education and training programs is a critical education decision not to be taken lightly.

When looking for photographer education programs at universities, consider what sort of career path you want to take with the degree. Whether you want to go into journalism, editing or design, finding the right school for your photography interests is imperative to the path you or your child will want to take.

To find the best photographer education programs:

1. Look at ranked or noted photographer education programs.

2. Weigh scholarship opportunities at all of your choices. Top photographer education programs may not have the scholarship offerings that you require, while a smaller school may cover a large portion of your tuition costs.

3. Visit the campus or training facility of your choice before making a commitment. See their university photographer education first hand to make sure it will be a good fit for you.

4. Consider taking your courses online.

Look at statistics before starting your search for photographer education and training programs

Before you choose a photographer education and training program, look at some of the statistics on the field.
Try:  Look at the long list of career opportunities in the photography and film industries posted by the Vocational Information Center. Find photography employment and career information CareerOverview.com.

Use a photographer education search engine or directory

Instead of using Google or Yahoo, look to search engine and directories specifically designed to give you information by majors such as photographer education programs.
Try:  PhotographySchools.com offers a long list of photography career training options for those wanting to pursue a photography career. Look at the photographer education resources at Profotos.com. The Open Directory Project has a long list of photography workshop and tour options. Check out the list of schools and degree programs that A Digital Dreamer has to share.

Look at online photographer education programs

You can easily find online photographer education programs and skill building opportunities right from the comfort of your home.
Try:  Look at the variety of training opportunities at Photoeducation.com. Check out the training techniques from dg28.com. Find an online digital photography course from BetterPhoto.com. There you can find online photography courses with inspiring lessons and challenging assignments to get you out and shooting. Online photography education is the perfect opportunity to garner feedback and have your work critiqued.

• When looking at universities with photography education and training, ask to speak with both their faculty and their students. A school may be ranked as one of the best, but if their students don't feel that the experience has been rewarding for them, you might reconsider the school itself.
• Also look for hands on internship opportunities to supplement your photography training.