help!

[Annie]

Hi my name is Annie and i'm looking into photography as a college class. I was just wondering how many of experience of training you would need to get hired as a photographer. Thanks.

[Will Strain]

That depends wildly on where you are, and what type of photography you want to do.

Personally (and as an art director, I do hire photographers from time to time) a strong portfolio means much more than education credentials to me. I also look for assisting experience (shows they understand what has to happen in a shoot).

But this is just my $.02 for a mid-market advertising approach (Chicago - medium sized agency work).

[John Kasaian]

Annie,

All you need is a dog gentle shetland pony, saddle, shovel, a good liability insurance policy, speed graphic with a polaroid back, a business license, a mid size suburb to roam and presto! You're in the photography business!;-)

Good Luck!

[Scott Fleming]

John,

Personally I've never seen a dog-gentle Shetland. Those little bastages are BORN with an attitude.

[Mike Davis]

Scott,

If you had screaming midget birthday revelers riding on your back all day, I bet you would have an attitude too. Actually, the Shetlands that I have known have been remarkably well behaved. Well, except for the one that rolled over me when I was 6. :-) I think that her back was itching under the saddle.

[Mike Davis]

Annie,

You could take a couple of classes, teach, become good at shooting weddings and have a pretty good life. But the only market smaller than successful art photographers is successful feature film directors. I have a film degree and manage research computing for a university. I still shoot some film and video for art peices and occasional doc work, but mostly do large format photography these days. It's relaxing to me.