Can you guys critique my website/portfolio of my large format photography work?

[dodphotography]

One thing I don't understand about the internet and the handful of photography forums I have participated in or read over the last IDK 20 years is someone reveals they want to get educated through a reputable institution and get a MFA or BFA or whatever .. there is a lot of pushback / negativity, but if the same person revealed/s that in the 2 years prior ( or to follow ) they spent ( or will spend ) $100K on gear, materials+processing, exotic lenses and chemicals, attendance in workshops and travel to remote / variety of places, they paid ( or will pay ) $20K for a boutique -vanity show, and $30K on a book to be published there's no pushback at all but a big thumb's up. Maybe it's just me, but the internet never ceases to amaze me ...

Agree… essentially, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter. The conversation around value : worth is so subjective and based on individual experiences.

Frankly, the MFA is a giant crap shoot and if you’re aware of that reality and ok with it, go for it. Why not.


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[Pieter]

There are those who pursue higher education for the sake of it. They may never intend to make any practical use of their post-graduate degrees. Obviously, this applies to those who can afford the tuition or get subsidies. Most PhD programs are subsidized, covering tuition and a stipend, plus funds to complete projects.

[jnantz]

dod, and Pieter you missed my point.
im not questioning the value of education.

[h2oman]

dod, and Pieter you missed my point.
im not questioning the value of education.

I think I got the point, and I would respond by saying that there is a difference between those spending money they already have (like a retired extreme hobbyist with ample SS payments and a fat pension of the sort young people today will never see), and a young person considering investing time and/or money in something that they hope/expect will yield a financial return.

[jnantz]

I think I got the point, and I would respond by saying that there is a difference between those spending money they already have (like a retired extreme hobbyist with ample SS payments and a fat pension of the sort young people today will never see), and a young person considering investing time and/or money in something that they hope/expect will yield a financial return.

in the case of the OP he is looking for a full scholarship so it's just time he'd be spending, and if he works off his scholarship teaching classes, he'll have more teaching experience if he wanted to go that route, and he'll have the pedigree that some gallerists look for ( being able to talk the talk and walk the walk ). typically when I've read threads with people who express an interest in higher-ed immediately there are greeted by people who go off on some anti education anti elitist rant, usually ending up with some sort of diatribe about how much they hate what is considered "art" today, their dislike of Cindy Sherman & all sorts of other nonsense. At least this thread didn't end up with that ...

[Pieter]

What we need is the return of salons.

[Drew Wiley]

Having had a late family member who was about a high on the hog as one can get in the Art academia world with four phD's, multiple NEA grants, a great many federal and state commissions, works in the collections of the most prestigious museums in the US as well as a few in Europe, and hearing her advice during long personal conversations, we both concurred it would be counterproductive for me to experiment with a similar route. I spotted the handwriting on the wall once NEA searches started centering on written prospectus submissions of far-out "creative" projects and socio-political ideals rather than actual visual content. And now internet submissions have taken over many opportunities. It's like someone 5 ft 2 inches tall submitting a job application to the NBA by stretching his picture to 7 ft 3 inches in Photoshop.

I can't complain. I got a fair amount of attention of my own early on. Been there, done that. Rite of passage I guess. Glad to have had some real print income too, right when I most needed it. Any academic approach involves pandering to the current tastes of an extant hierarchy. Life is too short in my opinion to navigate that long convoluted detour before finally arriving at a point where one can do what they really want to do. Doing what I wanted to do was therefore where I started from instead, and how I just keep going. There are plenty of other ways of making a living, if needed. And mine just happened to have an especially generous vacation time allowance, permitting frequent trips, plus brought me into contact with a wide variety of successful creative people - exactly the kind of long-term networking I needed.

[Bernice Loui]

Agree with Drew on this one and why "critique" can produce Indoctrination/conformity in surprising ways.
This hold true for many areas in Academia, not just Art.

Bernice

Any academic approach involves pandering to the tastes of an extant hierarchy. Life is too short in my opinion to navigate that long convoluted detour before finally arriving at a point where I can do what I really want to do.

[Pieter]

One thing I found in art school is the exposure to many different styles and techniques that I might not have experimented with or experienced on my own, in my "art bubble." This came from other students as much as the instructors. Yes, there is the extant hierarchy, the current trends (seem mostly socio-political right now, along with mixing photography with other media) but I am no longer in school and who knows what the students are up to now. The few MFA shows I've attended did not appeal to me artistically, but I'm an old fart now and probably out of touch.

[Tin Can]

SAIC MFA 2001 by TIN CAN COLLEGE, on Flickr

True

and if you don't follow the leader...

I am now 72 'earned' MFA age 51

I had a great experience, but now I am worn out

full free ride is very rare