My decision to be a photographer really wasn’t mine to make. I received my music production degree from a school that didn’t offer that as a specific major, so some of my classes (and training in high school) was in television production. I took the job I have now with the thought that my background in TV would morph into a knowledge of photography. It did a bit, in the sense that I knew what a well-composed shot looked like, but I needed to learn all the technical know-how. I had no clue that I would love it so much and find great joy in producing awesome pictures.

I have no talent. I know my camera and I know what my eye likes to see. I try to combine the two and honestly, it’s just a process of getting lucky sometimes. 70% of the time I take pretty run-of-the-mill photos and 30% of the time I take pictures that I adore. I obviously only put my best side forward here on the blog.

All that to say, I learned to be a photographer two ways:
1) trial and error
2) keeping my camera in full-manual mode. It forces you to learn quickly what lighting situation calls for what settings.

I didn’t go to school for photography or graphic design (the other half of my job). If I could go back, I would get formal training in graphic design. While I’m competent enough to get the job done, I’m sure I do things wrong.

As far as school is concerned, I have different philosophies now than I did eight years ago when I first started out. And given my nature, I will gladly share them with you. PRACTICALITY IS KEY. Big dreamers may tell you to major in what you love (photography) and you’ll never look back. 90% of the photographers I know of don’t have photography degrees. They have business degrees, graphic design degrees, etc.

I may eventually bear the repercussions of this statement, but you can learn photography apart from a big college bill. I would recommend spending that money on something that may be beneficial if you wake up one day and hate photography or can’t make money with it. If you think long-term, you may find another major that would be a better investment. For example, people are always hiring teachers and nurses. They’re not always hiring photographers.

One of the things that college students are doing these days (myself included) is that they’re running up huge amounts of college debt for a specific job that will never earn enough money to pay off their debt. This is a terribly poor investment. My other philosophy on college, and I’ll leave you with this, is DON’T GO INTO DEBT. It may seem like a impractical and impossible thing, but the reward on the other end is gloriously better than owing someone money. I can explain this further, but it takes a terrible amount of time and I find that most people don’t want to hear it.

I will pray that the Lord of wisdom grants you the insight you need to move forward into adulthood in a manner that honors and glorifies Him. And I hope this helps a bit.

Thanks again,
Christina

First of all, that video is amazing and I LOOOVED hearing how it related to your mission trip, God’s timing is wonderful.

Second of all, I’m in high school and trying to decide what college to go to, but I’m having trouble deciding whether I should pursue my passion (photography) or a couple of other, more realistic choices.

I was wondering how you made the decision to be a photographer. You obviously either have A LOT of talent, or excellent training, b/c your photos are splendid. The thing is: I’m an okay photographer, and I think with a lot of practice I can get better, but I’m just worried that talent plays into it too much for the option to be plausible. Any input?