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As far as i can tell from many hours/days/weeks of research there are THREE! in the UK...
3!

Does anyone have any advice on Fashion Photography, i.e:

Is it worth doing a course in it?

What am i likely to learn if i do, or what did you learn on yours about where to go after Uni (this topic scares me most, as i can see my life plan for the next 4 years then there's a cliff, off which i fall)?

If you live in the UK where's the best place to go iyo to study Fashion photgraphy?

If you don't live in the UK where in the world are the best courses?

I really want a lot of option for where to go next year, and it's likely i'll go to either Wales or London, but if i have the option of studying somewhere else then I may well decide to chose this. Is studying abroad going to be significantly more expensive than going to London? (even somewhere like Paris or in Western Europe?)



Any general advice?

Thanks :)

Hi

Check out RMIT, I have a little booklet that I was given last night and it has some write ups about some of the photographers that were used in the creating of the photos

I have found it myself hard to find a "Fashion Photography" course as such most times its simply a subject of the overall course as they want to teach you all the foundations of photography

Also check out some of the Tafes, I know Box Hill Tafe run a few photography courses also

Best of Luck
Brett - The Fashion Beer Monster

Volume_3,

Don't feel bad mate. In Melbourne, there's probably only 1 or 2.

Best thing to do, is take a course with what you feel is the best. Go to each institute and ask them about the course and tell them what type of photography you wish to be involved with.

Most likely, all courses will be fairly similar but for me personally, I'd try and find one which has more creativity and study in fine arts as that will create a solid foundation for your future should you wish to pursue fashion and creative photography.

Usually, universities and colleges will only be able to teach you theory and what you learn on assignments will help on a minimal level. On the job training and experience (ie. baptism by fire) is often where you will learn the most. I'm not saying that a course is useless, just don't go expecting it to deliver you the world on a silver platter :)

For fashion, have a look at fine art paintings of the past masters, peruse the fashion magazines like Vogue Italia as reference points and develop your own concepts and styles. Build on it and practise, practise, practise. Do sketches, go shoot, etc.

Finally, don't stress out about whether or not what you choose is the right choice as at the end of the day, if you make the most out of the situation and the course, you will win in the end! Don't feel like you're going to be locking yourself into something that can't be changed in the future. Things happen, life throws you curve balls, but you learn what you can from it and move on in order to make you a better photographer, and most importantly, a person :)

Good luck.

Out of interest, what are your thoughts about online photography courses Wayne? Any good from a theory point-of-view?

Online resources are tops! Web 2.0 has just given learning photography a completely new dimension as it's made it far more accessible by everyone.

This new development however has created an uproar with some of the older generation of photographers as they're complaining that with the advent of DSLRs, the uncle bobs and aunty janes are taking work away from them. To add insult to injury, the online resources are providing the amateurs and enthusiasts with more knowledge via self education.

Not all the pros are against this by the way as some of the top commercial photographers are producing online videos, tutorials and guides via blogs and youtube to share their knowledge. The thinking is quite simple, share your knowledge and make it publicly known so clients and potential clients and agencies see you - the photographer - as an all round nice person who is confident with their own skills to share the knowledge and train the next generation of photographers.

Self education is not for everyone. It does take a lot of discipline and self motivation. I struggle with it sometimes as well to get motivated, but who doesn't? If someone tells me that they've never struggled to be motivated at all, ever...I'll call their bluff and say bollocks to that! ;)

Volume_3 - have a look at sites such as Strobist, Joe Mcnally's blog and Chase Jarvis' Blog. I peruse these sites regularly and have learnt a lot from them, however it still needs to be put into action through my own concepts and ideas :) No use reading and not shoot as well.

Wow thankyou for your responses!
I will definately take your advice on hand.
Those blogs you linked Wayne are fantastic resources.
Thanks
I'm going to go to each Uni that does a course in fashion photography, and make sure i know what it is i'll be doing there.
As i've not been able to do photography at all at school (although i'm about to start a foundation course in art and design when i'll get to explore photography a bit) being taught the theory is what im looking for awsell. I'd consider myself quite creative anyway, i've already had a few ideas for shoots that i should be doing next year as part of the foundation course.

Thanks for your advice :)

ive been tinkering with the idea of getting into fashion photography or photography in general as a hobby to help with my business to allow me to capture whats in my head. not sure if you can put fashion photography and hobby in the same sentence but yeah getting a DSLR is a big investment and I'd like to get the most out of it.

I did come across some one day classes in melb but I'm not sure if theyre any good. I think I'll do abit more research before I hand over my cash..lol Theres so many DSLR's to choose from, anyone have any preference to a particular?

If your budget allows, get a D300 or even better, D700. Nikon currently wins hands down in terms of performance as well as ergonomics. I'm slowly saving up to go back after having done my stint with Canon.

I have a Canon EOS 450D, and i loves it.

my mate has a nikon D300 and its the koots. my other friend just got a new canon and size wise its smaller but it also seems to lack abit compared to the nikon but lacking in which department i don't know...ha.

Wanyne what do you think of the new D90 with HD video? that and the D300 are manegable price wise but dang that D700..ouch. must be real good.