Fashion photography schools are the most glamorous and glitzy branch of the profession. While being technically skilled, the top fashion photographer should be artistically gifted and good with people.
Working for glossy magazines, catalogues, modeling agencies, and websites fashion photographers are required to produce aesthetically eye-catching images of clothes, accessories, top models and celebrities.
With the international demand for Fashion photography schools continuing to rise (up 17% 2004-2014), the prestigious world of fashion photography appears all the more attractive. There are numerous specialized photography schools which offer courses and degree programmes to comprehensively prepare students for this lucrative but competitive career.
Top Fashion Photography Schools
The Art Institutes
Brooks Institute of Photography
International Academy of Design & Technology - Tampa
Courses include modules in areas as diverse as: The history of fashion photography, Digital photography and photo-editing software, Studio practice, Internal & external environments, and Composition & aesthetics.
In addition to academic subjects students are expected to produce a detailed portfolio of their own work, attend seminars with professional guest speakers, and participate in exhibitions. Both BA and MA programs are available at most specialized universities.
So, if you're looking for an alluring cosmopolitan career which pays $50,000-$100,000 a year and allows you to mingle with stunning supermodels and top celebrities check out the best Fashion photography schools today!
Fashion photography schools are the tried and tested sources of knowledge and formal training in most specialist skills - whether vocational, industrial or professional. The fashion industry is no exception - specialist skills and experience are needed for success, and school is the best place to start gaining them.
You may have talent and fashion sense but without structured training, you will not maximise your gifts by fully appreciating, developing and applying them. Also, don't overlook the importance of CONTACTS made through college - starting with work experience placements; and many other networking opportunities.
Your level of success in the field of fashion does depend in part on your choice of school. In this article, we reveal some key factors to consider when reviewing your options for fashion design school.
Cost- This is one of the main considerations affecting your choice of school. Unfortunately, there are too few specialist fashion design schools and among that relatively small number are just a handful that can truly deliver really top class training.
However, price is not everything and some lower cost fashion design schools are very competent. Unfortunately, lower fees frequently do signal a lower quality of education. This is simply because with lower fee income, the cheaper schools just can't afford to bid up for the higher paid professionals as instructors. Thus, they are forced to settle for second choice. Try not to sacrifice quality due to your budget limits. Keep looking if you have doubts about the quality of a school, because there will always be a competent fashion design school somewhere that will fit within your means.
Area of Specialization - In the fashion industry, it's expected that everyone should and will have special areas of interest and expertise. Your choice of specialization must be featured and supported by your chosen fashion school. To maximize your strengths, you should find a school that focuses on your chosen field of specialization.
Curriculum - the first thing you need to do is to study the syllabus of a fashion design school. What fields does it cover? What courses does it focus on? What are their main emphases in delivering the art and science of fashion? Compare curricula from various schools and decide what you think would best fit with your preferences.
Put in some solid study here - you will not regret the time spent. Schools do differ significantly - and the fashion design school you choose will greatly influence your career later.
Reputation - a great help in evaluating a fashion photography schools is to know its reputation. A self respecting fashion design school makes itself well known in the world of fashion. So, does the school you are contemplating participate actively in fashion school competitions? This would be a good indicator of fostering excellence and of the school's commitment to superior education.
Ratio of instructors to students - Excessive class size per teacher means two things - the school is either too popular or it’s the other way around. Nevertheless, the larger the size of the class the more likely will education suffer. It's usually preferable to go for schools with smaller class sizes, where each student will receive proportionately more individual attention.
These are only some of the major points to consider in choosing your fashion design school.
The final decision to choose the best photography schools will depend on your own good judgment, but you will find that if you do the research we describe, the right choice will soon reveal itself and become obvious to you.
After you have decided to take an online photography school (if not you would better read Online Photography Classes: Pros and Cons first), your next step will be to choose the right photography school for yourself.
My first tip here will be to start with free sources. Unless you need the classes for a degree you’d better not pay for what you can get for free. As I’ve already mentioned many times, if it’s technical things you misses, then you can read a great number of articles available on the Web. By the way, you can start from the BLOG you are reading now! Start with RECOMMENDED POSTS on the right. If you need experience and feedback, you are welcome to the wealth of photography forums (photography forum has developed a good community to help you).
I asked people around the Web and they give positive reviews of the following online photography school:
1. Morguefile.com, or Jodie Coston’s FREE Online Photography Course was named an excellent site. ‘It’s a free course, but there isn’t any feedback any more. The lessons, however, are still valuable.’ There are ten UNDERSTANDABLE and WELL-ILLUSTRATED lessons available on the site, which give in-depth information on the topic discussed.
The instructor of the course is Jodie Coston, a freelance photographer, who exhibited her works around the world and has won numerous international awards for her images.
2. New York Institute of online photography school is positively reviewed around the Web. It is a large photography school, which offers three types of courses: Professional Photography, Digital Photography: Photoshop for Photographers and NYI Short Course: Fundamentals of Digital Photography.
The courses are instructed by real-life photographers, in addiction you get their online magazine and featured tips, tons of audio and video taped lessons. ‘The lesson books are short, but cover a very wide range of subjects. The feedback you get from your photo submissions is probably the strongest asset of the course.’
On the whole it is a good course for self-disciplined and self-motivated people. The only disadvantages of the course named by its students were those of online education as a whole discussed in Online Photography Classes: Pros and Cons. Probably the only MINUS for digital photographers is that the regular NYIP course is based more on film photography.
The online photography school is made to take anywhere from 1 to 3 years depending on how fast you want to work through the program. The total cost of the course is around $1000, but you can pay monthly. Besides, if you ask for information, wait a couple of months, and they’ll send you a coupon for 3-400 bones off! Though, this information is not checked.
3. School of Photography offers SIX photography courses in two levels, to choose from: Basic Photography, Digital Course, Freelance Course, Glamour Course, Landscape Course and Black and White Course. The cost for level 1 is $325 and level 2 price is $190.
You learn rapidly by studying each photo lesson, following the examples within. Each photo course has graded photo projects for you to try out your new photography skills. Learn how to use your camera by reading, understanding and doing in this online photography school.
Best Photography Schools and Colleges in the United States
Photography is the field of study that focuses on capturing images that record an event or tell a story. Areas of specialization in this field include commercial and industrial, news, fine arts, portrait and scientific photography. The following are the best photography schools and colleges in the United States as of 2010.
Best U.S. Schools and Colleges for Photography
Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri
Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) is a 4-year, private school with a total enrollment of approximately 13,000 students. In 2010, U.S. News and World Report ranked WUSTL 12th overall among the best national universities, making it the highest ranked school in the country to offer a photography program. The Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts at WUSTL offers an undergraduate art program, which includes a major in digital imaging and photography. Students in this best photography school program learn about the history, techniques and critical perspective of modern photography through exposure to large-format studio photography, classic nonsilver, digital photography and documentary photography techniques.
Photography schools give students hands-on training with cameras and other photography equipment while providing instruction on techniques for producing professional photographs. A good photography program will provide students experience in using technical tools and help students develop the creative and aesthetic skills they need to succeed in the photography industry.
Students who enroll in one of these best photography schools degree programs will learn color theory, photoshop, macrophotography, film exposure, black and white image making, and advanced techniques in photographing landscapes, portraits, night scenes, and more.
Are you ready to turn your photography hobby into a career? If you would like to learn more about earning a photography degree, check out any of the recommended schools listed below. All of them can provide you free information about their available degree programs and courses at your request at one of these best photography schools.