THE CHANGING CLASSROOM
It’s never been easier to teach yourself the skills of photography.
In Australia, 95% of people have a smartphone in their pocket at all times which means more people than ever have access to high quality cameras. The advances that have put so many phones in people’s hands have not only pushed the expansion of the photography industry, but also new ways of learning.
Today there are hundreds of thousands of online tutorials on YouTube alone, all offering tips and tricks on everything from choosing the right camera and how to use it, how to best work with light, or exposure times and editing. So in this era of democratisation, what is the value of a formal education in photography? A Bachelor of Photography doesn’t come cheap. With degree courses pitched anywhere between $6,000 and $10,000 per year, it’s a big investment – both of money and time.
So, what’s it worth? According to Julie Moss, Managing Director of Photography Studies College (Melbourne), it depends what you mean by ‘worth’.
“It’s true that most people can take photos, just as most people can write. But being able to take photos doesn’t make a professional photographer nor does being able to write make a
