Virginia, September 2011
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Road to MFA Step 1: Which school?
October 15, 2011 – 3:57 pm
(Let me start by saying that the order of these steps is almost entirely arbitrary. It’s happens to be the way that I did it, but it doesn’t have to be the way you do it. I will also say that there is one assumption behind everything I’m going to say – that you know what you’re going to graduate school for.
Early in my undergrad years, I heard that MFA programs are for professional development, not aimless wandering. I believe that. Not to say that your mind should be set like a block of concrete by the time you finish your undergrad degree, but I believe you should have a very good idea of what your interests are and how you intend to work them out before you apply to any graduate program.
That said…)
I have found choosing an MFA Photography program simultaneously effortless and impossible. Effortless in that there are plenty of high-quality programs out there. Impossible because very few of them feel like a perfect fit.
As a result of my extensive street photography, I’ve discovered that my interests are almost entirely within documentary photography. If I wind up working in any other genre, I’m pretty sure it will be using a documentary approach; it’s just who I am. As it happens, though, there are very few programs that are explicitly for documentary photography. In my searches, I’ve found full MFA programs at University of Sydney, London College of Communication, and Ryerson University. And while it’s true that certificate programs abound (such as those at the Maine Media Workshops, the Salt Institute, and the ICP), there are some doors that will only open to an MFA.
Why does it matter whether a program is specifically for documentary photography or not? Strictly speaking, it doesn’t. MFA programs, by their nature, are whatever the student and her thesis adviser want them to be. I could probably go to any MFA Photography program and, with enough effort, make it a documentary photography program. The thing is, I did my entire undergrad swimming against the tide of the school I was at and it was exhausting, so I’d really rather not repeat the experience if I can at all avoid it. Plus, I want to be sure that I’ll have the resources needed to really explore visual storytelling and narrative. That means I’ll either need a program specifically for documentaries, or ready access to something like a journalism department.
When I threw all this into a blender and turned it on, I came out with two real contenders: Stanford’s MFA in Documentary Film and Duke’s new MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts. (There was also an MA in Photojournalism from UT Austin that I thought might fit, but it turned out to be more for practicing professionals and not for artists). The pool of options is still developing (someone suggested looking at Yale), but I’m pretty set on at least those two.
Next – The Portfolio.
My 6 Street Shooting Tips
October 14, 2011 – 10:14 am
I have a saved Google search for “street photography” and every day I get an email with the latest results. It’s usually full of gallery shows in places I can’t go or message board posts about gear. But one thing I’ve noticed is that there’s almost always one “10 Street Photography Tips” list. Most of the time, it’s harmless enough advice – silly things like “be subtle” or pointless things like “use a Canon.” But sometimes, I read things that I feel are absolutely harmful; stuff like “use a long telephoto lens” or “it’s not street photography if you don’t use a rangefinder.”
While I understand the rationale behind comments like those, I also know that taking them at their word will only turn out more vapid and pointless photos. So here’s how I see it:
First off, good street photography has nothing to do with gear and everything to do with technique. I’ve made good photographs with all-manual cameras, auto-everything cameras, Polaroids, vintage TLRs, rangefinders, digital P&S cameras – you name it. The right gear for street photography is the kind that gives you the pictures you want. There’s no way to know what that is until you shoot, so shoot.
Now the tips:
1. Any kind of photography is about light. Find a place with great light and then wait for something amazing fall into that light.
2. Learn how to read people in public places and anticipate. If you wait for something to happen before you shoot, you’ve already missed the shot.
3. Expect about 10% success, max. My success rate is closer to 3% and I still think that’s pretty good.
4. Don’t be a jerk or a perv. You have the right to take any picture you want on a public street, but that doesn’t mean you have to. Don’t make life harder for other street photographers by being a jerk. Unless, of course, you like pictures of people who look like they’re being hassled by a jerk.
5. Make sure you’re actually contributing something to the genre. There’s no shortage of people in the world carrying around a camera and calling themselves a street photographer. That’s like buying a pen and calling yourself a novelist. Get serious. Check out the work of other street photographers and make a place for yourself among them.
6. Leave your camera home and just experience a place once in a while. Photography isn’t a substitute for life. And a picture of a place isn’t the same as being there.
There. Now you know what I think.
The Beginning of the Beginning
October 11, 2011 – 9:22 pm
Yes, it’s been quiet around here lately. The challenge of a busy life, I suppose. But there is news –
I’m applying to graduate school.
When I first looked into graduate school, I searched the web looking for any kind of help and guidance there was out there. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a heck of a lot. And what there was was for MBA candidates and that sort of thing; hardly anything for us impractical art people. in fact, the only real resource I found was James Pomerantz’s blog. So I figure the least I can do is share some of my process here, in the hopes that it might be of help to someone else.
I doubt it, though. After all, it’s not like I’m going about this with any more practicality than I’ve lived the rest of my life.