Breaking into a new industry is a daunting task for anyone… however, in Photography, passion, drive and few tips can help get you there. Dirk Fletcher, Digital Photography Department Chair at the Harrington College of Design, shares some insight and advise…
Building your Portfolio
“In order to be a successful professional photographer, you need to get your hands on the most diverse body of up-to-date professional photo equipment. The wider variety of equipment a student can experience while in school, the better they will be prepared for the diverse, and changing commercial photography marketplace. This will be an asset whether you enter the market as a photographer’s assistant or begin shooting right out of school,” Dirk explains.
Building your Expertise
In addition to a strong and unique portfolio that demonstrates your experience handling various types of equipment, it is also important that you build up some expertise in a few other areas. “In the past, the photographer would shoot the film and the lab would handle it from there. Now the photographer is responsible for the entire process,” Fletcher says.
Building your Future Business
In addition to developing your portfolio and building your expertise, it’s also important to develop the business skills necessary to run a successful (and profitable!) career. “Take as many business classes as your school offers. If the school you are looking at does not offer business classes, keep looking,” says Fletcher. “If you look at successful photographers today, you will find the individuals that are active in networking both in and outside of the industry.”
With more than sixteen years experience in corporate industrial photography, Dirk Fletcher is the Department Chair of the Digital Photography department at Harrington College of Design. Fletcher graduated from Brooks Institute of Photography in California, in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in Commercial/Illustration Photography. Fletcher’s work has been published in national newspapers and magazines, annual reports, and advertisements. To balance his high-tech days, he enjoys shooting with “old school” tools and techniques. His favorite camera is a custom-made, super-wide-angle pinhole camera that allows for a sweeping panoramic feel. Fletcher’s personal work—which is influenced by industrial greats Winston Link and Andreas Feininger—records skyscrapers, bridges, airplanes, railroads and bridges, as well as his wife and two young sons.