It’s that time of year again as our first year Bachelor Degree students present their folio projects and reflect on their first year at PSC. We’ve spoken to a handful of students and asked them to share their thoughts and advice regarding studying at PSC.

What has been rewarding about beginning your studies at PSC?

Antoine: Developing more of a professional workflow has been really rewarding. It makes my entire process a lot more efficient and helps me produce higher quality work.

Josh: Building strong relationships with teachers and other students. I had the opportunity to assist third year commercial major student Michael Foxington on shoots for his final folio. This was a great opportunity to get some experience in that area of work.

Sally: It’s been so rewarding to see myself grow in so many ways. The teachers at PSC are incredible and always offer a unique way of looking at things.

Kaitlyn: Meeting great people, both teachers and students, who are like-minded and great to work with. Plus, being a smaller college, PSC has incredible support and facilities in place to help students.

Shelby: Learning camera craft and gaining confidence with my camera. It was also great to learn how to produce high quality prints of my work.

by Sally Kaack

What surprised you throughout the year?

Antoine: Learning how to analyse images in-depth has changed the way I make work and communicate through my images.

Josh: My photographic ability has changed dramatically, especially working in a studio environment. I’ve also discovered a range of new interests and met some great, like-minded people.

Sally: It surprised me how much taking good photographs relies on the person using the camera, rather than the camera or equipment itself. Technical and creative skills are equally as important as each other.

Kaitlyn: It wasn’t as hard as I expected. The course is very well paced and the teachers are very knowledgeable and supportive.

Shelby: All of the teachers are extremely generous with their time and are always willing to provide support and feedback. The students in our group also became really close throughout the year – we’re like a family now!

by Josh Defelice

In which ways have you grown throughout the year?

Antoine: I have embraced interpretive work and making more layered and meaningful images, rather than just images that just look nice. I've also become a lot more comfortable experimenting with my work now.

Josh: My conceptual thinking skills have grown a lot, as well as my people skills, so I'm a lot more comfortable working with people in my work now.

Sally: My process has changed a lot! I can now see the difference between taking photographs and taking ‘snapshots’ like you would on holiday. The course offers a lot of room to experiment and make mistakes and the teachers are always open to new ideas, and this has helped me refine my practice into something more professional and considered.

Kaitlyn: My camera skills have grown enormously. I can now use my camera to its full potential when making my work.

Shelby: My confidence has grown a huge amount this year! Not only with my practice, but I’m more confident within myself and more comfortable meeting new people and working with them.

by Kaitlyn Church

Where do you see yourself going next year and in the future?

Antoine: I’m looking forward to reaching out to more people next year and making more collaborative work that is less self-contained.

Josh: I want to experiment more in the studio, especially creating artistic and conceptual work in the studio.

Sally: I want to take more of an artistic approach with my work and tell stories using emotion and visual elements. I want to delve deeper into my ideas as well and really get to the core of the concept and work on that.

Kaitlyn: I would like to explore more documentary-style work.

Shelby: I’m looking forward to continuing my development next year and I would like to do more documentary-style photography.

by Antoine Loncle

What has been challenging throughout the year?

Antoine: The most challenging thing was trying to find and develop a unique voice through my work.

Josh: Initially, it was challenging to prioritise and plan everything that needed to be done, but the teachers at PSC are extremely supportive. PSC also offers great facilities to get work done, so that's a huge plus.

Sally: At first, it was difficult to make myself vulnerable to make mistakes and produce personal work, but this went away pretty quickly. Everyone at PSC is super supportive and gives excellent, constructive feedback.

Kaitlyn: I found working with conceptual ideas difficult at first, but my skill in this area has definitely grown.

Shelby: Coming up with new ideas and interpreting them into photography was difficult at first, but this became easier as the year went on. The course and feedback from teachers definitely helped and as I became more confident in my work, I was more open to trying new things and producing different work.

by Shelby Eade

What advice would you offer to students starting at PSC in 2017?

Antoine: Always have an open mind and embrace new ideas!

Josh: Ask a lot of questions, request feedback wherever possible and be open to constructive feedback.

Sally: Have an open mind and challenge yourself. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and experiment with your work. Also, don’t be afraid of covering the basics again – having a strong foundation allows you to grow hugely.

Kaitlyn: Be organised, don’t leave things until the last minute and ask questions if you’re unsure about something.

Shelby: Don’t procrastinate! Give yourself enough time to complete your work and to do it well. Also be sure to take advantage of having such knowledgeable and helpful teachers! Ask them lots of questions.

Follow in the footsteps of these students – we're currently taking applications for the Bachelor Degree course for 2017. Visit our website or contact us for more information!