Photography Studies College - Blog

We caught up with  final year BA student, Sally Kaack in between preparing for her final folio and getting the wheels in motion for the end of year graduate year exhibition, "INLIGHT" scheduled for November! We asked Sally a few questions about her journey to date.

Since graduating from Photography Studies College in 2005 Tom’s career has spanned art, portraiture, documentary and commercial projects. In 2014 Tom founded The Fox Darkroom to share his love for film photography and darkroom printing. Rather than focusing on nostalgia or trends, Tom’s practice explores the relevance of traditional processes in the contemporary landscape of photography. In 2016 Fox was extended to include a gallery which has become an outpost for photographers and the broader public to engage with photographic works. 

"Studying part-time at PSC has given me a great platform to develop my photography skills and meet a range of wonderful people."

Hanh Boatman is enjoying her newfound knowledge and friendships she has formed while studying. We catch her for a quick chat...

What led you to enrol in a photography course?

As an Interior Designer who has worked in London, I found myself wanting to expand my artistic flare. I am a creative individual who has always adored the visual arts, therefore it was only natural for me to pursue my other passion, which is photography. As an expatriate who’s had the privilege to live throughout Asia, Europe and Australia, I found myself wanting to 

 "I liked that it  was a small community and photography focused, that was a huge plus. Most of all knowing it was not ATAR score based really took the pressure off me. It suited my way of learning and achieving."

Monica Wilmott is full of passion and enthusiam for photography. We checked in to see how she is doing and reflect on the past few years as a student at PSC.

Had you always wanted to study photography?
I’ve always had a keen interest in photography.  When I was 5 years old I got my very first camera and loved experimenting. At 16 I had an awesome opportunity with my Scouts Club to document a 3-week long trip to Adelaide.  It was a fun paparazzi project, we had to meet an assignment brief that was given to us by the club and the results were eventually published in the Scouts Newsletter. The big buzz was seeing my images featured in the newsletter with my name on it! I really enjoyed the entire experience and most of all having my work out there for all to see. From then on, I knew what I wanted to study photography.

So was photography all you were considering in year 12?
Well my school wasn't as supportive as I hoped. I knew I wanted to do photography regardless of the lack of encouragement from my careers teacher who was guiding me into more academic areas of study and that just wasn't me.

There were times I just looked at what was happening on the PSC website and I just wanted to go there. I applied through VTAC and the relief was knowing it wasn't  ATAR score based and that took the pressure off me.

 "I never thought I would be a photographer. I came to PSC thinking I wanted to understand photographers. I wanted to see what language they speak and what training they go through- what drives them."

Judging by your accent you have done some travelling. What brought you to Australia?

I’m from Chicago originally and have a Masters in Business Systems and Engineering. I spent time doing the back-pack thing in Europe, was in the Peace Corps and did research in Central America and the Caribbean, so yes, it is fair to say I have a bit of a travel bug. In 2005 my husband and I decided to leave the states and come check out Australia for a year… that was in 2005! Initially, I got a job working for an environmental company. I was their sales manager for NSW and NT which was a great opportunity, as I can say I have been to parts of Australia that most Australians haven’t been to. During this time, I moonlighted as a travel writer for ‘Australiablog’, which (at the time) was one of the premier blogs about all things Australia (I wrote a ripper article focused on Aussie Slang!). I had a little digital camera and would take a shot in whatever town my environmental work sent me to and write about something in the town- a great restaurant or maybe something cool to see. I was always one to multitask.

Clearly that job sparked your creative side. How did photography fit into the puzzle as something more than a side project?

During my Environmental research and Peace Corps years I produced botanical photos of the species we were working with. This was in the days of film and manual focus! (gasp!) I had a Minolta 707… I still have it. Other than that, I was always just the family paparazzi. As my 20 years in corporate life wore on- I started looking for...

We would like to focus on a phrase that we at PSC have all heard before. You may have been told this from an influencer in your life or you may have even said it yourself, “there are no jobs in photography”. Or, “there is no stability in a career as a creative.” So, we thought it was about time that we bust this myth wide open...

The cold hard facts…

Australia’s creative and digital industries – of which photography is an integral part – are two of the fastest growing sectors of our economy. Creative and digital industries represent $90 billion to the economy and employ over 6.2% of the Australian workforce, which is more than mining and agriculture (source: joboutlook.gov.au). 

In 2017, 15 700 people were employed in the photography industry alone. Of those, 57.8% of those jobs were in a full-time capacity. This does not include freelance photographers that may have also received the equivalent of a full-time workload. The job outlook website states that the photography industry as a growing sector and predicts there to be significant job growth in the next 5 years.

We recently sat down with current first year student, Farley Webb to talk about why he made the decision to come to PSC and what it's like to follow your passion!

Was photography the only thing you were considering to study? Or did you have other things in mind?

Photography has always been my interest, but not my first field of study.

What was your first field of study?

I began with a Bachelor of Business.

How was that?

Studying business didn’t come naturally to me. I have to say, that it makes a world of difference studying something you are passionate about.

What made you decide to choose photography?

My relationship with photography goes all the way back to 2005 when my mum gave me her Kodak Easyshare digital camera to take with me on school camp. I was practicing photography all through high school but put it to rest for about 5 years while I studied business and worked after my degree. I picked it up again in early 2016 because I just missed it too much! I feel I’ve made the right decision.

Who said "there’s no careers in photography?"

PSC graduate, Taylor-Ferne Morris has paved her way into an exciting, niche career as a dance photographer. Combining her two passions for photography and dance has propelled her into becoming a sought after photographer both locally and internationally. We recently caught up with Taylor who has been super busy photographing for the Australian Ballet, in The Studio @ PSC. Between shoots we asked her to share with us her days at PSC and her career highlights!

What got you started in photography?

I began my journey in photography when I was following another life path of classical ballet at The Australian Ballet School (ABS). When I was in my final year I unfortunately injured my hip and could no longer dance. Along with this I received a camera for my 18th birthday and fell in love with taking photos in my spare time, this meant when I was in class unable to dance, I would bring my camera in and take photos of my friends as they danced. This was the moment I fell in love with photography.

Photojournalism is, as the name suggests, photographic reportage. It is the visual reporting of current events for publication in newspapers, magazines and on the Internet. It is about telling a story with one image or a series of photographs, usually accompanied by text. The photographer’s brief: the photograph(s) must capture and reflect a person, place or event as presented. Photojournalists must take responsibility for conveying the subject matter of their images factually.