Photography Studies College - Blog

We sat down with current first-year student Jacob Pattison to have a chat about why he decided to transfer universities to study something he loves. 

Did you study photography or media at school?

I didn’t actually study art or media subjects at Secondary school. I always enjoyed photography especially photojournalism. I took up photography on my own initiative, learning bit by bit and experimenting.

What were you hoping to study when you left school?

After leaving school I actually went and studied a Bachelor of Politics, Philosophy and Economics at a public university. I wasn’t completely satisfied with the course and always loved photography. So after 6 months I decided to follow my passion. I withdrew from my course and started researching different photography courses.

So you were looking at a few different options for photography?

Yes, I was looking into PSC and a public university that offers photography. I was originally wanting to do a Bachelor of Arts and minoring in photography, but then decided that I wanted to purely focus on photography. I knew if I really wanted to emerge myself in the industry then doing a Bachelor of Arts, with photography as a minor probably wouldn't be enough.

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.

This week our Higher Education Course Director Daniel Boetker-Smith heads off to Europe and Asia, during his trip he will be attending events in Germany, the Netherlands and Singapore.

 "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.

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.

'Residents of the island in Vanuatu have been forced from their homes by an erupting volcano, not knowing when they will return'

'Two young boys from Maewo watch as the first evacuees from Ambae disembark the ship at Narovrovo, a black pebble beach in the south of the island.'

A must read picture essay by PSC Lecturer Alana Holmberg on "Leaving Ambae: where evacuation is a way of life". Follow the link to read and see more of Alana's captivating documentary on the impact of the volcano, Monaro Voui in The Guardian.

Part Time PSC student, Luke David has made it into the latest issue of Capture Magazine’s Top 20 Emerging, Australian Photographers, 2018 in the Travel Category! Luke is currently in his first year at PSC and is studying the 40 week Pro Photography Certificate. 

We sat down with Luke to ask him what has helped contribute to his success.

Congratulations Luke! You are fairly new to photography so what inspired you to take it up?

"Thanks. What inspired me to take up photography was actually travelling. I try to go overseas every year and was taking hundreds of the usual tourist point and shoot, snap shots. I work in retail and there was a really great camera on sale a few years ago that I bought with the idea to take some “proper shots”. I went to the USA the next year and shot everything on auto. Some images worked, some didn’t, but I was getting really inspired just the same. Then before a trip to Japan, I decided “RIGHT! I am going to learn how to use this camera" So I downloaded all the info, read all the blogs and watched all the videos and when I started taking shots in Japan, I started to really love it. I put some images into a few competitions and they did well. I got really excited about creating images and wanted to learn more and more."

Indispensable pointers and advice from women photojournalists who’ve seen and done it all