Lessons from College

I recently was a guest speaker for two university classes. I also enjoy these conversations with the students. A few topics I feel are significant.

Watch and read as much as you can. Realize you need to take action to learn. When I was in college, I spent entire days with newspaper photographers to learn how they worked. I learned so much from a day with a working photographer; then, I did from classes of slideshows and lectures. 

One of the professors gives his students a corporate assignment to photograph an actual executive subject. The students have to meet the subject and follow the professor's art direction. It is wonderful to hear because an actual assignment is a much different experience than photographing friends.

The other point I enjoyed sharing is how important personal work is. When I was in college, I didn't understand that, and it was nice to hear the personal projects the students were working on. And what they learned from that experience.

Keep taking photographs, shooting videos, creating personal projects, and giving yourself assignments when it's slow and growing.