To be quite honest I’m not sure how I feel about this. I am also not sure why you would care how I feel about it. I am though, curious as to all of you feel about it.
There are plenty of Brooks grads making a living as wedding photographers already. Would having a certificate from their “Wedding Photography Certificate Program” be a big enough boon to business? For the most part I feel this is a put-up or shut-up type of industry. Let’s ignore all the people who use stock images or worse, steal them, and just look at the “Average Joe” wedding photographer. Either his work supports what he’s charging or it doesn’t. In the end would the certificate matter to the client?
At the very least, I guess I’d rather be in competition with someone who has been properly trained and has a business leg to stand on versus a MWAC who’s under the table payments, lack of experience, lack of insurance and general lack of photographic knowledge devalues the industry as a whole.
Brooks Institute Offers Certificate in Wedding Photography
Official Press Release - Brooks Institute’s School of Professional Photography unveils its certificate program in Wedding Photography and has begun enrolling students to begin in May of 2010. This 24-credit certificate program is designed to be completed in four sessions over 32 weeks, preparing students to successfully pursue and/or further careers in the wedding photography industry. Students in this program will gain knowledge of advance photographic techniques, lighting strategies and workflow processes as they relate to the wedding environment and flow.
“The wedding industry in the last 10 years has changed dramatically,” said Tim Meyer faculty member at Brooks Institute and professional wedding photographer. “This program is designed to give certificate recipients a competitive edge by offering tools to better understand the marketplace and to enhance their photographic technique.”
Graduates of the certificate program will be trained to approach weddings with artistic vision and demonstrate proficiency in the art of visual storytelling. This program emphasizes the skills required to work within varying wedding environments as well as the discipline necessary to work with this specific clientele from start to finish.
The Wedding Photography Certificate program is open to professionals looking to expand in their field and high school graduates ready to get a taste of what the world of wedding photography has to offer. All classes from the Wedding Photography certificate program are transferable into the BFA program at Brooks Institute if a student would wish to continue his/her studies. Those interested in learning more about the Wedding Photography Certificate program can contact an admissions representative at (888) 276-4999.
Wedding Portrait Photographers International (WPPI) will be offering a scholarship to this Brooks Institute’ s Wedding Photography certificate program. To be considered for the WPPI scholarship, photography students attending WPPI 2010 need to provide WPPI judges with a portfolio of at least 12 images, an essay on the topic “why I want to be a wedding photographer,” and no more than three letters of recommendation from people in the portrait/wedding industry. For more information about WPPI visit http://www.wppionline.com.
About Brooks Institute
Brooks Institute celebrates 64 years of educating students in the visual and media arts. With campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura, California, the school offers Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in fields including Professional Photography, Film Production and Design; a Bachelor of Science degree in Visual Journalism; and Master of Fine Arts degrees in Photography and Screenwriting. Brooks Institute graduates are visible nationally and internationally, working for distinguished organizations including National Geographic, Smithsonian, Los Angeles Times and other national media outlets, including Hallmark Publishing, Cousteau Society, HBO, Kodak and other industry leaders in the visual media arts fields. Brooks Institute does not guarantee employment or salary. Brooks is part of the Career Education Corporation network of schools (NASDAQ: CECO). For more information about Brooks Institute and the school’s programs, visit http://www.brooks.edu, or call 805-966-3888.
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8 Comments at "Brooks Institute Now Certifying Wedding Photographers"
Honestly I believe this is a good thing.
Whatever the photographic community and its institutes of higher learning can do to educate the interested photographer to be better at their chosen craft is certain to elevate the profession in the eyes of the public.
Brooks is a no nonsense school requiring a disciplined approach to learning the art and science of visual communication. I’m sure that the wedding certification program will be no different. Students enrolled in this certification program cannot help but acquire a healthy respect for the technical and creative nuances that are required to make wedding photography a successful and respected vocation and not simply an avocation or pastime as the current trends indicate.
Ditto
Are they having trouble recruiting students?? Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with Brooks recognizing wedding photography as a legitimate field, but it is odd. I suppose it’s more a sign of the economic downturn that has devastated advertising, journalism, and other traditionally “more respected” fields of photography. Also, it may be a sign that talented wedding photographers have raised the bar to a level that can’t be ignored.
LOL..it’s so hilarious how ten years ago wedding photographers were looked down on as the bottom rung of the photography ladder. Commercial, sports and other photographers would never be caught dead shooting weddings. Now look at the industry.
If really doesn’t matter if one has a certificate or not. Brides don’t care.
Also ten years ago when many organizations pushed for accrediting wedding photographers, EVERYONE railed against it. My how the worm has turned.
Brooks Institute scoffed at training wedding photographers. I guess since the commercial photography tanked they have to push the wedding field to fill their classrooms.
I know a graduate of Brooks and she adamantly told me she would NEVER shoot weddings. She wanted to be a high end children’s catalogue photographer. Well that didn’t pan out and guess what, she is now attempting to shoot weddings.
Once the economy gets back on track, wedding shooters will take a back seat again. And that’s fine. We need a thinning out of the industry.
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I’m not sure I understand the cynicism. One of the world’s most respected photography schools recognizes wedding photography as a legitimate niche for a professional photographer — that’s a good thing. Regarding “certification” in general, the debate is not over whether a school should offer such a stamp of approval, but rather whether it should be a legal requirement to function in the industry. I certainly don’t believe the government should be issuing wedding photography licenses, but learning one’s craft is always a good thing. Will it impress couples? Probably not, at least not any more than PPA/WPPI recognition, print competition ribbons, medals, and the like.
The cynicism is in the fact that and institute like Brooks, in the past, wouldn’t even give the wedding photography profession the time of day.
Now, as with most things, money talks. The commercial field has dried up and many former commercial photographers have entered the wedding profession to put food on the table. So Brooks, in an effort to keep it’s attendance filled, has now created a certificated program for aspiring wedding photographers.
What, we’re not bottom feeders anymore ?
In regards to certification and licensing etc., it will never be one that will be embraced by the industry. We’re regarded as artists and as such, should be free to “create” without governmental interference.
I think it’s fabulous! Weddings are a very specialized market with aspects that are unique and challenging. Wedding photography requires training that is tailored to our field, not generic “here’s how to take a pretty photo” classes. Photography school grads are often great with studio lighting (or natural lighting, when they have hours to find a great spot and set up the shot) but fail pretty miserably when it comes to quick, spontaneous shooting in varied natural light settings. Hopefully this certificate will give photographers better training on how to create not just one good photo but hundreds of good photos in a variety of lighting situations with limited planning time, equipment, and control over the environment.
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