Photographic Education Survey 2015
Question 1:
I am:
Photo-Educator 94.29%
Photo-Students 5.71%
Question 2:
What is the most important book a photo student should read before they graduate?
Note: Books have been rated according to number of responses. For example, most respondents replied to this question with, On Photography while many also chose Camera Lucida.
-----------------------------------------------
#1 On Photography by Susan Sontag
#2 Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes
#3 Beyond Basic Photography by Henry Horenstein
Criticizing Photographs Terry Barrett
#4 A Photography Reader Liz Wells
#5 After Photography by Fred Ritchin
Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland
Basic Photography by Henry Hornstein
Education of a Photographer by Charles Traub
The Photograph as Contemporary Art by Charlotte Cotton
The Photographer's Playbook by Jason Fulford and Gregory Halpern
The Photographers Eye by John Szarkwoski
Photography Changes Everything by Marvin Heiferman and Merry Foresta
A World History of Photography by Naomi Rosenblum
Additional Responses:
101 things to learn in art school by Kit White
Adobe Photoshop CC by Martain Eveining
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
ASMP Professional Business Practices in Photography
by American Society of Media Photographers
Best Business Practices for Photographers, Second Edition
by John Harrington
The Burden of Representation by John Tagg
Chased by the Light: a 90 Day Journey by Jim Brandenberg.
Choice of Weapon - Gordon Parks
Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges.
Crusade for Your Art, Best Practices for Fine Art Photographers
by Jennifer Schwartz
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Learn by Doing -- Photography by Thomas Harrop
Learning to See Creatively by Bryan Peterson
Looking at Photographs by John Szarkowski.
The Medium is the Message by Marchall McLuhan
The Mind's Eye-Henri by Cartier-Bresson
Monographs by Emmet Gowin, Diane Arbus, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, and
later discovery of Roy DeCarava, Walker Evans, O'Sullivan
The Nature of Photographs: A Primer by Stephen Shore
New Topographics by Britt Salvensen and Alison Nordstrom
The Photograph as Contemporary Art by Charlotte Cotton
Photographic Theory: An Historical Anthology
Edited by Andrew Hershberger
Photographs Not Taken by Will Steacy
Photography (edition 1-11 not specified) by Barbara London, Jim Stone, & John Upton
Photography Speaks by Matthew Brady and Diane Arbus
The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard
Self Observation: The Awakening of Conscience: an Owner's
Manual by Red Hawk
Understanding Comic Books by Scott Macleod
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man by Marshall McLuhan
Understanding a Photograph by John Berger
Towards a Philosophy of Photography by Vilem Flusser and Vilm Flusser
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
by Steven Pressfield and Shawn Coyne
Ways of Seeing by John Berger
How to read a photograph by Ian Jeffrey
Why People Photograph by Robert Adams
The Ongoing Moment by Geoff Dyer
The Pleasures of Good Photographs by Gerry Badger
Time and Photography by Jan Baetens, Alexander Streiberger,
& Hilde van Gelder
Believing is Seeing by Errol Morris
Photography and Cinema by David Campany
Core Curriculum, writings on Photography by Tod Papageorge
Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees, Conversations with Robert Irwin by Lawrence Weschler
PhotoShelter.com. They are short, realistic and cover many important topics, from copyright to wedding photography to starting your own photo business to annual surveys of what photo buyers want. They are also frequently updated and often accompanied by videos and webinars.
The one that gets them to take the field of photography and their own work seriously, that gets them to see possibilities they didn't know existed. That's going to be different for each student.
Each student’s camera manual
Everything Marshal McLuhan wrote.
Question 3:
Give one reason why photography matters to the lives of students:
Note: I tried to remove all redundant answers for this Appendix. For example, the most prevalent response by far was, "Visual Literacy".
___________________
On at least one level it shows students that they have a way to have control over something, some aspect in their lives. It also gives them a way to examine both their inner world and the world in which they find themselves placed as adults.
They can cultivate a way to express themselves and share that with others.
Photography does not matter to the lives of most students, even though they use it every day. The value has to be taught through example by passionate teachers who love photography and love sharing in its discovery.
The continuing shift toward photo-based media in contemporary culture.
Most of the students I have in class love photography because their parents didn't care about, keep or take photos and they feel they lost part of their memories; or that their parents loved photography and they grew up understanding the importance of capturing images.
It is how they define themselves
It's how they express themselves.
Surrounded by photographic images they must be able to "read" them critically
It is important for students to know and understand the history and techniques of photography because not only is a newer art form, but we are a image-driven culture, constantly flooded with images of much or little content. And understanding photography will help students understand our culture and the society they are immersed in.
Because photographs are the visual record of their lives and the better the photograph, the better record you have of that moment/person/event/place.
The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as the pen. (Thanks, Moholy-Nagy)
Visual communication is the dominant communication in today's society. Developing a knowledge base or mastery can only enhance their opportunities, regardless of their eventual career.
How many students actually care about what they see and how it appears? The following quote is by Thomas Merton: "The peculiar grace of a Shaker chair is due to the fact that it was made by someone capable of believing that an angel might come and sit on it." Making photographs should be approached in the same way, even if your singular interest is getting highlights on the onion rings.
Photography helps students see realize their place in the world.
They are immersed in pictures 24 hours a day; they owe it to themselves to understand how pictures work, what they mean, how they can control the "message" of their own pictures and understand (and perhaps resist) the influence of others' (particularly advertising images)
We are surrounded by photographic imagery. We use it to define our realities.
Photography is more pervasive than words.
Most students love mysteries. Even though photographs have been around since 1839, if we stop and really think about them and really look at them, photographs are still mysterious. Take, for instance, the following statements by famous authors (all included in Hershberger's anthology): Stanley Cavell, 1971: "My feeling is ... that we have forgotten how mysterious these things are ...." Susan Sontag, 1977: "Photographs are perhaps the most mysterious of all the objects that make up, and thicken, the environment we recognize as modern." Gretchen Garner, 1988: "Many photographers are ... addressing the mysteries that lie at the heart of our life here on earth." Alexander Sekatskiy, 2010: "The great mystery of photography is hidden among the most ordinary photographs."
This question has no context. Academically? Socially? As a student or as a member of society who happens to be of student age? What aspect of photography - as a teaching tool? As a creative expression?
It is a form of expression that can be as complicated or simple as the author chooses.
Does this question refer to photo majors, or all students? Either way, an answer really needs more than a few sentence response. I have plenty to say, but not here on my iPhone. I am trying these days to reduce the ridiculous amount of email by dealing with every email as I get it. So, I am giving you the best response I can right now. I chose that over forgetting to come back to your survey. Photography, in short, I believe is an essential skill in our times.
It shapes their understanding of culture and their participation as members of society.
Learning the fundamental elements of visual literacy and how they are created will allow people to understand and explain why visual imagery is effective and how it works. Like it or not we are visual culture first.
It is a way to support yourself and have a good life.
It's a description of the world they live in and allows them to comment on the actual vs. the invented. But the invented is great too!
I'm not sure what you are looking for here. Students use photography all the time in their daily life. They already know how to point and shoot, they have probably already made a few good images. The thing they learn as a student is to make an image that is more than just aesthetically interesting, they try to make images that have a response in a viewer.
Photography is an incredible way to visually communicate.
Because the still photographic image remains the world's single most effective and powerful means of non-verbal communication.
It provides the freedom to explore and be individual.
Students find ways to express their creative voice and make a difference through their photographs
We are surrounded by images everyday in every capacity. Without understanding them (both creation and meaning), we become passive in our lives, more susceptible to manipulation, and unable to make sense of what we see all around us.
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera". -Dorothea Lange
Ideally, it trains them to look more closely at the things around them.
Photography is the universal language being a native speaker as well as someone who can create using the tools of a photographer is almost a minimum requirement as we move toward a global and connected world.
Helps them to understand their purpose and missions in life
Our culture is overwhelmed with imagery and good grasp on photo literacy is necessary in order to contextualize and interpret this new construction of society (physically and virtually)
They use it everyday (cellphones, screen shots, Facebook)
It's everywhere.
It gives context to not only the visual language of the medium, but the way it is used around them; through manipulation, text, and ubiquity.
Photography is a form of art and to an art student, it is important to study and understand many fields.
Visual literacy.
its a contemporary, relevant, and accessible way of making art.
Enriches their lives whether they become photographers or not. They become better observers, can deconstruct the photographic circumstance and have a greater understanding of the world around them
I teach photography to non photo graphic design students who are bitter about having to take photo. I explain to them that there are visual rules and clues that are in photography that will help to guide the viewer to make conclusions about what they are looking at.
They see the possibility of real human interactions and social change.
It shapes our views about the world and our place in it. The more we understand this relationship, the better suited we are to make images about it and create meaningful change (and photographs!).
Photography is everywhere! there isn't an aspect of life anymore that we don't see pictures. Photos draw interest in a topic and can sway an argument.
Allows them to see the world differently.
We live in a visual world. to understand the language of photography and its political, social, artistic and personal meanings is essential.
As our click rates increase and attention spans seem to shorten, communicating ideas in efficiently is paramount. Photography's potential to communicate nearly instantaneously make it as relevant as writing in many professions.
It makes them happy and proud of themselves for having produced a great image
They do 'it' every day. Photography has become an everyday action and understanding both the implications and techniques of capturing our surroundings allows the students to better see their role in the realm of visual culture.
They need an articulate understanding of their images, as well as those of others and media.
It makes them think
We live in a visual world. Making images expands our ability to interpret and understand the myriad messages we receive.
Images are the defacto language of our time. They actually always have been, but the new facility of their transmission means we are now conveying ideas purely visually more than ever before. This is central to ALL students and all citizens.
It's an activity slightly less ubiquitous than breathing & eating, yet one which is very rarely wondered about or thought about critically.
Everyone takes pictures, therefore everyone can benefit from taking a photography course. It is also an accessible and intuitive way to express your creativity.
It changes they perspectives on the world and how to abstractly think and express themselves.
Visual art allows you to communicate feelings or ideas where words fall short. What better way to do this than through the photographic image, the language of the times? Photograph's ability to create art out of reality allows you to communicate better and see more clearly.
Passion - the world needs more of it.
Photography exists in every moment of students lives today. How it is viewed is what matters most.
Documenting our lives with cameras (still & motion) is important for understanding the complexity of our world
Our society is bombarded with photographic images. It is important to be able to decipher, challenge and perhaps create alternative images.
Photography is ubiquitous.
Because they are surrounded by photographs, hundreds of them, and it is important to be able to understand and dissect those images.
Question 4:
Which of these learning methods have you participated in as part of a photo course:
Question 1:
I am:
Photo-Educator 94.29%
Photo-Students 5.71%
Question 2:
What is the most important book a photo student should read before they graduate?
Note: Books have been rated according to number of responses. For example, most respondents replied to this question with, On Photography while many also chose Camera Lucida.
-----------------------------------------------
#1 On Photography by Susan Sontag
#2 Camera Lucida by Roland Barthes
#3 Beyond Basic Photography by Henry Horenstein
Criticizing Photographs Terry Barrett
#4 A Photography Reader Liz Wells
#5 After Photography by Fred Ritchin
Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland
Basic Photography by Henry Hornstein
Education of a Photographer by Charles Traub
The Photograph as Contemporary Art by Charlotte Cotton
The Photographer's Playbook by Jason Fulford and Gregory Halpern
The Photographers Eye by John Szarkwoski
Photography Changes Everything by Marvin Heiferman and Merry Foresta
A World History of Photography by Naomi Rosenblum
Additional Responses:
101 things to learn in art school by Kit White
Adobe Photoshop CC by Martain Eveining
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
ASMP Professional Business Practices in Photography
by American Society of Media Photographers
Best Business Practices for Photographers, Second Edition
by John Harrington
The Burden of Representation by John Tagg
Chased by the Light: a 90 Day Journey by Jim Brandenberg.
Choice of Weapon - Gordon Parks
Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges.
Crusade for Your Art, Best Practices for Fine Art Photographers
by Jennifer Schwartz
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino
Learn by Doing -- Photography by Thomas Harrop
Learning to See Creatively by Bryan Peterson
Looking at Photographs by John Szarkowski.
The Medium is the Message by Marchall McLuhan
The Mind's Eye-Henri by Cartier-Bresson
Monographs by Emmet Gowin, Diane Arbus, Ralph Eugene Meatyard, and
later discovery of Roy DeCarava, Walker Evans, O'Sullivan
The Nature of Photographs: A Primer by Stephen Shore
New Topographics by Britt Salvensen and Alison Nordstrom
The Photograph as Contemporary Art by Charlotte Cotton
Photographic Theory: An Historical Anthology
Edited by Andrew Hershberger
Photographs Not Taken by Will Steacy
Photography (edition 1-11 not specified) by Barbara London, Jim Stone, & John Upton
Photography Speaks by Matthew Brady and Diane Arbus
The Poetics of Space by Gaston Bachelard
Self Observation: The Awakening of Conscience: an Owner's
Manual by Red Hawk
Understanding Comic Books by Scott Macleod
Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man by Marshall McLuhan
Understanding a Photograph by John Berger
Towards a Philosophy of Photography by Vilem Flusser and Vilm Flusser
The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
by Steven Pressfield and Shawn Coyne
Ways of Seeing by John Berger
How to read a photograph by Ian Jeffrey
Why People Photograph by Robert Adams
The Ongoing Moment by Geoff Dyer
The Pleasures of Good Photographs by Gerry Badger
Time and Photography by Jan Baetens, Alexander Streiberger,
& Hilde van Gelder
Believing is Seeing by Errol Morris
Photography and Cinema by David Campany
Core Curriculum, writings on Photography by Tod Papageorge
Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees, Conversations with Robert Irwin by Lawrence Weschler
PhotoShelter.com. They are short, realistic and cover many important topics, from copyright to wedding photography to starting your own photo business to annual surveys of what photo buyers want. They are also frequently updated and often accompanied by videos and webinars.
The one that gets them to take the field of photography and their own work seriously, that gets them to see possibilities they didn't know existed. That's going to be different for each student.
Each student’s camera manual
Everything Marshal McLuhan wrote.
Question 3:
Give one reason why photography matters to the lives of students:
Note: I tried to remove all redundant answers for this Appendix. For example, the most prevalent response by far was, "Visual Literacy".
___________________
On at least one level it shows students that they have a way to have control over something, some aspect in their lives. It also gives them a way to examine both their inner world and the world in which they find themselves placed as adults.
They can cultivate a way to express themselves and share that with others.
Photography does not matter to the lives of most students, even though they use it every day. The value has to be taught through example by passionate teachers who love photography and love sharing in its discovery.
The continuing shift toward photo-based media in contemporary culture.
Most of the students I have in class love photography because their parents didn't care about, keep or take photos and they feel they lost part of their memories; or that their parents loved photography and they grew up understanding the importance of capturing images.
It is how they define themselves
It's how they express themselves.
Surrounded by photographic images they must be able to "read" them critically
It is important for students to know and understand the history and techniques of photography because not only is a newer art form, but we are a image-driven culture, constantly flooded with images of much or little content. And understanding photography will help students understand our culture and the society they are immersed in.
Because photographs are the visual record of their lives and the better the photograph, the better record you have of that moment/person/event/place.
The illiterate of the future will be the person ignorant of the use of the camera as well as the pen. (Thanks, Moholy-Nagy)
Visual communication is the dominant communication in today's society. Developing a knowledge base or mastery can only enhance their opportunities, regardless of their eventual career.
How many students actually care about what they see and how it appears? The following quote is by Thomas Merton: "The peculiar grace of a Shaker chair is due to the fact that it was made by someone capable of believing that an angel might come and sit on it." Making photographs should be approached in the same way, even if your singular interest is getting highlights on the onion rings.
Photography helps students see realize their place in the world.
They are immersed in pictures 24 hours a day; they owe it to themselves to understand how pictures work, what they mean, how they can control the "message" of their own pictures and understand (and perhaps resist) the influence of others' (particularly advertising images)
We are surrounded by photographic imagery. We use it to define our realities.
Photography is more pervasive than words.
Most students love mysteries. Even though photographs have been around since 1839, if we stop and really think about them and really look at them, photographs are still mysterious. Take, for instance, the following statements by famous authors (all included in Hershberger's anthology): Stanley Cavell, 1971: "My feeling is ... that we have forgotten how mysterious these things are ...." Susan Sontag, 1977: "Photographs are perhaps the most mysterious of all the objects that make up, and thicken, the environment we recognize as modern." Gretchen Garner, 1988: "Many photographers are ... addressing the mysteries that lie at the heart of our life here on earth." Alexander Sekatskiy, 2010: "The great mystery of photography is hidden among the most ordinary photographs."
This question has no context. Academically? Socially? As a student or as a member of society who happens to be of student age? What aspect of photography - as a teaching tool? As a creative expression?
It is a form of expression that can be as complicated or simple as the author chooses.
Does this question refer to photo majors, or all students? Either way, an answer really needs more than a few sentence response. I have plenty to say, but not here on my iPhone. I am trying these days to reduce the ridiculous amount of email by dealing with every email as I get it. So, I am giving you the best response I can right now. I chose that over forgetting to come back to your survey. Photography, in short, I believe is an essential skill in our times.
It shapes their understanding of culture and their participation as members of society.
Learning the fundamental elements of visual literacy and how they are created will allow people to understand and explain why visual imagery is effective and how it works. Like it or not we are visual culture first.
It is a way to support yourself and have a good life.
It's a description of the world they live in and allows them to comment on the actual vs. the invented. But the invented is great too!
I'm not sure what you are looking for here. Students use photography all the time in their daily life. They already know how to point and shoot, they have probably already made a few good images. The thing they learn as a student is to make an image that is more than just aesthetically interesting, they try to make images that have a response in a viewer.
Photography is an incredible way to visually communicate.
Because the still photographic image remains the world's single most effective and powerful means of non-verbal communication.
It provides the freedom to explore and be individual.
Students find ways to express their creative voice and make a difference through their photographs
We are surrounded by images everyday in every capacity. Without understanding them (both creation and meaning), we become passive in our lives, more susceptible to manipulation, and unable to make sense of what we see all around us.
"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera". -Dorothea Lange
Ideally, it trains them to look more closely at the things around them.
Photography is the universal language being a native speaker as well as someone who can create using the tools of a photographer is almost a minimum requirement as we move toward a global and connected world.
Helps them to understand their purpose and missions in life
Our culture is overwhelmed with imagery and good grasp on photo literacy is necessary in order to contextualize and interpret this new construction of society (physically and virtually)
They use it everyday (cellphones, screen shots, Facebook)
It's everywhere.
It gives context to not only the visual language of the medium, but the way it is used around them; through manipulation, text, and ubiquity.
Photography is a form of art and to an art student, it is important to study and understand many fields.
Visual literacy.
its a contemporary, relevant, and accessible way of making art.
Enriches their lives whether they become photographers or not. They become better observers, can deconstruct the photographic circumstance and have a greater understanding of the world around them
I teach photography to non photo graphic design students who are bitter about having to take photo. I explain to them that there are visual rules and clues that are in photography that will help to guide the viewer to make conclusions about what they are looking at.
They see the possibility of real human interactions and social change.
It shapes our views about the world and our place in it. The more we understand this relationship, the better suited we are to make images about it and create meaningful change (and photographs!).
Photography is everywhere! there isn't an aspect of life anymore that we don't see pictures. Photos draw interest in a topic and can sway an argument.
Allows them to see the world differently.
We live in a visual world. to understand the language of photography and its political, social, artistic and personal meanings is essential.
As our click rates increase and attention spans seem to shorten, communicating ideas in efficiently is paramount. Photography's potential to communicate nearly instantaneously make it as relevant as writing in many professions.
It makes them happy and proud of themselves for having produced a great image
They do 'it' every day. Photography has become an everyday action and understanding both the implications and techniques of capturing our surroundings allows the students to better see their role in the realm of visual culture.
They need an articulate understanding of their images, as well as those of others and media.
It makes them think
We live in a visual world. Making images expands our ability to interpret and understand the myriad messages we receive.
Images are the defacto language of our time. They actually always have been, but the new facility of their transmission means we are now conveying ideas purely visually more than ever before. This is central to ALL students and all citizens.
It's an activity slightly less ubiquitous than breathing & eating, yet one which is very rarely wondered about or thought about critically.
Everyone takes pictures, therefore everyone can benefit from taking a photography course. It is also an accessible and intuitive way to express your creativity.
It changes they perspectives on the world and how to abstractly think and express themselves.
Visual art allows you to communicate feelings or ideas where words fall short. What better way to do this than through the photographic image, the language of the times? Photograph's ability to create art out of reality allows you to communicate better and see more clearly.
Passion - the world needs more of it.
Photography exists in every moment of students lives today. How it is viewed is what matters most.
Documenting our lives with cameras (still & motion) is important for understanding the complexity of our world
Our society is bombarded with photographic images. It is important to be able to decipher, challenge and perhaps create alternative images.
Photography is ubiquitous.
Because they are surrounded by photographs, hundreds of them, and it is important to be able to understand and dissect those images.
Question 4:
Which of these learning methods have you participated in as part of a photo course:
Summary
Played Games 33.80%
Worked in Teams or Groups 88.73%
Written Photo Critiques Online 43.66%
Gone on a Photo Trip Outside Your State 66.20%
Gone on a Photo Trip Outside the Country 32.39%
Received or Given Awards As Part of a Photo Class 43.66%
Created a Website as Part of a Photo Class 61.97%
Entered Juried Exhibitions as Part of a Photo Course 66.20%
Attended a Photography Conference As a Student 67.61%
A Flipped Classroom, Where Class-Time is Spent 40.84%
Practicing Concepts, and the Teacher Delivers
Information Outside of Class.
Played Games 33.80%
Worked in Teams or Groups 88.73%
Written Photo Critiques Online 43.66%
Gone on a Photo Trip Outside Your State 66.20%
Gone on a Photo Trip Outside the Country 32.39%
Received or Given Awards As Part of a Photo Class 43.66%
Created a Website as Part of a Photo Class 61.97%
Entered Juried Exhibitions as Part of a Photo Course 66.20%
Attended a Photography Conference As a Student 67.61%
A Flipped Classroom, Where Class-Time is Spent 40.84%
Practicing Concepts, and the Teacher Delivers
Information Outside of Class.
