Degrees and Purchases
Now that we are in full general election mode here in the UK, it is no surprise that everything and anything is being promised by all the equally inept political parties. One policy pledge that caught my interest was by the Conservative Party and it was to to eliminate what they called “Mickey Mouse” degree courses. My initial thought was “Good, who needs to study underwater basket weaving anyway?”. But as we know, these courses can often be a Trojan horse to accessing other things on the visa front. I decided to take a look at what the Tories class as a “Mickey Mouse” degree and was shocked to see that photography degrees were on the list. I therefore endeavoured to find out what the Tory definition of a “Mickey Mouse” degree is. Apparently, according to the Tories, if on graduation you are unlikely to get a job that has a salary of more than £25,000pa., you are studying a “Mickey Mouse” degree.
To be clear, I for one do not believe that anyone needs a degree in photography to be a good photographer. I never enquire of any photographer what qualifications they have. I also don’t know what is on the curriculum of a photography degree so can’t criticise the content or value of such a degree. There could also be people out there who value the learning experience such a degree would bring, looking at I assume the various techniques, the history and challenge of the creative or practical side of the art. I would also imagine turning up at a prospective employer for the job of house photographer with a photography degree on your CV would be advantageous, but surely the quality and relevance of the work in your portfolio would be of more interest to said prospective employer?
My limited knowledge of the photography industry tends to assume most photographers these days are freelance, self employed etc. I have often heard it said that there is no money to be made in photography these days as editors don’t really like to pay or will pay the absolute minimum they can get away with for photos. The internet and the immediacy of getting images “out there” has all but taken away the “scoop” element of photojournalism.
In summary I don’t know what to make of the “Mickey Mouse” tag the Tories have placed on photography degrees. At the end of the day a degree is only the demonstrated ability to learn in order to pass an exam, albeit to a high standard. I have an Honours Degree in Engineering, I studied many things during that 5 year course that I have never used, and never will use. Did it make me a better Engineer? I don’t think so. Did it open doors for me? Definitely!
More Books
When it comes to photography you can never have too many books on your chosen aspect of the art. Looking at pictures and learning from the author or photographer is fundamental to what we do. When I saw a new publication coming out, “Bert Hardy, Through his lens 1938 - 1957”, I knew I just had to have it. Hardy is a photographer that I have admired ever since I picked up a camera myself. His photography style just resonated with me and I find that his photos hold a greater value today given the massive changes in society and culture we are seeing in Britain. In my opinion they hark back to a time where life, although very hard for some, was simpler and less stressful. People in the main look trim, stylish and happy with their lot. They show people who are poor and also people that are obviously wealthy, but his photography has a way of equalising out class and status. Although war was raging across Europe, his photography shows people going about their daily lives. They must have been terrified of the outcome of the war and what kind of Britain lay ahead, but Hardy seemed to manage to show British people keeping calm and carrying on.
