I need wildlife career advice badly!

[Adam Prosser]

hello everyone, Basically I need some advice, I am currently going through a bad time in my life in terms of career's, I am 25 and I have studied graphic design and multimedia, within these courses there were photography units and have developed a love of photography and I love nothing more than exploring with my camera and the excitement of finding an animal in some remote location and getting amazing shots.

(Graphic design was not all its cracked up to be in my opinion)

Anyway Im thinking of doing a wildlife course and uni but dont know if its worth it or whether I need to. I have a fairly decent portfolio but don't know if I really know enough about photography or whether I'm too old to go doing 3 year courses.

Does anyone know of a course which has worked out for them or any 1 or 2 year courses? .
What is it like going freelance?

I uploaded a couple of photographs on my profile if anyone leaves feedback it would be much appreciated.

[Mungo]

In my opinion you are NEVER too old to learn, go for it!

[Gill Catton]

my old uni used to do a degree in biological imaging which might be right up your street. I'm not sure if they still do it was Derby Uni. A quick google suggests they may not be but also pulls up at least two people who have got into the business with this degree. A more in depth search may pull up such a course elsewhere.

There were also plenty of mature students when I was there and that was over ten years ago and the situation is bound to have improved. My firend when to uni in her late twenties and I think the top tip really is try not to end up in halls as that's where it can get a bit silly with such a large concentrations of 18-20 year olds!

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Adam Prosser

hello everyone, Basically I need some advice, I am currently going through a bad time in my life in terms of career's, I am 25 and I have studied graphic design and multimedia, within these courses there were photography units and have developed a love of photography and I love nothing more than exploring with my camera and the excitement of finding an animal in some remote location and getting amazing shots.

(Graphic design was not all its cracked up to be in my opinion)

Anyway Im thinking of doing a wildlife course and uni but dont know if its worth it or whether I need to. I have a fairly decent portfolio but don't know if I really know enough about photography or whether I'm too old to go doing 3 year courses.

Does anyone know of a course which has worked out for them or any 1 or 2 year courses? .
What is it like going freelance?

I uploaded a couple of photographs on my profile if anyone leaves feedback it would be much appreciated.

Without wanting to dampen your enthusiasm there are few pioints it would be wise to consider before making the jump.

a) Looking at the economy , now is not a great time to be going frelance in any field.

b) it is incredibly difficult to make a living as a wildlife photographer - most of those I know either have paid jobs and are doing it "on the side" (I fall into that category) or wind up suplementing their income by doing other forms of photo work such as weddings, local press etc. Even those who are well known pros like rouse, benvie etc derive a proportion of their income from running courses etc rather than just from selling photos

c) Running a photo buisness wont all be "exploring with my camera and the excitement of finding an animal in some remote location and getting amazing shots" at least a third and possibly as much as half your time will be spent either in front of a computer doing post process , dealing with clients, marketting your buisness, or doing paperwork like tax declarations

d) if after taking these into consideration you still want to try, do you really need a university degree to do it (and the debt/expense that that entails) ? my advice would be that your time would be better spent getting out with the camera and learning to use it, some good books on the field , and maybe doing a short course in buisness administration and marketting.

I'm not saying don't do it because working for yourself doing something you love can be incredibly satisfying - but it can also be incredibly risky so its vital to go in with your eyes open.

[NickCantle]

Originally Posted by eeyore

if after taking these into consideration you still want to try, do you really need a university degree to do it (and the debt/expense that that entails) ? my advice would be that your time would be better spent getting out with the camera and learning to use it, some good books on the field

That sums up 100% of your issue I think Adam. I've been in the position and it's a very complicated situation.

[eeyore]

id also strongly advise you have a chat with your local chamber of commerce/ buisness link (advice from them is free) Business support, information and advice | Business Link

and if you arent currently working you could also look at a princes trust start up grant/loan http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/Main...20business.asp

[Hobjob]

eeyore has got it right I'm sure.

The only thing I'd quibble with is the time in front of the computer.
My daughter does weddings and marine mammals (though less of
the latter now) and > 50% of working time is in front of computer.

[Vectisbirder]

Hi Adam, I am in much the same position as you, albeit I am a bit older (coming up 39), bored with endless rubbish jobs (I am an unskilled admin temp worker). I would say, though, despite the uncertain economic climate, that if you are in a position to do then follow your dreams and go for what you want to do. I'm hoping to do just that, after a bit of travelling next year, I'm looking into doing something more wildlife and/or photography related. Life's too short to be bored and fed up.

However, keep your options open, so that if things don't work out, then you will have something more everyday (i.e. mundane) to fall back on to pay for the boring-but-essential things like a roof over your head and the bills!

Good luck to you!

Originally Posted by Adam Prosser

hello everyone, Basically I need some advice, I am currently going through a bad time in my life in terms of career's, I am 25 and I have studied graphic design and multimedia, within these courses there were photography units and have developed a love of photography and I love nothing more than exploring with my camera and the excitement of finding an animal in some remote location and getting amazing shots.

(Graphic design was not all its cracked up to be in my opinion)

Anyway Im thinking of doing a wildlife course and uni but dont know if its worth it or whether I need to. I have a fairly decent portfolio but don't know if I really know enough about photography or whether I'm too old to go doing 3 year courses.

Does anyone know of a course which has worked out for them or any 1 or 2 year courses? .
What is it like going freelance?

I uploaded a couple of photographs on my profile if anyone leaves feedback it would be much appreciated.

[RoseStones]

Hi there, no-ones mentioned it so far but you may want to investigate the BBC series "The Ends of the Earth". There's a special post on this forum about it, though sadly the deadline is tomorrow but some who have made the interviewing stage have been told that there's hopefully going to be a second series (and therefore applications) next year. It's basically going to be a series in which 9 lucky people get to go 'to the ends of the earth' undertaking natural history filming challenges, after which one super lucky guy or girl gets a year's training with the BBC Natural History unit in Bristol.

I'd like to reiterate the comments of those above, especially Eeyore's. Wildlife photography is, for me, the jewel at the end of a week or holiday that I look forward to and I want to keep it that way. As soon as my livelihood depends on it I'm sure it'd lose some of it's shine to me because I'd be constantly worried about making ends meet! I've heard Andy Rouse mention just how hard it is to succeed in the days of digital with so many good amateurs out there getting very good shots (take a look at some of the user's galleries on this forum for example, and even across the net). I'm not saying that you couldn't make it, of course, but it's getting increasingly harder.

I was in much the same position that you are a few years back, only my decision at the time was whether or not to retrain as a pilot. The money to retrain, time, stress, surprising lack of glamour when I properly considered it (my Dad's a pilot and let me tell you it's not all RayBans, sun and exotic locations!), eventually put me off. I've now arrived at a happy place where I've managed to eventually get a job that is a good balance of security, fun and pay and that gives me time off enough to really press on and try and start to build my rather threadbare photo portfolio (compared to some)!

So, in all, I'm not saying don't do it, but seriously consider the pros and cons and ask yourself if there's a middle way (without wishing to sound all New Labour). For me there was, for you there might not be and you might want to go all-in. I'm a big fan of the 'stepping stone' approach to careers too, decide where you'd like to go and form a path there via the steps, no one step will be your ultimate job but they're all on the pathway to it. For example getting some experience with a local wildlife charity might be a good idea (as I'm doing) to give credibility to an application for a position within an environmental charity/journal/media company in the future - from there you could perhaps approach the BBC Natural History unit with a CV that's chock full of relevant experience.

PM me if you'd like to chat as it took me a while to work through my issues a few years back and I remember how frustrating the world seemed at the time

[Adam Prosser]

I'd firstly like to say thanks for all the replies, good advice from everyone which I am going to take on board.

After some careful thought I am going to see a careers adviser and weigh up all my options and try to make a realistic decision as to what to do next as I feel my next decision will decide my future.

I can' t keep doing what I am doing and I refuse to get a job in a warehouse somewhere (what's the point) so I need a change. Some of your comments especially this from roseStone "Wildlife photography is, for me, the jewel at the end of a week or holiday that I look forward to and I want to keep it that way".
I recently went to devon with my family, while they relaxed all I wanted to do was go and find some great locations with my camera. I went out one morning and said i'l be back later I must have walked all day in a place called Dawlish Warren and did not return until it got too dark. That place is great for wild birds and even Pony's and also its right on the coast with a nearby harbour, I dont know if anyone has been there but it's well worth it.

I already have a photography business which I set up not long ago, not getting much business and I am still learning from it at the moment (needs work), it's just something on the side really, check it out if anyone is interested.

Digital photo restoration