"That's DOCTOR Photographer to You..."

So I get up this morning and check my e-mail and find a message waiting with the subject line "Discover just how easy a Photography Degree can be!" I click on the e-mail, and am just about to mark it as spam, when I read "learn professional techniques!"

I chuckled.

First, what in the world would anyone want to get a degree in photography for? What is the point? I can never remember asking to see the credentials of any photographer I've ever worked with. As with most creative people, it doesn't really matter much where they went to school or what they have a degree in (if they even have one - one of the best photographers I've ever known has a high school diploma). No- when working with a good photographer or any artist, you want to see their portfolio. You want to see what they can do and what they have done. And most times, it's not their formal training that matters, anyway - it's their eye. It's their style. It's their perspective.

That's what makes an artist. Besides, if I wanted to learn professional techniques, all I have to do is read one of the thousands of professional photography blogs that are available free on the internet. And then just start shooting and practicing. That's the beauty of the internet, I think. You can take up a new hobby and learn as much as you want about it for free from the best in the business, if you want to. And you can get as good as you want. For free.

And don't even get me started on the old-school film camera they showed in the ad... Digital, baby!