For my Senior seminar, I have chosen a one-year internship accompanied by two companies – a business consulting company to learn and develop skills in business management and a photography business to gain practical experience in photography and everything related to it.
My goal is to create, develop and establish my own brand as a photographer during the year.
A few years ago, influenced by my grandfather, I became more and more interested in photography. From what started out as simple shots, I learned how to use the medium through my Graphic Design and Commercial Photography courses in high school, and now I want to develop my own photography brand and business through the internship.
Photography is a very special and timeless kind of art and can be used for so many different reasons. Learning how photos can capture moments or emotions in the context of how light, camera settings, filters, and lenses can influence the scene outcome that’s a great experience. Creativity has no end, so this is a medium I want to learn!
Objectives I expect to learn during the Senior Internship:
- Develop my organizational and time planning skills
- Get an insight into business management and planning
- Create and develop Marketing material and concepts
(e.g., flyers, websites, social media…) - Learn and understand photography techniques
(e.g., lights, camera setting, etc.)
while participating in an Advanced Photography Class - Work with different photographers and in different genres to learn about different styles, workflows, or topics/ specializations e.g.
- Portrait Photography
- Journalism Photography
- Event / Wedding Photography
- Visual Art / Multi-Media Art
The final goal of my Internship is to create and start my own Photography business and brand. I want to learn in practice how to plan photo sessions, how to shoot photos in the way they shall come out, and how to establish my brand as a photographer. It is planned to create a business concept over time, which will document the planning and implementation steps for a brand, including developing marketing materials, planning sheets, calculations, and finally, organizing and performing own photoshoots.
At the beginning of the Internship, I’ll start with the basics like finding my niche, defining my target clientele, and researching the local market.
What did I do during my first semester?
First, I started with some business-related tasks, like Recherches about equipment, prices, the photography market in the Austin area, and offers of diverse photographers.
I took additional classes at the Austin school of photography to learn useful practical and technical stuff. And for sure I did many photo shoots to practice:
Here are a few examples and the list of my activities:
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Academy Pillars
Now how does my photographic interest fit with the pillars of my academy, the AGS?
That is more obvious than it may seem at first moment!
- Investigate the World
Traveling to different places or countries is one of the best ways to explore the world, and travel photography can bring people to these places and show interesting perspectives, such as how people live in other countries, what problems they face, customs and traditions, but also fantastic landscapes. I travel a lot and like to document my impressions. - Communicate Ideas
With photography, you can communicate almost everything! So, with the visual effects of images, you can show emotions, moments, dramas, and events, and you can make people aware of issues, whether they are positive or negative. In this regard, I would like to get to know and use the various facets of photography. - Recognize and Weigh Perspectives
If you look through the websites of many photographers, you see most only models like people, nice wedding pictures, fashion, or glamor. But what about all the other people? My goal is to concentrate on portraits of more “uncommon” people: people that do not have model sizes or older seniors. Everybody has his or her own personality! That is what I want to capture in my pictures, and I want to make people proud of themself. - Take Action
One of my self-chosen photo projects is taking pictures of trash in the landscape. So, I often take pictures from, e.g., bottles or soda cans lying somewhere in the grass or between flowers. I also created a series of flat-lay pictures with beach trash or nature products to show the environmental pollution. I plan to publish them on my social media page to make people aware of these issues.
Challenges
For sure, I also expect a lot of challenges during the internship. The main point will be: how can I bring everything together?
1) Since I have to do nearly all my Internship activities outside of school hours, I know I have to invest a lot of evening and weekend hours in the work that has to be done. So far, my mentor and I have created a To-Do-List, which contains events and instructions per month. During September and October, I attend a Photography class every Sunday to step deeper into the technical area and the practical background. This is also connected with additional assignments.
2) With my photography mentor, we plan monthly Theme shoots, for which I will be responsible. Therefore, I have to create Equipment lists, find locations and force the marketing. Therefore, I have already drafted a checklist, and I think for each topic to compile a handout index card with possible location, timing, and accessories.
3) Creating a Business plan will be one of the biggest challenges. I have to research many topics like what equipment I need, what will/can my services cost, and what are my niche and target clientele. For this, I plan to take an online course in the spring semester because, with a fixed schedule for this business course, I have a clear line of when and what I have to do and to consider.
Resources
As my primary resource for the business part of my Internship, I will work with the company afm Matthias W. Kuehne Consulting LLC. My mentors are Matthias Kuehne, a business consultant, and Claudia Bernhard-Scott, a marketing specialist. We will together develop my business concept, calculate costs, and plan marketing activities.
My other primary resource is Kuehne Photography, a Freelance Photography Project which connects me to photography practice while assisting in photo shootings, planning sessions, or participating in Networking with customers, models, and other photographers. It is also planned to volunteer with different Photographers and Artists in and around Austin to get different experiences.
I took the Photography II Class at Austin School of Photography, which is planned to take in the spring Online-Course with a certificate in “Professional Photography” via IAP Career College.
Summary
I wanted to learn in the first semester the main basics of being a photographer. This required time and strength, but it also prepared me and showed me what it means to work for myself.
I hope all of these activities prepared me for realizing my goal to start my own photo business or to prepare me for the college where I plan to study Photography or Graphic design.
