It was a very exciting afternoon at the Art Institute today... Jerry Metellus, renowned photographer (and 8-pack denier), came to speak to us! I don't know about everyone else, but I've been looking forward to hearing him speak for weeks! His photography is so inspiring and unique, and what he said really resonated with me.
I particularly like his motto: Do it seriously, don't take it seriously. A photographer should be loose yet sure of himself/herself. If you come into a photoshoot, or any life situation in general, and you're stern and stiff, chances are the outcome of whatever you're doing will appear stern and stiff. (Unless your client is a stick-up-the-butt, you really don't want that impression.)
He also spoke a lot about rights of usage and how vitally important those are to a photographer's career. Even if you're the one who took that photo that's on billboards across the country, you don't get a penny if you gave up your rights to it. and that could be the photo that changes the world! How sad would it be if you couldn't get the credit for it??
Finally, make sure your "tool box" is constantly being filled with new tools. This "tool box" is what you get once you graduate from college. It's just waiting to be filled with experiences and lessons that you learn in life. It's so important to get out there and actually LIVE. Every experience takes you to another experience that takes you to another, and so on and so forth.
Now comes the next step: work towards an internship with Jerry. I know I just started at AI, but I think I could learn so much from him and his team. I want to learn about the ins and outs of the world of photography, especially the kind he does. So, I'll speak to my advisers and hopefully get on the right track towards making this dream come true.
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