How To Get A Bachelor’s Degree In Photography Online

by Taylor Slattery | October 17, 2023

Getting a Bachelor’s degree in photography online is a great first step for anyone looking to turn their passion into a career. A Bachelor’s photography program will not only give you all of the skills and knowledge you’ll need to start your career as a professional photographer but will also put you in direct contact with people who’ve already done it themselves and can help you along your own journey.

What Does A BFA Digital Photography Program Look Like?

A BFA in photography consists of a mixture of general foundational classes common amongst all creative disciplines and highly specialized photography courses. The foundational classes introduce students to the principles that underlie all creative work. 

The aim of these courses is to provide students with the frameworks necessary to understand the concepts explored in greater depth in future classes. These concepts build upon and are further developed within a photography-specific context in the advanced courses.

The aim of the advanced courses is to introduce students to the various skills and knowledge they will need to navigate their careers as professional photographers. This includes the development of a portfolio, marketing your services, and general advice for owning and operating a creative business.

Additionally, by gaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Photography online, you can expect to develop the following competencies:

1. Photography
2. Lighting
3. Art & Design Principles
4. Photo Editing Technology and Image Enhancement
5. Research, History, and Criticism
6. Building a Portfolio
7. Critical Thinking, Communication, and Writing
8. Professional Practice and Readiness and More.

Do You Need A College Degree To Be A Photographer?

While a college degree is not necessary to become a professional photographer, it will certainly help you to get a leg up on your competition, especially so in the early days of your career. Some of the most difficult challenges to overcome when you first start your career stem from the change in mindset that needs to occur as you make the transition from student to a working professional.

Whether you’re transitioning from student life or making a run at becoming a professional photographer on your own, learning to think of yourself as a business can be a difficult change to navigate. Technical skill aside, this change in mindset is necessary, but without the guidance of others who have been down this road before, it’s easy to feel lost and discouraged.

Participating in a photography Bachelor’s degree program will also help to hold you accountable and help fight off against perpetual procrastination. While at-your-own-pace online courses are flexible and often cheaper, they often lack that deeper level of time-tested guidance and higher expectations from professors who want to see you perform at your highest capacity.

While it’s not impossible to figure things out on your own, a Bachelor’s degree in photography is a surefire way to arm yourself with all of the tools you’ll need to hit the ground running after graduating and actually start working as a full-time professional photographer.

Choose Sessions College For Your Bachelor’s Degree in Photography

If you’re considering pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in photography online, Sessions College is a great place to start.

Our courses take students starting at any level and give them the skills and experience they’ll need to enter the industry as a working professional. You can study at your own pace, so you can fit your photography education into your schedule regardless of what you’ve already got on your plate. But reasonable deadlines will keep you accountable and actually practice what you learn in the real world.

There’s also no substitute for constructive feedback, and having a direct point of contact with working professionals will give you the best odds of long-term career success. Becoming a professional full-time photographer isn’t always an easy journey, but thanks to the help of the expert faculty and professors at Sessions College, you’ll be able to set yourself up for success.

Enroll Today to earn your Bachelor’s Degree in Photography ASAP.

Taylor is the Managing Editor of Notes on Design. Taylor is a graphic designer, illustrator, and Design Lead at Weirdsleep.

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