What Photogs Wish They Learned in School

You'll learn all about technique and aesthetics, and perhaps even glean a smattering of history, if you study photography. But what are some of the "real-world" lessons that professionals wish someone had taught them earlier in their career? What do photographers need to know that involves more than just taking better pictures?

That was the question posed by Photshelter to about a dozen of the industry's top photogs.

Grover Sanschagrin compiled the best responses in his blog entry, "The Top 11 Things Photographers Wish They Learned in Photo School"

Here are the bare-bones bits of desired advice, but be sure to check out the blog yourself for the expanded commentary, which you will find invaluable.

11) How to treat others.

10) How to maintain a balanced life.

9) How to maintain an ethical standing in a changing photography business.

8) Where to find story ideas and things to photograph.

7) You don't have to be perfect.

6) How to keep your head up, navigate obstacles, and handle rejection.

5) How to continue to evolve and grow your career.

4) How to market myself, and my work.

3) It's not the camera, it's the photographer.

2) How to price their own work.

1) The realities of photography as a business.

What would you add to this list?

Tuition-Free VJ Multimedia Workshop

For those who didn't make the cut for MediaStorm's tuition-free multimedia workshop in New York, now you've got a shot at a similar opportunity on the West Coast: the VJ Multimedia Workshop in Ventura, CA.

Brooks Institute of Photography faculty are offering "a tuition-free multimedia shooting and production workshop for visual storytellers based in the traditions of journalism, for 25 university students and 25 Visual Journalists who were laid off in the past two years."

This workshop is a 24-hour shoot, followed by two post-production workshop days, including a variety of guest speakers. This multimedia project combines photography, video and audio storytelling steeped in the documentary tradition, using the latest technology in visual storytelling.

See detailed schedule here.

Guest lecturers include:

Tom Kennedy is an internationally known visual journalist with 35 years of print and online journalism experience, including positions as Managing Editor for Multimedia at the Washington Post and Director of Photography for the National Geographic Magazine.

Scott Anger is an award-winning journalist, photographer and documentary filmmaker whose work has spanned every medium over the past 25 years. He is currently on a one-year sabbatical from his job as director of video at the Los Angeles Times.

Jim Merithew is the online photo editor for Wired.com.

Grover Sanschagrin is Vice President of Business Development and co-founder of PhotoShelter.

Pauline Lubens has been a staff photographer for the San Jose Mercury News since 2000. She spent the previous 17 years at the Detroit Free Press.

The workshop is July 30 to August 2. Apply here by June 21.