Photography student vs ’self-taught’ artist: an interview

I am at last uploading an interview I did last year with two photography students. The aim was to contrast the differences between myself (’self-taught artist’) and the ‘taught’ artist who studies art or photography.

It seemed to take tremendous effort to find software I could use to edit it, and in the end the huge audio file lay dormant. Kind Mr Wolfy tried to have a bash, but the software Audacity began to be too much of a pain in the backside and Mr Wolfy had better things to do. So recently I asked Paul Burgess, my blog designer, to help me salvage the thing and he kindly slashed it in half and made it into a web-friendly file to put here on the blog. The interview is too long (40 mins or so) as it’s unedited, but it’s a note to future self to only conduct concise interviews that do not need any editing. I am aware I ramble on TOO much in this interview, I am very sorry, you can try and fast-forward me!

The interview is with Aimee and Marinda who are final-year students (graduating as we speak) in Contemporary Photographic Practice at the University of Creative Arts in Rochester. I met Aimee and Marinda quite randomly at my London exhibition last autumn. They kindly agreed to be interviewed so I could pose some of my questions, about photography education: teachers, style of teaching, how a degree might affect your passion for photography either in a positive or negative sense. It was enlightening for me to talk to real students instead of making assumptions, but to also see how it has a different impact for one individual to the next – and of course, from one degree/institution to the next.

Play it below! It’s long, so I understand if want to turn it off halfway and go watch Coronation Street.

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Posted in Audio interviews, Essays, musings on June 7th, 2010 | Leave a comment |

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