Questionnaire

Junior Photo Seminar
Questionnaire

When do you plan on graduating?

I plan on graduating this December.

Where have you, or will you be interning?

I plan on interning in the Dallas area at some point this semester.  I have not decided who to intern with yet, but I would like to be paired with either a commercial or architectural photographer, preferably one who does both.

What are your plans and goals for after graduation? Grad school? Starting a business? Getting a job? Being an artist/commercial shooter? Please be as specific as possible. How do you plan on making a living?

After graduation I plan on finding as many photographers to assist as possible, which would keep me working every day.  If I can find shooting jobs as well, I would love to do so, but assisting at first is fine with me.  I do not put any work below me and will do whatever it takes to pay the bills.  If I need to maintain a steady job such as food service or retail, then so be it.  After assisting enough to build up my equipment inventory, I would love to start shooting all of my own jobs and becoming a commercial photographer.  Once this business gets up and running, I will begin to focus more and more on my architectural photography, which is my greatest interest.  My dream career would involve shooting only architectural photography for big names.

Establish a budget for yourself, post-graduation. What does it cost to live in a manner that you’d be comfortable? Again, be specific. Do you have school loans, credit card debt? Need insurance? A place to live?

I will be perfectly comfortable living in an apartment, either by myself or with a roommate.  This depends on how much the apartment costs.  If I budget about 1000 dollars for an apartment per month, and budget my gas to about 150 dollars, my loans to about 300 dollars, and food to about 200 dollars (these are rough estimates) then I would be able to live for about 1650 dollars a month.  If I were to make 150 dollars per day assisting, which is a decent rate, then I would need to work at least 12 to 14 days a month just to break even.  I plan on working much more than this which would leave room for me to purchase equipment and take care of emergencies.  Currently I have no credit card debt or other debts, so the cost of living depends only on food and residence plus my student loans.

Do you require any special equipment to make your work or start your business (for example, a wood shop, studio, video equipment, cameras, computers, printers) that might be cost-prohibitive or difficult to access after you graduate? If so, what kind?

I have most of the equipment that I need to begin shooting for myself right now minus a few things.  The most important investment I need to make will be my computer.  After my computer, I want to focus on purchasing lighting equipment.  After my inventory of lighting equipment has gone up,  then it is time to begin to think about a new camera, such as a Canon 5dmkII or if I have enough money, a Canon 1D.

Are you planning to go to graduate school? If yes: right away, or later? Have you started researching graduate schools? Why do you want to go to graduate school? Tell me what five schools you'd like to go to, and how you plan on doing it.

I do not plan on going to graduate school.  I want to focus only on working in photography right off the bat.


Name five people that will write letters of recommendation for you?

Brian Ball (Director of camp I worked at) Katherine Willis (High school English teacher) Joel Ramirez (Boss at Chick-fil-A)  Chad Smith (Professor/Boss at TAMU-Commerce) Shawn Howell (Associate Pastor at First Southern Baptist Church Del City, Oklahoma)

What kind of job would you most like to find?

I would love to find a job shooting architectural photography, whether it be interior or exterior.  Both are of great interest to me.

What kind of job do you expect to find?

I expect to immediately find assisting jobs, and then begin to shoot my own work.

Name either a dozen potential employers, clients, galleries or graduate schools, depending on your goals.

Right now,  I do not have any specific employers or clients.  All of these will probably reside in the Dallas area.

Do you plan to live off freelance work or commissions (perhaps in addition to a part-time job)?

I plan on living on both freelance work and assisting work.  Whichever work in which I can find the most jobs.

What did you do this summer to move you toward your goals? What art have you seen this summer? How much work did you make?

This summer,  what I did most was work at Chick-fil-A.  It may seem like an indirect way to meet my goals, but it did provide the money I needed to stay in school this semester and complete my college degree.  I did not do a lot of shooting this summer, minus some shots of my brother attending a tennis tournament in Austin, Texas.

Do you have a portfolio of your work? Website? Blog? Can you tell me in 30 seconds what your work is about? Do it.

collierwhitefield.com should be up and running very soon.  I do not keep a blog, but I've considered starting one.  My work revolves around the world of commercial and architectural photography.  I am experienced in lighting and in four words I like to sum up my photography experience:  Straight Lines=Good Times.

What artists, musicians, photographers, writers, movies, books have influenced you/your work?

I have many influences, some of which are close to me and others whom I have never met.  My most important influence has been a commercial photographer named Scott Vallance.  He resides in San Antonio and was my primary educator at San Antonio College.  One photographer that I have never met personally but really enjoy his work is Mike Butler, an architectural photographer.  My biggest influence from history is Julius Shulman, a famous architectural photographer.  He focused on the modernist architecture of his time, and his images inspire me more than any other photographer's images seem to do.

Please share any important websites that you are referencing for art/photo competitions and/or information. Name at least five of them.

I love to visit artstor.org and check out the artwork there.  I float around many photographer's websites such as seanberryphotography.com , mikebutlerphotography.com . Also I think it can be interesting to go to Google Images and look up specific things that you are thinking about shooting.  You can find inspiration from anywhere!

What do you feel is lacking in your education to prepare you for your future? What is lacking in your portfolio? Please be specific.

I have a good beginning portfolio, I just need more variety.  Also,  I don't consider myself to be a portrait photographer, but I could stand to take more portraits to be able to adapt to those who need me to do this kind of work.

Why does someone want to hire you? What makes you unique?

Someone would want to hire me because I am someone who will do the job without complaining.  I know my technical side of photography, but also can add creative input.  I can be there on time, get the job done, and leave a good impression.

What makes me unique is that I do not put anything below me.  I do think highly of my photography but I would never give that impression.  I think that to be happy you must serve others, and that is my goal.

What do you expect from me?

I expect to be encouraged and inspired.  I expect input both in what I am good at and what I need to improve on.

What do you expect from this seminar?

This course should help me develop my personal style.  I have a good technical knowledge, but need to be able to focus that on a personal style.  Also, I may use this course as a way to work on my fine art photography, which sometimes gets pushed aside when I always find myself in the studio, or shooting brand new buildings and architecture.

What do you expect from this degree?

The knowledge I am receiving is much more important to me than the degree.  But on the same note, I think that the degree can act as a crutch if something about my pursuit of photography goes south.  I will have a degree to be able to get a decent job if need be.

Design your ideal Junior Seminar course.

In my ideal course, each student provides constructive criticism for each other and creates a positive environment that anything can be attempted.  If no one judges each others work, but is positive about it whether it is terrible or excellent, it provides a great environment to improve!