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Hello,

 

I right now am a photography student, but I love cinematography. I have heard of many people who start off as photography and then move into cinematography or vice-versa. I was just wondering what you guys think is better. Do you think it is better to get a degree in photography or in cinematography. I have never really done any cinematography stuff but I want to do more in it. I can't decide if it is worth is to transfer majors or not. What do you think?

Also if i do end up going with cinematography do you think i would still be able to do photography on the side? I am just lost and looking for a little advice. Please let me know what you think.

 

Thanks!

Edited by Aria Matthews
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I think what you major in will matter very little. If you watch the documentary Cinematographer Style, you'll see quite a few big name DoPs who come from backgrounds far far removed from image making (and of course some which do).

At the end of the day, it's drive, luck, and some raw skills, as well as practice and practice which will make or break you. In terms of practice, sure, majoring in cinematography (if you can find that major) may really help you. However, most schools seem to teach "film," which is often a lot of trying to be some kind of auteur which often doesn't jive when you have a producer yelling at you to shoot x or y for this or that market.

Also, if you are shooting stills, you can of course get a camera which also takes video and double bill yourself for a bit to see what you like more. Personally, I love working making films, but when I want to relax, I'll pick up one of my nikon Fs and go shoot some stills-- alone, on my own, for my own pleasure.

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I'm one of those people who started as a photographer 4 years ago and now turned into a full-time cinematographer. One thing that made me change my mind is I askedto myself 'how am I going to compete with the rest of these photographers in my city who are far more creative/advance than me? What do I need to do in order to give myself that edge over them?' Luckily, I was already filming a few music/dance videos during this time so I thought if I keep on improving my craft in cinematography and applied what I know in photography, I could totally make it in the industry given the fact that there aren't many cinematographers out here in our city. After having some photography experiences in doing Birthday parties, I figured it wasn't for me so I decided to educate myself and work on my cinematography skills so I shifted my focus on that instead and kept photography as a personal hobby. Being a full-time cinematographer has been the greatest experience I've ever had my entire life because I've been given many chances to work with very talented individuals in my city and even from outside the city on many projects. I'm just giving you my input, whatever it is that you go for, you'll be successful with it as long as you stick with it. Good luck.

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