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Photography Personal Statement Example

Sample statement.

I have been fascinated by the power of the photographic image ever since I first saw Nick Ut’s famous ‘Napalm Girl’ picture of Kim Phuc. I was mesmerised that a simple picture could communicate such sadness, such power and such emotion. As I learned more about the shot, I discovered that the picture had gone far beyond that, changing attitudes thousands of miles away in the USA, and perhaps even changing the course of history. I knew then that I wanted to be a photographer myself.

You only have to look on image sites like Getty Images or Shutter Stock to see the vast range of ideas and emotions that can be captured by a photograph. Not only do pictures paint a thousand words, but they do so in an international language that everyone can appreciate.

It has not been easy to pursue my dream, especially with the high cost of decent photographic equipment, but I was not about to be put off so easily. The local Jessops knew they were on to a good thing when I started working for them at weekends, because they got back every penny I earned in purchases. Nonetheless, this has allowed me to put together a quite impressive set of kit.

My pursuit of a career in photography led naturally to me applying to study a photography course at college. The course is open to students of all ages and this has given me many different perspectives on the subject. My course has also given me access to a wider range of equipment than I was able to get when I was at school. I have been lucky enough to work with black and white and colour film, as well as the very latest in digital cameras. I have also learned basic film processing techniques, and have even persuaded my parents to black out the utility room window so I can practice at home.

My ambition is to become a press photographer overseas, and I would love to capture an iconic image like Nick Ut. However, I am also realistic and I appreciate that there will be a lot of weddings, local newspaper work and cheesey church fetes that I will have to photograph between then and now.

I have an artist’s eye, but sadly not an artist’s hands. I cannot draw or paint in any way that comes even close to the art I can create with my camera. Similarly, I am not particularly sporty, but I can take a cracking action shot of any match to go on the back page. Photography is who I am and what I do and I can’t imagine studying anything else or doing anything else as a career.

I know that this is a highly competitive industry, especially in the area that I would like to work, but I believe that I am good enough to compete and I am not afraid to work hard to get better and hone my craft. This course is the obvious next step for me, and I hope that you will consider my application favourably. 

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Photography Personal Statement Examples

• 1 Personal Statement Example Links
• 2 Career Opportunities
• 3 UK Admission Requirements
• 4 UK Earnings Potential For Photographers
• 5 Similar Courses in UK
• 6 UK Curriculum
• 7 Alumni Network

Personal Statement Example Links

• Personal Statement Example 1
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Are you interested in pursuing a career in photography? Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, a photography course can help you hone your skills and take your career to the next level.

Photography is an interesting and relevant choice for students looking to explore their creative side. This university course offers an introduction to the fundamentals of photography, including the use of various digital and analog cameras and equipment, as well as the basics of composition, lighting, and editing. Students will learn the basics of how to capture and create images, as well as how to use their newfound knowledge to create stunning works of art.

With a focus on both the technical and creative aspects of photography, this course provides a comprehensive overview of the field, making it an ideal choice for students who are looking to pursue a career in photography or simply explore their creative side.

👍 When writing a personal statement : Highlight your passion for the course, demonstrating your understanding of it. Use relevant personal experiences, coursework, or work history to showcase how these have fostered your interest and readiness for the course.

Career Opportunities

There are many career opportunities available to those who want to take up a Photography course. Check out some of them below:

1. Professional Photographer: Professional photographers can work in a variety of industries and sectors, such as fashion, advertising, journalism, portrait, wedding, and event photography.

2. Photojournalist: Photojournalists work for newspapers, magazines, and other media outlets to capture newsworthy events and stories in pictures.

3. Photo Editor: Photo editors work for publications, websites, and other media outlets to select, edit, and prepare photographs for publication.

4. Photo Retoucher: Photo retouchers specialize in the digital editing of photographs to enhance the quality or appearance of the images.

5. Art Director: Art directors are responsible for the visual style and design of a publication, website, or other media outlet.

6. Graphic Designer: Graphic designers create visual concepts, using computer software or by hand, to communicate ideas that inspire, inform, and captivate consumers.

7. Videographer: Videographers use cameras and other equipment to capture video footage for television, film, and other media outlets.

8. Digital Imaging Technician: Digital imaging technicians are responsible for the capture, manipulation, and printing of digital images.

9. Digital Artist: Digital artists create digital images, animations, and other visual effects for films, television, and other media outlets.

10. Web Designer: Web designers create websites and web pages using HTML, CSS, and other programming languages.

UK Admission Requirements

In order to be accepted into the university course in photography, applicants must have achieved a minimum of five GCSEs or equivalent qualifications at grade C or above, including English and Maths. In addition, they must have achieved a minimum of two A-levels or equivalent qualifications at grade C or above.

The entry criteria for this course is comparable to similar courses, such as those in film, media, and art. However, applicants may be required to provide evidence of their artistic ability, such as a portfolio of work, in order to be accepted. In addition, some universities may require applicants to complete an interview or audition.

UK Earnings Potential For Photographers

The average earnings for someone with a degree in photography can vary greatly depending on the type of photography they specialize in. Generally speaking, the average salary for a photographer in the United Kingdom is around £25,000 per year. However, those who specialise in wedding, portrait, or commercial photography may earn significantly more.

In terms of trends in the job market, the demand for photographers is expected to continue to grow over the next decade. This is due to the increasing popularity of digital photography and the need for photographers to capture special moments in people’s lives.

Additionally, the rise of social media and online platforms has created a need for photographers to create content for these platforms. As a result, the job market for photographers is expected to remain strong in the coming years.

Similar Courses in UK

Other university courses related to Photography include V isual Arts, Graphic Design, and Art and Design . Visual Arts focuses on the study of visual culture, including the history, theory, and practice of art and design.

Graphic Design focuses on the use of visual elements to communicate messages through art, typography, and photography. Art and Design focuses on the study of the visual arts, including painting, sculpture, and photography.

The key differences between Photography and these other courses are that Photography focuses on the technical aspects of taking and processing photographs, while Visual Arts, Graphic Design, and Art and Design focus more on the creative aspects of the visual arts.

Photography also requires a more technical understanding of the equipment and techniques used, while the other courses focus more on the creative aspects of the visual arts.

UK Curriculum

Year 1 : Introduction to Photography – Teaches the fundamentals of photography, including camera functions, composition, and lighting.

Year 1 : Digital Imaging – Covers the basics of digital photography and post-production editing using software like Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

Year 2 : History of Photography – Explores the historical development of photography, key movements, and influential photographers.

Year 2 : Studio Photography – Teaches studio lighting and portrait photography, including working with models and managing a studio.

Year 3 : Landscape and Documentary Photography – Covers techniques for outdoor and documentary photography, including storytelling and ethics.

Year 3 : Commercial and Advertising Photography – Provides skills for commercial photography, such as product shots, fashion, and advertising campaigns.

Year 4 : Advanced Post-Production – Explores advanced editing techniques, including retouching, color grading, and special effects.

Year 4 : Portfolio Development – Helps students create a professional portfolio, showcasing their style and skills for prospective employers.

Throughout the Course : Critiques and Exhibitions – Regularly scheduled sessions for students to present their work for critique by instructors and peers, as well as opportunities to exhibit their work.

Alumni Network

Notable alumni from the university course photography include Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist and MacArthur Fellow, David Hume Kennerly. He is a renowned photographer who has captured iconic images of presidents, celebrities, and world leaders.

Kennerly has also been a contributing photographer for National Geographic and Time Magazine. He is currently a contributing editor for Newsweek and has recently been awarded the National Press Photographers Association’s highest honor, the Joseph A. Sprague Memorial Award.

Alumni events and networking opportunities available for photography students include the annual Photographers’ Reunion, which is held each year in the spring. This event gives alumni the opportunity to reconnect with their former classmates and network with industry professionals.

Additionally, the university’s photography alumni group hosts regular meetups and workshops to help alumni stay connected and stay up to date on the latest trends in photography.

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Photography Personal Statements Samples For Students

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Do you feel the need to check out some previously written Personal Statements on Photography before you get down to writing an own piece? In this open-access catalog of Photography Personal Statement examples, you are granted an exciting opportunity to examine meaningful topics, content structuring techniques, text flow, formatting styles, and other academically acclaimed writing practices. Applying them while composing your own Photography Personal Statement will definitely allow you to finish the piece faster.

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6 Tips for Writing an Artist’s Statement

A Guest Post by Chris Folsom .

Recent talks with a local shop have prompted one of my least favorite tasks… writing an artist’s statement . It is an incredibly difficult task to describe your own work without sounding arrogant or self-absorbed. Worse yet, if your images span a variety of subjects and styles (as mine often to), trying to sum up the collection in a paragraph or two may seem impossible.

Here are some tips I go by when writing an artist statement for a shop or gallery that will be displaying my work:

1. Start with the basics

Jot down some basic information about the photos included in this collection. Are they color? Do they have a common theme? Were they all taken in a similar location? Having a short list of details will help later when you are trying to tie everything together.

2. Try not to get too technical

Nobody reading the statement will care if you shot with a Canon 5D or if Photoshop is your post-processing software of choice. If there are some truly unique elements involved in the work (printed on a special material or you shot through a hand-crafted lens, for example), feel free to include that information. Otherwise, leave out the details about your gear.

3. What would you like someone else to say of this work?

This is possibly the best way to get to the heart of why you took these photos. If you would love for someone to say “these photos bring sunshine to my home”, then you already have a pretty good starting point for your statement. Lead off with something like “I have done my job as an artist if these photos bring happiness and warmth to your home”.

4. Share your background and history

All too often, artist’s statements are all about the art and don’t go into any detail about the artist. How long have you been doing this kind of art? Why did you start? Why do you enjoy it?

5. Try not to pat yourself on the back too much

It is fine to say you are proud of this body of work, but try not to go overboard with the self praise. I have seen statements that say things like “an expert of her craft, this photographer captures beauty in a way that nobody else has”. I understand the value of confidence and selling yourself, but these kinds of descriptions will be a turnoff to a lot of people.

6. Does it have to be a traditional artist’s statement?

A friend once suggested that I do a haiku for my statement, which I thought was a genius idea. Different venues will have their own requirements, but take the opportunity to do something out of the norm if you can.

And if you would like an example of an Artist’s Statement, this is the one I went with for that local shop:

If these photos have a mission, it is this: capture rarely viewed scenes and environments and present them in an interesting way. It may be a lonesome tree on an isolated hill or the dark interior of an abandoned building. Whatever the locale, on the best of days these images will stir up unexpected feelings and thoughts in the viewer. Studio Tempura is based out of Baltimore, MD and has been creating photographs for over a decade.

Chris Folsom is a photographer based in Baltimore, MD. You can view more of his photos at Flickr or follow his photographic endeavors on Twitter .

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How to Build and Write Your Photographer’s Resume and Artist’s Statement

As photographers, we express ourselves visually through our photographs and may shrivel up at the thought of expressing ourselves through writing – especially writing about our work. There may come a time, however, where you don’t have a choice because a resume and/or artist statement may be required for an exhibition, to apply for admission into a visual arts program, to apply for a teaching position, to apply for a grant or some other reason.

Writing your photographer’s resume and artist statement does not have to be a painful process. Below are some tips for creating a successful photography resume and artist statement.

Your photographer’s resume

Like any resume, a photographer’s resume is a fact list regarding your background — in this case — as a photographer. It’s important to keep your resume under two pages.

Be sure to include only information relevant to the purpose of the resume. For instance, if I’m applying for a photography exhibition, I do not include my educational background in legal studies because it’s irrelevant to my photography background.

What to include:

• Contact information (your name, address, phone number, email and, if available, your website address)
• Artistic and/or photography education
• Any major clients you’ve worked with (if applicable)
• Exhibitions you’ve participated in (both group and solo) (if any)
• Awards (if any)
• Professional affiliations

Optional items you might include:

If you have been fortunate enough to have these experiences, you might also include any of the following:

• Publications where your photography has been published
• Grants or fellowships you have received toward your work
• Photography teaching positions
• Any public lectures you may have presented involving photography
• Curatorial projects you have been involved in
• Juror or judge positions you’ve held in photography competitions

Emerging photographers:

New photographers who run into the dilemma of not having much experience to include on a resume might consider submitting an artist bio instead, if there is an option to do so. An artist bio showcases your background, but in more of a sentence – rather than a list – format.

An artist bio should describe who you are and be written in the third person. It can include personal details such as:

• Where you’re from and where you live now
• How and where you learned photography
• What types of photographs you like to create
• Where you’ve shown your work

Whether you’re writing a photography resume or an artist bio, keep it short, relevant and to the point. Be sure to proofread it multiple times before submission.

Your artist statement:

An artist statement is a brief written glimpse into your unique story, creative process and motivations for creating the body of work of which it accompanies. These are an outlet for your viewers to get to know a little bit about what makes you tick when you’re creating your work. Many artists and photographers have a general artist statement and then create different artist statements exclusively for each body of work they show.

Things to consider when writing your artist statement:

An artist statement should be brief — between one and three paragraphs — and should be written in the first-person. It’s important to explain your work and process without over-explaining it. Simple and concise works best. Leave out your thoughts on how you think your work should make a viewer feel and don’t point out specific aspects of a picture. Let the viewer interpret your work the way they experience it themselves.

Getting started with your artist statement:

Writing an artist statement can seem like a daunting task, especially to those who hate to write or don’t know really know how to describe their work. Below are a few tips for generating a well-crafted artist statement.

1. Set aside time and a quiet, clean space to write.

2. On a piece of paper or word processor, list where you’re from, where you live now, how you learned photographed, how long long you’ve been shooting and what genres of photographs that you shoot.

3. Jot down what inspires you when you capture photos. You can have multiple inspirations such as other artists, compositional elements or colors.

4. If you’re writing an artist statement about a particular body of work, close your eyes and think back to when you took the photos. What were you thinking? How did you feel about the particular subjects or scenes?

5. Do you have a particular method that you use for shooting or that you used for shooting this particular body of work? Keep it brief, concise and easy to understand for the ordinary viewer.

Now that you have some informational and artistic aspects to work with and you can begin composing your artist statement. Be sure to proofread your statement several times – even allowing others to proofread it – before submitting it for viewers to read.

A final word:

You know yourself, your history, what inspires you and drives you to create photographs, but sometimes it’s necessary to have a photography resume handy to submit to a gallery considering your work, or to possibly apply for a grant or a photography teaching position. Consider writing a general artist statement that speaks about our overall body of work and compose individual art statements for each body of work you present giving your viewer insight into your vision as you may not always be around or available to speak about it yourself.

Dawn M. Wayand

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Artist Statements for photography

An artist statement should address or include the following:

• A poetic interpretation of your work, supporting the conceptual and visual connections in your work.
• Self awareness of how other artists or sources have inspired or influenced you to make your work.
• A brief discussion about  why you are making the work

Avoid writing a statement that simply describes how the work has been made or offers a written explanation of the visual strategies employed in making the work.  If you are not sure whether you are being too literal in your statement, consider the following guide;

• If a viewer can see it in the image, don’t describe it in your statement

A poetic interpretation of your work

This is an important part of any statement as it supports the ideas and concepts in the work.  Sometimes you may feel the need to explain why certain aspects of your work is important to you, or why you choose a particular theme, or you may want to articulate something about the background of your ideas.

For me, the American West is the place where things fall apart.  When I was a boy, I got to know it via films, Westerns and adventure stories by German writer Karl May.  Whenever I imagined the West, I saw incredible country that had only just been conquered, in a fairly recent past, the 19th century.  When I went there, I thought that because I had been present when the West was won, so it speak, civilization must be established there.  But it wasn’t at all: civilization simply passed through… Wenders, W. (1987)  Written in the West . Schirmer Art Books, pg. 11.

A poetic interpretation can also consider how you want to support the way people experience your work.

Self awareness and inspiration

An artist statement submitted for assessment should also articulate and provide evidence of your influences and sources, and how they have helped shape or inform the ideas in your work.  Simply adding a quote, or including a long list of books in a bibliography is not enough.  If you quote another source, you must form a discussion around  the content of the quote.

Perhaps the easiest way to address an artist statement is to start with  why .  Why are you making this work, why are you choosing, above all other things, to photograph the thing you are photographing?  Answering this question in the statement will begin to help you formulate ideas for the statement.

Some examples and links

Tate Gallery, UK

Around 1998 I was commissioned to do a work involving the Thames. I came over to London and spent a lot of time around the river. The river is mesmerising and I felt deeply drawn to it. At the same time, I had just ended a long love relationship and was extremely sad. So the two things came together in what I now see was a kind of vicarious suicide. This is Still Water (The River Thames, for Example) (1999). It is a series of pictures of the water that are footnoted with whatever I was thinking of at the time, what the river provoked in me and what was in the river itself.

I had this fabulous assistant, Helena Blaker, who helped me to research the river, get some basic facts, and it turned out that the darkness of the river, which I thought was simply mud, etc, was in fact the darkness of London. We were able to interview the river police, taxi drivers, whoever worked on or knew the river, and through them we found out incredible things. The Thames attracts a very high number of suicides, many from other countries, and a significant number of so-called deaths by misadventure and death by extremely violent means – lots of dismemberment and so on. More research from Dickens to Conrad revealed that this darkness had historic dimensions as well.

I think of my images of the Thames as a mirror. All the associative images that coalesce around this work, whether it is the similarity of the water with the desert or with aspic, the endless range of imagery, is a product of photographing something that is a master chameleon. Or the ultimate mime. The ultimate mime is the thing that keeps its distinction from everything else. When you think about that fact – of imitation or reflection and the possibility of losing your identity in that connection – you realise how water never loses its identity, it is always discretely itself. And I am deeply drawn to that possibility of existing in two spaces at the same time, without any contradiction; a lot of paradox but no contradiction, a lot of things being the opposite of what they are, but somehow they can carry on with being both sides of the story. The river chameleonised me, as it had done London. So this peculiar reciprocity drew me in deeper and deeper. And the footnotes (taken from another water) weave all of this together.

Heidi Museum of Modern Art, March to July 2013

Wall text (Curator’s Statement)

Over a career spanning almost forty years Fiona Hall has been variously described as an alchemist, an adventurer an eco-writer, and a creative genius. She is best known for her transfiguration of commonplace materials into extraordinary organic forms that have both contemporary and historical resonance.  Her interdisciplinary practice attends to the complicated relationship between nature and culture, celebrating the marvels of the natural world while engaging head-on with issues as wide-ranging as gender politics and colonial history.

In recent years worldwide environmental destruction has become Hall’s predominant concern.  This exhibition draws attention to the Earth and its life-forms as battlefields and wastelands decimated by the violent forces of human greed and folly.  Two major bodies of work on this theme are brought together, augmented by an array of conceptually linked installations and individual pieces highlighting environmental debates.  In Fall Prey , Hall’s focus is on critically endangered species from across the globe and the degradation of the ecosystems they inhabit.  The accompanying Kermadec works shift the agenda to the unique marine environment of the Kermadec Trench on the Pacific Rim of Fire; a ten kilometer-deep cradle of life teeming with biodiversity and under threat from the mining and fishing industries.

Big Game Hunting represents the artist’s love of, and lamentation for, the natural realm.  In it she navigates the volatile terrain of environmental politics, exposing our role in abetting the disappearance of species and depletion of biosystems.   While her message is universal and her art communicates to everyone, like an archaeological site it must be excavated layer by layer to fully yield its secrets.  Visual stimulation, intellectual engagement, wit, and wonder are to be found in equal measure, underpinned by a powerful warning to humanity: as Hall observes her work is a ‘carrion call, sounding the siren in a dying wilderness’.

THE BARBARIANS AT THE GATE

This installation links the lives of bees, universally accepted as ‘social’ insects, with the colonial concept of nation-state building.  With colonization and other movements of people over the centuries, bees have spread with plants and other animals into foreign habitats, forever changing world ecologies.  Their ordered colonies have been likened to societies with rigorous town planning or to prisons, while their habits have inspired Western imperialists to the extent that they are now being trained by the American military to detect bombs.  The term drone is used to describe unmanned surveillance and missile aircraft.  Today bees are themselves threatened by colony collapse, at the hands of twenty-first century ‘barbarians’.

The Barbarians at the gate draws particular attention to the history of conflict in the Middle East.  Nineteen beehives are painted in military camouflage patterns associated with the nineteen countries that have sent armed forces to this region, which to Hall are ‘very strange bedfellows’, that speak ‘volumes about historical allegiances and divides’.  Each hive supports an architectural icon representing a regime of power within that country, alerting us to the many forces at play in both the history of colonization and the globalization of identities.

Sample Statements from  Photography Speaks: 150 Photographers on their art Johnson, B. (2004)  Photography Speaks: 150 Photographers on their art . Norfolk, Va. Aperture Foundation / The Chrysler Museum.

I want that chocked up feeling in your throat which maybe comes from despair or teary-eyed sentimentality: conveying intangible emotions.

A photograph should transcend itself, the image, its medium, in order to have its own presence.

These are pictures of emotions personified, entirely of themselves with their own presence – not of me.  The issue of identity of the model is no more interesting than the possible symbolism of any other detail.

When I prepare each character I have to consider what I’m working against; that people are going to look under the make-up and wigs for that common denominator; the recognisable.  I’m trying to make other people recognise something of themselves rather than me.

I have this enormous fear of being misunderstood, of people thinking the photos are about me, that I’m really vain and narcissistic.  Then sometimes I wonder how it is I’m fooling so many people, I’m doing one of the most stupid things in the world which I can’t even explain, dressing up like a child and posing in front of the camera trying to make beautiful pictures.  And people seem to fall for it.  (My instincts tell me it must not be very challenging then.)

Believing in one’s own art becomes harder and harder when the public response grows fonder.

Though it is generally accepted that abstract art refers to those works inspired by the imagination of the artist rather than by objective reality, in photography, in which images are produced by the lens, this distinction is difficult to sustain.  In the broadest sense of the term, an optical image is an abstraction from the natural world – a selected and isolated fragment of what stands before the camera.  When the selected image is self-explanatory and does not imply more than what lies within the area it is usually referred to as abstract, that is, independent of its surroundings – a pattern of rock, for example, or lichens, or grasses.  On the other hand, in the wider scenic view common in most landscape photography, the selected image implies a world outside the limits encompassed by the lens.

Photography of nature tends to be either centripetal or centrifugal.  In the former, all elements of the picture converge toward a central point of interest to which the eye is repeatedly drawn.  The centrifugal photograph is a more lively composition, like a starburst, in which the eye is led to the corners and edges of the picture: the observer is thereby forced to consider what the photographer excluded in his selection.

I do not photograph for ulterior purposes, I photograph for the thing itself – for the photograph – without consideration of how it may be used.  Some critics suggest that I make photographs primarily to promote conservation, but this allegation is far from the truth.  Although my photographs may be used in this way, it is incidental to my original motive for making them which is first of all for personal aesthetic satisfaction…

Ultimately, to be successful as a work of art, a photograph must be both pleasing and convincing.  It must not leave the viewer in doubt about the validity of its subject, whether representational or imaginary.  Every part must contribute to the unity of the image from corner to corner – no discordant note should be permitted.

I’ve been a photographer since I was a teenager.  My mother was a baby photographer, going door to door.  I always had my Rolleiflex and strobe with me because I was working for my parents.  I never thought about photography in other terms, as art or anything.  But then I went to a commercial photography school which happened to be in an art school.  So I was exposed to kids who were doing art and to a lot of the documentary photography from the old Life magazine of the fifties when they were doing those great photo essays.  Eugene Smith had quit Life because they wouldn’t give him enough time to do the assignments.  He was always writing these diatribes about the truth, and how he wanted to tell the truth, the truth, the truth.  It was a real rebel position.  It was kind of like a teenager’s position: why can’t things be like they should?  Why can’t I do what I want?  I latched on to that philosophy.  One day I snapped, hey you know, I know a story that no ones ever told, never seen, and I’ve lived it.  It’s my own story and my friend’s story.  I would go back to Oklahoma and start photographing my friends.  That’s when it snapped – I wanted to be a story teller; tell a story.  Which I hate even to admit to now, because I hate photojournalism so badly.

In the beginning, I was just trying to make photographs.  Someone would come in and I’d see a light and shadow and recognise things that were dramatic.  First of all, I was trained as a portrait photographer.  And you’ve got to make people look good or you don’t get your $10.95.  Second, they’re my friends and they’re seeing the photographs as we go along.  If you’re coming back and showing pictures where they don’t look good, they’re not going to want you to take their pictures any more.  Many photographers and photojournalists are great at grabbing the picture, being quick and focused and framing the composition but they don’t care what the people look like.  I did.  I could do all that plus get the person to look like I would like them to look, or they would like to look.

The shot of Billy on the bed with a gun, I always looked at that as alike a baby picture.  If you looked at some of the baby pictures my mother or I took, it could have been that pose.  I didn’t get it at first, but I knew it was great.  It was a natural picture.  With the white sheet on the background it could be a studio picture.  I was able to get that quality when it was actually happening, that quality of looking up.  People often ask if I set these pictures up and then say, ‘No you couldn’t have, but how did you get them to look like that?’

It (Tulsa) came out right after I finished it in 1971.  The first section is 1963, the middle section is 1968, and then the last section is 1971.  About half of the book is 1971.  I went to Tulsa and did all those pictures in a matter of months.  I knew every aspect of the life and knew what was missing from the book.  I went back and was almost … waiting for those photographs to happen.  I didn’t know how they would happen but I knew I would be ready.  It was a real hot period.

There is nothing as mysterious as a fact clearly described.  What I write here is a description of what I have come to understand about photography, from photographing and from looking at photographs.

A work of art is that thing whose form and content are organic to the tools and materials that made it.  Still photography is a chemical, mechanical process.  Literal description, or the illusion of literal description, is what the tools and materials of still photography do better than any other graphic medium.  A still photograph is the illusion of a literal description of how a camera saw a piece of time and space.  Understanding this, one can postulate the following theorem: Anything and all things are photographable.

A photograph can only look like how the camera saw what was photographed.  Or, how the camera saw the piece of time and space is responsible for how the photograph looks.  Therefore, a photograph can look any way.  Or there’s no way a photograph has to look (beyond being an illusion of a literal description).  Or, there are no external or abstract or preconceived rules of design that can apply to still photographs.

I like to think of photographing as a two-way act of respect.  Respect for the medium, by letting it do what it does best, describe.  And respect for the subject, by describing it as it is.  A photograph must be responsible for both.

I photograph to see what things look like photographed.

I really don’t care what my father looked like, and I’m sure you don’t very much either.  What is important however, is what did or did not transpire between us.  That lack of communication, love, conflict is my legacy, my history.  This is what matters to me, and this is what I want to share with you.  I write with this photograph not to tell you what you can see, rather to express what is invisible.  I write to express these feelings.  We are our feelings.  Photography deals exquisitely with appearances, but nothing is what it appears to be.

I photograph my children growing up in the same town I did.  Many of the pictures are intimate, some are fictions and some are fantastic but most are of ordinary things every mother has seen; a wet bed, bloody nose, candy cigarettes.   They dress up, they pout and posture, they paint their bodies, they dive like otters into the dark river.

They have been involved in the creative process since infancy.  At times, it is difficult to say exactly who makes the pictures.  Some are gifts to me from my children: gifts that come in a moment so fleeting as to resemble the touch of an angel’s wing.  I pray for that angel to come to us when I set the camera up knowing that there is not one good picture in five hot acres.  We put ourselves into a state of grace we hope is deserving of reward and it is a state of grace with the Angel of Chance.

When the good pictures come, we hope they tell truths, but truths ‘told slant,’ just as Emily Dickinson commanded.  We are spinning a story of what it is to grow up.  It is a complicated story and sometimes we try to take on the grand themes: anger, love, death, sensuality and beauty.  But we tell it all without fear and without shame.

Memory is the primary instrument, the inexhaustible nutrient source; these photographs open doors into the past but they also allow a look into the future.  In Beckett’s Endgame , Hamm tells a story about visiting a madman in his cell.  Hamm dragged him to the window and exhorted; ‘Look! There!  All that rising corn! And there!  Look!  The sails of the herring fleet!  All that loveliness!” But the madman turned away.  All he’d seen was ashes.

There’s the paradox; we see the beauty and we see the dark side of things; the cornfields, the full sails, but the ashes as well.  The Japanese have a word for this dual perception; mono no aware .  It means something like ‘beauty tinged with sadness.’  How is it that we must hold what we love tight to us, against our very bones, knowing we must also, when the time comes, let it go?

For me, those pointed lessons of impermanence are softened by the unchanging scape of my life, the durable realities.  This conflict produces an odd kind of vitality, just as the madman’s despair reveals a beguiling discovery.  I find contained within the vertiginous deceit of time its vexing opportunities and sweet human persistence.

In this confluence of past and future, reality and symbol, and Emmett, Jessie and Virginia.  Their strength and confidence, there to be seen in their eyes, is compelling; nothing is so seductive as a gift casually possessed.  They are substantial; their green present is irreducibly complex.  The withering perspective of the past, the predicable treacheries of the future; for this moment, those familiar complications of time all play harmlessly around them as dancing shadows beneath the great oak.

In my portraits, I try to capture something universal, but something personal at the same time.  I look for specific things that set my sitters apart – little details, like a certain gesture or gaze, which makes them different than other people.

I go to my subjects where they are in their own reality, rather than photographing them in the studio.  I like to photograph them in their natural circumstances.

As a photographer you enlarge or emphasize a certain moment, making it another reality.  In the photograph you can scrutinize all kinds of details, you can see things you normally would not pay so much attention to.

My whole idea of working has a lot to do with how humans live.  How we live, how I live, how humans live together – human collectivity.  That is my core value: what it is to be human.  That is everything I believe in.  I do not believe in current ideas of post humanity… For me the most important phenomena are those that bring forth changes in society or in history.  These changes used to be noticeable in the physical world immediately.  Today this is not so clear anymore.  Today’s changes through new computers, sundry inventions in gene technology and new technological systems are not as visible as they once were in the street.

If I look at my work from the beginning it is more the idea of trying to establish a kind of material that one can work with for the future, rather than making nostalgic images to record something that later will become lost…  What fascinates me is the sort of insight and information that I receive from the nature of the space, and this has to be the case before I am able to do anything about this space…  These spaces are those of a specific place.  The everyday streets are in a funny way more truly monumental as witnesses to the everyday life of people.  Also, it makes things much easier to read than if I used images of famous sites… [I]n general, my work is less about expanding the possibilities of photography than about re-investing it with a truer perception of things by returning to a simple method, one that photography has had from the beginning of its existence…  For I do believe that in photographs like those of the nineteenth-century English photography Thomas Annan or Eugene Atget, you can read the motivation of the person who made the image in them; the psychological, emotional or intellectual scaffolding that the person saw in the environment.  And there is the matter of how we can retrieve that or read it from the surface of the image.  My belief in the psychology of that situation is very strong….  I believe that if I asked five students to take a photograph of the same street or building in the city, one would be able to see which of them was really interested in the street or building and which was not…  Why this happens interest me very much.  You forget that by now this is clearly accepted in painting, but in photography this level of sophisticated reading remains under guise.  For what matters is how much of yourself you put into your work.  If you have a real relationship with a particular building, landscape or person, as in a portrait, it will show in the picture.

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Personal statement example fashion photography personal statement.

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Fashion Photography Personal Statement

My interest in fashion photography was initially based on my love of fashion. From the ages of 13 to 16, I went to an after-school fashion class each week where I learnt to cut patterns, create clothing and was introduced to designers. It was here that my love for clothing developed and where I first encountered fashion photography through my tutor's magazines and books. It recently occurred to me that a large part of why fashion photography comes naturally to me is because of my understanding of the garment itself - the structure, movement and silhouette of the clothing plays a key role in the image making process and is something I have a strong connection to. Studying textiles at GCSE and A level has enhanced this understanding and the nature of the projects has made me start thinking in a more conceptual way which I now apply to my photography.

When starting my A-level course, I wasn't sure which area of photography I wanted to go into.I played around with some close-up, structure-based themes (as well as self-directed street photography while on holiday in Florence) before moving on to a personal documentary project and finally trying my hand at fashion photography.I found that the thing I loved about fashion photography, the thing that made it stand out from what I had tried before, was how conceptual and fantasy like it can be.

When thinking of ideas and searching for inspiration, I often look to cinema. Because I like to create a backstory to my work, films really inspire me conceptually and aesthetically. When I watch films, I pay attention to the light and composition of each shot, the set choices as well as the costumes and how they all add to both the story and the tone of the film. It is these details which inspire me- sometimes a single item of clothing or prop, sometimes a fully realised aesthetic concept- this is what I tend to base my work around.Interestingly, my favourite photographers are often influenced by cinema. David Lachapelle, who shoots a lot of movie stars, tends to build a full set as if he was shooting a film and Steven Klein once said that he finds that "it sometimes works best to shoot live action and then extract a still frame from that". Apart from my personal growth as a photographer, my photography course has taught me about collaboration and teamwork as my shoots often involve three other people and directing them all has been a challenge that I have greatly improved in. In addition, I feel that the way the course is run, starting on film rather than digital has allowed me to really hone in my composition and choose my shots carefully rather than just snapping away and picking the best 36 out of 200. It has also allowed me to explore working in the studio as well as on location and the technical challenges involved in both circumstances.

I also studied digital illustration as an enrichment course to grow my skill set and improve my abilities in Photoshop. I think it's important to have a wide range of skills so I can adapt to what a client might want and so that I'm able to do any number of different tasks in the fashion promotion industry.

As much as I'm passionate about visual arts, I'm also a writer and performer with a group called Culture Clash for which I perform my own poetry. Last summer, we performed at the Edinburgh Fringe for a week which was a life-changing experience in terms of my confidence. Having often struggled to share my art with people, performing my poems every night dramatically increased my self-confidence in my art as well as in how I carry myself and interact with others. I learnt to budget money and manage my time while still having fun which was quite the learning experience in terms of independence.I also had to feed myself, find my way around and make sure I was in the right place at the right time.

I'm excited by the prospect of developing my skills and learning more about working in the fashion industry so I really hope my application interests you.

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Copywriting

Lauren here! SEO website copywriter during the day, dog lover through life, you'll find me avoiding cooking, but instead adding flavor to my life (and brands) with words. Socialize Free download Shop templates Meet my dog

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While it can feel impossible to know where to start when putting your photography experience into words, the Salted Pages team has figured out the recipe, creating the thousand words that a picture is worth (give or take a few). Paired with keywords loved by search engines, these copywriting examples show photography mission statements and taglines to inspire you. Think of these as approachable ways to rewrite a photographer’s elevator pitch.

What to put in a photography mission statement?

Mission statements, elevator pitches, USP — there’s a lot of jargon in the photography copywriting world. But in our experience, when photographers ask for help with their mission statements, they’re really asking for help with a mix of an elevator pitch and a unique selling proposition, or in other words, summarizing their brand in just one short paragraph.

Around here, we call that a brand statement. But for these purposes, we’ll let mission statement suffice too. Here’s our go-to recipe:

• Your business name
• Your main SEO keyword
• Your location (if you work locally/want to rank locally)
• Who you provide services for
• What services you provide (or a brief summary of them)
• The transformation — how your offers will benefit your audience
• How you do things differently — what makes you stand out from competitors
• What you believe or value
• Your mission
• Call to action or invitation to the next step

How to create a photography tagline

Ah, the tagline — sometimes the easiest and other times the most challenging thing to write. Don’t worry, though, because you can always update this! For now, create your short and sweet slogan, identifying either what you do or how you do it differently (or both!)

Some ideas to help…

• What you do
• For [description of your audience]
• On-brand adjectives of what you do
• The year you were founded “Providing x,y,z, since 2001”

Photography tagline examples

Heather Anderson Photography

Adventure elopement photography for daring lovers

MB Bryant Images

Life’s biggest adventures in modern photos co-crafted with you

Photographer elevator pitch for a film & digital wedding photographer

Rudney Novaes, a Washington D.C. Photographer , specializes in editorial-style photography for couples who want a feeling of luxury and exclusivity to their photos. The copywriting needed to be just as elegant and refined. I had to make sure his brand statement and tagline perfectly encapsulated the unique, yet exclusive experience he creates for his clients.

Rudney’s brand statement is straightforward, yet it provides a curated feeling that’s reflected in his photography. The tagline I wrote for him immediately draws the client in and communicates precisely the sort of refined aesthetic they will find with Rudney.

Wedding & portrait photography elevator pitch

For this wedding photographer in Sacramento, CA , Denise Apgar’s brand voice needed to complement the romantic yet natural feeling of her work. So, we made sure to keep the tone for her content warm and down-to-earth.

As a modern photographer with an organic flare, Denise Apgar’s brand statement captures the chic style she provides to her clients, while encompassing each niche she photographs. The tagline is encouraging and inviting while emphasizing her brand’s heartfelt approach. You can learn more about softly romantic copywriting for photographers in this post.

Copywriting for an elopement photographer

Heather Anderson is a California elopement photographer who is all about the adventure. It was important that her brand statement and tagline communicated that bold spirit.

For Heather’s dynamic brand statement, we used nature-inspired imagery to call on that sense of adventure and spontaneity her clients live for. Since her target audience are drawn to the bold, Heather’s tagline is striking and decisive, embracing the daring spirit shown throughout her photos.

SEO copywriting for photographers & videographers

As the power couple they are, these wedding photographers in Chicago wanted to set themselves apart from the get-go. Our goal was to let clients know that working with Nicole and Michael would be anything but conventional as soon as they opened their website.

This brand statement has that perfect balance between conversational and attention-grabbing, highlighting both the incredible photos and videos this duo captures, and the exciting experience they provide. Not only does the tagline feel playful, but it also draws in those ideal clients for Millennium Moments, high-energy and outgoing couples. Read all about this unforgettable photography and videography website .

For an intimate wedding photographer

As a self-proclaimed hopeful romantic, Amy Britton is one of the most kindhearted and warm people you’ll ever meet. It truly shines through this Florida elopement photographer ‘s work, and now through her website copy, too.

We wanted to showcase the personable and welcoming experience her clients get, so Amy’s cheerful and fun-loving personality really set the tone for this bubbly, yet casual brand statement. While it is short and sweet, her tagline perfectly summarizes all the romantic and dreamy feels you’ll get from Amy’s work. With a little Salted flavor and SEO, Amy booked her dream client within 5 hours of her website launch. See how SEO services for photographers can have unbelievable results on the blog.

Another hybrid photography mission statement example

With her background in design, this Annapolis wedding photographer has a curated, yet true-to-life style that makes her stand out. Molly aims to encapsulate the emotions her clients felt in the moment by capturing both the minute details and comprehensive story.

Together we established the tone for her brand as knowledgeable, yet approachable. In her brand statement, you can feel the composed care and insight Molly uses to take story-inspired and design-led photos. And in just one sentence, the tagline we wrote for Molly brings home the understated and timeless flair in all of her work, reassuring her clients that their photos will never go out of style. Check out this blog post to learn how we incorporated a design forward brand voice for this wedding photographer website .

More photography slogans

Like Cassidy’s photos, we wanted to make sure this Cincinnati wedding photographer’s website content felt just as breezy and fresh as a day by the ocean.

Using all those island vibes, we kept Cassidy’s brand statement fresh, but emotive. With the inspiring imagery of the sea incorporated into the statement, you can already feel just how wholehearted and dreamy every photo will be. Cassidy’s tagline is more punchy, getting right to the heart of what she does and all the joyous feelings that come with it. Find out more about this custom copywriting service in our blog post.

Elevator pitch for a portrait photographer

For Kelli, portrait photography shouldn’t be intimidated or overly posed. This San Luis Obispo photographer’s style for families, seniors, and weddings is fresh, yet sophisticated. We found that balance in her website copy, too.

Immediately, the brand statement I wrote for Kelli tells clients she is on-trend and perceptive. We highlighted her uniquely artistic style and her savvy technique but made sure to keep the tone cool and personable. The tagline we settled on is expressive and has the same creative, wind-blown effect captured so well in Kelli’s work. Let us show you more about how we incorporated Kelli’s chic brand voice into her portrait photography website .

For a rom-com loving photographer

Marc Daniele’s editorial style is unapologetically influenced by his love of rom-coms. With a little Salted touch, we curated a website tone for this New Jersey wedding photographer that embraced all the romance of a classic rom-com, and added the luxury his work is known for.

Marc wanted a brand voice that was effective at converting, yet poetic and romantic. The brand statement we decided on incorporates both, while also emphasizing his classic editorial style. Keeping on theme with the story-driven tone, his website’s tagline shows clients the deep passion and artistic skill Marc uses in his own work. On the blog you can learn more about how we kept things romantically playful for this photography website .

For a European-inspired photographer

As a photographer, Tausha Garrett, transports her clients to dreamy destinations through her ethereal photos. So, we made sure to do the same with this Cincinnati wedding photographer’s website copy.

To achieve that romantic effect, her brand statement is expressive and poetic, channeling that blissful and timeless European feel. For Tausha’s tagline, we encompassed all the imagery her clients get with each photo, while emphasizing the comprehensive experience they get with it. You can see more about our website content writing for Tausha on the blog.

Like what you see? There’s more where that came from

Photography mission statements and taglines are our specialty, so you can find more tips and examples on our blog . You can also subscribe to our newsletter for the biggest copywriting do’s and don’ts. But, we’re always sharing the best tips and tricks on our Instagram .

If you’re looking for SEO website copywriting like this, get in touch and we can create something tailored to your brand’s needs. Brand messaging guides are a favorite too, and include these very mission statements and taglines!

Photography Mission Statements & Taglines: SEO-Infused Examples

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Graphics/illustration personal statement example.

Studying a foundation in Art and Design has given me a better insight into what path I want to follow in the future. I have always been interested in creating graphic designs using computer software, but I am now finding that using traditional means are just as enjoyable, if not more rewarding. In my work i draw inspiration from my past and present life experiences. I find this is a good way to express myself and my ideas. I often draw inspiration from the daily happenings of things around me, such as humorous conversations I hear throughout the day, interesting architecture and stories in the newspaper. I enjoy being creative and I view Art as a natural way for me to express myself.

After completing a BTEC in Graphic Design, I worked voluntarily at a local publishers that were willing to offer me a temporary work placement designing book covers and learning about the industry. I learnt the values of team work, meeting deadlines, working on my own initiative, and about the various Graphic programmes used such as In Design, Photoshop, and Illustrator. After a few months working there I was given more and more freedom, working with clients to design book covers, posters, business cards and invitations. I learned a lot about the influence of type and image in enhancing visual communication. It was very rewarding to see my work in print, and made me believe even more that this is what I wanted to do. However, I wanted to push myself further and learn more, which led me to the decision to take on an Art Foundation course.

The foundation course allowed me to experiment with different media, and bring out more of my creative side. I was drawn to this course because it offered more freedom. Throughout my time here I have realised that I am also very fond of illustration. I am excited to try out new techniques and different ways in which I can illustrate and put across ideas. I have also had the chance to use traditional techniques while on the course rather than just using the computer. I have developed a new interest in photography, both digital and with film.

I am very influenced by the works of Russel Fei, a children's illustrator from Japan, he is often inspired by dreams and creates beautiful unique, fantasy worlds using a mixture of ink, print and photoshop. I have also started a dream diary which I am hoping to take ideas for my own work.

In my spare time I enjoy reading horror novels and thrillers, these often give me inspiration for illustrations and design. I love visiting art galleries and exhibitions, after visiting the Tate Gallery in Liverpool, the Josh Kirby exhibition caught my attention in particular. He was the original Discworld illustrator and really brought Terry Pratchett's ideas to life.

Studying Graphic Design and Illustration at university will develop my skills, help develop a more individual style of illustrating and designing, and also help to build a strong, individual portfolio leading to a successful career.

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This personal statement was written by Shellie2010 for application in 2011.

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Tue, 20/03/2012 - 21:22

Looking forward to reading more. Great blog. Great.

Thu, 25/07/2013 - 07:02

Great blog.Really thank you! Really Cool.

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