When visiting the PhotoNorth Festival, there was opportunity to see various work that was on display, speak to various companies and listen to a really interesting talk from Channel 4.

This talk was all about young people breaking into the industry, and although it was primarily based on their apprenticeship programme, which is targeted at people coming out of college or who have not been to university,  it gave me some very helpful tips. An important part of what they discussed was trialling different methods and documenting your processes, and not being afraid of making creative mistakes. They encouraged creativity, and how important it is to show work that you do as a hobby and not part of the curriculum. This piece of advice stuck with me, as I feel that doing photography as part of the curriculum and as a job can overtake doing photography as a hobby. I think it is definitely important to remember to find enjoyment in photography and remember that it all began as a hobby. 

Another key factor that was discussed is networking and the importance of asking questions and getting yourself out there. They said to use LinkedIn as a digital portfolio and to document everything on there. Something that I have struggled with in my final year is finding the time to dedicate to sharing my work on social media, so again, this was a key aspect that I took on board. I want to start using social media more to share my processes and my work, to help get it out there. Relating to my online presence, they discussed how you need to show your personality and be passionate about what it is that you’re doing. This encouraged me to think about my socials and website, and the importance of showing my personality through these platforms. 

Although this talk was more directed to their apprenticeship program, I picked up some really helpful tips and advice that I will be taking forward as I complete my final year and embark on my professional journey.