Do You Need Photography School to Become a Photographer?

"Did you go to school for photography?" — hands down, one of the questions I get asked the most. The answer is: no, I didn’t.

I’ve always had a knack for it, but I never really saw photography as a career until much later. When I was about eight, I picked up my mom’s DSLR, looked through the viewfinder, and snapped a portrait of her. She looked at it, surprised to see perfect rule of thirds, crisp focus, and a real portrait. She told me I was a natural. But at that age, I was more interested in acting, comedy, or whatever dream I had at the time, so I didn’t pursue it further.

When I was a teenager, my grandma bought me a little blue point-and-shoot Fuji camera for my first trip to Vancouver. I took a ton of pictures, and I still have them to this day. But back then, I didn’t understand why I should take photos—I didn’t want them just sitting on Facebook albums no one would look at or buried in folders on my PC. Without a drive or purpose, that little blue camera stayed in its case for a long while.

The next time photography (and media in general) came back into my life was through YouTube. I was around 20 when I decided I wanted to be a YouTuber like Jacksepticeye or Pewdiepie. At the time, I was a waiter at a local burger place, and I desperately needed a creative outlet. I had no clue what I was doing—I had never edited video outside of a slideshow I once made for an ex.

My first upload was a Let’s Play of Spyro: Year of the Dragon—one of my all-time favorites. Like anyone starting out, my quality was rough, my audio was bad, and I had zero following. But I was hooked. I started researching, reading, watching, and learning from anyone I could. I built a PC, upgraded my webcam and mic, and taught myself editing on Sony Vegas.

I tried to be creative when it came to thumbnails. Some were better than others!

That YouTube journey lasted just over a year. I was working full-time as a restaurant manager, and then spending six to eight hours a day making videos. Sometimes I’d even go home during my split shifts just to record before heading back to work. I found some small success, but I was burning out fast. Eventually, I had to let it go and stick with the jobs that were actually paying my bills.

But all that time learning editing gave me my first real break: an internship at Televista, a now-closed advertising group. That’s where things shifted. Under the mentorship of my boss, Wayne, I learned editing, videography, and the fundamentals of media. We worked on all kinds of projects—including a tourism spot for the City of Prince George that ended up being played across Canada. Wayne lit a fire under me, and that passion hasn’t gone out.

That’s a wrap on the Move Up Prince George video!

After the internship, I landed a job with a lot of downtime. I filled every spare minute with the “School of YouTube,” teaching myself video editing, photography, and photo editing. With the money I earned, I bought my first high-end camera—a Sony a6500, which I still use today. I brought it everywhere, shot everything, and pushed myself to learn.

That job was tough, though. I didn’t fit in, I didn’t enjoy the industry, and I was working nights as a restaurant manager on top of it. I was beyond burnt out—months without breaks, breaking down alone at work, fighting depression and anxiety. Eventually, I sought help, got a proper diagnosis, and started treatment. Those meds made a huge difference, and slowly, I pulled myself out of that dark place.

After two years of grinding, I got a new role as a social media manager at a winery. That’s where my photography really took off. I poured everything I’d learned into branding and advertising. I discovered you don’t need a fancy studio or thousands in gear to create content that works. My photos started gaining attention. I got more creative, took risks, and even had an intern of my own. We shot some of my favorite work during that time.

Without question the furthest we pushed the marketing. This series of ads went mildly viral!

I stayed at the winery for four years. I did countless shoots, refined my style, and got my work to a level that stood alongside established photographers in the field. But eventually, the repetition wore me down. Then I saw a posting for a new acting school opening in Prince George, and I jumped at it.

Acting school pushed me hard. I aced tests, nailed auditions, and even became an assistant teacher thanks to my media background. I filmed most of the student projects, edited them, and after graduating, I went on to teach both voice acting and a video editing class.

It’s been two years since I graduated. In that time, I’ve earned acting credits, worked on multiple indie films both in front of and behind the camera, and continued to grow my photography. Recently, I’ve been leaning into photography more than ever—and I’ve fallen in love with the variety, the creativity, and the endless possibility it offers.

So… long story short?
No, I didn’t go to school for photography. But I wouldn’t change my story for anything.