Meet Jennifer (subtitled) from Fife College on Vimeo.
My name is Jennifer McLuckie.
I studied HNC and HND Photography at Fife College. I've now graduated from Edinburgh College through Kingston School of Art with the one year BA Honours, which I hope to get a first for.
When I turned 40, I decided that I wanted to do something with my life that I was passionate about and decided to apply for the HNC Photography course at Fife College. I didn't think I would get in, but I did. I had to submit a portfolio of work, which, to be honest, was just iPhone snaps and basic editing at that point. So I was over the moon when I got a place.
After the HNC, I got an A. I then went on and did the HND, which was really interesting...all the different topics we had to cover, and location shoots, studio shoots, learning about lighting, and editing. I really got a lot from that year.
I finished that year and graduated with an A, which again was really amazing. I was really proud of that, especially being a working mum with two kids. It was quite a struggle to balance college life and family life. But the tutors were really supportive, and I didn't feel like the course was too overwhelming at all.
It was recommended by Niall, the tutor, that perhaps I should apply to the one year BA Honours course, which was being held at Edinburgh College. I really didn't think I would get into that one as well, especially after the interview process, which was really demanding. But I'm happy to say I have just finished that course, which was the fastest year of my life, and I'm predicted to come out of that course with a first.
So it was very demanding doing a one-year BA honours, which is like a four-year course in one year. It's been very busy driving over to Edinburgh and back two or three days a week. But I've learned so much from that as well. I couldn't really have gone on to that level of academic study if I hadn't done the two years here at Fife College.
What I enjoyed most about coming to Fife College was obviously the ease of access being a Dunfermline resident. It's a really accessible place to come and study. The Media Space itself is well-equipped. We had access to cameras, and access to lighting. Our tutors were always available. If we had any questions, we were able to take it out on location, which was invaluable.
So you don't have to spend a lot of money to do a course like this. Obviously, if you want to invest in your own camera equipment, you can, but you don't have to. If that's something that you're thinking about...maybe the expense of doing a photography course...the lecturers try their absolute best to accommodate you and give you access to what you need. I found that really invaluable with my studies and also meeting lots of other creatives, learning what other people do. Sometimes being a photographer can be quite lonely. You don't really see lots of other people.
If you've got an idea, we always helped each other out in the studio. If somebody had a shoot that they needed help with, everybody was volunteering to come and help and share equipment and things like that.
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This is a highly practical course where your creative photographic techniques will develop along with your technical and practical skillsets. Working in our dedicated photography studios and on location, you will acquire skills that are essential for professional/commercial success. Working on your own and with others on a variety of challenging photography briefs will prepare you equally well for employment or self-employment. This course also prepares you for progression to a degree at university. We will support you to become confident in how to manage your time, resources and photographic workflow and encourage you to explore a wide range of photographic techniques including darkroom/wet process using film and paper.