By Ashleigh Coe

There are many people who aren’t interested in normal careers. Some would rather follow their dreams than have a job that allows them to make a massive amount of money. Jessie Glander is one of these people; she is straying from the usual career path and is instead pursuing a career in photography.

Many people take the creative arts for granted. They assume that because these careers aren’t like office jobs that they don’t require as much hard work and dedication. Jessie, however, proves that this assumption is dead wrong.

“It takes a lot of dedication. You can’t procrastinate. There are deadlines, editing processes, you have to fill out paperwork, and there are artist statements which is when you have to explain where you got your inspiration from.” she said.

A lot more goes into photography than what most people see at a first glance. Jessie confirmed, “You have to build up a portfolio to send to companies or studios or museums to see if they’ll hire you for that specific job.”

Not only does this career require a lot of time, it also requires a lot of money. Jessie is going to the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit to gain more knowledge and experience in the field of photography.

Despite having several scholarships, including one for $24,000 for all four years collectively, and two awards that equal $10,000 for her freshman year, Jessie estimated that she will have to pay about $150,000 for college by the time she has graduated.

“How much I pay per year at the College for Creative Studies is approximately $42,000 on schooling not including the supplies needed. Going into the field of photography in school is extremely expensive when you add on the price of the supplies that are required,” Jessie proclaimed in disbelief.

Though the schooling is expensive, there are many job opportunities for photography open to Jessie after she graduates. Jessie said, “There are different paths a photographer can take, like going into Product Photography, Fashion Photography, and Photojournalism.”

However, out of all of the different photography careers, Jessie would like to pursue crisis photography. But what exactly is crisis photography?

“It’s a larger form of photography that has smaller sectors to it.” Jessie explained. The photographer can take pictures of people in war, pictures of the aftermath of natural disasters, and they can even take pictures of crises like 9/11.

Now photography isn’t just about taking a picture of something and hoping it turns out nice. Jessie said, “It takes a certain amount of skill to pick up the camera and pick out anything you want to take a picture of and make it a work of art.”

Not everyone realizes just how much is actually involved in photography. It is by no means a “normal” career. And that is what makes it so wonderful and beautiful.

Jessie admitted, “Honestly, I don’t think I could ever give up being a photographer. I would rather give up my house than my passion. I’ve weighed it out and I think I’ll always be a photographer. I don’t think I’ll ever change my career.”