--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After I discovered my degree in…" description: "\"After I discovered my degree in photojournalism would only get me a job in a camera store, I taught myself lighting. I read tons of magazines and books..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/peter-menzel-19533_book_after-i-discovered-my-degree-in-photojou_500891.jpg" --- # After I discovered my degree in photojournalism would only… ![“After I discovered my degree in photojournalism would only get me a job in a camera store, I taught myself lighting. I read tons of magazines and books and studied the photos trying to figure out how they were done. I bought some flash equipment and played around until I figured out how to make a…” quote by Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/peter-menzel-19533_book_after-i-discovered-my-degree-in-photojou_500891.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/peter-menzel-19533_book_after-i-discovered-my-degree-in-photojou_500891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9b0/peter-menzel-19533_book_after-i-discovered-my-degree-in-photojou_500891.jpg) > “After I discovered my degree in photojournalism would only get me a job in a camera store, I taught myself lighting. I read tons of magazines and books and studied the photos trying to figure out how they were done. I bought some flash equipment and played around until I figured out how to make a subject look as I envisioned it should look.” [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Self‑directed learning and experimentation can overcome career setbacks and open new paths. **In simple terms:** Learn by doing. Key Takeaway Take initiative to self‑teach. Themes self‑education creativity adaptability Mood optimistic pragmatic Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - career transition - creative projects - skill gaps Key Concepts photography skill acquisition entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - What resources can supplement self‑learning? - How do you validate new skills? A Different Perspective Self‑teaching may lack formal credentials. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Cameras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cameras/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Photojournalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photojournalism/) ## Related quotes > [I do like being in front of the camera more and more. Having experience behind it has taught me about lighting and angles, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-hadid/i-do-like-being-in-front-of-the-camera-more-and-more-having/) [Bella Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-hadid/) > [I dont really take anything from home except some U.S. magazines and books and definitely some U.S. music. There are just certain songs that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-mclean/i-dont-really-take-anything-from-home-except-some-u-s-magazines-and/) [A. J. McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-mclean/) > [There is little disagreement on our planet that the lives of most human beings could be improved immensely. Words pour out of lecturers, articles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/there-is-little-disagreement-on-our-planet-that-the-lives-of-most/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [I have a completely worthless degree: a BS in Photojournalism from Boston University (BU). With this degree, I suppose I could have gotten a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/i-have-a-completely-worthless-degree-a-bs-in-photojournalism-from/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [One of the leading uses of photography by the mass media came to be called photojournalism. From the late 'twenties' to the early 'fifties'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-szarkowski/one-of-the-leading-uses-of-photography-by-the-mass-media-came-to-be/) [John Szarkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-szarkowski/) > [What is photojournalism? Occasionally, a very unique photo, in which form is precise and rich enough and content has enough resonance, is sufficient in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri/what-is-photojournalism-occasionally-a-very-unique-photo-in-which/) [Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri/) > [I did photography in summer camp; I did it in high school. The only hard decision I've had to make was whether to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-morrison/i-did-photography-in-summer-camp-i-did-it-in-high-school-the-only/) [Rachel Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-morrison/) > [Photojournalism is photography with more story telling. A single image can be amazing and dramatic. I started out shooting individual images, but I found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-arthur/photojournalism-is-photography-with-more-story-telling-a-single-image/) [Olivia Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-arthur/) > [I respect newspapers, but the reality is that magazine 'photojournalism' is finished. They want illustrations, Photoshopped pictures of movie stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-respect-newspapers-but-the-reality-is-that-magazine-photojournalism/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [ That \[photographs\] disturb readers is exactly as it should be: that's why photojournalism is often more powerful than written journalism. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/that-photographs-disturb-readers-is-exactly-as-it-should-be-that-s/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [Photojournalism has become a hybrid enterprise of amateurs and professionals, along with surveillance cameras, Google Street Views, and other sources. What is underrepresented are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ritchin/photojournalism-has-become-a-hybrid-enterprise-of-amateurs-and/) [Fred Ritchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ritchin/) > [If you are walking down the street, camera in your hand, loaded and ready to shoot. You see a person falling from a high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-nimoy/if-you-are-walking-down-the-street-camera-in-your-hand-loaded-and/) [Leonard Nimoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-nimoy/) > [I think photojournalism is documentary photography with a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-eugene-smith/i-think-photojournalism-is-documentary-photography-with-a-purpose/) [W. Eugene Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-eugene-smith/) > [If you look at photojournalism, it's largely driven by current events... always chasing a crisis or disaster. I follow a narrative that is much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-burtynsky/if-you-look-at-photojournalism-it-s-largely-driven-by-current-events/) [Edward Burtynsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-burtynsky/) > [I always believed that photography was subjective, interpretive and certainly did not represent the truth, but I did think that its status as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ritchin/i-always-believed-that-photography-was-subjective-interpretive-and/) [Fred Ritchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ritchin/) ## More by Peter Menzel > [With the Internet, you can get lots of info in advance, but a local person who knows how to work the system is invaluable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/with-the-internet-you-can-get-lots-of-info-in-advance-but-a-local/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [I don't shoot many corporate or commercial jobs, but when you do, you had better have someone helping who has done it before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/i-don-t-shoot-many-corporate-or-commercial-jobs-but-when-you-do-you/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [Everyone thinks it would be great to work for National Geographic. So did I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/everyone-thinks-it-would-be-great-to-work-for-national-geographic-so/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [Having a partner who is your wife traveling with you can be great. We each have our roles in the work and then can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/having-a-partner-who-is-your-wife-traveling-with-you-can-be-great-we/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [It's important to get a translator who will ask the questions in a sensitive and thoughtful way. Knowing the ethnicity issues, the tribal issues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/it-s-important-to-get-a-translator-who-will-ask-the-questions-in-a/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [I drove a taxi at night during my last year at BU and then for another 18 months after graduating in order to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/i-drove-a-taxi-at-night-during-my-last-year-at-bu-and-then-for/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [It is tough being patient when you are more than a half million dollars in debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/it-is-tough-being-patient-when-you-are-more-than-a-half-million/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [Digital makes it so much easier. No bricks of film, no worrying about airport X-rays, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/digital-makes-it-so-much-easier-no-bricks-of-film-no-worrying-about/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [It is so much better to get the right exposure than to have to mess around later with Photoshop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/it-is-so-much-better-to-get-the-right-exposure-than-to-have-to-mess/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [My modus operandi after working for a decade as a self-funding freelancer, was to spend as little money as possible to get the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/my-modus-operandi-after-working-for-a-decade-as-a-self-funding/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [Think about the photo you want to make beforehand. Then do it, but also don't be blind to better options that present themselves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/think-about-the-photo-you-want-to-make-beforehand-then-do-it-but-also/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [I sold all my medium format equipment in 2005 after Canon came out with the 12 megapixel EOS 1Ds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/i-sold-all-my-medium-format-equipment-in-2005-after-canon-came-out/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [Everyone should understand that getting good photos is paramount to everything. You have to do what it takes and often comfort and sleep are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/everyone-should-understand-that-getting-good-photos-is-paramount-to/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [Getting up way in advance of dawn is always a good idea. Nearly ninety-nine percent of the time when I have gotten up in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/getting-up-way-in-advance-of-dawn-is-always-a-good-idea-nearly-ninety/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) > [I've heard Braggadocio about excess baggage charges, multiple unused hotel rooms, and rental cars held unused for long periods of time, which makes me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-menzel/i-ve-heard-braggadocio-about-excess-baggage-charges-multiple-unused/) [Peter Menzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) [Explore all 32 Peter Menzel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-menzel/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "After I discovered my degree in photojournalism would only get me a job in a camera store, I taught myself lighting. 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