In today's creative fields of photography, advertising, graphic design, web media and copyrighting, access to the best education and training may be the key to success in a long and dynamic career. Hallmark institute stands out in relation to their ability to inspire, excite and create real world professionals who will be the next leaders of our visual world. The institute brings the best educators, the best guest lecturers, the best course programs and the best up-to-date equipment to create the Gold & Silver winners of the future.

We had a chance to catch up with Vern McClish, Director of Marketing and Career Services to discuss the institute's goals for 2008 and beyond.

MacTribe: Please describe your educational objectives.

Hallmark: We are a photographic career institute dedicated to educating our students to either open there own businesses in the industry or become productive members of existing photographic businesses. During our ten-month program, students take part in over 1400 hours of classroom. In addition, weekday and weekend assignments, labs and extra activities take place throughout the program keeping all of the students focused on their ultimate goal of graduating. Upon graduation, each student has created and possesses a top notch collection of necessary career building tools that include a well thought out business plan, a business logo, business cards, stationary, a professional web site and very high end portfolio, plus the business, aesthetic and technical knowledge necessary to succeed in this very competitive marketplace.

Approximately 40% of our program is photographic business related and 60% is esthetically and technologically related. All of the courses are taught by successful working professionals, each of whom works at the institute on a full-time basis. The Hallmark Museum of Contemporary Photography has brought another dimension to our program by introducing students to the world of fine art and gallery and museum exhibitions. Please visit hmcp.org for our exhibition schedule. Our very important Guest Lecture Series brings over 30 top professional photographers from all disciplines of the industry to share their imagery, professional philosophy and business acumen with students at Hallmark. Just as important, we bring professionals from non-image related professions to speak to our students like those from finance consultation companies. Near the end of the program, potential employers are hosted to recruit for their companies and interview our soon-to-graduate students. Our demographics include approximately 20% who are recent high school graduates, 40% who have some college or undergraduate or graduate degrees and the balance are career changers. Our students are from all over the United States and from many foreign countries. In the past few years, more than 60% of our students are female. Our students range in age from 17 to 60. Profile some students who have graduated from your program and created successful career path.

Bill Diodato is a Hallmark Graduate who is a well known in the commercial advertising and glamour photographic world. Kevin Bacon is another graduate who worked for Timothy White, celebrity photographer of NYC. He now manages a large digital rental city in NYC and employs numerous graduates as needed. Many of our successful graduates work in NYC and other large cities as assistants and shooters, or run successful portrait and wedding businesses.

MacTribe: Please describe your Apple equipment and the role it plays in your educational program.

Hallmark: We have a total of 155 computer workstations in our two fully outfitted digital imaging labs. Our Design lab utilizes 77 23” IMAC’s and has a few scanners for use when 4x5 film transparencies need scanning. Our Imaging lab has 78 G-5 towers with 23” Cinema displays. Each workstation in the Imaging Lab has an Epson 2400 attached to it. Because we are fully integrated into digital all of the students in the program spend much of their lab and after hour work time in one of these digital labs.

The school owns 250 Leaf Aptus 22 MP digital capture backs for use by the students. In the schools' portrait studios students can either capture images using film, capture images digitally tethered to a computer available in each studio (these are portable systems above and beyond the systems in the digital labs) or capture images un-tethered in the studio or on location. In our commercial studios, 4x5 view cameras are available for student use for film or digital capture. Computers are available for tethered capture with either medium format cameras or 4x5 cameras. In both the portrait and commercial studios, all of the lighting systems and light modification tools are provided for students use by the school. For location shoots, portable lighting equipment is available through our generously stocked equipment room. The best in DSLR’s and all accessories for them are also kept in the equipment room and are available for signout..

We only have at the student's disposal the best and most up to date examples of the tools available for use in today's imaging world. Each year, we assess the state of technology for our equipment (in addition to any computer and software updates) What affiliations do you have with industry trade organizations? We have strong relationships with numerous organizations to include PPA, ASMP, WPPI and APA to name a few of the top organizations that work with us. These organizations regularly visit the school to introduce their respective benefits to our students. What is your single 'breakout' offering which is the calling card for recruiting students? The ultimate reason people choose Hallmark Institute is because in ten short months, they get the best education for the dollar that they are investing. These students want to be photographers and between the intense training systems that we use, the time frame it is done, the fact that they are taking both business and craft classes, and the fact that we are the best in reality based education draws the best students to our program. Most career minded individuals want to get to work as soon as is possible, spending the least time and living dollars to get the necessary experience and education to succeed in the marketplace.

MacTribe: What is your vision for the future of this industry?

Hallmark: The migration from chemical based imaging technology to digital based technology has occurred in the professional marketplace. Although the growth of the consumer marketplace will dominate the R&D and investments of companies in our industry, our segment of the industry, the professional segment, will grow and benefit from the precision and ease brought about by this ongoing, albeit, consumer driven, revolution. The how of what we do will become less important as time goes on because of technology, though the mastery of the technology required for the professional is more important than ever. The imagery itself is becoming more universally accessible and powerful, making our world a more understandable community to all peoples through the continuing magic of pictures. The need to master the technology is as important as ever, but the skills that one needs to succeed in business and the talent in imaging that one needs has become more important than ever. A formal education, for the professional bound image-maker, is very important in this technology-dominated field.