Hello, I know that this question has been asked many times before (as have many other questions), but please hear me out as I have read those threads and not reached an answer that fits my situation.
So, I was wondering if I should send in an Arts portfolio with my application to Stanford. I would be submitting photographs I have taken. As I have not been formally trained (no classes, workshops, or anything) and with photography being such an accessible medium, I’m worried that my work might not be “up to par” or evaluated in a way that’s helpful to my application.
Even though I pursue photography as a hobby, I have won some major international photography awards (I like to shoot landscapes) and would like to consider myself a “serious amateur.”
I’ve read that in order for the arts supplement to help, my work should be on the professional or near-professional level. While this may be possible for music or other visual art mediums like painting, it’s very rare for high school students to achieve this level in photography due to financial constraints. Full sets of professional camera gear, lens, and accessories like filters can cost tens of thousands of dollars. I understand that the person, not the gear, makes art, but this is analogous to trying to create a masterful sketch with only a blunt pencil stub. With a weaker camera it is impossible to create professional photographs on a technical level (the resolution, resolving power, etc. is just absent). But I digress…
Do the arts professors evaluate the supplements (and therefore understand the photographic medium and constraints more)? Can the supplements hurt my application in any case? I was hoping to back up my awards resume with something tangible and add dimension to my application.
I’m not going to be an arts major btw.
Thanks very much!