Personal Development Plan

·   Goals

Personal goals in the short, medium & long term: As a photography student, my short goal is to finish my studies successfully. Hence, my medium goal is to go back to Cyprus and start working and gaining experience in practicing photography to my father’s photo studio. Finally, my long term goal is to take my father’s business and keep the high quality of his work.What I want to do with my studies: My studies are offering me the knowledge as well as the experience of practicing and developing my skills related with photography. Hence by the end of my studies I hope to have gained the experience and knowledge required as a starting point of my career as a photographer.Skills I need to achieve success in the area of the industry that I am interested in: As mentioned above, my dream is to take over my father’s photo studio. As part of the job there, I will have to capture events as well as making photo shoots for magazines. Therefore I will have to develop my skills in wedding photography as well as events photography. Additionally I will have to gain knowledge related to lighting, editing, to the studio equipment. Finally I will have to practice and experiment with different ways of photo shooting in order to provide the best results for my client’s requests.Attributes, skillsets, knowledge or training that i might need to achieve this: Of course, fulfilling my studies is not the only way required that would prepare me to take over a whole business. After my studies, I will have to practice and follow my father’s directions on how each requirement of the business should be done. How to work in a wedding or an event, how to capture a model, how to get prepared and of course how to edit and present my work to the clients. The studies are essential to my career however the training by my father is also important for my development.Goals in my career, in my personal life, in my work life blend/balance: It is sure that my goal is to take over the photo studio in Cyprus. This will be my work. Nevertheless, me as Stelios and as photographer i am planning to make the round of Cyprus with my camera. I love capturing the nature of Cyprus and I love showing my work to exhibitions and competitions. Therefore, at this point I am prepared that the photo studio will be my job but it would not be the only thing that would distinguishes me as a photographer.What do you want to achieve in your chosen career? Why do you want to achieve this?:As long as I remember I wanted my father’s work. I admire his work and love photography. He was able to provide for us and to make us love art and hence my sister is an artist my brother musician and me a photographer. I want to make him proud and to continue his success of his business. It might be said that I am influenced by my father in choosing photography however I know that is not just an influence. He made me love photography not just to be influenced by him neither to be the one to take over his business.

·Reality

 What have you done specifically so far to achieve your goal?: Once I decided my goal, I started working in my father’s photo studio as well as to taking photography courses in Cyprus. Later and after finishing army I came to UK in order to study photography. At this point I am in my second year of my degree and of course when I am in Cyprus I work to the photostudio and I occasionally go to “photographic adventures and  explorations” with my father or alone in different places in Cyprus.

What challenges have you met and overcome?: I am not sure that I had challenges related to photography however many other personal aspect of my life affected my progress. For example firstly I was doing a foundation for a year in Cyprus in order to be able to come to UK for studies. In fact I paid 5000 euro for nothing since it was not recognizable in UK universities. Nevertheless, I overcame this and started over a foundation in UK. At that point I failed a lesson and the university did not realize it and I started my photography course and during my degree I had to make both photography and foundation at the same time. The most challenging part was the university’s process of concluding in doing the together rather the practice of doing them together.  Generally, I did not had any great challenges that affected me for achieving my goal and I am grateful for that.What other challenges do you expect to meet?: The most challenges that I am expecting in short term are related to my studies and to the projects as I do not want to fail. My medium challenge is to be able and capable of working in a photo studio and learning easily and fast the requirements of doing so. My long term challenges are also related to my job as photographer. Will I be able to keep a business and to provide the best quality of work? Will I be able to practice photography as I want to? Will I be able to overcome the economic crisis in Cyprus? Will I be able to expand the business?What are your short/medium/long term priorities?: My short term priority is to pass the lessons and to get my degree. My medium term priority is to take over the photo studio and finally my long term priority is to be a successful photographer.

How are external forces affecting progress? : The external forces for me and as a Cypriot are related with money. With this economic crisis my studies are affected as the photo studio is affected as the people of Cyprus are affected and this goes on and on. What I mean is that if it wasn’t for the student loan I wouldn’t be able to continue my studies without working. Moreover, apart for the money other external forces that are affecting my progress are related to some personal health problems that a close person of mine is suffering from and hence I am affected. Not only in the time that I spent but also psychologically.My Skills: Since I set my goals I have developed my skills in photography and especially since I started my studies. I have learned the essentials of practicing photography and I became familiar with many aspects of photography. My creativity has been developed and though the researches I had the chance to be influenced by the work of great photographers. Apart from photography I developed my language skills and my skills related in working with others.

· Options

Do you have a first choice option, second choice option?: My first choice is my goal. To take over the photo studio. My second choice is to make exhibitions. My third choice is to work as a photojournalist and my final choice is to work in someone else’s photo studio as an employee.Generally in relation to my options I am grateful enough that I have people to guide me and help me. First of all my father, secondly my uncle who is a photographer too and finally my sister who is now successful as an artist in Cyprus and she has her own tattoo studio and exhibits her paintings and sculptures. Hence I could come easily in contact with people that could help me in developing my work and in finding a job. In Cyprus things are easy when you have people to help because of the small population. However, I just need the chances to prove myself I do not seek the easy road. I want to be recognized for the quality of my work in whatever I am doing. Hence I will never stop taking part in worldwide photography competitions and exhibitions.I want to finish my studies and I want to gain as much possible knowledge related to photography and to experiment with different ways and equipment and places. I want to make my father proud and I want to become a successful photographer able in having a big business but also in capturing aspects and themes that I love and that would identify my. I will take every chances and opportunities given to me in order to achieve my goals.