At the University of Magdeburg, studying is not the only option; you can also learn a variety of professions. Not for long now, the photography apprenticeship has been one of them. Hannah Theile is the first "foto trainee", as she is affectionately called by her team, i.e. the first apprentice in the field of photography at the university. She plans to complete her photography apprenticeship this summer. "Already as a child, I took pictures with my mother's camera. When I was a teenager, I was finally able to buy my own reflex camera with the money I was given during my youth initiation ceremony," says the young apprentice.
Hannah's example shows that early practice makes perfect. In her apprenticeship, she can now put her childhood experience to good use, taking care of photo material for events and press releases, university magazines and much more. Taking pictures is only one component of her training though. Almost as important is the post-processing of photos. To that end, she was trained on the computer with the image editing programs Photoshop and Lightroom. "The university is a super employer, when there's time in between my work, I have the opportunity to prepare for and follow up on the school part, and the team is really cool," says Hannah Theile about her training.
Another reason is probably the main cause for her satisfaction. She had the opportunity to complete a very special internship - in Barcelona. "When I heard about the opportunity at vocational school, I filled in the application right away. Fortunately, the university made it possible for me to join the program," says Hannah Theile. She learned a lot during her time in Spain. Working alongside freelance photographer Roger Fonts, who received assignments from the city of Barcelona, among others, she got a taste of the diversity of the work and, of course, the city. Her instructor quickly realized that she was capable of taking on tasks and involved her in all processes. In Spain, photography trainees spend the first three years learning only theory and complete a six-month internship at the end of their training. This meant that the photography trainee from Germany was more than well prepared with her practical experience from everyday life at university. Not only differed the nature of the tasks and the image editing programs, but she was also able to get to know the different culture and way of life.
Hannah Theile having lunch with her work colleagues in Barcelona (Photo: private)
"The working mentality was different, more relaxed than in Germany. There was a lot of emphasis on taking breaks together and exchanging ideas," recalls Hannah Theile. She also had the opportunity to do this in other areas. In fact, she was not alone in the big city. Seven other trainees were also completing internships, but in completely different areas. "Shortly before our trip home, we all went together to Tossa de Mar, a small town on the Mediterranean, went swimming and visited the historic town center. It really felt like a vacation there for a short time," Hannah Theile enthuses.
After she arrived back in Germany, she was ceremoniously awarded with her EU passport, proof of her learning stay abroad. She is still in contact with the trainees she met abroad and is already planning a joint reunion.
After completing her apprenticeship this summer, Hannah Theile plans to add master training in photography. "And after that, maybe another degree, who knows. One step at a time," she says with a laugh.