Familiarize yourself with your camera. Take a 2-D color and design class. Look at the work of professional photographers and videographers, in all fields. Use on-line image resources to collect and look at imagery; Pintrest, Tumblr, or Flickr, are great places to start to get a sense of your tastes and styles. Start your own blog, get comfortable with sharing your work and sharing it publicly. Start reading professional photography blogs. Find a good time management system/tool.
You must purchase equipment and materials to enter the program. A full frame HDSLR professional camera and lens are at the top of the list. The list is updated every year after receiving feedback from current students, graduates and working professionals.
Materials and supplies vary from quarter to quarter, estimate approximately, $300/quarter. This includes things like printing supplies, props, model fees, and extra equipment. Consider paying for extras like Lynda.com tutorials, a laptop, software, a printer, etc.
During the academic year the Seattle Central Creative Academy fifth floor studios and labs are generally open Monday-Thursday 8am-10pm, Friday 8am-6pm and Saturday 8am-6pm. The Seattle Central College campus is not open on Sundays.
It is not necessary to enter the program with above a beginner’s knowledge of photography. However coming into the program with an understanding of the basics will help. Once you are accepted into the program, and before classes begin it is recommended that you start using your camera as much as possible and learn basic exposure and lighting.