Going independent: Extension photography student lifts his skills

Milan Kovacevic enjoyed his recent six-year stint as a freelance videographer and producer for KPBS-TV.

  STUDENT PROFILE: Milan Kovacevic, Certificate in Photography

During that time, he produced a number of documentaries, including a half-hour project on “The Science of Language” and video portraits of Balboa Park and the Hotel del Coronado.

Now an independent producer and photographer, he credits his UC San Diego Extension certificate in Photography: Images & Techniques, earned last year, with lifting his skills to an even higher level.

“I’ve given a lot of thought to how I want to spend my life, being creative, doing something I love,” he said. “But making a full-time living at it can sometimes be a challenge.”

A Bay Area native, Kovacevic has lately leveraged his Extension photography certificate into work as an event photographer for local running events. A former triathlete, he feels a connection to those grueling races, but no longer competes.

Formerly a programmer/analyst at UC San Diego, he also spent several years as a software engineer in Silicon Valley while also working as a team leader and trainer for two environmental-adventure education non-profits.

“I spent a lot of years in software but I’ve always sought creative and artistic outlets along the way,” said Kovacevic, whose specialties include portraits, sports, products, landscapes, architecture, and nature.

“Technically, I learned a lot at UCSD,” he said. “By osmosis, I got first-hand exposure to lots of creative visions and views of the world, absorbing aesthetic sensibilities and creative approaches. It was very intellectually stimulating.”

He hopes his polished skills will bring more opportunities to pursue his career goal.

“My passion is photojournalism,” he said. “That’s where I want to be full-time.”