Which Course

L

LisaMC

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4
Name
Lisa
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Hi Everyone,

I would like to do a course which will help me turn photography into my proffesion.

I'm completely new to this so was thinking of doing a part evening course to start with, then something like the following:

www.thephotographyinstitute.co.uk

Does anyone know if this is a good course to do?

I work full time so will have to be something I can do in the evenings.

Any advice would be really helpfull.

Thanks,

Lisa
 
You could also look at the Open College of the Arts.
 
The dimploma wont be worth anything at all... What you will learn I would take a guess and say you could learn the same on forums and online free tuturials...

I certainly wouldnt pay 550 quid.


Thats just me of course and my personal point of view.. the people running it might be fantastic and do you the world of good.. :)
 
By £500 of gear and a few books on both photography and business. They'll probably come in far more use than a qualification if you're wanting to go pro.
 
I can only agree with KIPAX and xolotl (could have chosen easier to spell usernames :p)

The money is best spent on the gear and perhaps a little on learning/business material. I've gone from amatuer to pro in 2 years without a lesson or a book :) I dont think there has been a day gone by where I haven't taken a photo, so practise is the key....and a lot of development on the business front in the mean time!!

Everyone is different though, and some people learn best through demonstration! In which case, a course would be best, but I don't really know of any sorry :(
 
It all depends on your starting point Lisa. You could turn pro tomorrow if your knowledge is up to it but if you are looking to get that knowledge then it's a different place.

Also guys, don't forget there are many ways of being a photographer, not just self emplyoyed. If you want to be a forensic photographer, medical photographer, some press organisations require qualifications. Usually to degree standard too. That one reason I'd have a look at OCA, the courses add up to a degree.
 
Courses depend hugely on who's running them too. If you get average Joe lecturers who just read the course guideline to you and point you at text books, then you may well be better off doing it yourself.

If, on the other hand, you luck out and get enthusiastic and highly skilled photographers who are willing to actually teach you. Then it can be priceless, and you will have the opportunity to learn more than you ever would going it alone.
 
xolotl said:
By £500 of gear and a few books on both photography and business. They'll probably come in far more use than a qualification if you're wanting to go pro.
Click to expand...

Couldn't disagree more. You can get fantastic pictures with an old film SLR and plastic fantastic 50mm lens for less than £100, but ONLY if you know what you're doing. And I do think on the whole that good pictures sell.

The great advantage of doing any course is that it gives you structure, suggestions, and honest, professional feedback from a tutor. I started with the OCA "art of photography" course which I think is exceptionally good. It works on getting good photos without getting too bogged down in technical stuff but instead developing your artistic vision and introducing you to a variety of the masters to help inspire you.

With that in mind, I believe any course will help you. Some will concentrate on technical aspects like developing film, using photoshop etc but they will only help you enhance what you can already see to take. Other courses work on composition, artistic vision, critical review of your work, so it just depends what you're after.

The link you put up to the professional photographer, in my opinion, doesn't look like the best course in helping you improve your photography, but might give you confidence in running a photography business. I would think a lot of this information generally would be available free by asking your local business link and library, and specifically covered in photography magazines from time to time. However if you're short on spare time or not confident in your business skills then going for the course would probably set you up faster and better than anything else I've come across.

Hope that, somewhat personally biased answer, helps!


Sue
 
AliB said:
Also guys, don't forget there are many ways of being a photographer, not just self emplyoyed. If you want to be a forensic photographer, medical photographer, some press organisations require qualifications. Usually to degree standard too. That one reason I'd have a look at OCA, the courses add up to a degree.
Click to expand...

I've often wondered why they require degrees in photography to do something like forensic or medical photography. It's not like you're going to stick a toffee apple in the mouth of an overweight corpse in the name of art. Surely all you need is a strong stomach and a good understanding of exposure and lighting record the scene and the details.
 
I've just signed up for the photography institute course, if you're serious about it, contact them and ask them about the discounted rate. I got an email offering me the course for £400, I had previously enquired about it! If you want, I can send you the link I received, just PM me.

You can also pay weekly or monthly if you wish.

Dave
 
CarlukeDave said:
I've just signed up for the photography institute course, if you're serious about it, contact them and ask them about the discounted rate. I got an email offering me the course for £400, I had previously enquired about it! If you want, I can send you the link I received, just PM me.

You can also pay weekly or monthly if you wish.

Dave
Click to expand...

Thats interesting. I enquired about the course but the £550 bit put me off slightly. The course looks very well structured and appears as though you can press on at your own pace. As said, it also appears to focus more on business side to make a more rounded individual if you know what I mean.

For those looking for a bit more than how to take a pretty picture, it looks to fit the bill. Not everyone is blessed with good technical skills and a brilliant business mind - unfortunately I have neither :LOL:
 
I did the T189 Open university 10 wk course, thought it was great.
lots of people on here & flickr have done it.
 
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