OCA The Art of Photography Course Discussion - Part 2

Hi, I finished TAOP last year and am now on DPP

First think to do is to ask your tutor what he wants and how he wants. For TAOP my tutor wanted:
a) set of high res images
b) set of low res images
c) link to blog

I personally put all mine in a word document plus comments, thought processes etc

Your first assignment will not count toward formal module assessment. Expect to have problems and be prepared to receive constructive criticism. Mine method isn't necessarily correct but here is link to my blog for TAOP Assignment 1
http://warrenjonesphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/taop-part-1-assignment-1-contrasts.html

and one to my tutor's feedback:
http://warrenjonesphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/tutor-feedback-taop-part-1-assignment-1.html

If I look back at my early work I world I would have approached it better, been more creative etc but thats all part of the learning process and getting better. It can be had to accept criticism but its the only way to get better and improve, 100% will lively leave you static

Have a look at other blogs for different ideas. Distant learning is hard as you dont have the sharing and discussing of ideas etc that you might n a classroom so this is possibly next best
 
As above, it depends on what your tutor asks for. minimum is for the write up on your blog.
My Taop asked me to send prints, which I did and now appreciate the difference in creating prints to delivering digital. I've always delivered prints for my assignments and a link to the blog entry.

There was a good presentation on the OCA site
http://www.weareoca.com/photography/presentation-anne-giddings/

I've just sent off Assignment 5 for People and Place. Had a few set backs on ideas but finally settled on a theme and have worked on it most weekends since christmas. I think there's some great images but we'll see.
 
Last edited:
Cap'n Bill said:
It's largely up to your tutor what is required for the assignment. My TAOP tutor just wanted the blog which included the assignment write up and assignment pictures, the DPP tutor wanted the blog presented as a Word or pdf document, pictures including the ex camera raws and contact sheets in Dropbox plus the blog and the P and P tutor wants prints of the assignment pictures and seems to take virtually no notice of anything else.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much for the reply Cap'n! That does help actually. I have read previous comments about pdfs and so on but I hadn't come across any instructions anywhere to tell me to do this for TAOP. Maybe they make it a bit easier for us to start with? Still waiting to hear back from tutor on this but for the minute I'm going to assume the blog will suffice.
Cheers
Chris
 
Thank you Warren and Byker. (I read and replied to Cap'n Bill then noticed the replies from you both). Very useful comments thank you - I'll bear them in mind.
Can I ask - when you send prints in, are you talking about prints done at a pro printers, or do you print them off at home?
All the best
Chris
 
Last edited:
Thank you Warren and Byker. (I read and replied to Cap'n Bill then noticed the replies from you both). Very useful comments thank you - I'll bear them in mind.
Can I ask - when you send prints in, are you talking about prints done at a pro printers, or do you print them off at home?
All the best
Chris
 
Last edited:
Rubidium86 said:
Thank you Warren and Byker. (I read and replied to Cap'n Bill then noticed the replies from you both). Very useful comments thank you - I'll bear them in mind.
Can I ask - when you send prints in, are you talking about prints done at a pro printers, or do you print them off at home?
All the best
Chris
Click to expand...
I posted this again by accident but can't figure out how to delete it!
 
I get my prints done at DS Colour Labs. You can download their profiles for the papers etc and use them within lightroom print module to ensure whats printed is what you see on the screen. I also have a custom template to add a border to the prints.
Printed my last lot on lustre but it didn't have the depth I was after for my B&W images so I blew the budget on some pearl, but boy do they stand out.

I do know of some students on level 2 who bought printers and do their own.
 
Another vote for dscolour labs.

I used to print my own but found I wasted so much on ink and paper when the heads would block up that it wasn't worth it for me. I've also taken to printing bigger -16x12. I could only do A4 at home.

However, for TOAP, I submitted everything digitally. I'm waiting for my assessment result at the moment.
 
i use Pro Am Imgaing. Nice and cheap, 50p a print, and pretty good quality. Theyre a bit of a faff to set up the file to send up but the price outweighs the fiddling about.
 
AlfyB said:
Another vote for dscolour labs.

I used to print my own but found I wasted so much on ink and paper when the heads would block up that it wasn't worth it for me. I've also taken to printing bigger -16x12. I could only do A4 at home.

However, for TOAP, I submitted everything digitally. I'm waiting for my assessment result at the moment.
Click to expand...


16x 12 is interesting, I must try larger. At the moment I use 12 x 9, but then the portfolio box is smaller.
No idea what to do now at Level 2 - I must look at the courses and plot my route. I need to prep everything for formal assessment next and get that ready, however first I'm off to thailand for two weeks :)
 
Thanks guys. My tutor wants me to submit PDFs so I suspect he doesn't require prints at this point. The info on printing companies is very useful though - thank you. I will look into this further. I had considered printing at home but it does sound as though it could be more trouble than it's worth.
Can I trouble you for a bit more info? Do you guys actually visit the printer or is it all done online?
Cheers
Chris
 
Rubidium86 said:
Thanks guys. My tutor wants me to submit PDFs so I suspect he doesn't require prints at this point. The info on printing companies is very useful though - thank you. I will look into this further. I had considered printing at home but it does sound as though it could be more trouble than it's worth.
Can I trouble you for a bit more info? Do you guys actually visit the printer or is it all done online?
Cheers
Chris
Click to expand...
It's all done online with next day delivery. I think the delivery cost is something like £3.50, would need to check that though, so I always try and order as many as I can in one go.
 
AlfyB said:
It's all done online with next day delivery. I think the delivery cost is something like £3.50, would need to check that though, so I always try and order as many as I can in one go.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much Alfy!
 
Mines all done online.
What I would suggest is get the prints done in plenty of time and have them delivered to you. then check them for colour, contrast etc. make sure they aren't too dark. Prints have much more depth than on screen and show up things so look carefully if you do use prints.
Ensure your monitor is calibrated, a good calibrator like a spyder is about £80 but is well worth it in the long run. Use the colour profiles from the print labs, if you use Lightroom it's easy to add them to the print module, then print to jpeg using these, before sending them to the lab.
Also add a decent size border to your prints. In this way it frames your image and allows the tutor to handle the print without touching the image. Glossy shows up fingerprints.

Hope this helps
 
Heard back from my tutor and he liked my assignment, thoug it worked well with strong images and I've shown progression thought the module, so I'm happy. Just need to package it all up and get it ready for formal assessment in July, then decide what next, or what route through level 2
 
well here we go, module 1, TAOP, all wrapped up and ready for assessment. just over a years worth of toil about to be ripped apart :)

 
Nice thanks. Just finished assignment 5 so I need to get all mine perpared and ready. One that's done I'll look at my next course. Got an idea.
 
Well that's it for me, people and place finished and level 4 completed. Ive packaged everything up ready for July assessment.
Thinking of documentary next. I need to have a read of other students work first.
Meanwhile, ive been asked if one of my recent travel images could be published next week... Could be interesting.
 
its all gone quiet :) im just trying to sort out and re sort out my submission for July's assessment, i need to do a few more book reviews to pad it out some more. Made a start on History of Western Art and have to say its pretty interesting , although very theory heavy! I think it will help no end in my portraiture and still lifes though.
 
I've looked at some level 5 courses and they seem to be more theory based (or writing) rather than just take good images...
 
I'm hoping to complete TAOP by the end of May and having a similar dilemma as what to do next. Originally planned to do DPP but I now want to wait until the updated version is out (thought it was being released in March but no sign of it yet). Definitely don't want to do people and place so unless new DPP makes a swift appearance, I may look at UVC. ... Hmmmm.
 
I found DPP a good follow on from taop but felt it repeated exercises, or very similar. Didn't enjoy it but that may have been down to my tutor.

I've loved people and places, really enjoyed it, hence why I'm thinking documentary next.. I've really got into portraits and street photography. Previously I was more product focussed, be it cars or other items.

But you need to pick the course that suits you. Best way to do this is to look at other students who are currently working on the course. Bit hard if they are rewriting though.
 
no idea, but all the photo modules seem a lot harder marked than the others.
 
There's a post on weareoca.com/education/more-on-assessment that explains the assessment and goes through the nov marks and breaks them down also.
 
essexash said:
just looking through the assesment results for this month and the photography results seem very harshly marked!

https://docs.google.com/a/oca-uk.com/file/d/0B4iKldVNr1HMZFMtVS1zTjNZVmM/edit

I was hoping the level 1 courses would allow for a little slack but the scores seem pretty harsh. No one getting over 68% and the average being in the 50's Im paranoid enough about my submission so this hasnt helped.
Click to expand...


I wouldn't worry too much. I have just had my marks back and I got 45%.....I passed :)

You are more than happy to have a look at what I did Ash, but considering I felt i just scraped what was needed, I think you will be ok.
 
Ouch that was low. Any feedback to the low score, was it expected?

The good news is that only the scores from level 3 courses count.

I've applied for julys assessment and signed up for level 2 documentary yesterday.
 
Not had feedback yet, presuming it will be sent with my box of stuff.

Happy to get the pass Byker, due to work etc, I hadn't done anywhere near the recommended hours.

Will have a look on the site but couldn't see anything with feedback.
 
I will have a look when I got home. Had issues (my fault) getting into my account.
Just need to sort funding and then decide which one to do next.
 
Guys and Girls, After some huge changes in my life over the last 6 months I thought about starting the new chapter of my life with a course of some kind for my photography.

It's a hobby I've dabbled with for probably 6 years now but never really sunk my teeth into as I would have liked.

Is everyone that is taking this course particularly academically minded? I was fine at GCSE level but at A-Level I was awful and by the time it came to choosing what to do I had zero interest in University so got a job in TV which I've now been in for nearly 11 years. I've no issue reading lots of material, or comprehending it, I'm just not very good at thinking about things creatively. I go and see a film and It's either "loved it, ok, meh" while a friend of mine puts status updates on Facebook de-constructing the moral fibre of the cast the overuse of xyz technique and so on.

I feel I take the occasional nice picture but it feels more like blind luck half the time than judgement. Maybe its just a lack of confidence in my own ability. I don't know.

I just don't want to spend £700 on a ACA course, which I've no doubt is excellent, and wind up getting frustrated not because of the practical side but of the analytical side and explaining my thought process and so on. Am I just being stupid?

These were the last set of pictures I took that I've uploaded. Shortly after that my wife ended our marriage so I've not been out much since. Hence the new start! Some of these are just touristy images from the trip, some were actual attempts to produce a nice picture. Oddly enough this holiday I had to use a 7D adter my D7000 got stolen so was learning where all the buttons had moved to and so on. Felt like some of these were the best ones I've taken.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/22611665@N03/sets/72157635420097350/
 
Last edited:
I know what you mean about the thought process side of it. I struggled in points as with me I wasn't thinking outside the box.
There are loads of people on here who have done the course, have a look through their blogs and see how different things are for each of us.
I have learnt just to bull a little as to why I did a certain thing :)
 
Well, my big box turned up with the new course. I need to sit down, read through it, have a quick plan and then email my new tutor. I've read his bio on the OCA website and he's an award winning documentary photographer - no pressure there then...
 
Darren,

Hi and welcome.

For me I thought I was a reasonable photographer (came 5th on the photographer of the year comp on here), had won a national competition, had some photos published. I started OCA wanting to learn more, improve my photography and do something with a worthwhile recognised qualification at the end as the bonus. I didn't want to take a course that finished with an inhouse certificate that was worthless.

The first starter course is about to be rewritten, but TAOP (the art of photography) was written by Michael Freeman and takes you right through the basics. I can honestly say these were some of the most creative photos I was taking at the time and reflected in images I was producing for product photography at my last company. There's so much to learn, referencing other photographers (great for ideas) that my skills and techniques have seriously improved right through the courses I have taken.

Being technical, I still struggle with the arty side but am getting better.

For me it's worth it, gives me another focus in my busy life. You do need to allow 8-12 hours a week for it. That isn't just doing the course work but theres other stuff that should get included, articles to read, podcasts, some tv programmes on sky arts are worth mentioning.

Have a look at the courses, have a google (OCA, TAOP) to loog at the first course and see if you'd like to do it. We all have to write a blog as a learning log so there's plenty of students work on line to read.


As for your photo's: An interesting mix, very colourful and they work well as a set. I've seen a lot worse from other students so I'm sure you'll do fine.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top