Has anyone completed the Photography Institute online course?

scottduffy

scottduffy

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Scott
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I was wondering if it was any good or were you disappointed with the content? If anyone has completed any other courses online that they would recommend then i would be glad to hear about them.
 
Wow, thanks for the link Ryan. I've been looking at courses and this one looks pretty/very good.

I'd love to hone in on my photography skills but also learn the business end inside and out and that course seems to cover both sides, and the price isn't bad either!

I may well sign up for it early next year, as having a qualification must help towards giving clients confidence in you when you are just starting to out and removing a little stress from the first commission...
 
Thanks Ryan. I'll have a look. The search facility was done yesterday when i was trying to find some information on courses.
 
martyp said:
and the price isn't bad either!
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How much is it? Couldn't see the prices.

I went to do a course at the Annabel Williams studio on wedding photography. Unfortunately I got the dates wrogn and made the 300 mile journey on the wrong day (you cannot imagine how frustrating that was!). They seemed like a really nice bunch of people and the studio is in a beautiful setting. It's expensive though at near £300 per day.

Link to the website is here
 
Would be better if you could pay it up though like you can with the photography institue one.
 
I have been thinking about this course for a while now but I am a little apprehensive about on-line courses after seeing my son stung financially.

I received some good advice by a member of this forum regarding this course (ryanyboy) and he did instil some confidence in me.

However, I emailed the course organisers with a couple of questions nearly a week ago and I am yet to receive a reply which worries me slightly. Would this be the normal email response time were I a student on the course with a problem?

If anyone has got any experience with this course I would appreciate some advice.

Cheers
 
Well I am pretty surprised I didn't get much feedback to my question, it would have been nice. However, I am grateful to ryanyboy for taking the time to explain the ins and outs.

I have signed up and I am awaiting the course documentation.
 
Fantastic, good thread (y) I'd never thought about an online photography course.
 
I hope I don't offend anyone with my opinion, but given that photography is so much practice and hands-on, I don't get how an online course can help that much. Most of the information floats around in the aether for free anyways.

The great things about courses is interacting with your peers, instigating ideas for shoots, trying out those medium format camera you can't afford, playing with those lights, mustering up the courage for nude photography as a group, etc. etc.

Or am I missing something?
 
Ive just enrolled on this course and first impressions seem pretty good, its set out in modules which you need to complete and send to your tutor (mine is a very experienced photographer) you also get assigend a course advisor who is there to help with any problems, I have emailed him once and got a reply within 24 hours. In additon to the course fee they also send you a list of books that you would need, these can be bought secong hand on Amazon and you dont need to buy them all at once.
The course is very geared to a career in photography.
So on first impressions I would give it a go.
My course pack arrived the day after I ordered it and it contains all you need to get you through your modules along with the course content online.
 
Cistron said:
I hope I don't offend anyone with my opinion, but given that photography is so much practice and hands-on, I don't get how an online course can help that much. Most of the information floats around in the aether for free anyways.

The great things about courses is interacting with your peers, instigating ideas for shoots, trying out those medium format camera you can't afford, playing with those lights, mustering up the courage for nude photography as a group, etc. etc.

Or am I missing something?
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No, that's a good point. However, for the beginner like me, yes there is loads of stuff floating around for free - but anyone can post anything on the internet, and a lot of the photography information I find looks to me like it's just from bad amateurs, I've found it really hard work and disheartening finding the help need through google! (hence me joining this forum!(y)) So an online course I feel could offer guidance to where to look and offer individual help (i presume).

I really didn't want to 'attend' another course, I've just spent 8 years none stop (after 14 years in school/sixth form!) in some sort of college or university training for my career, so for me, this is why an online course has caught my attention.

Maybe to do the course hand in hand with joining some sort of photography club would be an idea.
 
I thought long and hard before committing myself to this course. There is an abundant flow of information on the internet but a lot of it is poorly done and its pretty random. I was looking for something more structured and formal.

Its all well and good dragging stuff off the internet but what someone says is the correct way, will mostly be contradicted by another and I get to the point where I don't know my backside from my elbow.

This course (I hope!) will offer me structured learning at a pace that suits me, I have access to a professional photographer who will guide me and crit my work, what I aim to do is take his and only his view on board so I am not bouncing from one piece of advice to another.

This forum is and has been of great help but posting my images for crit nine times out of ten leaves me scratching my head, some say an image is good and some say an image is bad some say tighter crop and some say leave it, so it can be a bit confusing.

I aim to commit myself 100% to this and when I have completed the course I hope to have a better understand not only how to take images but how to sell myself. I don't aim to pack in my day job, but to earn a few commissions would be nice to help finance some decent glass.
 
Quaker said:
I thought long and hard before committing myself to this course. There is an abundant flow of information on the internet but a lot of it is poorly done and its pretty random. I was looking for something more structured and formal.

Its all well and good dragging stuff off the internet but what someone says is the correct way, will mostly be contradicted by another and I get to the point where I don't know my backside from my elbow.

This course (I hope!) will offer me structured learning at a pace that suits me, I have access to a professional photographer who will guide me and crit my work, what I aim to do is take his and only his view on board so I am not bouncing from one piece of advice to another.

This forum is and has been of great help but posting my images for crit nine times out of ten leaves me scratching my head, some say an image is good and some say an image is bad some say tighter crop and some say leave it, so it can be a bit confusing.
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That's a general problem of art. There is no right or wrong (well, besides some technical issues). Even in my job (surrounded by supposedly super-smart people), I'm taking everything with a grain of salt.
I aim to commit myself 100% to this and when I have completed the course I hope to have a better understand not only how to take images but how to sell myself. I don't aim to pack in my day job, but to earn a few commissions would be nice to help finance some decent glass.
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I see the advantage of the course, if you want to get through a certain skill set in a determined time-frame. I'm mostly bumming around the internet, picking up things here and there without pressure. Naturally, application of the theory is another problem.

Enjoy the course. (y)
 
If I had the money to do the course I think I would as I a beginner and I think this would be a nice starting point to learn all the basics and maybe more!
 
For me courses like this provide a bit of structure to how you learn.

I'm guessing years ago a career as a tog (in general) meant knuckling down, starting off with crappy kit, learning how light worked, developing your prints, hopefully befriending another tog who you assisted and showed the ropes before one day you blossom out of a cacoon into the world as a professional photographer :)

Nowadays to a certain extent you can buy a super whizzy camera, stick it in auto and take some half decent shots, then you start to dabble in AV/TV Manual etc and before you know it you've read 1 of 18 thousand magazines and dabbling in HDR or playing with light painting before you really know what a histogram is or does.

I'm proabably one of these people but absorbing everything as I go, some of it actually sticks in my head :)
 
enrolling on this course - does it permit you to purschase software at discounted student prices?

not that I am thinking of joining the cnurse just for that , but would be good to know.
 
Meeten said:
enrolling on this course - does it permit you to purschase software at discounted student prices?

not that I am thinking of joining the cnurse just for that , but would be good to know.
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I do believe editing software is provided in the course material but I am not sure what suite it is.

I use PS4 and will probably stick with that.
 
Received my coursework package yesterday and nearly fainted, there's loads of it! My tutor is a lady who is a professional photographer and she also teaches photography in college, her bio reads really well. Its good to know this is being done properly.

I am really looking forward to this.
 
Can i ask what softwre they include as does not say on the site?

Thanks :D
 
I have just put the cd in and it is full of templates for all sorts of documentation, model release etc.

The software is called Gimp. It is referred to in one of the modules on image manipulation.
 
Quaker said:
I have just put the cd in and it is full of templates for all sorts of documentation, model release etc.

The software is called Gimp. It is referred to in one of the modules on image manipulation.
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Thanks :D
 
Quaker said:
I have just put the cd in and it is full of templates for all sorts of documentation, model release etc.

The software is called Gimp. It is referred to in one of the modules on image manipulation.
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most interesting as the software they are providing is free on the net, and i very much doubt you,ll find any pros using gimp for there editing work. not trying to put a downer on the course but i,m sure they could provide a better editor than gimp.:shrug:
 
The software is pretty basic and yes, I was already aware that it was free on the net, I have my own CS4 software so its not something I am concerned too much about.

I would advise, though, that the software Gimp in no way reflects the quality of the course materials provided. Its extremely well structured, very well presented and very concise.

Don't worry about putting a downer on it, I think, like that programme that's currently the subject of another thread people will find any excuse to criticise which is fair do's, what ever rocks people's boats. Regarding this course, I probably wont take much notice of folk criticising it unless of course they have completed it.

Up to now, and I know its early doors, I am very impressed with it all.
 
Meeten said:
enrolling on this course - does it permit you to purschase software at discounted student prices?

not that I am thinking of joining the cnurse just for that , but would be good to know.
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Sorry I totally missed your point.

Doing this course entitles you to a NUS card which you can purchase for £11. This attracts many discounts on many items including software.
 
I have subscribed to this thread Mark, and would really enjoy the occasional review of the course if you have time, as you go along.

Not living in the UK effectively bars me from some of the interaction available out there, so this may interest me. As I am not working I have time to complete a course if it's worth it.

Thanks Mark.
 
dinorock said:
most interesting as the software they are providing is free on the net, and i very much doubt you,ll find any pros using gimp for there editing work. not trying to put a downer on the course but i,m sure they could provide a better editor than gimp.:shrug:
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You are mistaken, I personally know 2 who use it. I'm not saying it's the best software (I haven't tried it) but there are certainly pros using it.
 
swag72 said:
I have subscribed to this thread Mark, and would really enjoy the occasional review of the course if you have time, as you go along.

Not living in the UK effectively bars me from some of the interaction available out there, so this may interest me. As I am not working I have time to complete a course if it's worth it.

Thanks Mark.
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Hello Sara

I have just answered a PM with the following text as there is interest from others I will paste my response on the thread.

Dear XXXXX

The course documentation arrived on Friday by FedEx courier.

When I opened the box I was more than pleasantly surprised. The course material is based on two massive folders containing 27 modules between them, i.e. the complete course. It also comes with lots of information on how to tackle the course, a bio of your tutor, a dvd with an interview with a pro photographer and a cd with Gimp editing software and templates for documentation, order forms, contracts, invoices etc. There is also a good book on tips on how and where to sell your images.

So far I have been mightily impressed with the registration and with the communication offered. It seems cosher and all above board.

I stuck my head into the assignments over the weekend and again I am well impressed. Its structured, easy to follow, the first module is just an introduction, I am now working on the second module which I hope to send off my assignment in the next couple of days for marking.

I was very apprehensive about doing an on-line course, I dont have £500 to waste so I really wanted value for money. I think I have got just that.

At the end of the day, if I am not completely happy with it, I can send it back within 60 days and get a refund. If I dont make the money back within 90 after completing the course, I get my money back, Thats one hell of a guarantee so as I see it, I have nothing to lose.

I will keep you up to date on my progress if you so wish or if you do consider enrolling We can bounce ideas back if you like.

If I can be of any further help, Let me know.

Best regards

Mark
 
if i was paying that much id at least expect a copy of PS "elements" to be included,Gimp is ok but very basic.
 
Hi Mark

Looks like we both started this at the same time, I just sent my second module off for marking, maybe we could help each other out if we get stuck?

Cheers

Bill
 
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Module 2 is just about yourself , what your expectations are , where you are with your photography etc. Sent mine off and got an A, dead chuffed.
Next module is take read the course work and then send in four photos from at least 50 that you have taken of somebody either at work or doing there hobby. Hope to get mine done this weekend.
Still plenty of emails form tutor and advisor. Enjoying it up to now, 2 down 30 to go!!!
 
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