Has anyone completed the Photography Institute online course?

thats module 11 done and dusted :) happy with my grade

hows everyone else getting on ???
 
I'm thinking of getting back in to shooting with a DSLR, having previously owned a 40D but now just running around with a G10. This time I'm taking it seriously - in terms of upskilling my abilities and this course looks ideal.

So - onto my question.

I'll have about £1500 (give or take) to invest in some gear that will hopefully get me through the course and then onwards onto whatever. In terms of lenses and standard of body what would be considered as essentials and what would be the nice to have's?
I'm thinking about a new D7000 (only because they are so new that 2nd user one's aren't really kicking about yet) or would you suggest an better value "something else". Don't mind considering decent 2nd hand gear either.
I'm not tied to any brand as apart from the G10 I'll be starting from scratch on building up my kit inventory (again).
Cheers for any help/advice you can let me have.
 
<nudge>

Get back to the MD forums.. Traitor! How dare you spend drum money on camera gear. :LOL:

oldestswinger said:
I'm thinking of getting back in to shooting with a DSLR, having previously owned a 40D but now just running around with a G10. This time I'm taking it seriously - in terms of upskilling my abilities and this course looks ideal.

So - onto my question.

I'll have about £1500 (give or take) to invest in some gear that will hopefully get me through the course and then onwards onto whatever. In terms of lenses and standard of body what would be considered as essentials and what would be the nice to have's?
I'm thinking about a new D7000 (only because they are so new that 2nd user one's aren't really kicking about yet) or would you suggest an better value "something else". Don't mind considering decent 2nd hand gear either.
I'm not tied to any brand as apart from the G10 I'll be starting from scratch on building up my kit inventory (again).
Cheers for any help/advice you can let me have.
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MD Forums :bang:

Not been there for ages :LOL: and do you know what - don't miss it in the slightest (y) All the good guys that I know from old are friends on facecack so we keep in touch there - the others....well...
 
oldestswinger said:
MD Forums :bang:

Not been there for ages :LOL: and do you know what - don't miss it in the slightest (y) All the good guys that I know from old are friends on facecack so we keep in touch there - the others....well...
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Lol, yeah I know..
 
Ok - scuffed course ordered for delivery tomorrow and 1Dmk11 and a 24-105 f/4L on their way - let the games commence :naughty:
 
its been a bit quiet on here ...hows everyone getting on with the course ???
 
Sent Module 2 assignment in yesterday - Grade A received today - onwards to the 4 activity portraits now :clap:
 
Just got a B for assignment 3
I was hoping for an A but when I look back at my shots they could of been more inspired.
I may re submit at a later date.
 
:).. just got my mark back for assignment 14 ..... A
more than happy with that mark ...and those modules were a joy to do :)



matt
 
I'm going to have to open the 'confused' argument again.

The thread started with a review request on the Photography institute course, but moved into the institute of photography course, which a fair few people are doing and seem quite happy with it...

But......


What about the Photography Institute?....did anyone enrol on that one and can give a review?

I quite like the look of that course but unless I've missed a turning during this thread I cant see that anyone has actualy started that particular course?

Any light shed would be appreciated!
 
whatdoesthisbutt said:
I'm going to have to open the 'confused' argument again.

The thread started with a review request on the Photography institute course, but moved into the institute of photography course, which a fair few people are doing and seem quite happy with it...

But......


What about the Photography Institute?....did anyone enrol on that one and can give a review?

I quite like the look of that course but unless I've missed a turning during this thread I cant see that anyone has actualy started that particular course?

Any light shed would be appreciated!
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Have a look here. :)
 
Hi people ..

this is my first post on talk photography!!

iv'e just received my scuffed pack from the Institute of professional photography. Looks really good and cant wait to get cracking on the first few modules.

glad to see peaople have been really positive about the course .. all your threads made me decide to go for it in the end, so thanks!!
 
hi guys havent posted in a while, so sent off assigment 3 on sunday night, recieved it back tonight from my tutor with a grade of A-, so all in all very pleased with myself.

Andy
 
just sent of the first module .. felt a bit strange writing about myself!

Now just to wait for the mark and start thinking of a scenario for module 3. Would be interested to hear what other people chose?
 
JonesNav said:
just sent of the first module .. felt a bit strange writing about myself!

Now just to wait for the mark and start thinking of a scenario for module 3. Would be interested to hear what other people chose?
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hmm.. I skipped that one for now pretty much the same reason...& went straight to module 3.
 
Found Module three to be a tough one to start with, had far too many ideas but not enough confidence to actually submit any. Settled on tailing a colleague while he was shooting..... Then agonised over which images to submit.
Ended up getting an A- And if I'm honest, I knew exactly what the tutor was going to pick up on.

If you're interested, you can see the panel I submitted Here

Unfortunately I've been outrageously busy with the day job / family etc. and although I'm getting the reading time in I just haven't found the time to shoot anything specifically for the next module (and I'm really struggling for inspiration on this one). So I'm way behind my (self imposed) schedule.
 
Had a look at your blog yoby .. think the 4 photos you submitted are great. A nice selection especially the smoking gun one!!

nice to get an idea of how other people interpret the module brief .. i was a bit unsure, but now i feel i was thinking along the right sort of lines :)

good luck with the next module .. i look forward to seeing the results on your blog.
 
Reading this thread I'm thinking of doing the Institute of Photography course. I've learnt a lot through stuff on line, on here and in camera club but I feel a course would give some structure to my learning. I've looked at courses available locally and they either aren't suitable or clash with work (I teach evening classes) so a 'learn at your own pace' distance learning one sounds like a good option.
 
Quick question - can you do the modules in slightly different order? I've been asked to do a friend's wedding in early October and I see there are a few modules on weddings, so would make sense to do those at that time, even if I haven't yet completed all the modules before that - would that be possible?
 
JonesNav said:
Had a look at your blog yoby .. think the 4 photos you submitted are great. A nice selection especially the smoking gun one!!

nice to get an idea of how other people interpret the module brief .. i was a bit unsure, but now i feel i was thinking along the right sort of lines :)

good luck with the next module .. i look forward to seeing the results on your blog.
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Cheers for that - Tutor is a bit harsh, but fair with it and picked a few holes in them (the first one and the last particularly), calmed my nerves a bit for the remaining modules now I have a better idea of what to expect and what he's looking for.


@ShoeQueen - As far as I know I think you can submit them in any order but it's worth checking with your tutor or designated support (I have Daniel for that and Graham Light as a tutor).

I need to get the Tourist Hotspot module out of the way while there are actually a few bodies on the seafront rather than making it look like a desolate wilderness so planning that for a free weekend (if one ever comes up).
 
yoby said:
@ShoeQueen - As far as I know I think you can submit them in any order but it's worth checking with your tutor or designated support (I have Daniel for that and Graham Light as a tutor).
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Thanks, think it might be a useful course for me.
 
Yep shoequeen .. I got the scuffed course for £360 and everything included seemed brand new.

As far as I know you can do the modules in any order you want. If you have a wedding to go to probably a good idea to get the pics then as I see from some posts here some people were worried about that module.
 
yoby said:
@ShoeQueen - As far as I know I think you can submit them in any order but it's worth checking with your tutor or designated support (I have Daniel for that and Graham Light as a tutor).
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I also emailed them yesterday about 5pm with the same query and got a reply this morning from Daniel confirming that I could do them in a different order and do the wedding ones earlier.

I looked at various courses yesterday and while several looked good, this one seems to suit. My current work situation means I have a lot of free time and would like to see if this is something I could do p/t for a bit of paid work. So have enrolled. (And yes, ordered a scuffed copy.)

How long did it take for your pack to arrive? (I'm out and about a bit next week)
 
JonesNav said:
my pack took about 2 days and i had a e-mail from my tutor the day i signed up.
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Thanks, I thought it might take longer. I've just had an email from them saying it will be sent out today together with a link to track its progress. I'm really looking forward to getting started now!
 
Thinking about putting forward 4 pics for Module 3 - The Activity Portrait module - finally got round to doing some shooting as we were performing at a festival over the weekend and I took some shots before we played.

I'm concerned they either might not be good enough or indeed which 4 to choose - I've uploaded the best of them to this flickr page

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ian_kershaw/sets/72157627047521357/

any suggestions or otherwise before I bite the bullet ??? :shrug:

Cheers in advance for your comments
 
oldestswinger said:
Thinking about putting forward 4 pics for Module 3 - The Activity Portrait module - finally got round to doing some shooting as we were performing at a festival over the weekend and I took some shots before we played.

I'm concerned they either might not be good enough or indeed which 4 to choose - I've uploaded the best of them to this flickr page

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ian_kershaw/sets/72157627047521357/

any suggestions or otherwise before I bite the bullet ??? :shrug:

Cheers in advance for your comments
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I`d be interested in knowing how you got on...As when I done mine, i got marked down because 1 person wasnt the main focus... I had a mixture of portait shots
 
All my stuff has now arrived - now to get started studying! ('Scuffed' stuff looks brand new to me.) Ironically the book is one I'd been given by a good friend for Christmas and just started reading recently.

Initial impressions are good - very learner focused and helping you think about what you are studying and why. This could be how all distance learning materials are presented but its something that is sometimes lacking on FE part time courses. (I love that Blooms Taxonomy is at the back of the 'How to write assigments' booklet!)
 
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Derek_F said:
I`d be interested in knowing how you got on...As when I done mine, i got marked down because 1 person wasnt the main focus... I had a mixture of portait shots
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Hello Derek,

I have just complete Module 23 so I am not far off completing the course. I have really enjoyed it and learned loads.

If I may offer you just one bit of advice that I hope you take seriously that would be not to display any of your photographs on this forum seeking advice. The only person you need advice from is your tutor. If your images are not up to scratch your tutor will let you know. No disrespect to many members on here but there are a few who would take great pleasure in pulling your images down and also the views of your instructor. By all means discuss ideas but by posting your images you are submitting for your course you are asking for trouble.

Just my opinion of course, you can do whatever you wish.

Good luck with the course, you get out of it what you put in. If you need any advice during your course first go to your tutor, if you feel it may be something daft then contact me by PM if you like. I've been there, got the t-shirt.

EDIT:

I just realised it wasnt you who posted the link to your course photos, sorry for the confusion, it was oldestswinger who posted the link.
 
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i am just one module away from compleating the course, i have found it really bennificial, ive had a good tutor and he has helped guide me though. i can honestly say the course has changed the way i look at it all.
good luck.
oh and quaker, good on ya for finishing up aswell :D
 
I've been away from home a few days so not got to look at my materials yet, but its good to read about people completing the course and feeling its been beneficial. I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks for the tip Quaker re not posting images. Any other tips?
 
ShoeQueen said:
I've been away from home a few days so not got to look at my materials yet, but its good to read about people completing the course and feeling its been beneficial. I'm looking forward to it.

Thanks for the tip Quaker re not posting images. Any other tips?
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Good luck with the course.

Couple of tips:

Dont hide your folders away in a cupboard when not using them, always have them on display, that way they will always nag you to get some work completed and sent off.

Open up a Google blog (or any blog) and use the blog to upload your work assignmets. Its easy to just send your tutor a link to your latest assignment rather than attaching photos to emails etc.

(y)(y)
 
Quaker said:
Dont hide your folders away in a cupboard when not using them, always have them on display, that way they will always nag you to get some work completed and sent off.
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Good point! They're sitting out in full view at the moment, I was really tempted to start studying tonight but I'm in the middle of a really busy week and too tired to concentrate fully and I'll have a lot more time next week so will start then.

Quaker said:
Open up a Google blog (or any blog) and use the blog to upload your work assignmets. Its easy to just send your tutor a link to your latest assignment rather than attaching photos to emails etc.
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Good tip, thanks. :D
 
This a great thread, it took me most of the afternoon to trawl it yesterday and it's really spurred me on to take a course to improve my very amateur skills. I just need to work out where the funds are going to come from for me to sign up.

Good luck to all those who are going through the course at the moment, it's inspiring to see & hear your thoughts and experiences.
 
Online courses are a waste of money in my opinion, all the information is available to you for free, on the internet, just do a bit of searching/reading and go out and practice.

I don't think anyone can teach a person to be creative. You either are, or you aren't.
 
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Laffles said:
Online courses are a waste of money in my opinion, all the information is available to you for free, on the internet, just do a bit of searching/reading and go out and practice.

I don't think anyone can teach a person to be creative. You either are, or you aren't.
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with all due respect unless you have actually spent the time to complete this course, which by you comment it would seem you havent, I dont feel you are really in a position to make that judgment.
I have almost completed this course and although you may be correct in saying all this information is available online for free, there are also hundres if not thousands of pages of information that is complete and utter cr+p. this course has been fantastic and i have learnt a lot i didnt know and feel it has been worth every penny, as do almost every other participant of the course.

Leon
 
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