To the original poster:
I hope you got enough advice already, but just in case you've still not made your mind up.. In my opinion, the course is definitely worth it. I have previously bought an online photo course from another well known photographer that cost considerably more only to be disappointed as the photographer mostly just demonstrated his techniques without very much else...
Mike's "7 Building Blocks of Photography" course is a little different in that it is a real course - complete with weekly excercises..
He concentrates a lot on the thought processes behind making a good image - not just which shutter speed/aperture/ISO combination to use... hopefully you can/will then use this to improve your own photos. I've personally found the course very helpful..
If you just want to know the technical stuff then you can't go wrong with Mike's free youtube videos, as you're already aware he explains things in a fun and easy to understand manner.
The decision is entirely yours
The following is written without meaning to cause offence to anyone:
@
parhole4, WelshNoob & Jayst84: I've been a member on several other forums for some time - one or two for several years (not Photography related), and I'm saddened by the speed at which suspicions/accusations of "commercial spamming" are levied on forums today.. It is a shame that when someone asks for help/advice after only 5 answers someone reacts with "isn't it funny that..." Well, Welshnoob, it's my guess that, were the moderators/admins to check the IP's of the posters they would indeed all be different.. Don't let someone's unfounded suspicions put you off buying the course (although I suspect you had no intention of buying it, really
)
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Jayst84: Why do people pay for photography courses? Well, in my case, it's because at my age and with my lifestyle I don't have the time to hunt all round the internet to discover all the things necessary to make a good image
(I'd rather be out there practising my photography..)
yeah, you can find all about aperture/shutter speed/ISO, etc. fairly quickly - but as I'm sure you'd agree, there's a whole lot more to getting really good/interesting photos than that...
Best Regards
Baldy.