OCA The Art of Photography Course Discussion - Part 2

I could kiss you......lol

Thank you very much for that. No wonder i had issues with the damn thing....

Think i need to go and amend some blog pages though as i ended up having a text box round them, and that makes it look a little untidy.
 
Quick update from chatting with reidy. Don't try to activate cs2 versions online other wise it'll refuse. Chose the I don't want to activate on line option (or the not now option). Works ok for me on windows 7
 
Hi all,

Hope you all had a great Xmas. Mine went a little pete tong as got rushed into hospital last Friday, ended up having an Op this Monday, so with sickness etc I have missed all works parties and still taking it easy.

Time to get all this work sorted out and sent in :) Big thanks to Byker for the help.
 
Byker, that doesn't look good, hope you are ok.

I am just going through my bits now and sorting out my feedback to my tutors comments (I did do it for some of them, but got stuff typed up but didn't publish on my blog). I may have to retake some photos (got slated in the assignment 4), but i am trying to just use the ones from that time where possible. I am getting there but no idea how good the whole lot will be ;-)
 
Met Carol S yesterday at The Taylor Wessing portrait exhibition. Always good to spend a few hours with fellow students and good to see we both struggle with 'art' :) There's some photos on my flickr stream
 
Glad to see everyone is still here! :wave:

I was going great guns with Assignment 1 then hit a wall back in October - I had a couple of days of really lacklustre shooting (which I had specifically taken time off work to do) and felt really fed up with things ... then I got a "chase" email from the OCA (which is a whole new discussion in itself, lol) and I just couldn't focus and get back on track.
Still, I slowly plodded through the exercises and thanks to a great day shooting at Cardiff Bay this week, have now pulled together my images for the assignment and I just need to write things up ... still a lot of work in itself, I realise! If anyone wants to take a look, they're here : http://www.flickr.com/photos/shotbykaren/sets/72157636764523253/

I was still doing plenty of photography stuff like going to exhibitions and I did 2 great workshops, but the thought of writing up all about these was exhausting too! I know I should have come onto here and moaned about lack of motivation (!) and got some advice and encouragement, but it just seemed easier at the time ignoring it all ... did anyone else feel like this so early on in the course ... ???!

Byker/Carol, glad you enjoyed the TW exhibition - I got the email about it but I already had a photo thing in Bristol with my group of friends, so will catch it another time. The OCA SW group went to last year's TW Ex when it was showing in Bristol and we attending a guided talk with an art critic afterwards. Am not sure she really brought anything enlightening to the discussion afterwards to be honest, although a few people got a bit heated about a couple of the images. Have to say I wasn't overly impressed with some of them, clearly chosen to provoke controversy and get publicity I guess ... ;)

Anyway ... I will let you know when I have finished the assignment completely and what the response was from my Tutor (who has been surprisingly quiet about chasing me up on my missed deadlines, which I've actually been quite grateful for!).

K
 
Hello all, I have been reading your posts lately about the BA at OCA. I currently teach Level 2 courses at a college in Canada and I have been shooting commercially in Toronto for close to 30 years. The college I teach at wants me to get a degree to continue teaching so I have looked into this program. Your experiences seem to be positive, just wondering about the length of time it takes to complete each course. OCA has given me TAOP as an APEL credit, so my thoughts were to take the other 2, level 1 courses simultaneously. thoughts?
 
Hi and welcome.

If you've that much experience etc have you seen this? http://www.bipp.com/oca
Get a Bipp 'L' and OCA shave off the first two years.

Otherwise, I'd say stick to one course at a time
 
that's interesting, I have already sent in the APEL for the first 2 years, they only gave me 1 credit, their feedback was that my photography was excellent and "technically" perfect but that my "personal voice" was missing. I am a better photographer than writer. timmcghie.com if you want to see my recent work
 
well thats it, last assignment gone in for TAOP so thats 1 module down (nearly 18 months!) i might finnish the degree before i retire.

http://ashleycottle.co.uk/MyBlog/?p=1261

Just got to get everything ready for assessment now. I reshot a couple of assignments but the tutor gives no feedback on those, has anyone else done the same? What did you submit for assessment both the original and reshoot?
 
Yup you submit everything, so the asessors can see how you have responded, changed etc.
 
My personal view is that there is little point in skipping the courses, and the courses themselves are much greater than the content themselves. In addition like most things it all depends on your approach and how willing to you are to apply yourself

I think you need to ask yourself what is the goal for you in taking the courses and progressing toward a BA in Photography. If its merely having the degree then I'm not sure that having a degree would allow you to win more business as a photographer, likewise the majority of professional photographers do not have a degree in photography yet operate businesses successfully.

I think the main purpose of the degree is not really the qualification at the end but the journey to get there.

In terms of how long does it take...how long is a piece of string. Most people I know doing this are in full time work outside of photography. Everyone works at different speeds and have different work ethics and varying time but the following appears to be a reasonable guide:
Level 1 - 3 modules - may take 12 months each
Level 2 - 2 modules - may take 18 months each
Level 3 - 2 modules - may take 18-24 months each

Of course a degree at a bricks and mortar university may only take 3 years full time

Contact the OCA for further information, they are very helpful
 
FrattonFreak said:
My personal view is that there is little point in skipping the courses, and the courses themselves are much greater than the content themselves. In addition like most things it all depends on your approach and how willing to you are to apply yourself

I think you need to ask yourself what is the goal for you in taking the courses and progressing toward a BA in Photography. If its merely having the degree then I'm not sure that having a degree would allow you to win more business as a photographer, likewise the majority of professional photographers do not have a degree in photography yet operate businesses successfully.

I think the main purpose of the degree is not really the qualification at the end but the journey to get there.

In terms of how long does it take...how long is a piece of string. Most people I know doing this are in full time work outside of photography. Everyone works at different speeds and have different work ethics and varying time but the following appears to be a reasonable guide:
Level 1 - 3 modules - may take 12 months each
Level 2 - 2 modules - may take 18 months each
Level 3 - 2 modules - may take 18-24 months each

Of course a degree at a bricks and mortar university may only take 3 years full time

Contact the OCA for further information, they are very helpful
Click to expand...

Personally, I don't need the degree for my photography business, that has been going strong for over 25 years. I needed it as a technical requirement for the college I teach at. I am a Professor of Photography on a part-time basis in Canada, teaching Level 2 classes, the school requires any BA ( even basket weaving) as a requirement for a full time position. If it can't be completed in 2 years or less then I won't bother spending the money. It was more appealing to take a BA in my area of expertise rather than in something I am really not that interested in.
 
Hi,

Thanks for explaining that. It would appear then that the degree you are after is perhaps just the certifcation to met your College requirement

If me I would ask the college to justify and understand their requirement for why you need a degree, especially if its acceptable in an unrelated field. Is it that the partaking of the degree allows, or makes the college think you more able able to teach photographic degree students? I'm sure for many that the time their degrees were undertaken then, to how degrees work now may be different.

In most junior roles exams and qualifications seem more apt but in more senior roles experience is more apt, at least in my line of business.

I think in your case you need to undertand what you can get an APEL for and what you are then left with to do. Understanding this and understanding your time available to do spend on the delta will probably allow a quick decision.

If I may be honest and I dont mean to be disrespectful it appears that you are simply looking to get the BA degree in as quick time as possible to satisfy a need elsewhere. If you look at the video by Michael Freeman on the OCA website then you will see that he feels that a key output/objective of the OCA Photographic degree course for those that undertake it is to develop their own photographic "voice". Do the course objectives and your objectives match? I get the impression they are not keen to simply offer a fast track path to the degree aqnd if so I would understand this stance.

I suspect a conversation with someone at the OCA, perhaps even a tutor, may answer your questions better
 
Thanks Warren, you are correct about APEL, they turned down my application on 2 of the 3 Level 1 courses because of "Personal Voice". They said the photography was excellent. I wouldn't have had much of a pro career without my photography being excellent. My conversations with the OCA have not been very helpful, I have received virtually no feedback or explanation other than the voice comment. I had the applications looked over by an MFA professor in Canada and he said that I met the course outcomes and that is why I was surprised by my rejection.I thought the end goal was to prepare students for a career in photography. My mistake. The degree requirement is a new government regulation that requires you to hold a higher education credential than you are teaching. My program is a diploma so I am required to have a degree. I am allowed to continue to teach full time hours without being hired full time, but there is not financial benefit or security in this. I am a little nervous about undertaking the degree with OCA because I am unsure of their assessment methods. The UK and Canadian school systems seem to be very different in this regard.
 
Being a bit sceptical, I would say it's not in there interest to let you skip modules because it's less money for them.

In a similar way, they seem to openly say that you have 2 years to complete the modules but I dont remember coming across anything before signing up that says you have to complete the whole degree in under 12 years. I guess this might put people off so they hide it away.

I really enjoyed my first course because I'm still learning and it taught me a huge amount. I plan to do more modules but know I won't now continue to the full degree. I think if I was in your shoes, I'd be looking at other alternatives.
 
Thanks Ian, I am currently looking for an alternative, and I am also a bit sceptical. I also find it a bit shortsighted, I would think a successful "International" graduate would be good for business and could open up many more markets. But what do I know, I have only been in the advertising industry for 30 years
 
This is the most current OCA thread I can find, so I hope it is OK to join in.

I have finally bitten the bullet and signed up today! Having wondered and wavered, looked at other online courses, I decided that this was the one for me. I like the fact that you can build it up towards a degree and that it also combines moving image. There is also the possibility of an MA!

Anyhow, really looking forward to getting started - any thoughts on what I can do whilst I await course materials to arrive?

Cheers

Spooks
 
Spooky, what level are you at? It would be worth having a look at the blogs of members on here.
Not sure if you have it yet but if not get a copy of The photographers eye by Michael Freeman, he wrote the course and is a book you will keep going into time and time again.
Good luck.
 
What did people submit for assessment. I'm reading through the student notes and some of seems contradictory in what needs printing and what can be sent in as a pdf on a memory stick.

I was going to send in prints of each assignment along with a print of the tutor feedback and my responses to that feedback and then have a pdf of all the exercises for each section and a link to my blog so they can check out the extra curricular stuff live gallery visits, book reports and things. I've not used the notebook for any handwritten stuff, just used my blog for everything.
 
Somewhere in this thread I wrote a detailed description of my submissions. Currently on the phone but I'll try and find it tomorrow morning.
 
I submitted TAOP Assessment on DVD with 1 level only directory of the assignments and tutor feedback and a link to my blog. In addition I submitted a printed document detailing DVD content and layout etc

Oh for anyone interested I shot my first Wedding on Saturday which was challenging, fun and hardwork. Subject to the level of risk you are comfortable working with I'd recommend it as an experience and opportunuity to push your boundaries. However you do need to know your camera quite well and prepare and plan in advance. I put a few images up on my flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/61780014@N08/
 
found it thanks :) Im sending prints in, it doesnt seem right just just stick it all on a memory stick and submit that. Found a nice A4 art box off ebay for £15 which is like the silverprint ones apparently so that will save a few quid.
 
I sent mine in today. Prints of all assignments, copies of all correspondence with tutor, a few exercise prints and a stick with pdfs of all exercises, assignments, tutors feedback, my comments to it and changes made. Fingers crossed, I will be happy with the 40% as the written side isn't my strong point.
 
In my view sending in prints when you don't need to just adds another complexity and risk to the submission. There are views on how prints should be submitted, types of finish, paper, borders, alignment of colours to printers colour card etc etc

In the modern digital world the vast majority of digital images are now viewed.....digitally :)
 
I always send prints. There's something tangible about having it in your hand to look at, never mind about the display quality is much higher. I send prints for all exercises, so include them in my formal submission.

Colour matching is easy with a good lab and a calibrated monitor. You really should be using a calibrated monitor. Print submissions just need a border and best to avoid glossy prints because of finger marks, but that's it. I have a template already set up in Lightroom to add borders, select my appropriate colour profile for the lab etc.
 
Hi, can I introduce myself. Michael. retired engineer, been enrolled with OCA for 2 1/2 years. Finished TOAP and DPP now stuck in the mire of People and Place. It's been interesting up to this course. I find my new tutor totally unhelpful and uninterested. I'm out of my comfort zone on people photography anyway.

I have read most of this thread and the previous one with interest.
 
what made you choose people and place then? i took one look at it and steered well clear for the same reasons, the module overview made it look more "people" than "place" so i thought not to bother. You can ask to switch tutors i think.
 
I took people and place because I like taking photos of people, just needed that push to get closer and more intimate. I've no issue in the studio but felt shy in the street etc.
If you feel uncomfortable with your tutor then you should speak to the office. I didn't and regretted it, and suffered accordingly when it came to formal assessment.
 
Hi All,
I finally got round to the point where my first assignment (for TAOP) is nearly ready to send in. I've been a bit slow on this first part of the course simply because of the steepness of the learning curve and all the other new things I've started doing (using new Adobe software/reading lots of photography books/ thinking about going to exhibitions etc) The trouble is I'm not actually sure what I send and to whom! I will put everything on my Blog but I suspect I should be sending something to my tutor in the post. I've not really looked too deeply into this elsewhere so apologies if this has been covered elsewhere previously. I have asked my tutor but haven't heard back yet. Any ideas suggestions. experiences from those who've been there would be most welcome.
All the best
Chris
 
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.
 
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