Beginner ShawAcademy - Diploma in Photography

[norclaj32]

So for fathers day this year I was given an online photography 'diploma' course with the Shaw Academy. I know my wife had it through Groupon and that it was cheap (£20 I think) and after looking at some of the reviews on the old interweb I was a little sceptical.

I should clarify before I go on that I am a total beginner....only had my DSLR for just over a month, I'm very much still trying to get my head around all the controls and terminology and the various things I should or shouldn't be doing...

So anyway, the course. Its an online based course consisting of 10 modules. 8 of them are live 'webinars' so where you watch a presentation with a tutor talking over the top and you have a messenger type box so the students can interact, ask questions etc. These are also recorded and can be watched back if you can't make the live ones. The other 2 are on demand pre recorded.

So I'm only 2 modules in, the first was very basic and introduced you to the various camera types and the various forms of photography. The 2nd which I did last night was all about lenses and the different focal lengths and angles of view and how that compares to the human eye ... and I have to say I learned so much from that 1 hour lesson .. I actually came away thinking to myself that I now understood something that I had no clue about prior to the course.

I'm really looking forward to the next few weeks and the remaining modules. I honestly believe that I will come out of the other end, a better 'photographer' or at least have a great understanding of the principles of photography and hopefully understand how I can take this camera that I own and actually use it to its fullest.

So if you like me are clueless and new to this topic and want a way of learning at least some of this complicated subject then I would thoroughly recommend one of these courses.

That is all...

Thanks for reading.

 

[Brian_of_Bozeat]

Great stuff, this just goes to show that you don't need to be an "expert" to offer advice to those who are at your own level of competence or just 1 step behind.

Welcome to the forum and thank you for your post.

If you need any help understanding anything from any of the modules (sometimes learning can create more questions than it answers) please ask, there's lots of people on here who will help you.

If you don't mind me asking, Where are you based?

 

[norclaj32]

Thanks for the response Brian.

I'm based in Nuneaton in the midlands.

I have been an avid 'viewer' of these forums for a while now and its clear that there are many people whom are willing to give advice on almost any subject or any question and so I thought I would 'jump on the bandwagon' as it were. In all seriousness, as a beginner (and everyone has been there) its easy to get confused and blinded by some of the terminology used so advice from anyone (expert or not) is hopefully beneficial.

I am sure to take you up on the offer of yours and other members advice when I inevitably have questions of my own.

 

[Neil Nelson]

Hi, I started this course too, although they can't seem to set up their own mics, as on the first two webinars, they had technical issues. I guess for £20 though you can't go wrong..