Thought I’d heard it all .

[blacksheep]

That grant wouldn't be from CareersWales would it?

Think it was through ReAct but not 100% sure

Gotta give the guy credit for trying though because he could just have choosen to stay on the dole and to be very honest one of the best photographers that I know only got a dslr after 2 years of using a canon bridge camera and she has done photo shoots with elton john,amir khan,jeremy clarkson and loads of other celebs with no dslr so I personally wouldnt be too quick to judge or gloat.
He may be destined to fail but he is trying and thats great.

Got no problem with anyone wanting to get back to work or re-train in a new career but this blokes motivation for becoming a photographer was to make loads of money and get paid to take pictures of naked women.
There were a couple of other people on the course going self employed because their children are now in school long enough that they can go back to work, and they were having no luck getting any funding - and they had a background in their chosen careers and a good business plan but because they weren't made redundant then the same help isn't available.

 

[paulc]

He must be pretty dense if he is going into it blind but tapping potential clients up for product photography hardly sounds like noodies to me.lol

 

[inaneredstripe]

definitely in need of the four letter stamp for the forehead then.

 

[jerry12953]

The thing that really got me though was the fact that he's pretty much got a grant sorted for around £5000 worth of equipment and is now looking for help with paying the course fees!
Everyone else on the course are struggling big time to get any help and the one that hasn't got a clue is getting loads of help!

The grant would probably be 40% of £5000.....not the whole amount.

I've applied for a 5d mk2 and new computer for myself and hope to hear soon...

The paperwork is appalling.

And he sounds like a complete d******d.

 

[coljun]

The outlook of this inexpierenced guy seems tobe very prevailent these days. I think probably encouraged by govenment attitudes toward training & retraining.
I was talking to a guy just yesterday who having just completed a 4 week course to be an electrician is now setting himself up as self employed electrician. The course cost him £6000.00 to complete. I have been in the electrical bus all my life, It certainly makes me wonder.

 

[Sparkles33]

It bewilders me how people think photography is an easy money job!

Yes, people want photographs (though I guess with the digital age, fewer people want professional pics as reguarly?) and yes, pictures can be expensive, but how many hours go into x images? Not all that often are images straight from the camera.
An hour shoot, is how many hours processing?

You know what I mean?

I did something for my niece, her Dad thought I'd just pull the images off the camera (whithout so much as looking at them!) and put them straight onto a CD for them. Learned the hard way, - the time before I gave them a disc of not finished images, they enbded up all over facebook!!

 

[HoppyUK]

The fact that this guy appears deluded is no surprise. Same as anyone who thinks that to set up as a mechanic all you need is a box of spanners from Halfords. It happens.

What I find much more worrying is that he appears to be able to get a substantial sum of money to get him started. That's my tax payer's money and I expect those responsible for funding to spend it wisely.

Sure, he should be given help with training, and perhaps a loan for some kit when he has proved competent (sounds like some time in the distant future). But nothing else.

 

[Sparkles33]

I thought that those grants you had to pay back though?

Though I admit I know very little about them.

 

[Wookie]

What I find much more worrying is that he appears to be able to get a substantial sum of money to get him started. That's my tax payer's money and I expect those responsible for funding to spend it wisely.

now who's deluded?

 

[Slipper-one]

The fact that this guy appears deluded is no surprise. Same as anyone who thinks that to set up as a mechanic all you need is a box of spanners from Halfords. It happens.

What I find much more worrying is that he appears to be able to get a substantial sum of money to get him started. That's my tax payer's money and I expect those responsible for funding to spend it wisely.

Sure, he should be given help with training, and perhaps a loan for some kit when he has proved competent (sounds like some time in the distant future). But nothing else.

Ahh Careers Wales the clueless pied pipers of the Welsh unemployed, the blind leading the blinded.

I think the problem here is not so much the guy wanting to be a pro tog but the "experts" na fools advising him and providing the funding.

I suspect most if not all of these so called "business advisers" have never been self employed or actually run a business and yet send guys merrily on their way to potential failure.

The boy might succeed, everyone needed to start somewhere, but with all the well intended but poor advice and money thrown at getting the employment figures right ........ well!

But they do have their success stories....

 

[deadpan]

What is the issue here, that someone without all the tools wants to learn something new?

Or the fact he 'might' be getting a grant towards equipment and training costs?

What the OP really should have done is mentioned to the guy that nothing is simple, rather than come on the internet and laugh at someone for wanting to better themselves(a tad misguided perhaps)

 

[jigga1980]

Blacksheep, you should have offered to be his assistant.

You could tell him that his light thingy didn't go off.

Then superglue it to manual mode, see how he fairs then

 

[swanseamale47]

What is the issue here, that someone without all the tools wants to learn something new?

Or the fact he 'might' be getting a grant towards equipment and training costs?

What the OP really should have done is mentioned to the guy that nothing is simple, rather than come on the internet and laugh at someone for wanting to better themselves(a tad misguided perhaps)

I suspect the OP was more concerned that yet again somebody with no skill or training is setting themselves up as a pro tog. This if it goes wrong can only reflect badly on the rest of us.
Photographers have enough bad press as it is, on telly we are only ever shown as dodgy geezers trying to get some girls kit off, or press togs being invasive. In the real world we are seen as all terrorists or pedophiles, and the number of recent "pro togs" mucking up weddings is making big news even on telly and yet again damaging the industry.
If this inexperienced and totally untrained tog goes out and shoots a wedding and messes it up, the headlines will say Manchester photographer ruined wedding, or something similar, that reflects on all the togs in Manchester (or wherever) not only the tog in question.

 

[treeman]

I think it's worth bearing in mind that just because he has no prior knowledge of photography, doesn't mean he will be a bad photographer. Any more than, just because you or I understand photography, will make us a good photographer.
I know plenty of togs who fully understand all the technicalities of photography, but couldn't produce a pleasing picture if their life depended on it!

He probably shouldn't be criticised for only doing it so he can take pics of naked girlies, I suspect that's how most of the top glamour togs started

And no I don't want lists of glamour togs that didn't start that way, I'm just making a point that might be worth noting.

 

[paulc]

I suspect the OP was more concerned that yet again somebody with no skill or training is setting themselves up as a pro tog. This if it goes wrong can only reflect badly on the rest of us.
Photographers have enough bad press as it is, on telly we are only ever shown as dodgy geezers trying to get some girls kit off, or press togs being invasive. In the real world we are seen as all terrorists or pedophiles, and the number of recent "pro togs" mucking up weddings is making big news even on telly and yet again damaging the industry.
If this inexperienced and totally untrained tog goes out and shoots a wedding and messes it up, the headlines will say Manchester photographer ruined wedding, or something similar, that reflects on all the togs in Manchester (or wherever) not only the tog in question.

I disagree, I reckon if they mess up it makes the consumer more aware of shoddiness and is more likely to drive people towards good recommended photographers who are probably passed along by word of mouth.

I'm a self employed electrician and believe me because of all these scare you witless programs like watchdog and rogue traders people are very savvy when it comes to selecting tradesmen, so I think it would be the same for phtographers which means some real baddies is generally good for the decent set up.

 

[deadpan]

I suspect the OP was more concerned that yet again somebody with no skill or training is setting themselves up as a pro tog. This if it goes wrong can only reflect badly on the rest of us.
Photographers have enough bad press as it is, on telly we are only ever shown as dodgy geezers trying to get some girls kit off, or press togs being invasive. In the real world we are seen as all terrorists or pedophiles, and the number of recent "pro togs" mucking up weddings is making big news even on telly and yet again damaging the industry.
If this inexperienced and totally untrained tog goes out and shoots a wedding and messes it up, the headlines will say Manchester photographer ruined wedding, or something similar, that reflects on all the togs in Manchester (or wherever) not only the tog in question.

Massive chip on the shoulder??

The facts are, take high quality images and deal with clients in a professional manner and you will always do ok.

Beating a newbie with the terrorist/pedophile stick is frankly ridiculous(not to mention very sad given he is not here to defend himself)

Which TV show describes us as dodgy geezers by the way?

This thread puts me right off 'photographers'

 

[neil_g]

Massive chip on the shoulder??

The facts are, take high quality images and deal with clients in a professional manner and you will always do ok.

Beating a newbie with the terrorist/pedophile stick is frankly ridiculous(not to mention very sad given he is not here to defend himself)

Which TV show describes us as dodgy geezers by the way?

This thread puts me right off 'photographers'

have you been on any courses recently by any chance?

 

[deadpan]

Of course

 

[swanseamale47]

Massive chip on the shoulder??

The facts are, take high quality images and deal with clients in a professional manner and you will always do ok.

Beating a newbie with the terrorist/pedophile stick is frankly ridiculous(not to mention very sad given he is not here to defend himself)

Which TV show describes us as dodgy geezers by the way?

This thread puts me right off 'photographers'

There have been lots of threads here with photographers being stopped under the terrorism laws, and people are frequently stopped in London, so frequently the met had to issue new guidlines. The peadophile angle is also well covered, at least one member here was called that just for carrying a camera, thats one of the reasons we have so much trouble taking photos when children are around. At no point did I say that photographer in question was either a terrorist or peadphile.
As for the bad press, try watching any of the soaps, togs are always shown as dodgy, the dodgy tog blackmailing a young model is also a popular storyline with the detective series.
Sadly people don't always work by word of mouth, more often they look in yellow pages or call in a local studio, if they have a bad experience it'll tarnish their opinion of photographers in general.
As for the chip on the shoulder? yes! I don't want numpties getting me a bad name or making it difficult for me to shoot in a particular church because the last guy there made a pain of himself, if thats a problem for you tough.

 

[andya700]

The problem which has arisen since the birth of digital photography, is that many people see this as an easy profession. This has largely happened because of the "instant" nature of the technology. There are those, who think that having a 24 zillion megapixel body, capable of a 7 frame per second burst, coupled with an APO/L/Macro/IS/ZZZ/?? 10 -500mm lens (with a white body of course), will turn you into the next David Bailey.
I was looking in Jessops window the other day, and a group of Chavs stopped and one said "I'm getting one of those soon" (Pointing to the Canon D5). The rest of the conversation was littered with expletives, whilst he tried to explain to his mates how he was going to become a professional photographer. I wanted to get as much information as possible, a few hints maybe, but my wife didn't want to hang around, despite my protestations that I may learn something.
Get a DSLR, stick it on auto, buy a few 4gb cards (half a dozen probably), because you will need them, and start doing some serious aerobics to get that trigger finger toned up, because all you need to do is shoot 500 to 1000 images and some will turn out.
Jobs a goodun'!