what course

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not-a-king

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ant
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Hi,
i have been wanting to do a photography course for a while now. I know the basics, and can sometimes take so pretty good photos, but really want to further my learning. been looking at courses offered in amateur photographer at "only £299" with the offer of CS6 extended for £190.80.
i just dont want to waste best part of 300 quid. searching on line for home study courses, and there a so so many. can anyone recomend one for me.


Ant
 
Ant

I can't comment on the AP courses, but can I suggest you might look at joining a local camera club as an alternative. There will be a wide range of members with different photo interests and outings will be organised, club night, etc which will give you some ongoing practical advice as you develop (no pun intended). On competition nights you can pick up tips from judges on improving things (although that's just the judge's opinion). Most club members are happy talking through how they capture images, etc.

The other area to have a look at would be local meetups (meetup.com) where you can join others taking photos.

Both these routes would get you in touch with other local photographers and get you taking what you like to take. If after a while you decide to spent £300 on a course that's fine but you should also look at evening classes at local schools/ colleges, etc. which might be cheaper but then again you might want to invest that £300 on some equipment.

I took up photography for real about 18 months ago and joined a club about 14 months ago. I think it's made me a better photographer and let me see a wide range of photo styles and made me want to try different things out.

Good luck whichever way you go- sorry I couldn't recommend a course from your original post.
 
If you specifically want to do a course ,better try your local college who may do some basic and intermediate course.Inhave done it in my local college and found it to be useful.Costs less
 
Thank you both for taking the time to reply.
Think I will have another look at joining a club. Have always been a little put off as I at times I can be socially awkward and find it very difficult talking to people I don’t know. However that’s never going to change unless I do something about it.

I agree the £300 would be better spent on equipment, least then I’ll have something to show for it.

Thanks again

Ant
 
not-a-king said:
Thank you both for taking the time to reply.
Think I will have another look at joining a club. Have always been a little put off as I at times I can be socially awkward and find it very difficult talking to people I don’t know. However that’s never going to change unless I do something about it.

I agree the £300 would be better spent on equipment, least then I’ll have something to show for it.

Thanks again

Ant
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£300 spent on equipment, whilst you sit at home feeling you ought to be out learning is a real big waste of money.
 
What course?

Well, As Mr Barrie would say, "Second star on the left... Straight ahead 'til morning."

£300 on gear and no real idea how to use it is just another step on the way to ATG,NI. I'm sure there are some online courses in Basic Photography for rather less than the AP's SPI ones and would be a better investment than another lens or flash. (IMO, of course!)
 
Slapdash said:
The Open University run an online course T189 Digital photography: creating and sharing better images
It lasts for 10 weeks, the next one starts in May 2013.
I think it costs about £160 or maybe a bit more.
You get a copy of Photoshop Lightroom included in the price too (it used to be Photoshop ELements)
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I believe this course is peer led with no input from actual tutors. You do assignments and other students mark it - exactly what you can get on here, at least here you stand more chance of getting feedback from people who have years of experience as opposed to people in exactly the same situation as yourself who may not really know what to look for or how to give advice on where you could improve.

If you have proof of being a student, I believe you can get a student copy of elements for £50 - £60.

Out of curiosity, where abouts are you based ant?
 
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I'm based in wiltshire. most of my photography is done at castle combe race track.
i really wanted a course so i could work towards a qualification, and improve my photos.
i have a copy of elements and use it often, was thinking of upgrading to the full PS, with it being such an extensive programe not sure if ill use it to its full potential. also there is light room.
 
What will the full version of PS do for you that PSE doesn't? PSCS (creative suite) is undeniably more powerful than PSE but do you really need the extra bells and whistles or will the £655 (WEX price) be better spent elsewhere? Not used lightroom but know that many use it and love it.
 
not-a-king said:
i really wanted a course so i could work towards a qualification, and improve my photos.
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If you want a properly recognised qualification as opposed to a 'recognised' qualification (all done in house, no external exam body, where the company will mark and print the certificate themselves and no job asking for a qualification will take it seriously) then your main choices will be either local colleges / unis or the oca. You will ideally need to be looking at a level studies, btecs, certificates of higher education, degrees or possibly city & guilds?

Thoroughly check any company claiming to be offering recognised qualifications, as many actually don't.

There are plenty of companies offering good quality training though, just when they say it will result in a recognised qualification (if you do really want one), take it with a pinch of salt until you've done your own research.
 
just looked at the open uni course, thats now £415.00!!!


Alex, there are so many companys offering home studay courses, with the end certificate holding as much value as one i could knock up on word! not that that would be a bad thing so long as what they were teaching would benifit me. i just dont want to get ripped off, paying £100's for something i could get from one of the many monthly magazines.
 
TBH, you could do worse than follow the courses/guides in the monthlies and see how you think your learning's doing. While there's no doubt that letters after your name can be worth something, they don't necessarily show anything other than that you can write a good essay and pass some exams. A good portfolio is IMO more important.
 
I tried to do a correspondence course in photography but really struggled with the lack of contact/chance to talk about things.

I'm now doing a City and Guilds in photography at a local College as an evening class for 3hours a week at a cost of £300

http://www.themanchestercollege.ac.uk/adults/courses/principles-location-photography-2

I understand you may not want to join a photofraphy club, as this can be intimidating, but at a College course it's different as everyone is in same boat.
 
totally agree Nod, passing exams in anything doesnt prove your good at it.
I find the monthly mag's keep going over the some ground every 12 months or so. seems they just want new customers, rather then progress the ones they already have to a better level.
Steve, the City and Guilds in photography sounds good, will look into that more. had a brief look at some local college courses a while ago, but they were at a very basic level,
 
Shame you're so far away, Ant. On a shelf somewhere, I'm sure I have a year's worth of a couple of the monthlies which (as you rightly say) tend to go over the same ground on a yearly basis. My current clear out continues and if you could pick them up, you would be welcome to them gratis, free and for nothing.

I'm making this offer outside classifieds because it's a giveaway and Ant's post count is (as yet) too low for him to see the classifieds.

BTW, Ant, although the AP SPI course sounds expensive at £299, when you look at the discount you get on PSCS6 extended, even that total price of £489.80, less than WEX's listed price for just the software. As I'm sure you're aware, the cheap CS isn't the only benefit, http://www.spi-photography-courses.com/about/benefits/ . You've missed the free bag offer but if you can wait, there's sure to be a similar offer along at some point!
 
Nod, thank you for the very kind offer, I am however in a similar situation as your self, I have a couple or stacking boxes worth under the stairs, and I pile of “how to” discs nearly 2 ft high!
At best part of a fiver each, I cant help thinking that could have gone on a lens! I now tend to buy them occasionally just to keep up with the new tec, and buy books instead.

To be honest AP’s SPI course with software for less than the listed price for the software was what caught my eye, its like it comes with a free course! There are some features in the full PS that I would find very useful, however I know I wouldn’t use the programe to its full potential, so would seem like a waste. I wasn’t too worried about missing the bag offer as I have 4 already, the last addition being a lowpro slingshot, much easier to carry as it has only 1 strap. Due to a shoulder injury I cant bear much weight on my left shoulder.
 
About 3 years ago now I did the GCSE in Photogrpahy at night school had a great tutor and I learnt a lot. It really gave me a lot of confidence in myself as a phtographer and I met some good friends there. I have also since then taken part in 3 exhibtions at a small local gallery and even had a few sales. If there is a down side to evening classes is it really depends on how inspriring you find the tutor. You are going to had to dedicate one night a week and most likely half a day of your weekend to complete the work. I have since tried another two but the tutor was no where near as good so do some research frist. Have a look at their work online and may be even try and have a chat with them before hand to see what you think of them and if what they will be teaching is what you are looking for. I Have had a look at some online courses but a lot of them seem aimed at learning the basics which if you already have a good grasp on what be much use. I did come across a company who's website is goingdigital (www.goingdigital.co.uk) who run 1 day course's at local venue's. The course look quite interesting so I may give them a go.
 
morph1909 said:
About 3 years ago now I did the GCSE in Photogrpahy at night school had a great tutor and I learnt a lot. It really gave me a lot of confidence in myself as a phtographer and I met some good friends there. QUOTE]



that sounds good, how much did the course cost? also did yo have to have your own printer?
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not-a-king said:
morph1909 said:
About 3 years ago now I did the GCSE in Photogrpahy at night school had a great tutor and I learnt a lot. It really gave me a lot of confidence in myself as a phtographer and I met some good friends there. QUOTE]



that sounds good, how much did the course cost? also did yo have to have your own printer?
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The last thing a photographer should be worrying about is a printer. Whilst you're still learning photography and processing you've got enough on without learning printing too.

Quality printing has never been cheaper than it is today, getting quality prints out of a home printer is something that takes lots of practice and knowledge.
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The course cost around £300 for I think it was a 40 week course. I used a a bulk standard printer nothing fancy for the course work. It isnt the quality of the printing they looked at. For the final exam piece where printing was important the collage provide colour laser printers. So as Phil said dont worry to much about printing, to further highlihgt what he said my last exhibition in Spet I got my printing done by Photobox and had 32 A4 images done for £26. I had them within 3 days.
 
surely we are all still learning photography?

as for home printing, never been a fan. the costs involved are stupidly high, and the amount of ink you have to waste to clean the print heads seems crazy.
have used online print companys to books and the like.

have looked for the GCSE course, nearest one to me is 49.8 miles away, so not really that practical.
 
I'm currently on a evening class for beginners. I know some of the stuff being covered, but there are other bits that I don't. Think it's £130 for a year (School terms) but because I am unfortunately not in work, it's free. I'll be going back next year! It's a great chance to meet new people who want to learn about their camera
 
Take a look at the online photography courses at Udemy, there are several different photography courses, each one has multiple videos (which Udemy call 'lectures')

http://www.udemy.com

Select the 'Arts' category to find the photography courses.
 
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I benefited hugely [and still do when I can afford it] from spending a day with an expert in my preferred style of photography. Usually costs about £150-£200 for a day or so for a nature photographer but I literally went along the first time with no clue and by the end of the day had a good grasp of all the basics. Might be worth seeing if you can find someone who will do the same for track days or race days?
 
I was curious about the 'Going Digital' courses mentioned above. So I look'em up. They're a franchise, and say in their bumph:

What's the minimum level of equipment that will be required?
If you don't already have one, you will be required to buy an SLR camera of your choice
You will need a laptop computer, projector, printer and some software
You must have a reliable vehicle
You will need a small office area in your home

How much can I expect to earn?
The majority of our franchisees enjoy turnover in the range of £2,500 to £5,500 per month.
You may well choose to begin by running your franchise part-time, alongside another job while you build up your sales to the desired level, or you may prefer to continue running the business on a part-time basis, as many of our workshops run on Saturdays or Sundays
You can earn additional income by offering one-to-one and other training in your region
How much will the franchise cost?
The setup cost to run photography workshops (including all equipment) will depend on the turnover history of the region, but will start at £8,500* for a 5-year contract. You will also pay 10% of your ongoing turnover, and a 1% business development levy. We will be working closely with you to ensure that your franchise enjoys the same success as our other regions.
* This includes £7,500 for your Start-up Package and up to £1,000 in equipment, but excludes VAT.
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I make no comment. No comment at all.
 
not-a-king said:
as for home printing, never been a fan. the costs involved are stupidly high, and the amount of ink you have to waste to clean the print heads seems crazy.
have used online print companys to books and the like.
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Define stupidly high! OK, it's possibly not the cheapest option for large quantities of 6x4 prints but for larger (A5+), I'm sure it works out cheaper, especially if you can find a source of cheaper genuine inks. I keep my Canon printer's heads clean by doing a couple or more A4 prints every week - never have to run it through a cleaning routine. Another (major advantage is the immediacy - I can do the 32 A4 prints mentioned below in under 3/4 of an hour and reprint any that need it (after a touch of PP to remove a cast that didn't show up on the monitor for example) and for less than £26, I'm sure.

morph1909 said:
The course cost around £300 for I think it was a 40 week course. I used a a bulk standard printer nothing fancy for the course work. It isnt the quality of the printing they looked at. For the final exam piece where printing was important the collage provide colour laser printers. So as Phil said dont worry to much about printing, to further highlihgt what he said my last exhibition in Spet I got my printing done by Photobox and had 32 A4 images done for £26. I had them within 3 days.
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not-a-king said:
just looked at the open uni course, thats now £415.00!!!


Alex, there are so many companys offering home studay courses, with the end certificate holding as much value as one i could knock up on word! not that that would be a bad thing so long as what they were teaching would benifit me. i just dont want to get ripped off, paying £100's for something i could get from one of the many monthly magazines.
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Only £220.00 if you live in Scotland or Wales :thinking:
 
Some years ago now I attended a course at my local college entitled "Photoshop for digital Photography'

It was a night course that cost £80 and lasted @12 weeks I believe.

By the second week I had realised that it had nothing to do with digital photography and so I never went again.

I did however receive a student card and with that was legible to purchase the top end Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master (that should date it) that retailed for @ £2500 for the princely sum of @ £350

Well worth the £80 course fee...used the student card and college email address for other purchases also.

Should really take a look and see what other photography/post-processing courses they might offer now but always think about it too late when the season is underway...would love to learn more.

I would suggest taking a look at your local college/Uni and check out their prospectus.

Hope that helps?

-=Glyn=-
 
jon ryan said:
I was curious about the 'Going Digital' courses mentioned above. So I look'em up. They're a franchise, and say in their bumph:



I make no comment. No comment at all.
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I should point out i am not affiliated to them at all if that was what you were inferring. The original poster wanted to know about courses he could attend and that is a possible option like many that have been posted here. I have been looking at various courses and came across them as they run courses at the local national trust venue, some where I have been myself.
 
I would strongly recommend doing a theoretical course first - probably GCSE, A Level, City & Guilds or similar at your local FE or HE college. You'll learn to think, visualise, see, light, compose, expose etc before anything else which, IMHO, is priceless. I suspect that many of the more 'commercial' courses out there will teach you what all the buttons do and how to spend money on lots of shiny new kit but, in my view, you're far better off starting with the theory. Believe me, it will stand you in good stead.
 
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