Photography Courses - How useful are they?

[rraman]

Hello folks,

I have been into photography for the last few years and now I have been thinking about taking a photography course. But am not clear/convinced how useful the time spent in the course will be as compared to spending similar amount of time on self learning using taking photographs and reading through books/forums.

If you have taken such a course (or know of someone who has), I would appreciate if you can share your experiences with it and whether/how the course helped you sharpen your photography skills.

I am considering either NYIP (http://www.nyip.com) or one from NYU (http://www.scps.nyu.edu/course-detail/X36.9304/20081/digital-photography-shooting-workshop).

Hope to hear your opinion. Thanks in advance!

[bwolford]

IMHO, these schools teach you some fundamentals, available free here and elsewhere on the web; "require" you to take photos of planned subjects, again, just look around here for ideas; and then you can, usually send them to their pros for critque and comment. Plenty of that around here. FREE :)

I was thinking about this for some time and you'll get more out of coming up with your own shoot ideas trying to execute them and then asking for comment here.

[Perry Ge]

Depends on the course, really. I learned most of the technical side myself through books/practice/experience, but courses can explain them pretty well.

To be honest, darkroom courses, which always followed with the prof commenting on my prints, both on the photograph, my technique, and the printing, taught me a lot more than anything else. Lighting courses I've taken have been fun, but have mostly been learning about how different setups work (which indirectly teach you how the light acts on your subject, of course), and learning different techniques.

But the biggest thing I learned in classes was how to approach shooting, my photographic mentality, so to speak. That was invaluable, and old profs with decades of experience really changed my way of approaching photography - in shooting, composing, and what I want the photos that I make to do. They sure kicked the idea that gear is super important way out of me as well.

I think it's well worth it. You don't have to take a course to teach you about the basics, but the wisdom shed by a good teacher who is willing to guide you individually can't really be taught in a book.

[rraman]

Thanks for opinions folks!

[slimninj4]

I have taken an online course at www.proudphotography.com. It was ok $80 was the fee. I am still taking it and need to find more time.

Is it worth it. Hmm. 40% through the course and it seem I rather have someone show me things that do it online.

[Cam101]

As a matter of fact, I was just looking at the courses Bryan Petersen (the author of the popular book Understanding Exposure) gives online.

It would seem that they are great courses, based on the reviews. A little on the pricey side as far as im concerned (for an online course) im sure there is a wealth of information be be gained by having your work critiqued by Mr. Petersen himself.

However, as was mentioned above, some of the more experienced members here at POTN give fantastic insight and tips to us rookies who are just starting out.

[Jamie Holladay]

As a matter of fact, I was just looking at the courses Bryan Petersen (the author of the popular book Understanding Exposure) gives online.

It would seem that they are great courses, based on the reviews. A little on the pricey side as far as im concerned (for an online course) im sure there is a wealth of information be be gained by having your work critiqued by Mr. Petersen himself.

However, as was mentioned above, some of the more experienced members here at POTN give fantastic insight and tips to us rookies who are just starting out.
Do you have the link?

[Cam101]

Sure do.

http://www.ppsop.com/

And here is the link to Bryan's personal page... there are truly some stunning pics to be found there.

http://www.bryanfpeterson.com/

In retrospect... I take back what I said earlier about the courses being pricey... I would think the amount of knowledge gained would be worth the amount paid.

[Jamie Holladay]

Thanks.

[xububba]

While I have not taken anything really formal, I did complete a People and Pet Photography course at a local recreation center and am now taking a portrait lighting workshop from the same instructor.

I have found it to be very beneficial. I find myself being very motivated by the assignments, and am spending more time shooting/learning and less time reading about shooting and learning if that makes sense. Also, being able to see other people's work and talk about it firsthand has really helped.

Not sure if this is what you were looking for, but it is my 2 cents...

Mike

[_aravena]

If you're talking about college courses, most I've seen are a joke. I walked into one and I was sitting their bored as they taught you with very little interaction t first. Later they did, but I stop going by then.

[DaVinci]

Sure do.

http://www.ppsop.com/

And here is the link to Bryan's personal page... there are truly some stunning pics to be found there.

http://www.bryanfpeterson.com/

In retrospect... I take back what I said earlier about the courses being pricey... I would think the amount of knowledge gained would be worth the amount paid.

This looks like a really good setup, anyone know if there is anything like this in England?

[atomick]

There's another alternative: create your own course.

This is only applicable to a certain skill level, in that you have to "know enough to know what you don't know," but if you spent $200 on books instead of one class, imagine how much reference material you'd have. Many books, such as Light: Science and Magic (http://www.amazon.com/Light-Science-Introduction-Photographic-Lighting/dp/0240808193/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200065912&sr=8-1), have chapters that you could practically follow along with as if you were in a class. Strobist.com even has assignment series titled "Lighting 101" and "Lighting 102" that are easily followed as if they were real courses...for free. This approach is only appropriate for the self-motivated. :D

That said, I've taken one-day seminars in photography but not ongoing classes. Those have been pretty hit or miss. I want to sleep during the presentation portions of such events (given the HUGE variance in student skill levels, the lectures are often super remedial), but I do get some value out of being in the field with a pro asking questions as we shoot. It's been a real mixed value for me.

Don't take these suggestions as trying to dissuade you from taking a real course. I'm not down on formal class teaching, and the organizations you're looking into have arguably the best reputations. But wanted to throw out there some alternatives to get you thinking more broadly about how you learn and what the possibilities are. Chase Jarvis certainly isn't suffering for being totally self-taught!

[yogestee]

I spent 4 years studying Commercial Photography at the Sydney Institute of Technology resulting in a Diploma of Fine Arts (Photography)..Bearing in mind that was in the 80s pre-digital days..I was taught photography as a science learning Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics etc..Another disipline I was taught was to read and work from artist's layouts which is handy if a client requires a very specific result..These skills I have transferred easily to digital..The teachers at the College were all ex-professional photographers some ex-military photographers with decades of experience..

What I'm trying to say is that the basic knowledge of photographic techniques like composition, relationship between exposure and development (pre-digital), lighting principles etc is vital if you want to take good photographs..Sure these can be self taught..

What separates a professional from an amateurs is that a pro can shoot what is asked of him/her to shoot by the client and not shoot what he might think the client wants.. Makes sense??It all comes down to disipline..Shooting what you want to shoot is easy..Shooting what a client wants is an entire different ball game,,this is where most amateurs fall in a heap..

I have been making a good living out of photography these last 28 years..The skills I have learned from formal training have been invaluble to me..

Jurgen

[rraman]

Thanks a lot everyone for your opinion!

[tdp]

I'm the type of person that does much better if I'm learning in a structured environment. I've taken 2 community classes that were more like ungraded workshops, and they were very helpful with allowing me to explore and learn to use my camera and the Sunny 16 method.

After that I took a class at a local community college that was B&W printing. I feel that my photography, has improved tremendously from these classes. I'm planning on taking another course in the spring.