Have you ever taken a photography course?

I just voted - Yes, it really helps and would do it again. You can learn a lot on your own with the internet but you can't beat classes with human interaction.

For me, taking courses were of great benefit despite the information being readily available online. Having basic photography concepts presented in a structured format really helped me retain the information that I had read previously but couldn't soak up. I've also been very fortunate that my instructors were very knowledgable and engaging, not to mention professionals of their craft. As an enthusiast, I believe taking classes help me appreciate photography as a hobby as well as respect photography as a craft for those who truly excel at it.

I took a course in college, but didn't think that the info gained was worth the time & money invested because the course didn't cover my major interests.
OTOH, I've been to a few seminars by working photogs that were well worth the time.
The absolute best class, was working with the established photographers when I was an assistant
in Detroit. Inspiring photographers

I studied commercial photography at college level from 1986 to 1990. 10 hours per week face to face, including four hours practical. Chemistry, physics, mathematics and small business practices (one semester) which was taught in the last year.

Thoroughly enjoyed the course,, but heaps of hard work.

if you want to apply for a job in "corporate America" that involves photography in any "professional" sense, then hell yeah, go for a college degree!

If you are in it for a hobby, then have fun, and take a course if you feel like it!

out of curiosity - for all of you who took lessons of some sort (informal or formal)
were you "forced" or forced to learn (and I am speaking of recently)
on film cameras and in a dark room first?

It is one of the reasons why I am avoiding some things - is that they state that at least one semester if not more - that they want us to learn dark room techniques and film....

first of all, I am not interested in acquiring the hardware (even if it is minimal to zero cost nowadays) and second of all - I am a hobbiest - I want to be a good hobbiest, but I am a hobbiest all the same.... the moniker "GWC" is not insulting to me....it is an accurate description! Now I just want to be better and ... digital!

ceriltheblade wrote in post #14543769
out of curiosity - for all of you who took lessons of some sort (informal or formal)
were you "forced" or forced to learn (and I am speaking of recently)
on film cameras and in a dark room first?

It is one of the reasons why I am avoiding some things - is that they state that at least one semester if not more - that they want us to learn dark room techniques and film....

first of all, I am not interested in acquiring the hardware (even if it is minimal to zero cost nowadays) and second of all - I am a hobbiest - I want to be a good hobbiest, but I am a hobbiest all the same.... the moniker "GWC" is not insulting to me....it is an accurate description! Now I just want to be better and ... digital!

I did my course during predigital times, all practical was done using 4x5. The college had a couple of fantastic studios and each studio had four separate darkrooms,, two for negative processing and two for printing. I attended the Sydney Institute of Technology which at that time was part of the government run Technical And Further Education (TAFE) system. The college is now called the Sydney University of Technology.

When I enrolled we had 140 students in my year in the course, by the start of the second year about 60. Students dropped like flies. Only 32 graduated after the fourth year,, it was a bloody tough course. We just couldn't enroll. We had to submit a portfolio and had a 30 minute interview. The interviewer tried to talk us out of enrolling.It was all about discipline, we had to have atleast 75% attendance and perform. If you didn't perform, expect a meeting with the head teacher.

I was one of the senior members of my year, started at 30 years of age. The older guys did better. I graduated with a Diploma of Fine Arts (Photography).

yogestee wrote in post #14544910
I did my course during predigital times, all practical was done using 4x5. The college had a couple of fantastic studios and each studio had four separate darkrooms,, two for negative processing and two for printing. I attended the Sydney Institute of Technology which at that time was part of the government run Technical And Further Education (TAFE) system. The college is now called the Sydney University of Technology.

When I enrolled we had 140 students in my year in the course, by the start of the second year about 60. Students dropped like flies. Only 32 graduated after the fourth year,, it was a bloody tough course. We just couldn't enroll. We had to submit a portfolio and had a 30 minute interview. The interviewer tried to talk us out of enrolling.It was all about discipline, we had to have atleast 75% attendance and perform. If you didn't perform, expect a meeting with the head teacher.

I was one of the senior members of my year, started at 30 years of age. The older guys did better. I graduated with a Diploma of Fine Arts (Photography).

Yikes! Talk about a drop-out rate. I see by the quality of your photos that the Institute had high standards. I'm not sure if I have the discipline to complete such a course.

ceriltheblade wrote in post #14543769
out of curiosity - for all of you who took lessons of some sort (informal or formal)
were you "forced" or forced to learn (and I am speaking of recently)
on film cameras and in a dark room first?

It is one of the reasons why I am avoiding some things - is that they state that at least one semester if not more - that they want us to learn dark room techniques and film....

first of all, I am not interested in acquiring the hardware (even if it is minimal to zero cost nowadays) and second of all - I am a hobbiest - I want to be a good hobbiest, but I am a hobbiest all the same.... the moniker "GWC" is not insulting to me....it is an accurate description! Now I just want to be better and ... digital!

I know of quite a few who recently took Photography 101 at several schools in the region. One was a community college and two were full time degree program schools. They were in all cases, film based courses with manual cameras.

Yeah you should be afraid of that one semester in the darkroom with film, you might actually learn something useful there.

You can say you'll never shoot film, blah blah blah, and don't need it however I can guarantee you will learn things that apply to digital photography as well because after all photography is photography.

My niece hated her semester in the film class, while she was taking it. She has moved on to more advanced digital courses, but the funny thing is every feek she goes off and shoots a roll to two of film.

My son and daughter both took film based classes, at my urging. I basically told them that if they wanted access to my gear they had to take that course.

My daughter uses her camera in my studio, and my son well he grabs either my F1n or EOS 3 to go out and shoot film.


What was so important to learn in those film classes? They made you THINK your shot through, from beginning to end, after all it is photography 101!

AvailableLight wrote in post #14545284
Yikes! Talk about a drop-out rate. I see by the quality of your photos that the Institute had high standards. I'm not sure if I have the discipline to complete such a course.

Thanks AJ

It was a really tough course but I enjoyed every minute of it. I had been working as a photographer for eight years before enrolling and at the time I was self employed. I already had the basics sorted out and had experience shooting 4x5 before enrolling. The students who found it really tough were the guys (and girls) fresh out of school or those who were made to attend by their employer (mainly newspaper cadets).BTW, newspaper cadets were only required to do the first two years and received a Certificate of Photography.

I even had to relearn how to use log tables after leaving school 12 years before.

harcosparky wrote in post #14545547
I know of quite a few who recently took Photography 101 at several schools in the region. One was a community college and two were full time degree program schools. They were in all cases, film based courses with manual cameras.

Yeah you should be afraid of that one semester in the darkroom with film, you might actually learn something useful there.

You can say you'll never shoot film, blah blah blah, and don't need it however I can guarantee you will learn things that apply to digital photography as well because after all photography is photography.

My niece hated her semester in the film class, while she was taking it. She has moved on to more advanced digital courses, but the funny thing is every feek she goes off and shoots a roll to two of film.

My son and daughter both took film based classes, at my urging. I basically told them that if they wanted access to my gear they had to take that course.

My daughter uses her camera in my studio, and my son well he grabs either my F1n or EOS 3 to go out and shoot film.


What was so important to learn in those film classes? They made you THINK your shot through, from beginning to end, after all it is photography 101!

I am not sure if you are being sarcastic, biting or just funny in regards to your first remarks, but as i said of myself (on many occassions in fact) and of my own free will, i am not interested in certain elements of photography...will that make me a lesser photographer in some eyes....i guess so....but since i am doing this as a hobbie, i see no need to prove myself to anyone but myself, thank you. I dont like film. I dont want to spend my very few precious hours that i have to dedicate to the camera and shooting learning something i know i dont want to learn. And on top of it, i am a big enough boy to decide for myself and i am not sure that there is any reason in the world to expose oneslf to the various chemicals and techniques of the darkroom just to learn full manual on a camera. (But that could be my own ignorance showing through)

ceriltheblade wrote in post #14545866
I am not sure if you are being sarcastic, biting or just funny in regards to your first remarks, but as i said of myself (on many occassions in fact) and of my own free will, i am not interested in certain elements of photography...will that make me a lesser photographer in some eyes....i guess so....but since i am doing this as a hobbie, i see no need to prove myself to anyone but myself, thank you. I dont like film. I dont want to spend my very few precious hours that i have to dedicate to the camera and shooting learning something i know i dont want to learn. And on top of it, i am a big enough boy to decide for myself and i am not sure that there is any reason in the world to expose oneslf to the various chemicals and techniques of the darkroom just to learn full manual on a camera. (But that could be my own ignorance showing through)

If I had the time I wouldn't mind learning about film, darkroom, etc. Even as a hobbyist, I'm open to everything that would make me a better photographer. The key is time and I don't have much of it unfortunately.

i have taken 2 classes at a local college... i know i can get answers on POTN, google and youtube..
however to have an instructor answer your specific questions of the sort is nice..

in addition they gave us money making tips... some I just need to implement...

ceriltheblade wrote in post #14545866
I am not sure if you are being sarcastic, biting or just funny in regards to your first remarks, but as i said of myself (on many occassions in fact) and of my own free will, i am not interested in certain elements of photography...will that make me a lesser photographer in some eyes....i guess so....but since i am doing this as a hobbie, i see no need to prove myself to anyone but myself, thank you. I dont like film. I dont want to spend my very few precious hours that i have to dedicate to the camera and shooting learning something i know i dont want to learn. And on top of it, i am a big enough boy to decide for myself and i am not sure that there is any reason in the world to expose oneslf to the various chemicals and techniques of the darkroom just to learn full manual on a camera. (But that could be my own ignorance showing through)

Was a bit of sarcastic humor.

But in all honesty, the point is this. From that film course you should take away from it a lot more that dealing with film and chemicals. Everyone that I know who has taken the course said they came away with a different eye for photography. That shooting, processing, printing film gave them cause to slow down and think things through completely, and thus made them better.

I know two accomplished photogs ( both work for media outlets here shooting sports and other events.)who took the film course and even they said they will never be shooting film because their work demands immediate results but taking the course helped to improve what they do.

You do what you feel is right for you, that's all you can do.

Yep, in high school. I learned how to take a piece of enlarger photo paper, tape it to the back of a quaker oatmeal carton, put a pinhole in the cardboard in the front, and put masking tape over it. I then took pictures with it.

Never really had much use for this device in real life, tho.

So no, based on my experience I cannot recommend photo classes or workshops.

On the other hand, in electronics class I learned how to let the piece being soldered melt the solder (as opposed to melting it with the soldering iron). This information has been useful all my life.

So yea, electronic workshops are useful and recommended.

In summary: photo workshops - bad, electronics workshops - good