Photog Courses - UK

Hi,

Looking into doing a summer or evening course in photogrpahy.

The only problem is what to go for?

HND

AS/A2

GNVQ

Other?

City and Guilds are great, they have just revamped their courses. i just finished the level 2 course, and will be doing level 3 in September.....the new course are much more up tp date and about digital so my advice 9for what its worth) is to do an evening course at a local college that do City and Guilds its a vocational course and will be really useful to you.

I'm combining photography into my degree, but I'm very interested in the City and Guilds courses myself. Great to hear someone who's had some positive experience from them!

Good luck with your search, Matt.

Its not perfect but City and Guilds ahve at last realised that Digital is here to stay and have revamped their courses for September so now is a really good time to enrol on a city and guilds course in photography.

City and Guilds would be great - it's just hareder to find a college or uni in my area that does it. Would have to travel to Sheffield to do it.

Speak to Chesterfield College Sando. I studied on City and Guilds, AS/A2 level courses there. The studio's huge, facilities darkroom wise as well as digitally are pretty useful too. The number of people who wanted to return year after year to do courses there prompted changing photography courses for the evening slots over the last few years so the same hardcore clan could keep returning. Ask to speak to either Andy or Dave (my photographic saviour) and just see what they say. Unlikely Dave's there as much as Andy.

FWIW, my opinion is that C&G courses teach you the technical knowhow very well, and the A level stuff has little emphasis on technique, just the artistic process associated with working on a project. Trouble is the A level course doesn't teach you to be an artist either, just to start thinking. Being an artist is something you can cultivate away from the colleges completely if you so wanted. It so happens that Dave at that college is more than capable of instilling that into if you're the right student, and happens to be a god with the technical stuff too. He's your evening lecturer, Andy does days and is an artist first (loose definition), technical knowhow second.

Depending where in Derbyshire you are, there are other places to try too. Derby Uni had a big darkroom and some decent studios, and they've opened a new building since I graduated too which I think has new photographic facilities. Derby college also do it I think.

Basically though, C&G for technique, A level for a half-assed attempt at being a thinker. Despite being at the college for two years on that course, I never sat the exams, instead using the facilities and knowhow/people and concentrated on my degree.

My experience of NVQ's and HND's is based on non-photography courses I've done. NVQ's are all about paperwork and nothing to do with the skill IMO, and aren't worth the paper they're written on. Sheffield has Norton college which runs a HND in photography which seems very thorough. An ex of mine finished it nearly two years ago and loved it except for the digital aspect, but she is a technology luddite so...

For degrees if you ever go that far, Derby Uni do a well respected art photography degree, but it puts focus in my opinion on pontificating and not talent. I saw a lot of work from this year's graduates and it sucked. Poorly taken photos with yards of bull to justify it. They also do a commercial video and photography (you can choose your speciality) course run by a bloke called Chas who, if you put the effort in will reward you with good tutoring. I hated the uni though. Red tape and excuses.

My sister's just graduated from the Falmouth college of arts in Cornwall in graphic design, and I saw their degree show for their photographers (the uni I originally intended on going to) and it was the most impressive exhibition I've seen ever, bar one or two bits of photography at Tate galleries.

Take comfort though in the fact that there is a large and in some cases deeply talented body of photographers in Derbyshire to tap into. There are some truly dire types operating out of the Matlock/Bakewell/Buxto​n area too. I know a lot of them so shout up if you want any further info.

I'll be quiet now.

Thanks very much Dave, Im in Chesterfield, so studying at Ches College would be grand!

I'm interested in the City & Guilds but couldnt find any mention of it on their on-line prospectus, I have 6 weeks off work next week so I'll pop down. Do you have the surnames of Andy and Dave?

I would like to do an A-level although, as you say, I don't think it'd be exactly what I'd be looking to get out of it.

I have (if I may say so myself ) a great understanding of the technical aspect, and I'm not too interested in studying 'the old masters' so-to-speak (not through ignorance, but I don't believe you can teach understanding like that, you have to do it yourself - for example, in Eng Lit GCSE... everyone hated the books we had to study - but now I can appreciate them and read them for pleasure and gain more understanding that way), I'd really just like a certificate that says "I officially know what I'm doing" and hopefully make some great friends and contacts in the process.

Would you say C&G sounds right for what i want out of it?

I'd say the city and guilds course is about right for what you say your looking for, its very much a hands on course with assignments and stuff....there's quiet a lot of work to get through and you'll have to do most of it in your own time.

Google City and guilds, you'll find the main city and guilds site, then search photography, you need to look for level 2 ...level 1 is a 10 week course that is very basic...your probably beyond that, and you cant do level 3 until you've passed level 2......it is on their web site it just takes a bit of finding.

Thanks Dawn... good ole Google!

sando wrote in post #3571899
I have (if I may say so myself ) a great understanding of the technical aspect, and I'm not too interested in studying 'the old masters' so-to-speak (not through ignorance, but I don't believe you can teach understanding like that, you have to do it yourself - for example, in Eng Lit GCSE... everyone hated the books we had to study - but now I can appreciate them and read them for pleasure and gain more understanding that way), I'd really just like a certificate that says "I officially know what I'm doing" and hopefully make some great friends and contacts in the process.

Would you say C&G sounds right for what i want out of it?

I thought I knew a lot of the technical stuff til I went into the college too. Wrong. There is a large section to the course where you go over what you'll already know, but it's covered in a manner where it explains why you're doing it. I also found learning how to use a traditional darkroom very very handy. Certainly explains why a lot of the things in Photoshop work like they do. Everyone should do it.

I can't remember Andy's second name, Dave White is the evening lecturer but for the love of god if you mention I told you of him, don't pester the bloke or I'll get some ribbing next time I see him. There's a technician there too called John, who seems to made a wage for the last few years from doing precisely nothing, so avoid him like the plague. As said before the evening classes have changed over the last few years, largely to keep the hardcore students in and allow them to reapply, but in some cases because the higher level C&G course structures required a rethink as to how the photography department would have been needed to be set up. I'm not saying they'll run C&G this year, but in my opinion I went into Dave's classes quite a few years ago as a clueless know-all who thought he'd got it wired, and came out a photographer. I largely attribute everything I know about the subject to him, and in my opinion any course with him is worth doing, particularly if you can let him see you want to learn, as many students don't really these days.

And to mention something raised in another thread, I was born and bred in Chesterfield for my sins, and only last August moved to Glasgow. There can't be that many Sandersons kicking around in Chesterfield, I'm suprised we haven't crossed paths.

manipula wrote in post #3573167
I thought I knew a lot of the technical stuff til I went into the college too. Wrong. There is a large section to the course where you go over what you'll already know, but it's covered in a manner where it explains why you're doing it. I also found learning how to use a traditional darkroom very very handy. Certainly explains why a lot of the things in Photoshop work like they do. Everyone should do it.

I can't remember Andy's second name, Dave White is the evening lecturer but for the love of god if you mention I told you of him, don't pester the bloke or I'll get some ribbing next time I see him. There's a technician there too called John, who seems to made a wage for the last few years from doing precisely nothing, so avoid him like the plague. As said before the evening classes have changed over the last few years, largely to keep the hardcore students in and allow them to reapply, but in some cases because the higher level C&G course structures required a rethink as to how the photography department would have been needed to be set up. I'm not saying they'll run C&G this year, but in my opinion I went into Dave's classes quite a few years ago as a clueless know-all who thought he'd got it wired, and came out a photographer. I largely attribute everything I know about the subject to him, and in my opinion any course with him is worth doing, particularly if you can let him see you want to learn, as many students don't really these days.

And to mention something raised in another thread, I was born and bred in Chesterfield for my sins, and only last August moved to Glasgow. There can't be that many Sandersons kicking around in Chesterfield, I'm suprised we haven't crossed paths.

Thanks very much, I'll give them a shout this holiday.

You havent a brother called Dale or a sister called Chloe do you? They're just 2 Sandersons I know who have a brother called David...

Is there a C&G course at Chesterfield?

I really want to do this course and I asked last year and was told this was not a course they offer but it appears that there was a last minute change...i.e. people are doing it even though it was not advertised or even the course that people enrolled on!

I have asked if they are doing the C&G again in the next academic year and again they do not know. Bizarrely it depends on how popular the course is...a course that is not advertised..?

How difficult can it be to enrol!?

Mike Barber wrote in post #5284651
Is there a C&G course at Chesterfield?

I really want to do this course and I asked last year and was told this was not a course they offer but it appears that there was a last minute change...i.e. people are doing it even though it was not advertised or even the course that people enrolled on!

I have asked if they are doing the C&G again in the next academic year and again they do not know. Bizarrely it depends on how popular the course is...a course that is not advertised..?

How difficult can it be to enrol!?

It can be very difficult to enroll on any photographic course at Chesterfield College. When I was there 70% of the guys who were enrolling were queueing outside the door before 9am on enrollment day #1. As far as I'm aware (I'm still in touch with Dave but we haven't spoken about his courses in a while) there's still a C&G beginning photography course going on, but the higher levels were canned in favour of a different course from a differing assesing body, simply because the requirements upon the college in terms of resources to provide a complete C&G advanced programme are huge.

IMO, if you want the evening courses, as in the C&G, get hold of Dave himself and ask him directly. Andy is as far as I'm aware still the guy to speak to about courses during the day.

The technician there is I think, still a guy called John, who's a clueless oik so avoid him like the plague. There is also a young chap called Evan who I know has done some teaching at Chesterfield, and he would be an amazing guy to study under. Good friend Evan, and my god does he know his stuff.

Hope that helps.