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Hi All

Just wondering if any beginners here have completed the Photography Institute Online course?

http://www.thephotographyinstitute.com. ... ntent=home

I am interested in doing a course and learning about photography and this looks quite good.

I am quite useless when it comes to working things out for myself and enjoy theory along with Prac.

Cheers
Luke

Is Know one able to comment here?

From a quick glance, it appears you get a diploma out of it, but how much it is recognized by other people/companies is not known.

I have never done a photography course, but I know in Canberra there are various community and other groups/organizations that cover photography at various levels (photoaccess is one such place.) Although they don't provide a diploma, they also don't cost as much nor do they cover everything that the Photography Institute covers either. For instance, if you are a beginner and just want to know about the shutter, aperture, ISO, basic digital image processing etc then the Photography Institute course is a huge overkill. Do you really want to know about studios, portfolio creation, agents etc?

How much you can learn via correspondence in photography I have no idea. It may be better to work in a group (semi-formal classroom/lecture environment) and you may be able to learn a bit more than just what the materials they provide as you can interact with the other students. These are the same arguments for correspondence vs classroom learning that always crop up when they are being compared.

If you are not sure about online/correspondence learning, there are probably a lot of web sites out there that cover the camera & photography basics that you could try to see if that means of learning is for you. Some will be free (variable quality) while others may cost (variable quality).

For me, that course is a lot of money, and for a beginner I think, somewhat excessive. I feel there are cheaper options out there, but whether they are available near you I do not know.

Mark P. PS Just doing a quick search on this place and came up with this conversation at whirlpool. The place does not get a good review. However, your mileage may vary.

You might be better off trying somewhere like the WEA or TAFE.
But I haven't used either.

Daniel

Hi Luke...

A few years ago, I looked at doing one of these 'diploma'-type courses. Not sure now who it was through, but was quite expensive and looked impressive in what it covered.

I asked around here, and was advised to hold fire - to tap into the experience of various forum members here - to ask questions, no matter how silly they appeared to be. I'm glad I took that advice - meant I was able to spend the couple of thousand on better/more equipment rather than on a piece of paper.

Don't be afraid to ask here - you'll generally get some really good advice, especially if people see that you're taking that advice on board. Try to get to some of our meets - they're really good for picking the brains of like-minded people, and even trying out some pretty cool gear at times. They're no-pressure occassions, and what you get out of them is really up to you.

The amount you can learn from free online sources is pretty amazing. Ok, you don't get a bit of paper at the end of it, but until/unless you're ready to do something more with your hobby then you have to weigh up the cost-benefit of that bit of paper

I would strongly endorse Sheepie's comments.

What is your goal from this course? What would your expected outcomes be?

IME, most people looking for 'togs will examine their work, rather than worrying about what pieces of paper they happen to have in their pockets. Having a particular certificate does not meant that you're a good photographer: it merely means that you've completed a course, and (probably) spent some money.

Far better, I think, to spend that money on good glass.

Hi All

The purpose of entering into a course was to hopefully speed up my learning as i have no idea!

I would have to admit that i need to pickup the camera and use it more often. I am starting to tink that the comments tabled are probably right. More questions and more action = more gear and less money spent on possibly meaningless courses.

Cheers
Luke

Hi Luke,

I would strongly agree with Sheepie and Gary. Just pick up your camera and start shooting. Start on the AUTO or semi auto modes. When the picture doesn't come out as you wanted, then post it here or any photo site. Ask why. Read a bit of basic photography on the internet. You will be surprised how much you learn in no time! Good luck.

I found the tutorials useful when starting out.

Also combine the reading with shooting, so rather than just reading what the book/internet site says you can try it for yourself.

There is nothing like the click in your brain the first time you set your camera onto Aperture mode and shoot the same subject at f4, f8, f13 and f22 and realise that this is how depth of field works.

The joy of digital photography is that you can shoot your guts out and it won't cost you $14 to see the results of 24 pictures (and if 23 are shit, then delete and shoot some more rather than physically having to throw prints away). And you are going to have to persist - it takes a while before you will take photos that you are happy with straight off the camera. Then, you will have post processing choices which will be defined by your personal tastes and how you want your pictures to look.

It's the kind of thing where the moments of discovery that you experience on the journey are a massive part of the fun.

Some good advice here Luke. I see you're in Sydney (where else would you want to be? ) Sometimes the forum has "mini meets" in and around Sydney. You meet up with some very experienced photographers who, I have found, are only too willing to share advice on all things photographic. It takes a bit of effort to attend these, but it's worth it.

In any case, get out and start shooting, then post your photos for critique.

Regards,

Ozi.

Thanks all for your comments.