Photography Courses?

[The_KiD]

are photography courses worth the money?

I am a complete beginner in the photography world and was wondering whether you guys would consider a course in photography as money well spent? or whether it is better to get out there and just shoot stuff and play with the settings?

 

[Jotun]

I think the best thing to do is to have a bit of a read up on few aspects such as composition, and what different settings do, flick through your camera manual and get stuck in
Currently my sister is doing a photography course, and I've talked to her about a few things. Turns out I knew a little more than she did just from reading a couple of websites - from what I gather she had been taught the technical aspects and only seemed to have briefly touched on composition.

There are some good links in the sticky, one I found particularly useful is here.

Of course if you're thinking about a career in photography then a course might be better if you get a recognised qualification at the end.

The best way to improve your photography skills is to just get out and take pictures. You can ask for criticisms and where you can improve from plenty of people, including the members of this forum.

 

[The_KiD]

Thanks for that, not after any qualifications, just want to take some decent photo's for personal pleasure

 

[Alex53]

I did both at the same time.

I browsed for sites explaining all the basics like aperture, shutter speeds, ISO, depth of field, etc. and got a book (the little book of photography), but also my local camera club was doing a weekly 14 lesson course and at £20 it was money well spent.

It was useful to see a lot of what I had read confirmed and demonstrated by a guy who knew what he was talking about, and there were a couple of extras like a group studio session with a model and a darkroom lesson that no book or site can have. It also introduced me to the club, which I am now an active member of (and webmaster www.gibps.com), so there is the social aspect too.

What I wouldn't do is spend a large sum of money on a profitmaking course. You might aswell spend it on lenses or a better camera, or the endless list of useful accessories you can buy.

 

[eveyuk]

I think digital has reduced the value of these courses, it doesn't cost anything to mess up a shot nowadays.

Read read read and practice practice practice. Also look at sites where people exhibit and critique each others work to get the hang of what makes a good image.

Good luck!