Are photography classes worth the money or should I save money and just buy a book?

[Cameranoobie]

Im not talking a 2 or 3 year course but a 2.5 hour, once a week class for 8 weeks. $265.

 

[BobSC]

Photography is a skill. You can't develop any skills I'm aware of to a high degree without a teacher.

Books are good, and you can learn a lot from books, but a book can't look at your photo and make suggestions about what you should do differently next time. People on discussion forums kind of can, but the results are pretty mixed.

 

[John_A_G]

It really depends. A lot probably depends on the course curriculum and how well that matches your individual goals. Interactive learning is always the best approach, BUT that's only good if the class objectives and yours are in alignment. If you grasp concepts quickly you may find a course moves much too quickly for you. However, if photographic concepts are difficult for you to grasp a teacher will definitely be of help. But, if I were you I would get a hold of the syllabus for the class and/or talk to the instructor to see what will be covered and what the pace of the course is.

 

[happysnapper64]

I can endorse what John & Bob said about checking the outline of the course. My friend & I signed on for a "Digital Photography For Beginners" evening course at our local tech college. 2hrs once a week for 9 weeks. There were about 20 enroled in the class, but only 1 instructor, a Croation girl who spoke OK but somewhat broken English. She had no time for 1:1 for everyone, which was what many of us needed. We then were told that the course would consist of 1 session of how to use the cameras settings, then 8 weeks of photoshop!! Threst of the story is too long to go into, but my friend & I left after 3 weeks & never went back. This is just a cautionary tale saying what John & Bob advised. Check the ittinery first before you sign up. BTW. It's not that we were against PP, but we had only just got our cameras & were hoping to learn how to use the functions without resorting to guesswork, then look into Photoshop. We are also both pretty useless with computers, in short, we were learning nothing. A frustrating & costly experience [It cost us £90 each]

 

[AltLens]

Cameranoobie wrote:

Im not talking a 2 or 3 year course but a 2.5 hour, once a week class for 8 weeks. $265.

I know people who went to the local community college and after they graduated had to ask me all kinds of questions about things they should have learned.



I have personally paid for 'classes' from local pro's and found that they may be good photographrs, but not good instructors.



My recommendation is to do what I did and meet other photographers in your area and hang out, go on photowalks and other shooting events, and experiment a lot. You have nothing to lose by setting the white balance, for example, way out of whack for what "should be" and seeing what happens, then setting it to the opposite extreme and seeing what happens there, then reading up on what white balance is and it will help you understand the different results.



Based on my method I've grown a body of work over the last 3 or 4 years: http://www.alternativelens.com, and by doing so learned what direction I want to go, instead of trying to determine the direction I want to go then pursuing it. Just get in there and start doing it, and try to surround yourself with others who are doing the same thing.



Now that I think about it, one of the most important steps I took was placing an ad in cragislist seeking experienced photographers I could hang out with and learn from. From that I met someone who really took me through the basics very quickly.



And of course, always come back here and ask questions! You can call me any time. My contact info is on my website.



Dennis

 

[cerberusjf]

I have to agree that it's best to check what the course covers to see if it's what you want before enrolling.. I went on two courses, the first went through the basic camera settings followed by a landscape shoot ( I'm not into that) and the second course we hardly turned our cameras on at all, it was basically a demonstration of software packages.

Books are good, but I found a lot of them to not explain the basics well or just be a collection of pretty photos with the camera settings next to them. I think I learned a lot of the basics from online videos and from reviews and forums.

Maybe it's an idea to join a local club if you can, or look for a 1:1 tuition?

 

[Cameranoobie]

Well i decided not to take it. I asked the teacher if i could attend for free and she said no.

 

[cerberusjf]

Cameranoobie wrote:

Well i decided not to take it. I asked the teacher if i could attend for free and she said no.

She should be able to tell you the course contents for free..

 

[f8BeThereToo]

Cameranoobie wrote:

Well i decided not to take it. I asked the teacher if i could attend for free and she said no.

You don't value the photography instructor's knowledge and time, so you feel entitled to ask for a free ride. I wonder if she had said yes whether you would have been able to summon the motivation to get your butt to class?

In another thread you wrote:

"im too lazy to spend hours learning a new hobby so i know i wont be able to get the most out of this cam using auto 99% of the time ha." (http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3363957#forum-post-50620188)

Me thinks I see a pattern here... And it isn't a flattering picture of you.

It pains me to read thoughtful answers that took the respondents time to write, while your total contribution is two measly sentences. And not a hint that you appreciate the efforts of your fellow forum members.

I hope that people will read this so they won't be suckered into wasting any more time on you. There are other beginners on this forum who are willing to put in the effort required to improve their photography skills. I would prefer to see forum contributors use their valuable time to help them instead of someone who cannot be bothered to lift a finger to help himself.

 

[corneaboy]

I have taken a number of courses at the community college and also from some very good pros. At the community college level the courses are cheap but the variation among instructors is huge. I have had some that were a waste of time but others are dedicated to teaching and a real bargain. You can learn a lot from the feedback of the instructor and other students when they critique your work, which is not possible from a book. Many of the courses have field trips, which may have limited time for each student, but 10 minutes of quality time with a good instructor on site can teach you more than you might learn in hours of reading. Talk to whomever you can about the instructor to get feedback.

A good class can also be fun. Photography should be fun

 

[Dan Marchant]

I was about to post in detail on the benefits to me as a photographer of a class I took. Think I will pass now.

 

[Deleted1929]

If you need personal interaction to learn then you may benefit from it, depending on the nature of the class.

However you might equally benefit from joining a local photography club.

In the end nothing will replace taking your camera and practicing in the real world. A great way to actually learn when to use and apply the things you learn by the simple act of seeing when not using them fails.

 

[Cameranoobie]

MrMojo wrote:

Cameranoobie wrote:

Well i decided not to take it. I asked the teacher if i could attend for free and she said no.

You don't value the photography instructor's knowledge and time, so you feel entitled to ask for a free ride. I wonder if she had said yes whether you would have been able to summon the motivation to get your butt to class?

In another thread you wrote:

"im too lazy to spend hours learning a new hobby so i know i wont be able to get the most out of this cam using auto 99% of the time ha." (http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3363957#forum-post-50620188)

Me thinks I see a pattern here... And it isn't a flattering picture of you.

It pains me to read thoughtful answers that took the respondents time to write, while your total contribution is two measly sentences. And not a hint that you appreciate the efforts of your fellow forum members.

I hope that people will read this so they won't be suckered into wasting any more time on you. There are other beginners on this forum who are willing to put in the effort required to improve their photography skills. I would prefer to see forum contributors use their valuable time to help them instead of someone who cannot be bothered to lift a finger to help himself.

Ive been taking the cams everywhere for the past 2 days, everywhere ive gone and taking pics of random things in public and feels very awkward cause you get a lot of unwanted (and not nessecarily good) attention, people give me wierd looks like im being nosey.

 

[micronean]

I'm surprised that the course materials mentioned in this thread don't cover theory or history.

 

[lnguyenh]

I personally think beginner photo classes are not very useful. A huge amount of information can be found at your local library or on internet, talking to friends, for free. Of course it takes some time and dedication, and an active mindset, it wont come handed to you. I think a lot of people who take these beginner classes just need someone to hold their hand. The fact of paying money is probably somewhat reassuring too. That´s passive.

Once the course is done, you will eventually have to move your bottom from you chair and go take some pictures.

Oh, if you really want a course, check "Creative Live". I think they have a "fundamental course" coming up very soon, and it is free as long as you watch it live.

 

[2lane]

MrMojo wrote:

Cameranoobie wrote:

Well i decided not to take it. I asked the teacher if i could attend for free and she said no.

You don't value the photography instructor's knowledge and time, so you feel entitled to ask for a free ride. I wonder if she had said yes whether you would have been able to summon the motivation to get your butt to class?

In another thread you wrote:

"im too lazy to spend hours learning a new hobby so i know i wont be able to get the most out of this cam using auto 99% of the time ha." (http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/thread/3363957#forum-post-50620188)

Me thinks I see a pattern here... And it isn't a flattering picture of you.

It pains me to read thoughtful answers that took the respondents time to write, while your total contribution is two measly sentences. And not a hint that you appreciate the efforts of your fellow forum members.

I hope that people will read this so they won't be suckered into wasting any more time on you. There are other beginners on this forum who are willing to put in the effort required to improve their photography skills. I would prefer to see forum contributors use their valuable time to help them instead of someone who cannot be bothered to lift a finger to help himself.

Cameranoobie may never get out of the chair, but public forums provide answers to everyone that takes the time to read. Detailed responses may be wasted on the questioner, but usually don't go to waste. I also have been considering some formal training and found these responses helpful. So, thank you.

 

[BoosAngel]

AltLens wrote:

Cameranoobie wrote:

Im not talking a 2 or 3 year course but a 2.5 hour, once a week class for 8 weeks. $265.

I know people who went to the local community college and after they graduated had to ask me all kinds of questions about things they should have learned.

I have personally paid for 'classes' from local pro's and found that they may be good photographrs, but not good instructors.

My recommendation is to do what I did and meet other photographers in your area and hang out, go on photowalks and other shooting events, and experiment a lot. You have nothing to lose by setting the white balance, for example, way out of whack for what "should be" and seeing what happens, then setting it to the opposite extreme and seeing what happens there, then reading up on what white balance is and it will help you understand the different results.

Based on my method I've grown a body of work over the last 3 or 4 years: http://www.alternativelens.com, and by doing so learned what direction I want to go, instead of trying to determine the direction I want to go then pursuing it. Just get in there and start doing it, and try to surround yourself with others who are doing the same thing.

Now that I think about it, one of the most important steps I took was placing an ad in cragislist seeking experienced photographers I could hang out with and learn from. From that I met someone who really took me through the basics very quickly.

And of course, always come back here and ask questions! You can call me any time. My contact info is on my website.

Dennis

I agree with Dennis. I took classes at my local college. I ended up trying to teach it. The instructor was stuck in film, did not understand his nikon digital camera, long story but I was frustrated. He has since retired.....thank goodness.



This is a very kind offer you made Dennis, I may take you up on it myself sometime. I am always trying to learn and challenge myself.



Angie

 

[AltLens]

BoosAngel wrote:

AltLens wrote:

Cameranoobie wrote:

Im not talking a 2 or 3 year course but a 2.5 hour, once a week class for 8 weeks. $265.

I know people who went to the local community college and after they graduated had to ask me all kinds of questions about things they should have learned.

I have personally paid for 'classes' from local pro's and found that they may be good photographrs, but not good instructors.

My recommendation is to do what I did and meet other photographers in your area and hang out, go on photowalks and other shooting events, and experiment a lot. You have nothing to lose by setting the white balance, for example, way out of whack for what "should be" and seeing what happens, then setting it to the opposite extreme and seeing what happens there, then reading up on what white balance is and it will help you understand the different results.

Based on my method I've grown a body of work over the last 3 or 4 years: http://www.alternativelens.com, and by doing so learned what direction I want to go, instead of trying to determine the direction I want to go then pursuing it. Just get in there and start doing it, and try to surround yourself with others who are doing the same thing.

Now that I think about it, one of the most important steps I took was placing an ad in cragislist seeking experienced photographers I could hang out with and learn from. From that I met someone who really took me through the basics very quickly.

And of course, always come back here and ask questions! You can call me any time. My contact info is on my website.

Dennis

I agree with Dennis. I took classes at my local college. I ended up trying to teach it. The instructor was stuck in film, did not understand his nikon digital camera, long story but I was frustrated. He has since retired.....thank goodness.

This is a very kind offer you made Dennis, I may take you up on it myself sometime. I am always trying to learn and challenge myself.

Angie

 

[MaxTux]

MrMojo wrote:

Cameranoobie wrote:

Well i decided not to take it. I asked the teacher if i could attend for free and she said no.

you don't value the photography instructor's knowledge and time, so you feel entitled to ask for a free ride.

Asking to sit in on a first lesson or two (I assume that was the case) before deciding if the course is worth taking is entirely reasonable; especially since there is so much "inferior product" in the marketplace. Deciding not to take the course once that was declined strikes me as a very prudent decision.

MaxTux

 

[AltLens]

MaxTux wrote:

MrMojo wrote:

Cameranoobie wrote:

Well i decided not to take it. I asked the teacher if i could attend for free and she said no.

you don't value the photography instructor's knowledge and time, so you feel entitled to ask for a free ride.

Asking to sit in on a first lesson or two (I assume that was the case) before deciding if the course is worth taking is entirely reasonable; especially since there is so much "inferior product" in the marketplace. Deciding not to take the course once that was declined strikes me as a very prudent decision.

MaxTux

As I mentioned earlier, I paid for a class from a working pro photographer. The class was so bad that when I got an e-mail some time later inviting me to other classes I wrote back and told him why it was bad (lack of preparation, no clear outline, rambling instruction, no clear explanations, apparent lack of understanding beteween the instructor and the models of what was going on or what was expected of them, etc), he actually went back to his online ad and wrote a whole thing on how he doesn't follow an outlline because he wants to keep it spontaneous and tune it to the needs of the class..... Yeah.... Ahem... Well, that wasn't how it worked when I was there. Had I had an opportunity to sit in for even 30 minutes I would never have returned. And he just happens to be a top-notch photographer too. Very good.