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  1. #1
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    Photography school...Is it worth it?

    How many of you have taken a photography course or two? Was it worth the time and effort? Did you learn quite a bit? Is the course paying off?

    Thanks!
    "The most dangerous risk of all -the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later." -random Facebook pic that came up on my wall


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  2. Member Revoke36's Avatar
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    #2
    Yes. I took it back before the days of digital photography. I enjoyed it a lot. I dropped out after a couple of years when we started doing studio photography. I hated it. I learned a ton
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    #3
    I too have wondered this. Thought about taking a class now that I am done with my regular studies.

  4. 1/2 of ' team catfish ' ol man river's Avatar
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    #4
    i took a course in jr high. back when we had to use a brownie to capture images ( yeah, ye olden days )
    it was more into the celluloid issues, development techniques and such. had my own darkroom at home for a while….

    i really need to take a digital course one day…when i get some spare time...

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    #5
    I took a non-credit course at the University of Tennessee. It was 6 classes with 2 field trips. It helped me a lot, I just got my first DSLR in June 2013. The class taught me how to get out of auto and start using manual controls. It also helped me to learn some of the "extra functions" of my camera. Well worth it !

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    #6
    How much did that non credit course cost?

  7. Member
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    #7
    I have a kelbytraining membership. I love it. I have probably 90% of what i know now from there. Still got a lot left to learn. That is what I like about photography. You'll never know it all.

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    #8
    I've been wanting to take a non-credit course at our local junior college. This goofy 12 hr shift I work makes it difficult, days off alternate every other week.

  9. Member TightLip's Avatar
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    #9
    With digital photography, the learning curve is so much shorter than it was with film photography. With digital, you take the photo, look, and if it is not what you want, shoot again. With film, you had to rely on your skills to KNOW you had it right when the photograph was taken. That said, the principles are still the same for lighting, posing, etc. These are basic skills that with the right class and right instructor one can easily learn. One thing I always tell people, if you really want to know how to take the best photographs, read the instruction manual that came with you camera and learn how to take photographs in manual mode. Understanding your camera will advance your photography to a whole new level. If you are one who is into theory, go to photography school.
    "I see dead people"

  10. Member
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    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by nosaj2 View Post
    How much did that non credit course cost?
    It was $249. There is a certificate program for photography, but that does not look like something I will try to get.
    Last edited by LM Bass Angler; 12-16-2013 at 05:25 PM.

  11. Member
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    #11
    Quote Originally Posted by TightLip View Post
    With digital photography, the learning curve is so much shorter than it was with film photography. With digital, you take the photo, look, and if it is not what you want, shoot again. With film, you had to rely on your skills to KNOW you had it right when the photograph was taken. That said, the principles are still the same for lighting, posing, etc. These are basic skills that with the right class and right instructor one can easily learn. One thing I always tell people, if you really want to know how to take the best photographs, read the instruction manual that came with you camera and learn how to take photographs in manual mode. Understanding your camera will advance your photography to a whole new level. If you are one who is into theory, go to photography school.
    This seems legit.

    Truth is, I can geek out all day long on theory, but in the end, I just want to be able to take great photos, and eventually be paid for it. Right now, I feel as though my self-learning is coming right along, but I am definitely open to mentorship. So far, I like scouring this forum, youtube, etc for bits and pieces, then learning to apply them in the field.
    "The most dangerous risk of all -the risk of spending your life not doing what you want on the bet you can buy yourself the freedom to do it later." -random Facebook pic that came up on my wall


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  12. Member
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    #12
    I have been a professional photographer for 30 years. My advice would be to got on youtube or vimeo , learn the basics and take a digital camera out and shoot, shoot, shoot. Learn the basics of photoshop or another program to manipulate the photos you take and have some fun doing it. Make some notes of what you did and try to improve. Digital cameras and photoshop are very forgiving. Also, if you see something that is important to have a good photo taken of it, use manual mode and experiment a lot!

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    #13
    I took a class as an elective. It was ok, I'm not an art brained person so some of the assignments were just stupid to me. I did learn a ton of technical aspects though. I think the class complimented me taking tons of photos everywhere I go and I believe my pictures are better because of it.

  14. Member bugman's Avatar
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    #14
    Never have had a class but tons of videos and reading online to learn stuff. I use to take pictures of the tv to practice different things. Been at it 18 years now. I shoot all kinds of things and have a studio.All started with my daughter and tee-ball.I do a lot of sports and banners for local high schools.

  15. Member Fish_4_Five's Avatar
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    #15
    Absolutely no need for photography school Not with the free resources, and groups online. You can learn the technical side online. And if you want to do it professionally business and marketing is what you want to take in school.
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  16. Banned
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    #16
    You pay for Knowledge. Any thing that you enjoy is worth spending some money on knowledge of that subject.. Community College would be my First choice for good education at a cheap cost. Check out Continual education or Adult education or call the administration dept for advice. City library or Park districts also offer short(2 to 8 wks) once a week classes in my area. Best of Luck.

  17. Member
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    #17
    I have taken several outdoor field classes that helped me. They focused in on composition, lens selection, filter selection, etc.

    All were less than 8 hours and required no study and preparation.

    I love photography, but the technical aspects of photography really don't interest me much. I have good equipment and I normally use the "P" setting and 90% of the time, I let the camera make the decisions. But those field classes I took really helped me in my landscape photography.

    So these mini classes maybe a great alternative to taking a full time class.
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  18. Member
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    #18
    I really like photography and I think it's worth it if you want to get more pleasure of the process.

  19. Member
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    #19
    There is a huge difference between people who just like to make pictures and those who actually go to a school and make living with the photography. If you are a beginner and consider photography as a hobby (for now) check different blogs and articles , like this one for example https://nygal.com/model-release-in-p...-need-to-know/ . You can't imagine how many great tips you can learn fro, there and improve your skills already today.
    Last edited by RockOn; 11-17-2022 at 02:30 PM.

  20. Member
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    #20
    I took a 2 year photography course back in the early 80's. Like others have said, the learning curve is much shorter with digital photography. I also agree that I would never pay for a course today because there is TONS of free information available online. You can learn everything you need to know from YouTube alone.

    Another reason I would never pay for photography instruction is because the return on investment today is almost non-existent. I finally started an "on the side" photography business around 2002 right about the time pros were transitioning from film to digital. For about 8 years I stayed pretty busy with shoots. I averaged 1-3 shoots per week. I did senior portraits, family portraits, weddings, and kids sports. In just the last 10 years or so the demand for professional photography in those genres has dropped to the point that it would be nearly impossible to actually make a living doing it. The majority of parents don't pay for senior portraits anymore because they have millions of pictures on their iPhones already. same goes for kids sports. Yes, there are exceptions, but the demand is so small that it's impossible to make a living at it because while the damand has dropped, "professional photographers" are more numerous than ever. There are MWAC's and weekend warriors everywhere. People who would have never been interested in the steep learning curve and expense of film photography are now getting instant gratification with their digital cameras and most are selling their services dirt cheap. The appreciation for truly professional photography has evaporated. I see absolutely horrible photography posted all over facebook of newborns, families, and weddings by people who are just thrilled at the results. They proudly encourage people to use "Mary Sue" because she's awesome! Even though the images would make any skilled photographer throw up in their mouth.

    My advice would be to learn all you can online, then practice, practice, practice. Then pursue your photography as a casual hobby, but don't quit your day job.
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