Photography Course Recommendations?

FullHD

Hi all

I am interested in doing a photography course. I dont want to do a 10week course on the basics or how to use a camera. I am more interested in a professional training course over a few years if necessary.
I am working (to pay the bills), so i have to do the course part time.
My interest is in SLR or Digital, or preferrably both. I am interested in Potogaphy as a profession in the next 5 years.
I am in Cork but willing to travel (at weekends or for a full week).

Any recommendations
Garry

thefizz

DIT in Mountjoy Square and Griffith College do a BA in Photography. Dun Laoughaire College of Art & Design also do courses but I'm not sure which ones.

Peter

unreggd

Theres a post on most of the courses here in the sticky

snellers

There are a fair few threads on people asking 'what course...to become a photographer' ? .....and the answers tend to be a mix of 'I don;t have any formal photography qualification and I'm a .....' or 'what is it you want to do? (as photography encompasses a huge area)

so I guess the question is 'what type of photography profession do you want'? ....

by the sounds of things you aren;t overly familiar with camera (your mention of a 10 week beginner course) - I would therefore suggest you maybe do that, then learn to enjoy photographing for pleasure....only then can you be sure it is a career path you want to tread....



me being nosy....why do you want a career in photography?

FullHD

I mentioned a ten week course, as i am passed that stage.
I live in cork city and when it comes to courses of any kind, there is a choice of about 10 times as many courses in dublin and follow on courses. I had a look at an advanced photography course in crawford college in cork, and really it wasnt a course if you ask me, it was more mentoring and the availibility of a studio/dark room that people were paying forand no structure to or course in fact.
It is music and sports that interest me most. Abstract and wedding photography turn me right off.
A career?. Well i have been working in computer software for a long time, travelling to as far away as South Africa, USA, Dubai for the past few years, but mostly UK and Ireland for the past 2 years, but life is about to force me back into an office shortly and i am getting restless already.
So I guess a music photographer because of my love for music and my love of freedom and travel (even if it's up to Dublin every weekend).
I know a lot of people learn from practice rather than education, but i would like a mixture of both.

I would like to ask though, is some photography such as sport/music, something that you could train a monkey to do. I would appreciate an honest opinion.
I would probably stay away from sport because of the cost involved.
Garry

nilhg

What do you want from the course? I ask cause it seems to me that as someone who is in the computer/software game the technical aspects should hold no fears for you, nor (possibly) the business part.

You don't seem to be the typical starry eyed photography student.

Do you see it as a step to a change of career or as a sideline to the day job?

FullHD

I would like it as a career change over a few years. As i think in most irish business it is still about who you know rather than what you know, even in my computer business field. So i think i need to start attaching my name to some pictures.I guess from the course, if things go well at concert photogaphy i would love to then do some studio photography for up and coming bands. With the whole mp3 download thing i think that live entertainment is heading back to the days where bands make money from gigs. I have very little experience of studio work or the business/legal side of concert photography. From looking at some boards it seems like you can just go out and start begging for a press pass, without being a member of any organisation or working with a newspaper.
I must admit from about the age of 5, like most guys i need to know everything about what ever i am into. So not only do i need to know what every button on the stereo does, but i got to open it up and see how it works. So i guess its the same with the photography thing, but im thinking maybe i just need to go out and start doing some work for the regional papers and music web sites. I just saw the pictures on the Hot Press web site from Bruce Springsteen and thought, i can do as good as that.
Garry

RCNPhotos

The Griffith course is good and isn't as "arty", I suppose you'd say, as some others.

As for music, thing with music is there's feck all money in it unless you move to the states, Japan etc. Ireland, no money in it. Even Hotpress pay feck all for gigs and such which is a shame since their pretty much the only mag out there, with the exception of state which is very good. Not sure how they well they would pay though.

Placebo

garrycs69 wrote: »

I would like it as a career change over a few years. As i think in most irish business it is still about who you know rather than what you know, even in my computer business field. So i think i need to start attaching my name to some pictures.I guess from the course, if things go well at concert photogaphy i would love to then do some studio photography for up and coming bands. With the whole mp3 download thing i think that live entertainment is heading back to the days where bands make money from gigs.

Hey just wanna shed my 2 cents on that, mp3's have been out for a long long time and true that bands do make money from gigs, as far as i know, they always did. Im sure this is just a thought in your head and not a business plan as you would need to consider why someone would pay you to take pics at gigs? As it goes now, alot of people do it for free to get some exposure and further down the line or at the same time they charge for doing shoots etc.

FullHD

Sure mp3s have been around for 10yrs or more, but i think the music business has been really sufering in the past 2 years and it is now starting to effect an artists earnings, even though they only ever made 2-3 euro from a 20euro cd.
I know there isnt loads of money as a career, but i would prefer to make 5k less doing a job that i look forward to every day. And i am getting really tired of looking at a computer screen 5-7 days a week.
I also realise that you would get tired of the gigs after 5-10 years but by then i woud expect to be going down other avenues also, such as studio work.
Garry

thebaz

you'd certainly find it hard to make ends meet, working for Hot Press

FullHD

thebaz wrote: »

you'd certainly find it hard to make ends meet, working for Hot Press

Shock, im wondering how they justify their price then.

So i am getting the impression that the only way make a living out of photography is.
Wedding Photography (no thanks)
Studio Photography (lots of dosh required)
or
Get a book published

thebaz

garrycs69 wrote: »

Shock, im wondering how they justify their price then.

So i am getting the impression that the only way make a living out of photography is.
Wedding Photography (no thanks)
Studio Photography (lots of dosh required)
or
Get a book published

i knew a guy who was the regular HP photographer , and i was shocked to hear how much they paid , i certainly couldn't live on it !!

Its doubtfull youll make much on a book , weddings if your good is where the money is.

melekalikimaka

thebaz wrote: »

i knew a guy who was the regular HP photographer , and i was shocked to hear how much they paid , i certainly couldn't live on it !!

Its doubtfull youll make much on a book , weddings if your good is where the money is.

commissions and commercial is big bucks too