Fetac Level 5 Digital Photograph Course

kassie

Has anyone completed this course?

I'm wondering if its a bit advanced for me, i'm a hobby photographer trying to get to grips with my new camera (Canon Powershot SX 40HD), while i am doing ok with the automatic settings, i'd like to learn who to get the best from my camera and use the manual settings.

For some reason the Fetac website won't open the course modules for me so i can't post a link but you have to produce 2 portfolios for the course and they go towards your final course mark.

Is it a good course for a hobby photographer wanting to get to grips with a new camera? (I've only ever had "point and shoots" before this) or do you think it's too advanced?

Its €250 for the course at 1 night (2hrs) per week for 25 weeks, so its alot of money for a course to discover 2-3 classes in that its too advanced.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

melekalikimaka

a level 5 wont be very advanced, I wouldnt worry about that, your camera wont suffice however and more than likely it will have a large film element to it too

kassie

Film element?

The portfolios require 10 (x2) photographs to be produced, one on a designated topic such as wildlife, urban, portraits etc and the second on editing (before and after)...

dirtyghettokid

i didn't know there was a level 5 course?
i did a fetac level 6 one, and it was rubbish. i was self taught myself before the course. i learned nothing on it, and it was so disorganised. i felt i could have taught the course better myself, and i am in no way a pro. the coursework material was written in such a confusing way. they didn't touch on things they should have. i was really quite angry when i finished the course

gman2k

I done a FL 5 digital photo course.
A load of b.....ks. Stay clear.

kassie

so it doesn't help with getting familiar with the manual settings etc? I have read up on how to use ISO/Apeture/Shutter Speed etc but it can all get a bit technical to me. I've also watched tutorials on youtube from ppl who have the same camera, i suppose what i'm looking for is assisted guidance so that i'm confident i'm doing it right!

Balfey1972

You will learn alot more by joining a camera club or group near you and getting out with people taking shots and learning from them.

Great way to learn and meet people with similar interest.

dirtyghettokid

there are some great books and websites out there that could better teach you. exif data is also your friend

kassie

thanks guys! could you suggest a book for a beginner to learn manual settings, a kind of "photography for dummies" if you will Thanks

there is so many out there i know i would only get confused trying to select one!

Professey Chin

kassie wrote: »

thanks guys! could you suggest a book for a beginner to learn manual settings, a kind of "photography for dummies" if you will Thanks

there is so many out there i know i would only get confused trying to select one!

Good old reliable
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343233532&sr=8-1

AnCatDubh

Also, if you want to consider something instructor led, look up some of the beginner courses with Dave at the Institute of Photography http://www.iop.ie/ These courses are always spoken highly of.

kassie

i've contacted my local camera club and they offer a beginners course + one year membership for €50 with meetings held fortnightly - which is fantastic i think.

and i've had a look at IOP. Some good looking courses there - again a but pricey for me but i wouldn't mind paying if it got lots out of the course. It would have to be a weekend course tho as i'm not in Dublin, plus my cousin wants to do one with me and we both have young children.

We have lots of options... thanks for the advice guys :cool:

jonnybangbang

I did a day course with Dublin photography school. Gave me the very basics of the camera and what the manual settings do. they also do a 10 week course. I found them very good. They have fb page and website.

bullpost

Recommend the camera club route - It wont cost the earth and you will meet lots of fellow enthusiasts and will be quickly exposed to different types of photography.

If its a decent club there should be plenty help available to you.

kassie wrote: »

i've contacted my local camera club and they offer a beginners course + one year membership for €50 with meetings held fortnightly - which is fantastic i think.

and i've had a look at IOP. Some good looking courses there - again a but pricey for me but i wouldn't mind paying if it got lots out of the course. It would have to be a weekend course tho as i'm not in Dublin, plus my cousin wants to do one with me and we both have young children.

We have lots of options... thanks for the advice guys :cool:

kassie

Its mullingar camera club, as far as i know they are established years and the club secretary or point of contact is a well known "camera man"/photographer around town. Just looking at their website gallery pics and they are fantastic. They have an annual gallery open to the public every year too

The Doktor

The Great Chinholio wrote: »

Good old reliable
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Exposure-3rd-Edition-Photographs/dp/0817439390/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1343233532&sr=8-1

Im a beginner (ish) too. I am currently reading this book, and cant recommend it highly enough. Ive read one or two others that really didnt help a lot, "dslr for dummies" for one. This just is ideal for idiots like me, as i read i keep going "ahhhhhhhh now i get it!!" (not suggesting ur an idiot)

"ISO is like worker bees......"

kassie

The Doktor wrote: »

Im a beginner (ish) too. I am currently reading this book, and cant recommend it highly enough. Ive read one or two others that really didnt help a lot, "dslr for dummies" for one. This just is ideal for idiots like me, as i read i keep going "ahhhhhhhh now i get it!!" (not suggesting ur an idiot)

"ISO is like worker bees......"

lol i feel like an idiot sometimes, coz i've read and reread docs on manual settings (fstops, shutter speed etc) and while i think i understand it while i'm reading it, when i go to the camera and try and do it, i'm like "what was it again" lol

The Doktor

kassie wrote: »

lol i feel like an idiot sometimes, coz i've read and reread docs on manual settings (fstops, shutter speed etc) and while i think i understand it while i'm reading it, when i go to the camera and try and do it, i'm like "what was it again" lol

Oh thats me all over! I actually sat down the other day a few hours after reading, and made changes to settings, and was able to predict what would happen correctly.
Where before i was more guessing.
Though now.. Im just imaging a heap of bees in my camera with buckets (read it and youll understand)
So far its the best 20 quid i spent.

DarraghCorrigan

Hi Kassie,
I did this course recently in Limerick College of Further Education. I had taken some good photos but was really still using automatic mode and like you I knew some stuff about manual functions but really wasn't particularily "knowledgeable" about anything, I definitely thought I knew more than I did.
Long story short I did the course and while doing it, thought it was too basic for me, but now looking back I Realise I was being stupid and doing it benefited my knowledge of photography and my abilities hugely. I find that since the course I properly consider lighting, composition and camera settings for each shot and situation whereas before I defaulted to automatic.
I also find that my interest in photography grew immensely as I did the course, so while I was doing my "homework" during the week and stuff in class, outside of this I was reading about cameras and photographers, looking at photography websites and just really getting into it.
A really good element to the course was that we were given assignments to do, where we would go out and have to take photos demonstrating different camera functions, lighting styles or compositional elements, things that I didn't consider before but when presented to me like this seemed easy and basic.
I think if I hadn't done the course I would never have motivated myself to understand my camera and photography in general, it gave me the motivation and the means.
Another great bit was where everyone would print off two photos a week in 5x7 or 8x10 format and hang them up around the room, then at the end of the class we'd go around looking at everyone's photos and how they approached that weeks task, then the instructor and the students could give opinions and critique each others work, this was hugely beneficial, as I had fallen into the trap quite often of taking a boring photo and looking for a point of interest in it to convince myself it is good, which is something I've realised people do all the time.

Also in contrast to the person who said you would need a better camera, that's a load of bull, I completed the course using a Lumix FZ38, everyone else had SLRs, I felt at a disadvantage at times as my low light photos were noisy, but I had a much larger zoom range than most people in the class, and a wider aperture (my Lumix was f2.8 at wideangle, whereas the beginners in class mostly had kit lenses widest they went to was f4).

Definitely don't approach it thinking it's too hard, it's not too hard for anyone, we had a 60 year old woman who couldn't use a computer doing the course with us. And to anyone who said it's a load of b****x, there are very few people who can't benefit from taking a step back to basics and working on low level stuff, we had a professional wedding photographer who was using the course to respark his interest in recreational photography.

I would say definitely go for it, I'd be surprised if you can't learn anything from it. I think the benefits mostly come after you've done the course, when you have a solid foundation to build on.

Also finally, to whoever was saying about FETAC only doing level 6 courses, as far as I was aware, FETAC and HETAC award level 5 certificates equivalent to an ordinary level college or IT certificate, a level 6 is a higher level college or IT certificate, level 7 an ordinary level college degree and level 8 an honours university degree.
http://www.nfq.ie/nfq/en/FanDiagram/nqai_nfq_08.html

melekalikimaka

DarraghCorrigan wrote: »

Also in contrast to the person who said you would need a better camera, that's a load of bull, I completed the course using a Lumix FZ38, everyone else had SLRs, I felt at a disadvantage at times as my low light photos were noisy, but I had a much larger zoom range than most people in the class, and a wider aperture (my Lumix was f2.8 at wideangle, whereas the beginners in class mostly had kit lenses widest they went to was f4).

mate if yo don't have full manual control, you are not going to learn how to take photographs properly, maybe your lumix had full manual control, if so I agree, if not I cant see how the course can help other than from a composition end of things

DarraghCorrigan

This is the comment I was referring to:

melekalikimaka wrote: »

a level 5 wont be very advanced, I wouldnt worry about that, your camera wont suffice however and more than likely it will have a large film element to it too

OP stated she has a Canon Powershot SX 40HD, a quick google search confirms it is a modern 12 megapixel CMOS-sensored Bridge camera with full manual, aperture priority, shutter priority and program (automatic exposure only).

Also I can confirm that as this is a Digital photography course, there is no film element.

melekalikimaka's comment was completely false and served to discourage the OP based entirely on stuff built out of his/her head without the slightest inclination to carry out some basic fact checking.

To answer your post, the Lumix also had full manual, Ap and Sp modes available, as do most bridge, advanced compact (Eg Canon G series, Nikon 1) and mirrorless system (Olympus Pen, Sony NEX) cameras.

gman2k

DarraghCorrigan wrote: »

And to anyone who said it's a load of b****x

Yip, that was me, and I still stand by my statement.
You'd be better off spending a couple of hours with someone who knows how to work a camera, instead of spending 2 hours a week for 6 months going to one of these courses.
I agree with Darragh though in the respect that a course will motivate you to learn how to use your camera, and get out and take photos.
But joining a club will give you the same motivation.

dirtyghettokid

DarraghCorrigan wrote: »

Also finally, to whoever was saying about FETAC only doing level 6 courses, as far as I was aware, FETAC and HETAC award level 5 certificates equivalent to an ordinary level college or IT certificate, a level 6 is a higher level college or IT certificate, level 7 an ordinary level college degree and level 8 an honours university degree.
http://www.nfq.ie/nfq/en/FanDiagram/nqai_nfq_08.html

i didn't say they only did fetac level 6 courses. i said i didn't know there was a fetac level 5 one. the course i completed was fetac level 6, and i wouldn't see it as an advanced level at all, after having completed it.

melekalikimaka

DarraghCorrigan wrote: »

This is the comment I was referring to:



OP stated she has a Canon Powershot SX 40HD, a quick google search confirms it is a modern 12 megapixel CMOS-sensored Bridge camera with full manual, aperture priority, shutter priority and program (automatic exposure only).

Also I can confirm that as this is a Digital photography course, there is no film element.

melekalikimaka's comment was completely false and served to discourage the OP based entirely on stuff built out of his/her head without the slightest inclination to carry out some basic fact checking.

To answer your post, the Lumix also had full manual, Ap and Sp modes available, as do most bridge, advanced compact (Eg Canon G series, Nikon 1) and mirrorless system (Olympus Pen, Sony NEX) cameras.

i completed a level six in photography, so i assure you its not pulled out of my ass, its first hand experience with a course at a slightly higher level, and tbh from no previous photography experience bar boards, i found it remedial and basic, so at a guess level 5 would be a step down, ok fair enough the p and s had manual control, not the end of the world i guess, still no substitute for a slr to learn however... imo