Anyone looking to do a quick photography course?

mollybird

Thought i would let people know of a great offer on groupon at the min.

I picked up an offer to do an online dipolma course in photogrpahy through groupon for €24. Shaw academy are doing it.

http://www.groupon.ie/deals/dublin/shaw-academy-176/59003237

thought it would benefit people starting out. im still a bit confused on some things so thought the offer was too good to miss out on.

CabanSail

I have seen these courses advertised for a while now. From what I hear you get what you pay for. It's not a lot of money so not a lot to lose. I doubt that it will be recognised at Diploma level in the real world, but I am sure there is some useful information.

My Certifuacte IV course I am doing now costs a lot more than that, but it has full acedemic accreditation.

Be interested to hear back if anyone does enrol about the quality of the course.

the_syco

mollybird wrote: »

I picked up an offer to do an online dipolma course in photogrpahy through groupon for €24. Shaw academy are doing it.

When someone does a makey-uppy diploma, alarm bells ring for me, tbh.

And as much as I hate the one day courses, paying someone to do a one day one-on-one would be more beneficial than some online course, as the person doing the one-on-one should be able to answer questions you ask, as well as impart their experience on you.

http://www.shawacademy.com/photography/course-details.html
Looked at the "approved by" section. I saw;

International Institute for Complementary Therapies
CPD Certification Service
Institute of Banking
The Bar Council
Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators
Law Society of Saskatchewan
LIA
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
Certified Public Accountants Association
Insurance Institute of South Africa
Law Society of Upper Canada
The Health and Care Professions Council UK
Nova Scotia Barristers Society
South African Association for Nutritional Therapy
Society of Actuaries in Ireland
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants UK

The others I didn't include as they seemed like the usual "everything possible under the sun" organisations that may cover photography.

My point; the big list of "approved by" has nothing to do with photography, so why is it even there?

The price. €995 for 10 hours of some interactive bits, and video. I wonder has anyone bought it for that price, or have they sold every product at €24 as OMGs it such a super saving [/sarc]

Learn From a Long-Time Industry Professional Photographer

Who they don't mention the name of.

Saying I'm skeptical is an understatement.

Oh, and when I started off, I got my 450D for £500. Still use it today. It's a beginners camera. Spending more on the course than the camera is odd to me.

ynul31f47k6b59

I'm doing this course at the minute. I bought my first DSLR last year and I just wanted to know a little more about it, no point in having a good camera with loads of functions and using it on Auto all the time! (Canon EOS 1200D).

The course so far has been really interesting. There are 10 lessons, I'm up to lesson 7. So far we've learned a bit about the practical side of photography like apertures, shutter speeds, lenses etc and the creative side - composition, framing, shapes, etc.

I've had a phone call from the guy who does the Webinars who chatted away for a half an hour about anything I wanted to ask him and anything I didn't understand, he said he will call back when we are on Lesson 8 as some people find it confusing (switching to manual mode fully).

The only thing I don't like is that I presumed 10 lessons would be over 10 weeks, but they're not. There's a live Webinar on a Monday and Wednesday evening, then a recording on Friday. I just think three topics in one week leaves little time to practice anything we have learned. I also assumed that the facebook page might serve as a little place for people to get together and chat but it just seems to be full of photos posted by people who clearly know what they're talking about already with regard to professional photography. 7 lessons in and I still haven't a clue how to get off Auto mode.

Overall - great to pass the time for under €25 and I have learned some stuff, (plus I think online courses look great on a CV for someone like me who is at home for a few years raising small children - it shows that I still have an interest in learning and education - but they'd go under the "hobbies/interests" part, not the educational achievements) - but other than that I wouldn't be bothered with it.

mckildare

Wrote a reply but boards logged me out so here it is re-written quickly :mad:

I did this course last month also, found it well worth 24 euro. Definitely not 995 though! The content was very good for beginners and I would recommend it if you have a DSLR but don't know how to use it beyond pushing the buttons. I've been using an FZ100 bridge camera for 4 years now, slowly learning some of the techniques as I went along. With the notes I took and the pdf's they supply I should have enough knowledge to progress further and faster when I upgrade to a DSLR, hopefully soon

The part I didn't like was towards the end of the course - the sales pitch. A continuous reminder that the next course was at a massive discount for only 400 euro, limited time only etc etc. The guy that called me a few times was very nice and helpful with a few queries but when he told me I would "never progress any further" if I didn't do the course I was a little insulted. I understand a lot more now and I have hours of practice ahead of me in Manual mode so I'm happy to go and do just that