Jeannie1 wrote:
I am looking to purchase a photography course for my husband as a surprise gift
.
I have looked at:
* Fundamentals of Photography by Joel Sardine of National Geographic.
* Annie Libovitz - online course
My husband is an intermediate photographer and I think he would enjoy and benefit from some new course material.
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Jeannie
As you can see, there are many choices - the possibilities are practically endless!
The question is: What type of course would most benefit your husband? If he uses LR and PS for editing, he can find lots of courses on that. If he wants to meet other photographers for exchange of information and some photo critique, a photography club may work for him, or a workshop. Workshops are expensive, but it is a great intensive experience.
YouTube has lots of free tutorials, but it takes time to go through them before finding ones that you like and are good, although you could get recommendations for ones other people like. CreativeLive also has free tutorials in their "On Air" segments. They have to be watched on the day they are broadcast. They put up a schedule to choose from, and in my experience the instructors are very good. That is how I found several that I like and still follow today. Whenever you see a photographer or instructor you like, it is helpful to find out if they have a website.
Websites like Lynda.com and KelbyOne do have a lot to offer, but there are a few things about them I don't like. Lynda.com has so many courses on so many different subjects, it can be confusing, plus hard to find the one you want. KelbyOne is limited to photography topics, and they are good, but unless it has changed, old ones that are no longer relevant/correct are not removed.
Many sites simply post the videos and it is up to you to choose what to follow. If for instance you want to learn LR in depth, or PS in depth, you can find courses dedicated to them.
There is a member of UHH who has a website worth looking at - Steve Perry, whose site has both free information and eBooks you can purcase at reasonable prices!
https://backcountrygallery.com/You can look on FaceBook and find photographers who use the site for discussion, and they either sell courses or have paid memberships operated from a separate website location. Here are a few that are good: MattK, Dave Cross, Ben Willmore.
In the end, it is up to you to decide what would work best, based on what your husband has indicated he would enjoy. It is a process, an evolution, and there is always something new to learn!