Courses (Page 2): Most locals have adult education courses in photography taught by local professional photographers. I have taken a couple of them and they are very valuable and...

MikeMck Loc: Southern Maryland on the Bay

Sreno wrote:

Being new to more than point and shoot, I'm wondering if any of you pros or semi pros would recommend taking accredited, online, photography courses? Is it a waste of time? I'm not looking to make a career out of it. Being medically retired, I just want photography to be more than a hobby and less than a job. Thank you for your time and answers.

Most locals have adult education courses in photography taught by local professional photographers. I have taken a couple of them and they are very valuable and inexpensive. Good luck.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

IDguy wrote:

You might try The Great Courses online. They have a number of them. The introductory course by Nat Geo photographer Joel Sartore is a great start.

They are not accredited but are very high quality.

Yes! I had forgotten about that. Your library system can probably get those DVDs. Lynda.com has a lot available for a reasonable price - all you want to watch for a month. I'm not sure of the current price.

https://www.lynda.com/

Satman Loc: Indy

Udemy, Creative Live, Both have free classes, and both have sales, do not buy unless on sale.

Camera Clubs, You Tube,

Scott Kelby, Tony Northrup,

UHH and the list goes on.,

Bunkershot Loc: Central Florida

IDguy wrote:

You might try The Great Courses online. They have a number of them. The introductory course by Nat Geo photographer Joel Sartore is a great start.

They are not accredited but are very high quality.

I bought Sartore's course on sale from Great Courses 5 years ago when I got my first dslr. I just took it one cd at a time. He has a step by step process that worked for me. It was well worth whatever the cost was.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

While courses are fine, I have found that doing a LOT of shooting and studying the results gives you instructions. Finding someone to critique your work honestly as you progress helps also. Keep records of how shots were done, what worked and what didn't.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

AzPicLady wrote:

While courses are fine, I have found that doing a LOT of shooting and studying the results gives you instructions. Finding someone to critique your work honestly as you progress helps also. Keep records of how shots were done, what worked and what didn't.

I generally agree with a caveat. Practice and study IS what leads to success, but it must be informed practice and study.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

National Geographic has a couple of on line courses that are excellent. Joel Santore is the one that comes to mind. Are you near a university or community college? They might have courses. Lynda.com. Bryan Peterson's Learning Exposure.

LCD

Hanging with other photographers in a camera club or more informally can be a great education. Lots of community colleges and art institutes offer a chance to learn,.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Sreno wrote:

Being new to more than point and shoot, I'm wondering if any of you pros or semi pros would recommend taking accredited, online, photography courses? Is it a waste of time? I'm not looking to make a career out of it. Being medically retired, I just want photography to be more than a hobby and less than a job. Thank you for your time and answers.

A lot of this depends on how you learn best. While we are not locked in to a learning modality for life, most of us have a mode in which we learn best. I tend to be kinesthetic and learn by physically doing things. But I can also shift to visual, mathematical and logical mode at times. So, using an online set of lessons along with hands on practice works for me. Going to a class and listening for an hour and later going out and doing assignments based on it, not so much. Too much time between the lesson and the doing. However, if you tend toward aural, verbal or social then classes and photo clubs might be just right for you.

A note for the young. You can choose to train yourself to use different learning modalities if you want.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

dsmeltz wrote:

I generally agree with a caveat. Practice and study IS what leads to success, but it must be informed practice and study.

Which is why I suggested having someone to critique the work. Having several critiques usually gives a nicely rounded set of commentary and suggestions.

GreenReaper

Sreno wrote:

Being new to more than point and shoot, I'm wondering if any of you pros or semi pros would recommend taking accredited, online, photography courses? Is it a waste of time? I'm not looking to make a career out of it. Being medically retired, I just want photography to be more than a hobby and less than a job. Thank you for your time and answers.

You might also try your library. The Pike's Peak Library District in Colorado Springs, has a branch that is dedicated to a lot of "stuff" besides books. A TV studio, computers for editing, cameras video and still for check out, and the list goes on. One of the many benefits is being able to access Lynda.com free. Like I said check it out. Even our little library in Westcliffe, CO has an extensive digital presence.
Good luck, and keep shooting!!

issa2006.

The Great Courses photo class by Joel Sartore is worth every penny of the cost. His photos are spectacular and the course is divided into different categories. The great thing about it is the fact that it is on DVD . He will give examples of his photos
and then explain how each was taken and why he did it in a certain way to make it interesting and compelling,including composition and lighting etc.It is not just technical information. I think there are about 30 or more 30 minute sessions. There is also a book that comes with it.

sbohne

Udemy has a lot of good courses on still AND video photography. While some are pricey, most are reasonable. And Udemy has sales often where you can get the classes for $9.99 to $11.99. I am registered as an instructor, but my classes are being updated so I currently have no offerings, therefore, no disclosure is required. I do not get paid anything if you sign up for any class unless it's mine. Take a look.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

Sreno wrote:

Being new to more than point and shoot, I'm wondering if any of you pros or semi pros would recommend taking accredited, online, photography courses? Is it a waste of time? I'm not looking to make a career out of it. Being medically retired, I just want photography to be more than a hobby and less than a job. Thank you for your time and answers.

Although there are many good courses on line, I prefer to take courses in person with a live instructor. You could look into your local senior center and, at least in California, community colleges offer low cost courses with top notch instructors and the use of a variety of equipment.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I'm sure of a couple of things. There will be many who will point you at tutorials for your camera. That's fine, but learning the way your camera works is not going to teach you photography. It's also the same for being pointed at the various processing software that's available. That won't teach you photography. Some of the best tutorials you can take are free. Check out youtube for tutorials on composition and exposure. There are quite a few of those and they are quite good.

Of course, it's necessary to learn how your equipment works there are tutorials for that, as well. The same goes for the basics, and advanced, techniques in processing. With the wealth of information on the web, paying for an online course is almost a waste of money. However, if you have a college or university nearby, in some cases, that would be a far better investment of your money.
--Bob

Sreno wrote:

Being new to more than point and shoot, I'm wondering if any of you pros or semi pros would recommend taking accredited, online, photography courses? Is it a waste of time? I'm not looking to make a career out of it. Being medically retired, I just want photography to be more than a hobby and less than a job. Thank you for your time and answers.