Do you think it would be helpful for me to do a photography course?
I get asked this question in various forms a lot. As someone who runs such courses – obviously I am going to say “yes!” – aren’t I?
Well, it’s not quite that simple. To be able to answer that question we need some more information. Let me ask you a few questions.
1. What camera are you using?
This is NOT about whether the camera is “good enough” it’s about making sure the course you are thinking of doing is right for your camera. For example my “Introduction to Digital Photography” course is designed to be done with a DSLR, Mirrorless or Bridge Camera. You will still get some benefit from it if you were using a compact camera but some of the exercises would be difficult to complete.
If you are shooting with a camera phone however you are likely to struggle to complete the assignments beyond the first module. However, the first module which is all about composition would be appropriate and would be helpful to someone shooting with a phone camera. You might find a course that is dedicated to phone photography more appropriate.
2. Is your camera always on “P” or full automatic mode?
If it is then the camera is making a whole load of photographic decisions for you – some of which may not be the best options. There are times when those modes can be helpful but most of the time you should be avoiding them and doing a course which teaches you what the other modes are and how to select the right one would help you.
Oh yes, and one final thing to say on this – if you have your camera set to “A” (or “Av” in the case of Canon cameras) thinking that it is in “Automatic” mode – you definitely need to do a course. “A” is not “automatic” it is “aperture priority” mode and does something completely different!
3. Do you already know the basics?
This is about finding the right course for you. A course or workshop on, say, Theatre Photography or Landscape Photography might be what you are interested in, but such courses tend to assume a certain level of knowledge to start with.
Here’s a list of questions I tend to ask people to see if they have a reasonable grasp of the basics:
- If you wanted to create a shallow depth of field how would you achieve it?
- What is exposure compensation and do you know how to use it?
- What is the difference between spot metering and evaluative/pattern metering?
- Do you know what the minimum shutter speed is to hand-hold your camera?
- Do you know how to change your camera’s ISO? And what is the downside to using a very high ISO setting?
- Do you know what white balance is?
- Do you know how to use fill-in flash?
- Do you understand what dynamic range?
If you can’t easily answer all those questions then you should probably consider doing a basic level/introductory course – to get a good grounding in photography – before attempting to do an intermediate or advanced level course.
4. Are you frustrated with what you currently can achieve photographically?
Perhaps more importantly is that frustration coming from a lack of knowledge rather than the limitations of the equipment you are using?
If it is the former than a course or workshop would help. But if it is the equipment that is the limiting factor then knowing about even more things that you can’t do with your camera is only going to add to the frustration not reduce it.
5. What are your photography goals?
This is about make sure that the course you choose will meet them or at least move you further down the path to meeting them.
If you don’t know the basics, as we mentioned earlier, to a large extent it doesn’t matter whether you end goal is to just improve or to become a full-time professional photographer. In both cases doing a course to learn the basics will help you (and to be honest it’s absolutely essential you have a grasp of them if you wish to be a professional).
If you do know the basics and want to be a professional photographer (any by that I mean earning a significant proportion of your income from photography) you should be looking for a course that can help you grasp the commercial realities of working as a photographer. That will include how to set your prices, working with clients, and understanding their needs.
6. Do you currently shoot RAW or JPEG?
I ask this question because almost all photographers who understand what they are doing with their cameras shoot RAW or they have a very specific reason for shooting JPEG and can explain that.
Furthermore, many photographers who started out only shooting JPEG have regretted that they didn’t switch to RAW shooting sooner.
If you are still shooting JPEG – because that’s how the camera was setup when you got it – then it is a fair indication that you are probably not fully exploring the capabilities of your camera and that some additional training would be of benefit to you.
Picking the right training
So you’ve read through this blog post and come to the conclusion that you would benefit from having some additional training. What now?
If you have come to the conclusion that you need to learn the basics or just want to consolidate the basics then you might want to consider my “Introduction to Digital Photography” course. Details of the course can be found here: https://making-photos.co.uk/product/introduction-to-digital-photography-course/
If you are looking for intermediate level, advanced level or bespoke training I can probably help you out with that – please contact me and we can discuss what your requirements are.
