The Photography Institute

[sas_steve]

Hello everyone, just wondering if any one has taken part in the course offered by 'The Photography Institute', and if so is it worth doing, bearing in mind that it costs £500. I'm quite new to photography, and I'm really interested in taken my intrest to the next level.
Many thanks Steve

[AndyStevens]

Hi Steve,

I've not done the course but I've had an email from them offering a massive discount from the normal price! Could be a good time to do it - although I'd wait to hear from someone who's done it before signing up.

I'll see if I can find the email (may be deleted by now) and post the discount code.

Cheers
Andy

[kentlass]

Hi Steve,

I am in the same position and have been looking at their website trying to decide whether to give it a go.

I'm very happy you posted this query and hopefully someone on here will have some advice to give us.

If The Photography Institute is not recommended has anyone done any other online photography courses they would recommend?

[jinky]

I did this course a year or so back. If you express interest they will keep offering you a discount but I don`t remember what I paud in the end - more than I should though.

Depends on your current abilities really. I found it useful for some of the technical aspects and a couple of modules I found quite difficult as I have not been technical enough in my approach and I did learn new things. I got good tutor support and encouragement with very quick turnarounds for assignments. One issue I raised with them which they promised to do something about but failed in my time was the need to link students for some peer support / encouragement which other courss have (eg Open University). I did join a Photography Institute flickr group set up by another student but it flcikered and died.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/photogr...7620298113605/

Just noticed they have started a facebook page for students on the PI site and I know that at least some of the student endorsements are real from previous contacts.

Another point I made was that there was a lot of technical teaching through modules supplied - 11 units of around 65 pages each with the final module being a do it yourself, you`re on your own one- but limited number of actual photograph submissions. A technique I developed was to take advantage of the tutor by submitting links to further images, website development and flickr streams to seek opinion and he usually obliged.

Overall I found the course useful to me at that time in making me think more about technical elements of my work and get to know practical aspects of photography better. I now have a diploma from it which I "claim" on my website but it is of limited value in itself - but then any course other than a degree is and it is your portfolio that counts ultimately.

In terms of other courses I did look at the similarly named Institute of Photography Course and took their big box of materials on approval. Not as good as the PI for me as it was aimed at people aiming to develop their business and returned for a full refund.
A few I know have done the OU T189 course and have highly recommended it too. Lots of peer work there - more so than tutor support but I am actually in a flickr group that is made up mostly of T189 students whoi have striven to stay in touch through challenges on flickr and they recommend it highly.

It`s personal choice in the end but the course delivers according to the laid out module titles on the site. George Seper, food and lifestyle photographer for 30 years is the man behind it and signs his name to the modules but he uses other pro photographers around the globe to support students.

It is not a course / qualification that will open any doors in itself - again only degrees or maybe city and guilds would help in that respect - but it was worthwhile for me.

[kentlass]

Jinky, thank you that was very useful.

I shall check out the OU course and see what that involves.

I have downloaded the prospectus for the PI course which meant giving my email address, hopefully that will lead to me being offered a discount if I did decide to go ahead with it.

One of the plus points for me is that they allow you to complete the course in your own time. We have several holidays booked between now and October and it would be difficult to complete a course that was very rigid with their time scales for submitting assignments or completing modules.

My only reservation is that the course seems very geared to people who want to make a career out of photography whilst all I want to achieve is to be a competent amateur.

[kentlass]

It looks like the OU is out of the equation:-

"Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running windows Boot Camp or similar dual-boot system."

I have a Mac and I do not know enough about to computers to risk messing around with it to try and make it compatible with their requirements for a ten week course.

[jinky]

Sorry kentlass I meant to say - timescale allowed is a double edged sword. You can take as long as you like and one of the other failings of the PI for me is that no-one is on your back if there is a long gap. I chose to do mine over about 18 months fitting it in where I could - a couple of times I should have had a nudge I feel but there will be none so you must be self disciplined.

As for it being geared towards work yes one or two aspects are and especially the latter but in general ways that make it irrelevant whether you are going to go for paid work or not. Check local colleges for courses too - you can do C&G and other stuff cheaper at different levels.

[sas_steve]

Guys thanks for the great response, some food for thought there.
I will have a close look at the OU too
Many thanks Steve

[GeoffWessex]

Originally Posted by kentlass

It looks like the OU is out of the equation:-

"Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running windows Boot Camp or similar dual-boot system."

Unless they send you software that you have to use (and why wouldn't they have a Mac version anyway?), that's ridiculous! The only difference between Mac and PC, for photographic purposes, is that the Mac Photoshop would need Mac versions of some plug-ins - and I can't see much use for plug-ins in a course anyway.

Otherwise, a photo file is cross-platform, whether it's Raw, Jpeg or Tiff, any other documents made in PC (e.g. Word files) are readable on a Mac (and can be saved from either a Mac or PC as generic Word files) and, er..... what other problem can there be?

Mind you, I'm a PC user...... is there something about Mac that Mac users think could cause a problem?

[Eyeayen]

I use both Mac & PC, and I jump from one to another constantly.

Maybe the OU need to revise there statement ?

Perhaps it would be worth enquiring as to exactly WHY? you can't use your mac. If it's a generic statement written to cover everything it probably has to include certain Windoze software that will only work on a pc, maybe some accounting software or engineering programs ? Therefore one statement gets put out to every course and you could end up missing out.

Personally though from what I've read I'd go for the other one.

Why do you feel you need to do it ?

Would you not be better placed getting some one to one tuition some where near to you or just constantly setting yourself briefs to expand your portfolio. As has been mentioned previously at the end of the day it's your portfolio that counts not how many pieces of paper you have saying you can do it !

If you set up a little website and got some business cards printed ( providing you want to make it into a businsess ? ) I bet you'd never get asked if you have a qualification in it.

If you don't want to do it as a business I'd just keep taking photo's, submitting them to forums so people can crit your work and be self critical although not overly and within a year you'll find yourself developing a style along with learning so many things.

I think bits of paper are so often over rated. I spent 6 years at art college, since leaving in '96 the industry I work in has changed dramatically as has my work, nothing traditional any more, purely digital, and while it says HND on my CV not once have I ever been asked to prove it.

Creative portfolio's are enough for someone to see if they want you to work for them or not, and if it's a learning thing I think you'd be fine without the course so long as you're disciplined ( which you'd have to be on the course anyway ) and set yourself projects. The technical side of it can be read in books, on forums and all over the internet. Why pay for something you might not need ?