Information overload?

[ABERS]

This month's Black + White Photography Magazine has a supplement entitled Photography Holidays & Courses, the ultimate guide 2011. I haven't bothered to count them but the cover states there are 100+ photo workshops inside. These seem to cover the art from start to finish in places as far apart as the Northern Isles to the Falklands.

Having thumbed through it, I got to wondering just how many sources of help, instruction and advice there are available to the budding wannabee photographer as well as those more practised in the art. When you think about it more closely, when you add them all up it must run into 10's of thousands, and it begs the question, why aren't we all taking, to utilise PRADAR-speak, stunning pictures?

You could fill a library with books, a few yards of shelves with CD's and videos and still not become over proficient. That begs the question is there too much info, does it all become too bewildering to the newcomer. One book on photoshop should, or could, put one off for life!

Still as Robert Doisneau says, " If I knew how to take a good picture, I'd take one every time".

Any thoughts?

[Cathus]

I'd guess that most people don't go on photography courses.

I'd also guess that photography courses are designed for people to improve their photography rather than take 'stunning pictures'

If I went on a course on how to improve my golf, would I be playing in the Open the week after? No, but I'd probably be playing better than I was before & have a few more tools to assist me in self improvement.

I don't suppose photography courses are any different from any other course designed to improve a small aspect of life.

[OldBoy]

I think the question to ask is, why are these people teaching courses instead of taking stunning pictures, can't they make any money from photography?

[Cathus]

I did go on a course, my wife bought it for me for my 50th last year, it was a Joe Cornish course. The guys who ran it were taking stunning shots, one of them has several books to his name mainly based on Welsh mountains.
The truth is that only a very few make a reasonable living from landscape photography & it is easier to make money from ancilliary matters like teaching than from just selling photos.

[ABERS]

The analogy with golf is spot on Cathus, if golf lessons were effective we'd all be in contention for the next Ryder Cup team! The pro down at the local public course can teach you the basics, and perhaps iron out a few problems for you and stop you spending as much time in the bushes as you used to, but he will agree that if you 'aint got it, you aint got it! Just go out and enjoy it.

It's a little surprising that a Joe Cornish course wasn't run by Joe Cornish. Are they franchised like Jamie Oliver's restaurants, or am I being a bit naive here?

[KeithT]

I have never done a photographic course in my life. One reason is I am a great believer in hands-on experience and learning by making mistakes. Even those creative writing courses can be a waste of time unless the student is prepared to spend time learning the craft by sitting at the typewriter, or computer and persevering. There is so much info on the Internet, free and gratis, that paying out good money for these courses seems pointless. The best way to learn is to do, join a camera club and ask questions, or go to the library (if one still exists in the near future), and stick at it. One of the best written courses is your own camera manual, and that comes free with your camera.

[Cathus]

ABERS,

Joe is in such demand that he has taken on some staff to run courses, of course he does run his own but he mentors the other courses which run out of his studio in Northallerton. We did meet him on the first morning.
I think he uses 4 or 5 other photographers, the two we had, one was a professional medium format landscape photographer, the other was semi-professional medium format landscape photographer who freely admitted that he earned more money teaching than he did selling.

The first day was hands-on mentoring on the North York Moors, the second was a day in the studio processing the shots. I didn't learn much on the second day as most of the stuff taught I already knew, I did gain greatly from the first day though & now have a completely different approach to my landscape photography & learned lots about correct metering.

[Drew Smith]

I think that many 'photographers' buy photographic magazines to be inspired, to look at the pictures, to feel like they are taking an interest in their hobby, and mostly it's an excuse/compensation for not going out an taking pictures.

Lets face it, if you've bought more than 5 or 6 magazines in the last few months there can't be much out there that you haven't already read. But this holds true for almost all hobby magazines - I'm a some-time Carp fisherman (in the summer) and the multitude of magazines available for this 'sport' are numerous, and they too repeat and rehash the same information over and over.

As for the freebies - well almost all the mags now have Photoshop 'how to' CDs. I'm a big PS fan (you may have noticed ) but I seldom use these, if there is a particular technique I want to look at I usually YouTube it.

I recently bought 'Turning Pro' (2nd issue) and read it from cover to cover, as it was mostly full of 'true-life' stories of how a pro became a Pro. Interesting, informative, inspiring and in many cases demonstrated that if you have the passion and a good eye for composition then the only other quality you need is enough 'front' to blag your way in to the profession!

Information overload? Probably - it's confusing for a beginner. And really all they need to focus on are the basics - how the camera/lens SS, Aperture and ISO combine in different ways to create a picture. Then of course they have to go out and take pictures.

[ABERS]

Originally Posted by Drew Smith

I recently bought 'Turning Pro' (2nd issue) and read it from cover to cover, as it was mostly full of 'true-life' stories of how a pro became a Pro. Interesting, informative, inspiring and in many cases demonstrated that if you have the passion and a good eye for composition then the only other quality you need is enough 'front' to blag your way in to the profession!

...does it say in there to remember that at every opportunity you must tell everybody you are a 'pro, just in case your photography doesn't give that impression.

[Drew Smith]

Originally Posted by ABERS

...does it say in there to remember that at every opportunity you must tell everybody you are a 'pro, just in case your photography doesn't give that impression.

Yup - demonstrated by somebody called 'Crash Taylor' (sure his parents couldn't have been that cruel) a wedding photographer. Supposedly at the top of his profession and commanding thousands of pounds a gig.Took a look at his website and ..... meh! Nothing to my eyes out of the ordinary. It was almost as if he was 'fashionable' and no wedding was complete without him.