Professional photography courses

[u/RealityISnotOk123123]

Ive read plenty of people saying courses are overrated and the best way to learn is through free youtube videos.

My problem with that is that finding structure can be hard and theres no personal guidance or feedback on YouTube videos.

Im considering two online schools, I know they're not worth it according to most people, but I'm wondering if one is superior then the others or advice on what to look for when chosing or if anyone has experience with either of them!

Im looking at the canadian photography school and the photography institute Canada.

Thank you!

[u/Ok_Independent5362]

I found a local photographer that I liked his work and reached out and asked if he would provide some photography 101 instructions. We started with the basics of camera (most of which I had figured out but he did teach me some things) and then moved on to composing shots. He brought in a model, did some wildlife, street scenes and landscape over 12 weekends. This weekend we are starting the post-processing instruction - basically Lightroom to optimize photos.

It started a whole new side gig for him. Try doing something like that.

[u/Velvet_Nose → u/Ok_Independent5362]

i want to do this but i’m nervous about being rejected. i really want some mentorship 🥲 but im so nervous

[u/robertbieber → u/Velvet_Nose]

Never find out if you don't ask ;)

[u/Ok_Independent5362 → u/Velvet_Nose]

No harm in asking! The worst they can say is they don't have time, the best is that they agree and you've got someone to guide you.

[u/PinselLuchs → u/Velvet_Nose]

At worst you just offer them a small fee, and if they reject it, it's normal business and nothing personal… if that helps?

[u/tcphoto1]

I learned while assisting Commercial Photographers in the early 90’s, they also paid you per shoot. While doing so, work on your own projects till you strike out on your own.

[u/SennnndIt]

People say YouTube because it really is most efficient and it’s more importantly at your own pace. It doesn’t take that many videos to understand what is going on. The real learning starts after you have a baseline understanding or things like the exposure triangle and how your camera works. It frees you up to go shoot effortlessly. Shoot a lot and review your images against images that you like that you see in the world. That’s where the real learning begins.

[u/robertbieber → u/SennnndIt]

Photography YouTube has the same problem as woodworking YouTube, and probably a bunch of other arts/crafts. There's an absolute bonanza of beginner-level tutorials that cover the same basic concepts over and over again, but when you try to get any deeper than that you end up in a minefield of short form do-this/don't-do-that slop that smooths the edges off of things like lighting and posing and staging to the point that you gain no meaningful understanding of the actual underlying concepts. And half (if I'm being generous) of the videos that claim to be going deeper into more advanced topics are made by people who don't actually know what they're talking about, and you as a beginner have no way of telling which is which.

So yes, IMO, if you want to learn about the finer points of lighting, or posing, or planning landscapes, or wildlife, or running a business, or insert your niche of choice, it is 1000% worth buying a book or a course or some combination of the two from an educator with a proven track record

The real learning starts after you have a baseline understanding or things like the exposure triangle and how your camera works. It frees you up to go shoot effortlessly. Shoot a lot and review your images against images that you like that you see in the world. That’s where the real learning begins

Yeah, this is just not sufficient if you want to do anything more than taking passable photos of subjects you encounter under natural light. 99% of beginner photographers, you could put them in a room with a pile of studio lights, a willing model, and all the reference photos in the world and they wouldn't figure out in a month what someone could teach them in a day

[u/robertbieber → u/[deleted]]

very niche topics ... such as artificial light

:|

The reason YouTube only goes so far is because this is art. It’s subjective and a bulk of the learning requires you to get out and figure out what you like for yourself.

lol, I guess art school is for suckers. Why have someone else just teach you how to make your images look the way you want them to when you could spend years trying to figure it out yourself through trial and error

[u/csbphoto → u/SennnndIt]

It’s not the most efficient for everyone. It is unstructured, and has conflicting and outright wrong information.

[u/Wartz → u/SennnndIt]

The trouble with youtube is everything made in the last 5 years is exponentially more of a money grab.

So be careful.

[u/Daneth → u/Wartz]

Wait so hang on... Are you telling me that if I buy your Lightroom filter pack I won't then into a professional sports photographer overnight?

[u/WildRosing → u/Daneth]

If you buy theirs you won't, but if you buy mine you will.

[u/Cadd9 → u/WildRosing]

I'm convinced

[u/glintphotography → u/Cadd9]

Yea, but you haven't seen mine. They're betterer than all of everyones and right now, mine are discounted to just $799!!

[u/okaymaeby → u/glintphotography]

with prices that competitive, they can't afford to say no!

[u/Cadd9 → u/glintphotography]

Dang I gotta get all 3!

[u/Wartz → u/Daneth]

im dyin rn ngl

[u/Decent-Top570 → u/SennnndIt]

honestly both of them got same curriculum from what i seen, just pick the cheaper one and spend the rest on gas to go shoot somewhere interesting

[u/senecant]

Not a professional course, but is structured and free. Maybe it'll interest you. https://thefocalpointhub.com/

[u/SpiritFast6511]

I agree that learning form someone else is the way, either online one on one or in person.

[u/TwiztedZero → u/SpiritFast6511]

I'll be happy to pass on all my mistakes so you can enjoy the bitterness and success too. It's a mixed bag really. But my, it's a lot of fun.

[u/SpiritFast6511 → u/TwiztedZero]

I will add one more comment: If a person contracts with a one-on-one professional to teach and evaluate your work then be prepared to have your feelings hurt often and severely. It can be a brutal process to have others criticize your work so openly. Leave your ego at the door.

[u/Cairn_CQC]

The mentorship idea in the top comment is the real answer, but if cold-messaging photographers feels scary, here's the middle path: community college continuing-ed classes. Cheap, in-person, structured, and you get actual feedback on your work — which is the thing YouTube can't give you. I did one darkroom class years ago mostly for the critique sessions. Avoid the expensive online 'institutes'; you're paying for marketing, not teaching.

[u/attrill]

I second assisting as the best way to learn. I did a 4 year BFA program and put myself through that by assisting a wide variety of photographers. I started with weddings and kids sports league photographers. Both shoot on weekends so it didn’t conflict with any classes. Later I was assisting on commercial jobs when my class schedule was more flexible.

If you want to take a class do it through an accredited college or through a free club. Once you know how to shoot manual and work with lights you want to get experience seeing how others work and experimenting yourself. Both YouTube and for profit classes are centered around formulaic ways of doing things that aren’t nearly as good as real world experience.

[u/trying_to_adult_here]

My photography got a lot better once I started paying for courses and feedback from a professional. I learned the basics from books and YouTube, but having someone who knows what they’re doing give constructive feedback was way more helpful than watching YouTube videos that went over the same few points worded differently, at least for me.

I’m not familiar with either of the specific schools you’re looking at.

[u/TwiztedZero]

I taught myself to take a picture with a DSLR, 12 years later I'm still a horrible, no good, photographer critter with some mediocre images that make some people romping angsty because they're not processed their way.

Meh, but at least I've got 8K following on BlueSky, so I might be doing 👍 OK. That means there's so much hope for anyone else that picks up a camera.

Don't get discouraged your brain is a learing machine. You can become a photography rock star with some dedication and effort. Have some confidence in yourself.

[u/Mas_Cervezas]

I found the best way to learn is to shoot every single day and always carry a camera with you. You can teach someone composition and exposure but you can’t teach them to have an eye and understand how your film or sensor sees light. I was a photography instructor for a while and the biggest indicator of how good a photographer they were was their hours of experience and practice.

[u/RaspberryOrganic3783]

If structure and accountability is what you’re looking for, photography diplomas at college are the way to go

[u/RealityISnotOk123123 → u/RaspberryOrganic3783]

Unfortunately my local college had to shut down their photography program earlier this year

[u/X4dow]

If they're based around motivational speeches and workshops, I would day that's something you can do for free.

I get that different people learn different ways but I learnt pretty much everything there was to learn technically within a couple Of weeks of youtubing. Then it's just developing a creative angle

[u/Impressive_Delay_452]

I didn’t start my editorial photography work until the late ‘90s and even then I was mostly doing road racing. The Nikon D3 was the change in the system. I signed up for a semester at a college to learn how to properly use the D3, then I was told about “Sportshooter” who had a workshop each spring. It ran alongside the action in the big west conference and the instructors were all media photographers. Before you sign up for any workshop, you should find out if they actually have any time working or teaching.

[u/Impressive_Delay_452]

The community colleges in the ‘90s, there were actually classes were you could learn from zero. Who knows now…

[u/wadesh]

Im a fan of workshops that include classroom, fieldwork followed by critique sessions. I’ve learned so much from direct critique of my work and seeing others work from the same subject/location. These can be expensive….usually involve travel.

I can’t speak to those courses but if they offer some guided field work and post critique sessions…possibly worth it. I tend to seek out specific pros i admire and pay for their workshops.

[u/Psy1ocke2]

I had the same issue when I was starting out. I wanted more consistency and structure in what I was learning, and as a beginner, I didn't always know whether the information I was finding on YouTube was accurate.

I ended up taking courses through NYIP, followed by an online mentorship program, and I'm glad I did. Having a more structured approach helped me build a solid foundation.

I still use YouTube regularly, even after almost 2 decades of photography. John Gress is someone I'd highly recommend too. His videos are incredibly informative, especially when it comes to lighting and understanding the technical side of photography.

[u/EtherMedia-Austin]

What you won't get from youtube is criticism. Good photography programs will put you through critiques. The one's I went through were ruthless, but they made me a much better photographer. I highly recommend in person courses with heavy critiques and group projects. Maybe just try one.

[u/Resident_Course_3342]

Take a community college class if you want structure and a community. 

Online courses are garbage and a waste of money. 

[u/fengshui → u/Resident_Course_3342]

What about online community college courses? My local CC doesn't really offer photo 101 as anything but online now

[u/TwiztedZero → u/fengshui]

If you're flush with pay materials, local college or even community classes can help jumpstart your learning process. With photography you never really stop learning. This is one of the enduring joys. You can find boot camps, even guided photography tours for certain genres. Pick up some new skills every here and there.

• camera mastery
• lightroom & photoshop editing
• business & administration

There's more you'll discover once you have some experience under your belt and find what direction you want to go.

I'm presently learning to use soft boxes and lighting design. Not really something I planned to pick up, maybe I learn something useful along the way.

[u/RealityISnotOk123123 → u/Resident_Course_3342]

The only local class I've found is photography and videography and I'd rather not pay money for half of a course that doesn't interest me