Certified Digital Photography course in Cork

derickmc

Hi,

I am after completing beginners and improvers courses in Cork. I really enjoyed both courses and would like to do some further courses and if possible get a qualification of some sort in the area eventually.

Can any one give me any leads on where to go next?

The 2 courses I did were 8 weekers and I would like to take the next step and maybe do a year long cert if there is one available?

Thanks,
Derick

Paulw

Qualification for what? A portfolio will stand to you much better in photography than any qualification.

derickmc

I am an absolute beginner in the field of Digital Photography. I have bought a couple of dummies books and have bookmarked some resourses online but it seems like a vast area. I would like to do some further classes and direction before starting a portfolio.

To be honest any course to take the next step would be good but ideally it would be nice to get some form of accredition.

Paulw

derickmc wrote: »

To be honest any course to take the next step would be good but ideally it would be nice to get some form of accredition.

I may sound like I'm going round in circles, but accreditation for what?

Photography takes many forms - weddings, portraits, fashion, sport, photojournalism, landscape, street photography, wildlife, etc.

Your best bet - get out and take pictures. Try things. Join a camera club. Make some photography friends to shoot with. That is the best way to learn.

derickmc

Thanks Paul, appreciate the advice.

On the accreditation. Surely there is some basic accredition that confirms you have a good grasp of the basics that would apply across the board.

I am a web developer and similarly there are hundreds of areas you could specialise in but there are plenty of certified courses out that will give you a good grounding in the basics and give you a platform to move on from.

Why I mentiond accredition at all I suppose is when I got married last year we contacted a number of photographers who we loacted online. More that one of them of them got back saying just to be up front - that they were not fully qualified.

I just figured if this is something that I might get in to then why not try pick up some qualifications along the way.

Paulw

derickmc wrote: »

On the accreditation. Surely there is some basic accredition that confirms you have a good grasp of the basics that would apply across the board.

Why I mentiond accredition at all I suppose is when I got married last year we contacted a number of photographers who we loacted online. More that one of them of them got back saying just to be up front - that they were not fully qualified.

I just figured if this is something that I might get in to then why not try pick up some qualifications along the way.

Not really.

There are so many areas of photography. Yes, a good knowledge of photography/camera is needed for it all, but they can be very very different.

I know a good number of photographers, and I'd say that I can count on one hand the number that have a qualification.

You will see some photographers with peer qualifications (LIPA, etc). You don't get those from doing a course, but from a peer review of a portfolio.

As I said, just get out there, take picts, and learn as you go.

charybdis

derickmc wrote: »

On the accreditation. Surely there is some basic accredition that confirms you have a good grasp of the basics that would apply across the board.

Nope. Various institutions offer courses and hand out certificates afterwards but there is no standardised accreditation process.

derickmc wrote: »

I am a web developer and similarly there are hundreds of areas you could specialise in but there are plenty of certified courses out that will give you a good grounding in the basics and give you a platform to move on from.

There aren't really any standardised accreditation programs in web development either. I'm sure there are many people offering courses and certificates but they are not regulated or standardised in any way, there is no academic coherence between them.

derickmc wrote: »

I mentiond accredition at all I suppose is when I got married last year we contacted a number of photographers who we loacted online. More that one of them of them got back saying just to be up front - that they were not fully qualified.

I just figured if this is something that I might get in to then why not try pick up some qualifications along the way.

I strongly suggest you don't worry about credentials, just learn and understand what you want to do. I would be very wary of anyone offering accreditation in any of these fields.

derickmc

Cool, thanks guys.

charybdis wrote: »

There aren't really any standardised accreditation programs in web development either. I'm sure there are many people offering courses and certificates but they are not regulated or standardised in any way, there is no academic coherence between them.

Very true, but a 1 year cert or hDip would carry some weight with employers. I realise this is a very different scenario though.

Paulw

derickmc wrote: »

Very true, but a 1 year cert or hDip would carry some weight with employers. I realise this is a very different scenario though.

I doubt any employer will worry about qualifications or course you've done. A portfolio will be worth 100 times that. Any photographer/studio will require a portfolio of your work.

unreggd

I recommend doing a 1 year cert or diploma course

You will most likely have a better portfolio at the end

You'll have access to way better facilities than you would doing it alone, and you'll be doing it with a big group of classmates.
Also, most courses are taught by accomplished photographers

You get to try everything out, and then decide what your fave is, as opposed to stickin to one avenue from day one

Paulw wrote: »

I doubt any employer will worry about qualifications or course you've done. A portfolio will be worth 100 times that. Any photographer/studio will require a portfolio of your work.

But doing a course you'll have both, and IMO the portfolio will be a lot better, as you have advice from working photographers

I think having the cert will help too. Employers rarely want it, but if they notice it on your CV, it will show you're obviously passionate if you did a course full time for a year

gerk86

In Cork, St johns college of further education offer a 2 year full time diploma course.

Studio work, Darkroom practice, photoshop, portfolio etc

link

derickmc

Thanks unreggd,

I agree 100%. I think a year of structured learning with access to facilities and advice would be invaluable. Trying to source a suitable course is prooving tough.


gerk86,

I'd spotted that course in St Johns alright and even spoke to somone who is doing it at the moment. It sounds excellent, unfortunately my days of being a fulltime student are long behind me! You don't know of anything parttime do you ?

gerk86

im not 100% sure but I think St. Johns provide an evening course also. I don't know what, if any, qualification is available from this.

melekalikimaka

I've done a diploma and currently in degree ( more than likely further studies apres) and unregged has some valid points, but tbh paulw does too, qualifications in photography dont mean a whole lot at all, but the courses will help greatly in creating a decent portfolio, which gets the jobs in the end. its an expensive way to do it, but it focuses you

unreggd

melekalikimaka wrote: »

I've done a diploma and currently in degree ( more than likely further studies apres) and unregged has some valid points, but tbh paulw does too, qualifications in photography dont mean a whole lot at all, but the courses will help greatly in creating a decent portfolio, which gets the jobs in the end. its an expensive way to do it, but it focuses you

Only expensive @ Griffiths :P