Photography Course for Half Price

RoryW

In case of interest to anyone, the Grabone deal of the day is a photography course for 125 euro reduced by 50% from 250 euro

Highlights

Frustrated by flash?
Confused by close-ups?
Struggling with shutter speeds?
Good news, grab a four-week photography class for only €125 - a massive saving on the usual €250.
Tuition from a professional photography tutor.
Weekly classes held in the centre of Dublin.
Learning, but in a fun and relaxed environment.


Conditions

Expires Aug 29, 2011
Limit: 1 for you and 1 gift for another
Bookings essential.
Subject to availability. No part-refund.
Attendance for four consecutive weeks required.
Day can not be changed.
See the rules that apply to all deals

PCPhoto

are you the one person that has already purchased the deal ?

I'd be a sceptical of a website which seems dedicated to "make-up" and "fashion" offering a photography course.

it looks like they use a lot of stock imagery and there's absolutely no mention of who the photographer is or their experience. (usually one of the signs someone does not want to be associated with the website)

from the website

DURING THIS WORKSHOP YOU WILL LEARN DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, HOW TO TAKE GREAT SHOTS, HOW TO EDIT YOUR PHOTOS USING PHOTOSHOP AND HOW TO USE STUDIO EQUIPMENT. WE ALSO ARRANGE A FUN BUT HIGHLY INFORMATIVE PHOTOSHOOT FOR YOU AT THE ACADEMY WHERE YOU GET TO WORK WITH MODELS AND MAKE UP ARTISTS.

WE WILL TAKE YOU FROM THE VERY BEGINNING OF DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY ALL THE WAY TO MORE ADVANCED TECHNIQUES.

Thats a lot to teach in 4 weeks (3 hours a week = 12hours...minus the final 3hours which seems to be a photoshoot only - so you can practice your stuff from the previous week)

- you will learn digital photography ??? (Very vague)
- How to take great shots ?? (again ... very vague)
- How to edit and use photoshop ( all of photoshop or just the basics of how to shoot the way the photographer wants to "teach" you)
- How to use studio equipment (great ! - but like the last comment, will they teach everything - or just the basics of how the teacher uses studio equipment)

I would suggest its not worth the deal...then again some people might get something/learn from it.... it looks like they will show people how to take images in a controlled environment in the same manner as the photographer (who is not mentioned) using a lot of expensive equipment - most people will not be able to purchase similar lighting equipment so once the course is over they will be forced to hire a studio every time they want to do a shoot or start purchasing lighting gear.

I'm surprised they have not mentioned they will teach you how to pose your model....or how to deal with a stroppy model....or how to deal with a hungover model....or how to take photos outside in the sunshine.

EDIT: Forget the comments about the "teacher" who does not want to be associated with the website ...its written on the right hand side of the webpage - a former camera store manager who turned professional photographer in 2010 (who does have quite a decent website/gallery/portfolio)

oshead

I'm looking on the course information page here and the only photographers name I can find is a quote from some guy called Ansel Adams......

kjt

oshead wrote: »

I'm looking on the course information page here and the only photographers name I can find is a quote from some guy called Ansel Adams......

I love all his portraiture work... oh, wait...

oshead

Yeah... "Portrait of Tree".

RoryW

PCPhoto wrote: »

are you the one person that has already purchased the deal ?

No

artyeva

oshead wrote: »

I'm looking on the course information page here and the only photographers name I can find is a quote from some guy called Ansel Adams......

is that a piss take? [given that you would have had to have read the course tutor's name to get to the ansel adams quote at the bottom of the paragraph]. i know nothing about them, the tutor, or the course - but reading this thread it makes the course seem something it's not, and i don't think that's fair.

and i don't think this is very fair either : ''a former camera store manager who turned professional photographer in 2010 (who does have quite a decent website/gallery/portfolio)''

have you actually read his bio?

the b*tchiness on this forum makes me die a little inside sometimes.

PCPhoto

oshead wrote: »

I'm looking on the course information page here and the only photographers name I can find is a quote from some guy called Ansel Adams......

its on the right hand side .... before the quote from Ansel Adams

MY INTEREST IN PHOTOGRAPHY AS AN ART FORM STARTED WITH MY FIRST PLASTIC CAMERA AND A TRIP TO THE BEACH.

SINCE THEN, I 'VE ACHIEVED A DISTINCTION ON A BTEC FOUNDATION COURSE IN ART & DESIGN FROM THE YORKSHIRE COAST COLLEGE SCARBOROUGH IN 1996 AND WENT ON TO GAIN A 2:1 DEGREE IN PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEO DESIGN IN 2000.

I RELOCATED TO DUBLIN, IRELAND IN 2002 AND SET UP AND MANAGED PHOTOGRAPHIC RETAIL STORES IN THE UK AND IRELAND FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, ALONSIDE MY PHOTOGRAPHICAL WORK.

I AM PASSIONATE ABOUT TEACHING PHOTOGRAPHY AND SHARE THE SHUTTER PASSION WITH MY STUDENTS.

I dont know about anyone else but if I had set up and managed photographic retail stores in UK and Ireland I would be minted !!.... but to do it all alongside doing photographic work.

Eirebear

PCPhoto wrote: »

I dont know about anyone else but if I had set up and managed photographic retail stores in UK and Ireland I would be minted !!.... but to do it all alongside doing photographic work.

How'd you figure that out?

The likes of Jessop's or other stores use managers who go in to get a store ready for opening, and see it through the first 6 - 12 months before moving elsewhere.
Why would he be "minted"? If he was simply a manager in Jessops? (Or any other photographic chain.)

EDIT: I do actually agree with you that it probably isnt actually a great deal - however you seem to be painting it as a complete con job, which is a tad unfair.

Zillah

PCPhoto wrote: »

but to do it all alongside doing photographic work.

Photographical.

oshead

artyeva wrote: »

is that a piss take? [given that you would have had to have read the course tutor's name to get to the ansel adams quote at the bottom of the paragraph]. i know nothing about them, the tutor, or the course - but reading this thread it makes the course seem something it's not, and i don't think that's fair.

and i don't think this is very fair either : ''a former camera store manager who turned professional photographer in 2010 (who does have quite a decent website/gallery/portfolio)''

have you actually read his bio?

the b*tchiness on this forum makes me die a little inside sometimes.

Please..... less of the amateur dramatics... die a little inside??? I wasn't taking the piss. I actually went looking for the photographer. And I looked for a while too. I see it now, thanks. The red text that's very hard on the eye... hmmmm. That's probably how I missed it.

Anyway, you shouldn't be so sensitive. I think one point being made was of Ansel Adams, the style of photography work he's famous for and what the site was obviously advertising. It was a light hearted way of pointing out an obvious flaw in site content.

So when someone (Rick) puts themselves up there as an expert and offers to sell that expert knowledge, others experts are well entitled to pick holes in it for the benefit of say.... a beginner, who might not be able to read between the lines and see past the hype and pretty model pics. That's all that was happening there. I think you might be confusing bitchiness with critical evaluation.

artyeva

i think some ''experts'' might be confusing 'critical evaluation' with 'cynical innuendo'

PCPhoto

Eirebear wrote: »

How'd you figure that out?

The likes of Jessop's or other stores use managers who go in to get a store ready for opening, and see it through the first 6 - 12 months before moving elsewhere.
Why would he be "minted"? If he was simply a manager in Jessops? (Or any other photographic chain.)

EDIT: I do actually agree with you that it probably isnt actually a great deal - however you seem to be painting it as a complete con job, which is a tad unfair.

if he was simply a manager in A photographic Chain he would not have "Set up" a number of photographic retail outlets, he would have simply managed several, either way - it has nothing to do with photographic skill levels.

His work seems decent enough (from his site).