Digital Photography

Course review:

Do you want to work for your self? Pick and choose your own hours? Attend many celebrity events, weddings, parties, travel abroad doing photo shoots?

If this sounds like the ideal job for you, then you might want to consider a career in photography. This exciting new course from My Distance Learning College will teach you everything you need to know to start up in the business of photography.

Many of our students are new to the subject or just have some basic knowledge in photography.

There are many different events where photographers are needed:

• Celebrity events

• Parties

• School portraits

• Weddings

• News photography

• Magazines

• Television

• Advertising agencies

• Lifestyle portraiture

• Relaxed, home-based daylight portraiture

If you think this could be for you, then sign up for our course and see where you get to.

This course is for people who love to take pictures but want to gain an understanding of the mechanics of photography such as:

• Lighting

• Composition

• Exposure

• Digital image editing

• Technique and style advice for portraiture and people photography

Who should take this course?

The good thing about this course is that it is for all ages and all ability levels. It is a thorough "everything you need to know" course with lots of tips and information which other books, courses etc. won't tell you - secrets from the insider who has written the course.

If you're brand new to photography or picking up a camera after years of not using one, this is the course for you.

If you are a writer who wants to understand the basics of photography to enhance your sales ability, this is the course for you.

If you want to understand how to take great photographs for your next family party, this is the course for you.

If you need a hobby to relax with after work, this is the course for you.

Photography is an amazing medium that allows you to capture what you see. It is an art form that allows you to appreciate who you are and what you do.

Q. Will I need a digital camera on the course?

Although a digital SLR is best for this course, students can use a good, high-end compact digital camera if necessary. Budget compacts of the sub-£100, auto-everything, point-and-shoot variety are not recommended, whereas investing in a compact digital camera from a reputable manufacturer which has the facility to over-ride auto exposure is most preferable.

Ideally, your camera should have an Auto Exposure mode BUT ALSO a Manual Override exposure mode so that you can make exposures based on your choices - not just those that an auto-only camera would dictate to you. Aperture Priority mode and Manual are the most useful. As so many students of photography have found, a camera which does all the thinking for you (ie Auto only) inhibits your ability to learn the fundamental (& surprisingly simple) principles behind exposure and the creative possibilities which come from this.

Digital compacts will never be quite as suited to this course as a digital SLR, but a good one will take you a long way. For this course, you won't need a massive telephoto or zoom lens - just a good, sharp lens which is likely to cover wide angle > standard > short telephoto. This zoom lens usually comes as standard with most good compact cameras

AND

Additionally, if you are upgrading your compact or investing in a digital compact for the first time (as a step perhaps into more serious photography), a few things to consider:

1) Trust the big names of photography rather than the newcomers, so manufacturers like Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Fuji often come out on top in reader reviews. Online forums and reviews are a good place to start finding out information, but see (4) below. Never buy a compact camera without trying it out first.

2) Shooting mode options (including Manual) are a must (see above).

3) There is an over-emphasis on megapixel resolution figures which some of the manufacturers put out. There's no point in having a huge capture resolution if the camera lens is made of plastic (yep, it does happen). A good quality lens is far more important than pixel count for a compact camera

4) Handle your camera before you buy it. Only this way will you be able to check for Shutter Lag (delay between pressing the shutter and the camera actually making the exposure) which can be a big problem with compact cameras, though is improving all the time. You also need to get a feel of its menu system, scroll wheels etc and how easy these features are to use or how visible their displays are.

5) Beware of bloated resolution boasts. Real or Optical Resolution is the actual measure, not Interpolated Resolution which simply means that more and more pixels are added to the image via a kind of digital guesswork based on the next pixel to it (" Interpolation" is the technical term for it) which artificially inflates the pixel count, but decrease the actual quality of the image by introducing "false" pixels.

Previous experience required: No

Course level: Level 3 NCFE

Study hours: 100

Length of course: 12 months

Tutor Support: 12 months (can be extended)

Tutor marked assignments: Yes

Final exam: No

Instalment plan available: Yes