Photography classes?

[stevencolesmetal]

Hello everyone, I need a little help. My wife is a stay at home mom, who has loved photography as a hobby for years now. Lately, she has been wanting to learn the basics of photography and photoshop, so she can become a better photographer. Her end goal would be to some day have her own business of taking professional photos for weddings, senior pictures, advertisement, other special events... ect.

I am trying to support her as much as I can, and figured she might benefit from some photography classes. I have been trying to research online classes, but am having no luck. There are so many options, and I know nothing about photography. Does anyone have any advice on a good online program, paid or free, to help her to become a better photographer? I was researching NYIP but so many have said it is very outdated. Any advice is appreciated.

We also were looking in to buying her some photo editing software. Would Adobe Elements be a good option for a beginner?

I am a CAD draftsman and understand that professional software costs a pretty penny, but the Elements has a reasonable price, if it is acceptable for a beginner. I don't want to drop a ton of money on a program she isn't ready for or doesn't need yet, but am willing to spend the money on anything she needs to reach her goals.

Any advice or help is much appreciated.

 

[DougGrigg]

If I was local I would tutor for a fee, although I'd recommend youtube tutorials, A book called "photography key concepts" by david bate. and for lighting tutorials look at the strobist blog, just google strobist and it'll pop up on the top of the search.

Sorry I cant really help you personally, but I can tell you various books etc

 

[tirediron]

Get her to join a local camera club! There are usually lots of knowledgeable people who will give freely of their time, as well as organized meets, seminars, etc. As for software, Lightroom & Elements would be a great combination.

 

[KmH]

If she can put together her own curriculum she doesn't need a class. Pretty much everything she needs to know is available for free online and there will be a lot of free resources at your local library.
For instance she will want to understand most of the info in the tutorials on this web site - Digital Photography Tutorials

A key to making high quality photos is knowing how to use light and how to use camera and lens features to advantage.

The business part is another matter.

Business skills are more important than photography skills to have a retail photography business - weddings, high school senior pictures, special events... etc.
Making photos for advertising is commercial photography and has a business model and pricing that is different from the retail side of the business.

Photoshop Elements is a good place to start but there are also free applications like GIMP.org and Photoscape.org.
Adobe went to a subscription plan for it's pro grade software.
They offer a Photoshop Photographer Program that includes Photoshop CC and Lightroom 5 for $9.99 a month - https://creative.adobe.com/plans/offer/photoshop+lightroom?promoid=KHQFP

Here are some inexpensive books she may find useful:
Michael Freeman's Photo School Fundamentals: Exposure, Light & Lighting, Composition

Light Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

Direction & Quality of Light: Your Key to Better Portrait Photography Anywhere
On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography
Off-Camera Flash: Techniques for Digital Photographers

Professional Portrait Retouching Techniques for Photographers Using Photoshop (Voices That Matter)
The Photoshop Elements 12 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)
Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom (2nd Edition)

 

[Derrel]

Adobe's "Lightroom" software, if used well, can perform 95% of all needed photo tasks, maybe more, especially in people photography. I'm not sure about the NYIP classes; that company has been around a looooong time, and once you write for information, they will send you snail-mail promo material for about two years (I know this from experience). I cannot say what their course is like, but I did write for the promo material a few years ago, but decided against taking it because it didn't seem like a good fit for me.

There are a LOT of really good,good books available today, as well as on-line training. There are two ways to approach photography: one concept emphasizes getting things lighted right and composed right and done right to such an extent that the photos can simply be transferred to the computer and edited in as little as 10 to 60 seconds per image--and no, I am NOT kidding...10, to 60 seconds, with an average of about 30 second per frame. There is another concept, where a large percentage of the "shot" comes from the software adjustment of the file well,well after the photo is made.

Learning how to work under the first concept requires much more understanding and mastery and total control over all aspects; the second approach is much more common, and probably more easily realized for most hobbyists and beginning pros. I think the "understanding" and "control" aspects come mostly from good education and learning, from books, videos, reading and studying, and from expert instruction. Learning, really learning, how to use Lightroom would be a HUGE HELP to her.

 

[stevencolesmetal]

Excellent, thanks guys. We really appreciate the help.

 

[Big Mike]

I teach photography classes and I've had several people tell me that they learned more in one class (12 hours over four nights), than they have in years of on-line and book learning.
Everyone is different, of course, but the basics of photography are pretty 'hands on' so I think that taking a course in person, is often the best option.

Check your local community colleges for courses. Also, many pro photographers are teaching to supplement their income, so that might be an option.

But as others have mentioned, all the information is 'out there' if she is able to find it and able to learn on her own.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I think too that taking a class or workshop would be a good idea. You could look into local art centers, colleges that offer adult continuing ed. (non credit) courses, or even the library (the one in my area has computer classes and does one on photography).

I remember getting NYIP's info. some time ago and didn't feel like the instructors or courses were the quality I was looking for. Some learning online could be an option, although one drawback I think is that there are videos and tutorials that are spiffy looking but aren't necessarily teaching accurate info.

I have Elements, when I shoot digitally I usually do minimal editing (probably from being an experienced film photographer). Usually at most I adjust brightness and/or contrast or maybe do a little cropping, occasionally I've done more, sometimes I've printed out of camera what I photographed. I would think that might be enough for editing/processing for a start - I don't know that it's worth putting a lot of money into this until she knows she loves it enough for it to be something she'll do long term.

I've found that becoming good at using a camera - getting a proper exposure, learning how to frame and compose images, how to focus etc. is what makes a difference in getting good photos. I'd expect it to take a lot of learning and practice to get to the point of being able to start a photography business and be successful with it if that becomes a reality in the future.