With everything going digital, there are now courses and even schools where you can learn photography online. This is a great way for you to pace yourself and learn about photography on your own time with minimal or no visits to a campus. This article attempts to acquaint you with online schools offering photography courses, what you can hope to learn from these courses and guide you in evaluating and learning more about specific schools you choose.
Photography can offer a lot if chosen as a career. Its dynamic, versatile nature allows for a great degree of movement even within the craft. You can have a choice of a wide variety of subject matter ranging from news photography to magazine covers and travel or exotic locations. While the diversity and rewards exist with photography, you are unlikely to become a great photographer with mere good intentions and fervent hopes. You need to put in significant effort and hard work, as with any other craft, to become good at it. In your quest to become a great photographer, you may need to search for a good online school. Consider your search over as this article will address all the relevant points of finding a good online photography school.
Learning about how to take good pictures is just the beginning. You will also need to learn about all the business aspects of working with photography. You need to become familiar with copyright related matters and preparation and presentation of a portfolio. Some of the courses that are taught in photography schools include the following:
– Techniques of Photography
– Photographic equipment
– Digital photography and imaging
– Processes in photography
– Color Theory
A good place to start is by visiting this online photography school. The link to the site is here.
The subject of photography as a career is vast. This article and some of the tips provided above are just a few examples of the myriad of categories available in photography.
Photography is a unique craft which combines artistic expression with distinct individual tastes. Combine this artistic expression with a business model and you’ve got the makings of a unique and rewarding career. If you’ve developed a healthy obsession for it, then you will do well to learn the craft from true professionals who can share their experiences with you. The beauty of attending a photography school is that you don’t need to be particularly adept at photography or be an expert. You can join a photography school for several reasons: perhaps you are just starting out and want to learn the basics, maybe you’re beginning to develop your ‘artistic eye’ and want to further hone your skills or you’ve already had some experience and are looking to reinforce the techniques and skills you know. Regardless of your motivation, online schools will provide a lot more guidance than simply teaching you to take pictures and process or develop them. You will learn the history of photography, science of the art such as the chemistry involved in photography, or the physics involved which cover optics, color & light theory and even computer related skills if you are learning about digital photography.
Along with the great teachers, you are bound to run into and forge relationships with fellow students who share the same interests as you. You can benefit significantly from groups such as this and can help each other grow along the way.
When you are considering an online photography school, you will need to do your homework and research on each of them. Here are some questions that can help you get started off on the right track (each question also has a response for you to evaluate):
What is the purpose of a specific online photography school?
Here, you will want to look at what the school is attempting to do. You need to look out for cues that the school pays attention to its graduates and are really keen on developing a students’ skill-set. They should focus on training photographers to have sound technical and professional knowledge.
What sort of photography should I pursue?
Again, photography has a vast set of categories when it comes to picking one as a career. Some of your choices are advertising, fashion, portrait wedding or news photography. You may want to look at schools that specialize in a specific category that you are interested in. The school should teach you the basics of how to tackle any of these subjects and prepare you to start off diverse and eventually narrow down your focus.
What kinds of schools should I look at?
Obviously, there will be other institutes that teach you not only photography, but other subjects as well. A good rule of thumb is to look for a school that specializes in photography and is a good fit within your budget.
Are there any good schools either online or offline located in the US?
There are indeed. Some of the schools that are recommended are the Brooks Institute of Photography and the Art Institute of Colorado. For further information and a detailed listing, please click here.
The Brooks Institute of Photography is at the top for learning visual arts and photography. As with any career decision, your objectives need to be met when selecting a good photography school. Take the time to list your career objectives before you start searching. This will simplify things when you do start looking for a good school. Next, you should look for schools which have been around for some time. You want to avoid startup schools which only have an internet presence. Look for opportunities to intern with the school where you can quickly build up your work-experience. Photography is one unique craft which, if done as a career, can help turn your hobby into a means of income. There is nothing better that getting paid for something you love doing.
In my quest for some of the best online photography schools, I have come across a few worth mentioning. My favorite, because of the services it offers, is here.
The second school I feel is worth mentioning is found here. Its an instructor lead course and is worth looking at if you are looking for a set of online courses.