wanting to start but still confused..

[elisha]

Hi!I'm seriously considering enrolling on this course (i almost was decided to enroll in NYIP),I really want to learn how to take really good photos that's why i'm saving for a DSLR,however i have a couple of questions:

a)Camera= i currently use a sony dsc-H1 & is saving for a DSLR,should i wait to get a DSLR before enrolling or can i do the exercises/assignment on my current camera (it's technically a point & shoot w/ few manual stuff).
= also i'm leaning towards getting a nikon d80 or if budget doesn't permit a d40 instead,will that be a good choice for a beginner like me & w/c lens shld i get to do the exercises.
b) is there a specific time frame to finish each topic?
Thanks in advance
Elisha:)

[dkippen]

Elisha - jump right in! Your sony should be fine for the course as you'll be learning the fundamentals and no, there is no time frame to finish each topic. The great part about this course is that you learn at your own pace. Welcome to the group.

[coffee]

Like Deb said, jump right in. There's no better time than when you're pumped up about it. But if you choose to wait for your camera, then do what I did. I joined when I knew I wouldn't have any time to shoot for a period of time. I printed off and read all the material before took a shot. Then, when I could start shooting, I did more ready and went back and started getting the shots I needed for the class.

Welcome to the group!!

[jerryph]

It helps if your camera has aperture, shutter or full manual priority modes, but it is designed in such a way that you will have fun ad learn.

As far as NYIP, I know its not very fair, but I shot a parade with someone who "graduated" their course, and though he put on a good verbal show, his pictures were far from being acceptable. I know its not fair to judge either this person or their course, but I was not impressed with the results of their system.

Keep saving for that dSLR, as that is the tool that will ultimately let you get to where you want to be, but for the minuscule price compared to NYIP's... I'm asking myself... why are you waiting?

Good luck in any decision you make. :)

[reval8r]

This is a good course and a really good value. I've seen the NYIP course worked with one of their students. It's also very good. When NYIP says a complete photography course, they mean complete. It covers lots of information, film, darkrooms, cameras from point & shoot to large format. It also has a really good portrait & wedding section, with 3 DVD from the late Monty Zucker teaching wedding portrait lighting and posing. Comparing PP to NYIP is like comparing apples to oranges. Both are good for what they are designed purpose. My recommendation would be to start with PP since most people will not ever shooting film. But if you're serious about photography and want to learn more than just digital, take both.

[coffee]

I had a very bad experiance with NYIP. I won't bore you all with the details, but I will say that NYIP's short course is hugely over priced for what you get. I can't comment on the professional course. But NY's short course and PP are very differant in many respects:

1. PP has more content.
2. PP is less than 1/4 the price of NYIP.
3. PP requiers more hands on assignments.
4. PP provides quicker feed back on assignments. The turn around is 2 days on average. NYIP took 7 weeks to get back to me on my first mail in assignment.
5. PP gives hounest feedback, NYIP's feedback was nothing more than, "Keep doing what you're doing". There was no helpful instruction on improvment.
6. Did I mention the cost differance???

Now some many have taken NYIP's short course and liked it. We are all different.

[LensBaby]

I also had a bad experience with NYIP. I actually signed up for the professional course, and it took me forever to get the first set of critiques back (over 8 weeks) and they were on cassette! I didn't even own a cassette player. They screwed my billing up as well. I think it works for some people, but for me it didn't. I was not patient enough to wait over 2 months for my cc back.

[coffee]

One of the huge differences between PP course and NYIP's short course is that PP's is an online course, as opposed to NYIP's short course which I call a long distance course.

In it's day, NYIP was a uniqe way to learn about photography. But with the internet, microwaves and fast food :-) people have gotten used to, and want fast responses to thier needs. This is where NYIP hasn't kept up with the times. In fact the weekend workshop dvd that comes with the course, was made back in the 70's I think. They wore plad pants, huge shirt collars, and VERY old equipement. It reminded me of an old Brady Bunch show.

With PP's online course things happen quickly. If you have a quetion you submit to admin and PP, you get an answer within a day or two. Your turn in assignments get looked and responded to within the same time frame. Which is wonderful.

Also with PP, you get this great forum to talk to other PP students, which again is great.

Proud Photography holds enormous value for the begining photographer. I can't say enough about how good this course is, Peter and his staff, and what you can learn.

[LensBaby]

One of the huge differences between PP course and NYIP's short course is that PP's is an online course, as opposed to NYIP's short course which I call a long distance course.

In it's day, NYIP was a uniqe way to learn about photography. But with the internet, microwaves and fast food :-) people have gotten used to, and want fast responses to thier needs. This is where NYIP hasn't kept up with the times. In fact the weekend workshop dvd that comes with the course, was made back in the 70's I think. They wore plad pants, huge shirt collars, and VERY old equipement. It reminded me of an old Brady Bunch show.

With PP's online course things happen quickly. If you have a quetion you submit to admin and PP, you get an answer within a day or two. Your turn in assignments get looked and responded to within the same time frame. Which is wonderful.

Also with PP, you get this great forum to talk to other PP students, which again is great.

Proud Photography holds enormous value for the begining photographer. I can't say enough about how good this course is, Peter and his staff, and what you can learn.



HaHa how funny that you said that, because when I watched my first video, I laughed so hard,that I couldn't even pay attention to the video!!!!!! My husband was even laughing with me. Photography changes, just as it has from the Daguerreotype era of photos, and it will keep changing throughout time. They need to advance a little and have an online course. I could be finished with a masters degree before I could get all of my CC back from snail mail from them. It also took FOREVER for me to get my FIRST set of lessons. (It took about 3 months for me to get those)

[coffee]

HaHa how funny that you said that, because when I watched my first video, I laughed so hard,that I couldn't even pay attention to the video!!!!!! My husband was even laughing with me. Photography changes, just as it has from the Daguerreotype era of photos, and it will keep changing throughout time. They need to advance a little and have an online course. I could be finished with a masters degree before I could get all of my CC back from snail mail from them. It also took FOREVER for me to get my FIRST set of lessons. (It took about 3 months for me to get those)

How funny this is. It took me 2 months to get mine. After a month of waiting, I called them to find out what the hold up was, and they told me the material was on backorder. It took another month after that. I was not at all happy about that. But I understand that happens and could have lived with that if the rest of my experiance with NYIP would have been good.

[LensBaby]

How funny this is. It took me 2 months to get mine. After a month of waiting, I called them to find out what the hold up was, and they told me the material was on backorder. It took another month after that. I was not at all happy about that. But I understand that happens and could have lived with that if the rest of my experiance with NYIP would have been good.

Yes, I could have lived with it as well, but everything was like that when I had to deal with them for anything at all. My cassette tapes that I got back, had a bunch of static in them, so it was hard to hear what the guy that reviewed my photos was saying.

[Paranihia]

Im really glad to read all this about NYIP. It looked so nice on their website that I became interested. However, they were so coy about their fees that I lost interest & assumed the cost was too high for me.
Somehow I found PP's website & was most impressed, so e-mailed Peter for more info.
There is a place in NZ offering online beginners through to professional including business set-up & finding agents etc etc, which cost 10 times as much but indeed did sound (almost) worth it. Their timeliness is way better than NYIP's also. Right now I don't have that much disposable income, so here I am with PP. It's OK for now Nice people here too.

[johnnya]

So in a nutshell, NYIP is not very personal, out dated and takes much to long to complete. Thus possibly hampeing ones drive and motivation to keep learning.
PP is quick, up to date and is great for beginners. And yes Joseph...Much cheaper :)

[coffee]

So in a nutshell, NYIP is not very personal, out dated and takes much to long to complete. Thus possibly hampeing ones drive and motivation to keep learning.
PP is quick, up to date and is great for beginners. And yes Joseph...Much cheaper :)

I concur. :)

[beaker]

Hi My name is chris, I just bought a sony A350 which is a SLR Digital camera and came as a kit with a 18mm to 70mm and a 55mm to a 200mm lens. It has a popup flash and I think it is very user friendly and would highley recomend it . Most digital SLR cameras are great even at the low end as you have to start somewhere, and remember Its not the camera its how you use it . Hope this is of help Thanks

[tjc]

I researched into PP and NYIP before landing on the PP course and here's my rationale if it helps anybody else decide:

The PP course to me was more practical based. Frankly I really don't need to learn too much about film, because, although some of the fundamental concepts are similar, my world is digital and any info I need about film can be gleaned from some older textbooks I have. I took photography in High School and learned quite a bit about film then. Most of it is not applicable to my photography today.

I also found that the material in the PP course was more up to date than the NYIP course, this was important to me as the technology changes so rapidly any course on digital needs to be right up to date on the latest and greatest.

I also didn't want to submit information by snail mail, and receive feedback by snail mail. Not that I'm trying to rush, but leaving timing to the USPS/Canada Post was not a desireable option as opposed to electronic submissions and electronic feedback.

This forums is just an awesome bonus to the course. I didn't know about it until enrolling in the course but I'm really happy I found it and I've already begun to supplement the course materials by reading here, and by looking at what other people are doing and the successes they're having with the course and photography in general.

Finally - cost. This for me was not the ultimate deciding factor, but it was a factor. It basically came down to value and I found that for ~$100 there was much more value with PP than with NYIP. I've been taking photos for a long time and just wanted to "get back to basics" so to speak, and I found the PP course scratched me where I itched. Now that I'm about a third of the way in I'm very satisfied that this course will meet my needs and I'm looking forward to completing the rest over the next while.

That's my story, YMMV.