SAIT Photography Course Question - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Tiger · 05-09-2010, 09:56 PM

I know a number of people here have taking the SAIT Photography classes before. I had a quick question though

Is the Basic Digital Photography course (phot-200) too basic if you have some experience. I know I'd probably learn a few things, but I don't want it to be basically a beginners course. Is it recommended or should I try to skip to intermediate?

GrrlGoalie33 · 05-09-2010, 10:12 PM

I'm taking the beginner course right now and it is awesome for theory and the mechanics of photography. f-stops, shutter speed, iso, focal length, focal point, etc. and how they all work together.

I've been shooting as an amateur (in Auto mode) for a few years now, and would totally recommend taking the beginners course. It has improved my shooting already.

Tiger · 05-10-2010, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frankster

I'm taking the beginner course right now and it is awesome for theory and the mechanics of photography. f-stops, shutter speed, iso, focal length, focal point, etc. and how they all work together.

I've been shooting as an amateur (in Auto mode) for a few years now, and would totally recommend taking the beginners course. It has improved my shooting already.

Thanks, then it does sound like it would be worth while

Phaneuf3 · 05-10-2010, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiger

Thanks, then it does sound like it would be worth while

Depends where you're at. I took the beginner course last summer and found it extremely boring and slow. There was very little I got out of it. Turns out I did a better job at teaching myself than I thought I did.

If you have an SLR and the full auto-mode with the kit lens is all you use and anything else beyond that frightens you, the beginner course is for you.

If you're already fairly comfortable shooting in manual mode, spare yourself the time and money and enroll in something a little more advanced. 95%+ of it will be a rehashing of what you already know. On the other hand, it was kind of reassuring to get confirmation that what I had figured out on my own was correct.

Table 5 · 05-10-2010, 01:04 PM

Yep, from what I hear, only take that course if you truly are a beginner (ie have only ever shot in auto mode, and dont understand the basic concepts of photography). If you know what an f-stop is, you're probably over qualified.

Tiger · 05-10-2010, 01:51 PM

Now i'm conflicted on what to do... Thanks

Phaneuf3 · 05-10-2010, 02:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiger

Now i'm conflicted on what to do... Thanks

I'll try to clear it up for you. Read these pages:
http://www.uscoles.com/fstop.htm
http://www.uscoles.com/depthoffield.html

Does this sound familiar? Did you understand 75%+ of the concepts after a quick skim (never mind some of the details of the math - just focus on concepts)? Do you know how to apply most of this already?

If no, take the beginner course.
If yes, take something more difficult.

Edit: Put another way... look at your camera right now. Is it set to an automatic mode? If yes, take the beginner course. If not (and you are able to take a properly exposed picture), don't take the beginner course.

Tiger · 05-10-2010, 03:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phaneuf3

I'll try to clear it up for you. Read these pages:
http://www.uscoles.com/fstop.htm
http://www.uscoles.com/depthoffield.html

Does this sound familiar? Did you understand 75%+ of the concepts after a quick skim (never mind some of the details of the math - just focus on concepts)? Do you know how to apply most of this already?

If no, take the beginner course.
If yes, take something more difficult.

Edit: Put another way... look at your camera right now. Is it set to an automatic mode? If yes, take the beginner course. If not (and you are able to take a properly exposed picture), don't take the beginner course.

I understand the concepts of f/stops and depth of field well (often getting the f/stops backwards, but that has more to do with me being dyslexic). I often take my photos in manual modes, manipulating the shutter speed and the aperture as I need. But often the changes I make are somewhat trial and error until I get more experience, but I often go out and practice to see what changing the settings do taking the same picture changing a variable at a time.

I'm no expert, and just a recent owner of the SLR, but if I don't want to take a course that is too easy. But at the same time, I don't want to take a course that is too much for me. $255 and 18hours is a fair bit of time and money, it would better be spent me being over challenged than not challenged enough.

The only problem is I can get into the Sait easy course, but the intermediate course is always full.

Phaneuf3 · 05-10-2010, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiger

I understand the concepts of f/stops and depth of field well (often getting the f/stops backwards, but that has more to do with me being dyslexic). I often take my photos in manual modes, manipulating the shutter speed and the aperture as I need. But often the changes I make are somewhat trial and error until I get more experience, but I often go out and practice to see what changing the settings do taking the same picture changing a variable at a time.

I'm no expert, and just a recent owner of the SLR, but if I don't want to take a course that is too easy. But at the same time, I don't want to take a course that is too much for me. $255 and 18hours is a fair bit of time and money, it would better be spent me being over challenged than not challenged enough.

The only problem is I can get into the Sait easy course, but the intermediate course is always full.

Unless you want confirmation of what you already know - which IS helpful sometimes - it sounds like the beginner course is below you. Can't speak to the intermediate course as I haven't taken it.
Registration is a pain there for a lot of their courses but that's what the waitlist is for I guess.

ah123 · 05-10-2010, 04:33 PM

I took the two introductory courses at SAIT (4-5 years ago), but I was an absolute beginner, and even then, the only real value I got was the critiques of the pictures.

If you want courses, and want to have the opportunity to ask questions and receive critiques on pictures, you might want to look at PPSOP courses - they are on-line and you get email feedback on your pictures and you get opportunity to ask questions to the instructors and other participants - they are a bit pricey though. I took the introductory flash photography course and it was very good - it gave me a good overview of how to use speedlights (even though I still s**k at using speedlights).

Or you can just pick up the book "Understanding Exposures" by Bryan Peterson (he's the founder of PPSOP), which does a really good job of explaining exposures.

Good luck...

DrJ · 05-15-2010, 03:58 PM

Is it quite easy to enroll in these courses or do you have to apply as a SAIT student before? Essentially, how easy or difficult would it be for me to walk to SAIT, enroll in the course and start it up?

getbak · 05-15-2010, 07:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrJ

Is it quite easy to enroll in these courses or do you have to apply as a SAIT student before? Essentially, how easy or difficult would it be for me to walk to SAIT, enroll in the course and start it up?

For any of the courses that are offered as Continuing Education, all you have to do is register and pay the course fees (assuming the class isn't full). You might have to register with them to get a Student ID #, but there's no application or acceptance requirement and can easily be done online.

I took the beginner photography class in 2003, when it was still a film-based course. As was already said, it's good if you want personal feedback from an instructor, otherwise, you can probably find everything you need online.

I guess it depends on how you best learn things. For me, the course was good for actually learning the science behind how a camera works, but the best way to understand the differences between things like focal length, f-stops, ISO, exposure times, is to just trial-and-error them. Go out and take as many photos as you can and keep a notebook with the various settings you used for each photo (any quality digital camera will likely store this information on the file anyway). Take the same photo multiple times with different settings and figure out what settings work best in what scenarios.

Another thing you'll learn in the course are tips for composition to make an image compelling. The "rule of thirds" and stuff like that, and when it's better to move physically closer to your subject as opposed to just zooming in.

Some of the artistic things can't be taught. Someone with a good eye shooting in auto mode can take better photos than someone who understands everything about ISO and f-stops but has no eye for composition.

For me, the course was good because it gave me a structure to work within. I knew I had the class every Wednesday, and if I wanted to get the most out of it, I had to go out and practice the various techniques we had learned that week.