From reading various posts on this board and watching numerous YouTube videos, there seems to be a sentiment that the PADI Photographer and Videographer Courses are not really worth it and are a scam. I realize there are Padi haters out there and I also realize that classes can be beneficial, especially if one has no experience. That being said, are those courses worth it for a beginner or are they a scam? Is there a better route to go to learn about Ocean media? Thanks
Are the PADI Photographer and Videographer Courses Worth it
- Thread starter Tigerpaw
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Yes, there is a better route:
1. Gain some experience in the water...some = a lot. Perfect your control of your buoyancy at all depth levels. Become intimately familiar with your gear.
2. Become a good photographer/videographer on land. Take a course at a local college/university/adult learning center. Everything you do with a camera on land translates directly to what you do in the water.
3. Don't rush to bring a camera in the water....first build experience seeing the underwater world and process what you see with your eyes instead of through the view finder or 2-inch screen of a camera. You will see much more and hopefully have a greater appreciation for the environment you desire to photograph.
4. Find a mentor you can dive with that is also an experienced and good photographer/videographer. Actually find a few mentors for this. Dive with them often and learn from them.
5. If you are inclined to take a PADI class, do your research. Interview the instructor and thoroughly check out their portfolio. I have nothing against PADI, but to teach their photographer/videographer course one does not really need to have any real qualification or any real skill with a camera. There is no shortage of crappy photographers/videographers on this planet and it seems that as quality cameras and other photography equipment became more affordable and widely available, just about every other person with a camera rates themself as pro.
-Z
1. Gain some experience in the water...some = a lot. Perfect your control of your buoyancy at all depth levels. Become intimately familiar with your gear.
2. Become a good photographer/videographer on land. Take a course at a local college/university/adult learning center. Everything you do with a camera on land translates directly to what you do in the water.
3. Don't rush to bring a camera in the water....first build experience seeing the underwater world and process what you see with your eyes instead of through the view finder or 2-inch screen of a camera. You will see much more and hopefully have a greater appreciation for the environment you desire to photograph.
4. Find a mentor you can dive with that is also an experienced and good photographer/videographer. Actually find a few mentors for this. Dive with them often and learn from them.
5. If you are inclined to take a PADI class, do your research. Interview the instructor and thoroughly check out their portfolio. I have nothing against PADI, but to teach their photographer/videographer course one does not really need to have any real qualification or any real skill with a camera. There is no shortage of crappy photographers/videographers on this planet and it seems that as quality cameras and other photography equipment became more affordable and widely available, just about every other person with a camera rates themself as pro.
-Z
As in all courses, the quality of the course is highly dependent upon the quality of the instructor. If you were to take the course from someone like me, you would not learn much. But then, you can't take the course from me, because I am not qualified to teach it. If I went out and got just enough experience to qualify, I still would not teach the course because I won't teach a course unless I am really sure I can provide the necessary value. Some people will think differently.
I never took a formal underwater photography course.
Started off simple with a Nikonos II, then a V before meeting up with a few UW photographers that used SLRs in housings and they were my mentors.
It was some time before I discovered that they were all ex-dive instructors but none of them had taught diving in years, they just dived for their passion UW Photography.
That said, I'm sure there are plenty instructors out there who teach good UW photography.
Before you dive into the financial black hole of UW photography you need to:
1. Have a full understanding about your camera on the surface
2. Understand how UW lighting works
3. Have perfect buoyancy in order not to destroy the environment that you are in
4. Be prepared to spend lots of $$
Started off simple with a Nikonos II, then a V before meeting up with a few UW photographers that used SLRs in housings and they were my mentors.
It was some time before I discovered that they were all ex-dive instructors but none of them had taught diving in years, they just dived for their passion UW Photography.
That said, I'm sure there are plenty instructors out there who teach good UW photography.
Before you dive into the financial black hole of UW photography you need to:
1. Have a full understanding about your camera on the surface
2. Understand how UW lighting works
3. Have perfect buoyancy in order not to destroy the environment that you are in
4. Be prepared to spend lots of $$
ThatDogDontHunt
Oscar Meyer Weiner
I claim it depends on your skill level vs their objectives.
It would be useful to understand what this course intends to achieve.
What does the OP want to learn?
It would be useful to understand what this course intends to achieve.
What does the OP want to learn?
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