underwater photography class

[KazooDiver]

Hello everyone....

My local dive shop is having a class on underwater photography this january... I was wondering what you all think about these types of classes...are they useful?

I am basically a beginner photographer...fstops? White balance? Those words sound like gibberish to me...

I have been wanting to take a photography class at the local community college but the classes have not fit in to my schedule this winter...

A description of the class can be found here: http://www.sassdive.com/class.htm
thanks

 

[alcina]

Go in and talk to the instructor - or ring them at least. See if the course sounds like it will cover things you a) know nothing about and b) have some idea about but will help solidify those things.

Have a look at the images taken by the instrutor who will be teaching the course. Talk to her/him about what the goals for the course are and see if that feels like where you want to go. If you have particular goals in mind, tell her/him and get a feel for if they can be met etc.

It sounds like you really are a point A on the road, so I'd say if the instructor seems enthusiastic and helpful, you'll probably get something out of it.

 

[AUTiger]

I looker at the PADI underwater photography manual and found it to be informative, especially for a beginner like yourself. Like Alcina says, talk to the instructor to see if it fits your needs.

David

 

[herman]

It may. Another question to ask is "Does it include some actual underwater time". It's good to set in a class room and discuss F-stops and lighting but at least for me, nothing is better than actually taking the photos trying to use what I have learned and then discussing them. You can really learn a lot from an hour or so in a pool taking pictures of a "reef" made of assorted plastic fish and coral then displaying them on a computer to discuss them.

 

[Mike Veitch]

my question....

what is the itinerary/curriculum/hours of the course and how much?

 

[Warren_L]

I teach both the PADI U/W and digital U/W photography courses and the digital course allows for somewhat more flexibility in the course structure. Which is fine since almost everyone I see these days shoots digital. I rarely see any film shooters, but they are still out there. As everyone has mentioned, speak to the instructor and see what the program is like. Personally, each course I do is a little different as it depends greatly on the existing skill level of the students. If it there needs to be more time spent on the basics of photography (like on what an f/stop is, etc) we do that. If the class is pretty well versed on photography in general, we may spend more time on some advanced topics. It really depends, but the best thing to do is to discuss this directly with the instructor.

 

[Mike Veitch]

Warren... how much? how many hours?

 

[edkibbe]

What kind of camera do you have. Is your instructructor familiar with the functions of your camera. When I took PADI Digital U/W Photographer early this year I didn't know how to do anything other than point and shoot mode. My instructor had me bring in my camera's manual about a month before the class started so he could familiarize himself with it.

During the class he had a basic working knowledge of my camera and was able to help guide me through the different settings. I got a lot of useful knowledge out of the class but we were a group of (3) in the class and we were all camera illiterate when we started.

 

[jjwdiver]

Another option (what I am now doing), is to sign up for a Community Education type of course on photography. Our town is big enough to offer these classes to the general public. No underwater stuff, but it is covering the ABC's of taking pictures.

 

[caymaniac]

Hello everyone....

My local dive shop is having a class on underwater photography this january... I was wondering what you all think about these types of classes...are they useful?

I am basically a beginner photographer...fstops? White balance? Those words sound like gibberish to me...

I have been wanting to take a photography class at the local community college but the classes have not fit in to my schedule this winter...

A description of the class can be found here: http://www.sassdive.com/class.htm
thanks

So, does Rick or Kim teach the class?