b-tec photography course?

hi all, would love some advice off you guys, i enrolled today (but have a 7 day cooling off period before i pay me fees) on a b-tec level 2 photography course. 3hrs a week for 16 weeks. but im not sure whether its worth the £203 or am i better off just experimenting and learning from books and mags. does anyone know anything about this course and should i do it?
ps, i am a beginner just getting to grips with my new pentax k-r
thanks

Coincidence you posted this as I'm in the process of registering, my main reason is that I'd possibly like to teach photography in the future.

Having spoken to the course tutor I think it's probably worthwhile for you as it does cover a range of genres and all aspects of photography. From my experience too (not just photography related) support/motivation and advice from a tutor can make all the difference rather than just wading through books/mags, even moreso if you're just starting out

Simon

Don't overlook the fact that as a student you might also be eligable for student software deals from Adobe, Microsoft, etc, which could easily recover the cost of the course.

I'd also be interested in whether this is a distance learning course, and if so, who's offering it?

If you want to teach in a school you will need a degree and a PGCE.

I think post 16 colleges and "free schools" allow people to teach without a PGCE and without degrees. So there is nothing to stop you applying to teach right now. Its just how you separate yourself from everybody else and make a compelling case for them to employ you, apart from being cheaper than a qualified teacher.

The introduction of free schools which don't need their teachers to be formally qualified and the introduction of training "in-school" and not requiring the old style PGCE seem to be dismantling the
professionalism of the teaching profession. So hang tight and see how easy it is in a few years. I can't wait until we get "free health clinics", "free dentists", "free courts" and "free police" (somehow I think there will be no dismantling of these closed shops).

I think a B-TEC level 3 is the vocational equivalent of A2 level.
16 weeks sounds like a breeze compared to a full year for an A level. So £200 doesn't sound bad for the level 2. Would you be looking at the same again for the level 3?

I would go for it, you probably can choose the subject and styles you want to explore for project work and you will get a structure and help and facilities (e.g. studio, A2 printers, library of books) . You can produce a portfolio of images and have something to tout about afterwards from the work you produce.

Like with a successful A level you can trade a successful B-TEC in and get your LRPS from the RPS. http://www.rps.org/licentiateship/LRPS-Exemptions letters after your name and a qualification ...

I think this is directed at me, I'm responding just in case

To be honest I already have a degree/PGCE and teach in an FE college but not photography related - I'm thinking of future possibilities as to teach a specific subject you need to have an equivalent qualification.

The LRPS is something I've thought of too but I'm not too sure it's accepted to teach in a college etc - I need to look into that as it might be a better route

thanks

Simon

not directed at anyone, sorry if it seemed so

Ok, maybe aimed at government.

It depends on what you want to do, really.

If you want to turn pro quickly then a qualification of some sort will probably help you to get work experience or "second camera" gigs with established photographers by showing that you're serious.

What it won't necessarily do is make you an original, creative photographer. I'm not sure what the B-tec is like but I get the distinct impression that a lot of courses just teach the currently fashionable techniques and compositions. You'll be technically competent but it won't necessarily inspire you, as the subjects and locations they use could easily leave you cold.

I've seen people who've passed all sorts of courses, but their images are predictable. They end up with compositions just like the ones in the magazines which obey all the rules, but never explore beyond those. I know I take a lot of terrible photos, mostly because I'll keep trying unlikely angles and subjects until it fits together. Case in point, I only managed to make something original from the Claerwen dam this summer after about ten years of trying!

I seem to have picked up photography 60s style, judging by "The Asahi Pentax Way". The suggestions relating to technique and composition are pretty close to what I was doing anyway.

yes thanks matt, i think time will tell how creative i may become, im pretty confident in the fact that ive always tried to do things a little differently in life and hopefull this will see me through. the books and mags have very usefull stuff but i think i need the have the foundations in place ie composition, exposure etc. so i'll give it a go and see where i end up.
gareth and johnx it is based in a local college (sandwell) so no real additional travel expenses, cheers
and yes simon, interaction with tutors and fellow students opens doors to discussion on all aspects of photography...cheers mate
many thanks dougf8 for your inspiring words and ive decided to start next week and hopefully move onto better things.
in all honesty, i just want to take pictures like you guys.
thank you all

I tried for years to get experience with mags, websites, other photographers etc, got nowhere fast...

As soon as I mentioned I was studying photography, bang there was the offer of some work experience, quickly followed by more jobs. This was just a month or two into the course which was A level photography. The course was more art based than photography, we spent 2 weeks learning how cameras worked, 4 weeks learning how the dark room worked & then the rest of the year exploring other photographers work. I found studying with like minded people more interesting than the course.

Enjoy the course, I don't regret for a moment doing one...

To be honest you can learn the absolute basics pretty rapidly just by playing around. Put your K-r on Av, set the ISO manually (try anywhere between 100 to 400 outside depending on weather) and experiment. You'll soon find how aperture and depth of field go together, then on to backlit subjects and exposure compensation when the camera can't meter accurately. Don't worry if you end up with rough compositions or fuzziness where you wanted sharpness, just try again with different settings. It costs nothing to do so with digital.

Do that now and you'll arrive on day 1 of the course knowing what all the important buttons do and how it affects the image, leaving you ready to handle the more advanced stuff the lecturers will cover.

thanks cabstar.
and thanks matt, been doing as you said. also have some nd filters on the way, so will be experimenting further!

Well I've just paid my course fees - start in a couple of weeks, can't make the first week.

I'm hoping that the course will broaden my horizons a little looking at genres I haven't really bothered with until now, hopefully it should be interesting

Simon

I wish you luck with the course.

I think the big benefits are the discipline of having to go along every week and the interaction with the tutor and other students.

Sure, you can learn a lot from books and practice... but it takes a certain amount of organisation and self-discipline to approach things as IF you were doing a proper course.

I have looked at the OCA course but have my doubts about the benefits of distance learning - but then I teach in FE (absolutely nothing to do with photography!!) so I'm perhaps biased

I recon £203 to be able to spend an evening a week with like minded individuals doing nothing but photography is pretty good value!!

Martyn

Maybe we have the same bias - I teach in FE too

Seriously though I did a distance learning course with the Open University several years ago (engineering not photography) and to be fair couldn't fault the course, I had access to my tutor via email/telephone probably more often than I will during this one.

What did make it difficult though was not having regular contact with other students and the benefits that brings, I think that will be even more significant in a more practical subject like photography so I'm pretty sure I've made the right choice - I'll certainly let everyone know if I haven't

Simon