Evening and Daytime Online Classes
How My Online Classes Work
Over the last 3 years, I've developed a very successful format for teaching photography online. All of my classes focus on taking better pictures rather than on the technology
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Classes operate at two levels:
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Beginners Classes
Teaching basic photographic techniques, how to get to grips with your camera, understanding how to see and compose images, and the basics of editing your photographs
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Creative Photography Classes
The next level is for more experienced photographers and those who have completed the beginners' course. The focus is on exploring different genres of photography and learning more advanced techniques. The course includes monthly face-to-face workshops and events. This is an ongoing course which means that you can join at any time to suit you.
Why I find that online photography classes work better than face-to-face
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, all my photography classes were held in person. A physical classroom was the norm, and students would huddle around tables, exchanging thoughts, critiques, and snapshots of their work. COVID-19 forced me to rethink how I would deliver my classes in the future. Surprisingly this change was massively beneficial, leading to a more popular and accessible teaching approach. Interestingly, post-COVID-19, nobody seemed to want to go back to the old approach. Here are some of the benefits that we've discovered:
It is Much Easier to Share Pictures and Teaching Materials
The transition to online classes made it much easier for us to share images and teaching materials. In physical classrooms, sharing photographs used to rely on an often low-quality projector, a method that can make even a great image look mediocre! Online, photographs retain their original resolution, color and detail. We can all now easily share images with the rest of the class for instant feedback.
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Classes are Recorded for Instant Reference
In face-to-face classes, you could miss crucial information if you didn't note it down immediately or missed out on a session through holidays or illness. Now, every online class is recorded, meaning students can revisit any lesson whenever they want. Having this library of lessons at your disposal is an invaluable resource. It allows you to revise techniques or draw inspiration from past lessons at any time.
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Online Makes Classes more Accessible
One of the most important benefits of this shift has been the increased accessibility to classes. It doesn't matter if you live miles away or can't travel on a cold winter's night to a drafty education center. With online classes, all you need is an internet connection, and you're in the classroom. This has made photography education more inclusive, allowing for a more diverse set of students from different geographical locations.
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We Haven't Forgotten Face-to-Face Sessions
The only disadvantage of the online approach is that it is easy to miss out on personal contact with other members of the group. To overcome this potential issue, there is at least one optional face-to-face workshop session, where class members can meet and take photographs at interesting locations or visit galleries and exhibitions.
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