We have noticed lots of free photography courses popping up all over the internet recently. Let’s have a look at what makes a course of study so that you can make a choice about how useful these free photography courses will be for you.
Firstly, we understand, they are free, so why not give them a try? This is true in many ways. However nothing in life is free, so what are you expected to give in return? In many cases, this will be your contact details so you can be upsold, or contacted to extend your subscription. One ‘free’ course we looked at even wanted your credit card details up front so they could charge you on expiry of your trial period.
We aren’t saying that you shouldn’t give these free courses a go, just be aware of the pitfalls, read the small print and be very careful of giving your card details to any provider who is offering a free trial.
This leads us nicely on to what makes a course of study. If you are getting a course free, it’s a fair assumption that it’s not a course at all. A tutor isn’t going to give their time away for free to teach you photography, which means that all you are getting are some free pdfs or videos. There’s nothing wrong with this, but they aren’t “courses” in the real sense of the word.
When you take an IOP® online photography course, you get a multi-faceted experience, with interaction and help, just as you would in a classroom:
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- 24/7 Tutor Support.
- 2 hours of live chat every week.
- At least 11 marked assignments with bespoke feedback from your Tutor on your photographs.
- Comprehensive photography course content covering all abilities.
- A personal Tutor who you can contact for help, even if it’s help outside the framework of the coursework e.g. you might have an event coming up and want to ask advice on photography techniques.
- A forum where you can discuss your work with other students.
- A Facebook group where IOP students come together to chat and discuss assignments.
- Monthly Tutor projects where you can get involved and get feedback on set tasks.
- The IOP team has decades of experience in delivering a structure of photography learning to make sure you end the course a better photographer than when you started.
A course should challenge you, allow you to take the constructive help and test your knowledge. It should drive you forward, open your eyes to new possibilities through a two-way, interactive experience and give you practical ways to improve. A course should give you a Tutor who is invested in your progress, who you have a rapport with and who will give you that ‘penny drop moment’.
We all like something free. Take advantage of these free photography courses but just be aware that they are not courses of study in any real sense.
Do you want to become a better photographer? Then enrol now or watch the video below.
