Professional Photography Course £5,000
Let me start by being honest. It’s a lot more difficult earning a living from photography today than at any time in the past. When I started photography, in the monochrome days, photography was hard work and you had to know what you were doing. Cameras were fully manual, film and processing were expensive and it all took a long time. For this reason many people employed a professional photographer and it could be a very well paid profession.
It’s a fact that far fewer people employ professional photographers today, but it is possible to succeed, as several have my past pro students have shown. Most working photographers are freelance and self employed. If you’re looking for a “photography job” then this could prove difficult. A good example is the newspaper industry, where I worked for 30 years as a staff press photographer, as most newspaper today only use freelance photographers.
Professional Photography Course Commitment & Cost
This is a three month intensive course where we are looking at a commitment of two days per week and an investment of at least £5,000.
If you are not already passionate about photography and think this is a way to earn lots of money easily then this course is not for you. If you don’t already own a camera then this course is not for you. If you cannot commit to two days a week and work on your own initiative then this course is not for you. If you think that £5000 is too expensive to invest in yourself then this course is not for you. If you are looking for a degree or want to spend 80% of your photography time doing written exams then this is definitely not the course for you.
If you are as passionate about photography, as I am, and you want to succeed then lets talk.
If this is all putting you off then “good” because that was my intention. If you are still with me then carry on reading.
If the Professional Photography Course is too much of a commitment then take a look at our private tuition 5 day photography courses.
At Least Two Days Photography Per Week
The private tuition Professional Photography Course includes one day per week training and you need to allocate a day week to carry out assignments based on that day’s training. These assignments are graded by me and if they are not of a suitable standard you will be given constructive feedback on how to correct any problems, either through email or Skype call, and asked to repeat the exercise. If you cannot carry out the assignments then this will be covered again on your next visit but will cut into your allotted training time for that day.
How to make Money from Photography
My belief is to make money from photography you need to take the pictures no-one can shoot or doesn’t want to shoot. After all, why employ a professional for something you can do yourself? I’m sure my past professional students will back me up on this as they mainly do commercial or product photography of some type. Please see the work of Jim Muller Photography or Paul Richards Elevate Photography to see the high standard of my pro students. Links below.
Professional Photography Course Assessment Day £325
The Professional Photography Course cost £5,000 and last three months. The first day is an assessment day and costs £325. This gives us both a chance to get to know each other and see how we get on together. I’ll be honest with you about what’s involved before we move on to the full course and you pay the balance. There’s no commitment from either party at this stage. Once the course is agreed the balance needs to be paid, in advance, but this can be in installments.
This course includes 12 private tuition days training tailored to the type of photography you want to specialise in. It can also include how to design you own website and marketing advice if required. I strongly believe in work – life balance so we can be flexible to allow for holidays etc.
Depending on the type of photography you wish to pursue I will issue a kit list. You will a certain level of camera and flash equipment and this should be factored into your costing. We can talk about this on your assessment day.
No Promises of Success or Earnings
I will make no promises about earnings or job prospects after completing this course. You will be self employed and how successful you are will depend on your ability to get out of bed in the morning and find customers. I cannot do this for you.
5 Day Intensive Photography Courses
If the Professional Photography Course is too much of a commitment then take a look at our private tuition 5 day photography courses.
If you are an existing DPC student, who has already completed several of our courses then you can attend the 5 Day Advanced Course.
Would This Photography Course be Better Than Getting a Photography Degree, A Level or HNC?
Written Exams
Do you do a Wedding Photography Course?
I get lots of people asking me if I do a Wedding Photography Course and the simple answer is – No!
Let me start by being honest. It’s a lot more difficult earning a living from photography than when I started in the B&W film days. Back then it was hard work and you had to know what you were doing. Cameras were fully manual, film and processing was expensive and it all took a long time. Most wedding photographers created a wedding album with 20-30 images and often made more money from reprints than from the wedding.
Today digital cameras are relatively cheap, can be used on fully automatic and camera phones are in everyone’s pocket. This has led to a decline in professional wedding photography in particular. I find it amazing that people will say “These are really good photographs. You must have a good camera”. You never hear people say ” this is really good food. You must have a good frying pan.
Sadly this very camera ownership has led to anyone with a decent Digital SLR being asked to photograph friend’s weddings etc. with nothing more than a standard lens and a pop up flash.
I Do Not Recommend Wedding Photography
With everything I’ve said above it might not surprise you to hear I DO NOT recommend my professional photography students take up wedding photography unless that really is their passion and the thing that gets them out of bed in the morning. If they do choose to photograph weddings then I tell them not to compete on price, for the reason below, and concentrate on high quality bespoke weddings.
Be a Better Photographer Than Everyone Else.
My belief is to make money from photography you need to take the pictures no-one can do well or or you do better than everyone else. I’m sure my past professional students will back me up on this as they mainly do commercial or product photography of some type.
Please see the work of Jim Muller or Paul Richards to see the high standards I’m talking about. Links below.
Why Our Professional Photography Course is better than a Wedding Photography Course.
I believe you cannot become a good wedding photographer without first being a good photographer. Let’s think about what wedding photography involves. Remember that this is just the techy stuff and not how to organise and pose groups or arrange people.
You could be working in poor lighting, like a winter wedding, inside a church or at a poorly lit reception. What are you going to do? This is covered on our Intermediate Photography Course and Low Light & Night Photography Courses.
Well lit romantic pictures of the bride and groom under various lighting conditions – This is covered on our Portrait Photography Course and Flash photography Courses.
Close-ups of the rings, or detailed pictures of shoes, dress or flowers – This is covered on our Macro Photography Course and Product Photography Course.
Engagement, pre wedding or post wedding pictures in a studio or at home. What if you need to light the reception using flash or studio light – This is covered on our Studio Portrait Course.
Dealing with people and arranging interesting groups. I see so many boring wedding pictures where the guests look like they’re in a firing squad. – This is covered on our Pictures for Publication Course.
Quickly sorting, culling, rating and editing your images. With modern digital cameras and fast motor-drives it’s so easy to take 1000s of images at a wedding. These images will need sorting and editing in Lightroom or Photoshop. We offer beginners to advanced training tailored to your specific requirements on our Lightroom and Photoshop courses.
Creative Photography. At some point you are going to want to start getting creative with your photography and maybe use candlelight, fairy lights or reflections to make your images stand out. This is what we cover on our Creative Lighting Course.
Marketing, Time Management and What to Charge.
Many new wedding photographers make the mistake of under charging for a wedding as they only think of the time they are at the venue. A typical thought process goes, “I get paid for my job during the week so this is an extra £200-300 for a day’s work “. It is not a day’s work to do a wedding. By the time you have factored in meeting the couple before the wedding, the rehearsal, visiting the venue, doing the wedding on the day and the evening, travel, backing up, sorting and editing 1000s of images, creating an album or photo-book, DVD or USB with images in two sizes and post wedding meet-ups you have done about 5 to 7 days work in time alone.
Would You Work for Less Than Minimum Wage?
Take off your costs, like all travel, subsistence, liability insurance, camera kit and insurance, DVDs, USB, computer, website, tax and 100 other minor expenses and a £300 wedding becomes £200 profit. Divide this by five days and you are working for £40 per day or £5 per hour. Really!
Don’t forget if you do start earning from your photography, even if it is just for friends, you could be liable to pay income tax on those earnings.
5 Day Intensive Photography Courses
If the Professional Photography Course is too much of a commitment then take a look at our private tuition 5 day photography courses.
If you are an existing DPC student, who has already completed several of our courses then you can attend the 5 Day Advanced Course.