NYIP..is it worth it?

[ericamcl]

I received an email from The New York Institute of Photography advertising their learn from home courses....is this worth the cost or can I learn more on my own by reading books, etc?

I have looked into taking some photo courses at the local community college but so far haven't found any that were available at times convenient for me...

your thoughts?

 

[MICKEY88]

I took the NYI course back in 1988, I highly recommend it to anyone who
asks, at the time I had been reading everything I could get my hands on, some things were still not clear tome, their course materia was so well wrtitten that I understood these things right away, my pictures improved greatly after the first lesson or 2, and friends and family all noticed and asked what I was doing differently..


the other great thing is being able to work at your own pace, when you have free time..

 

[DVC Jen]

YES YES YES YES and YES.

I am half way through Unit one and already am loving it. Some of it is just basic review - but yet I am still learning so much - especially about lenses.

Also the very first lesson - "The eye of the photographer" - it makes you stop and think and really look at things differently when you bring that camera to your eye - or look at a potential subject.

I had a pretty good grasp on aperture and shutter speed = but still learned a bit in that area too.

Being able to study when *I* want to and not having someone elses deadline hanging over my head is so important. I am a busy Mom of 2 teenaged girls - I simply don't have time to put into going to a classroom and learning by someone elses schedule. I can do 30 minutes here - 60 minutes there and so on.

I bought a small tape player (wish they had cds) and some headphones so I can listen and study out by the pool - in the carpool line outside the high school - when or where ever I want.

They also keep stressing that you will get out of the program what you put into it. So if you go at it halfway - sure it will be a waste of your time. However - if you take it seriously - you will learn and as Mickey88 mentioned they make some things that are kinda confusing - easy enough for even ME to understand.

 

[DueyDooDah]

Which course are you taking, Jen?

 

[AndrewWG]

I just got an offer in the mail for the complete course for $650. Still alot of money for me at this point, but I may just do it. I really need to learn more and it seems like the best bang for my buck at this point. I think I only have a week left to take them up on that offer, but I can't imagine it getting much cheaper. I'm glad to hear that people think it is a good program. I look forward to it being something I can really concentrate on this winter.

Andy

 

[ElizK]

I have the $650.00 offer, too. I really REALLY want to do it! Unfortunately, I have no way to pay for it right now, so it'll have to wait. Sigh.

 

[ericamcl]

I've been seriously considering it....I don't want to lay out the cash all at once but something I read said you can make monthly payments of $45 or something like that?

Now I have to decide which course I want to take if I DO sign up

 

[DVC Jen]

Which course are you taking, Jen?

The professional photography course.

 

[AndrewWG]

I have the $650.00 offer, too. I really REALLY want to do it! Unfortunately, I have no way to pay for it right now, so it'll have to wait. Sigh.

Well, I did it. I signed up today. I just couldn't let that offer go by. I doubt it will get much cheaper than that, but from what I understand, they will continue to mail offers like this, so don't worry. You will have other chances. I have been looking at this course for awhile now and just decided to do it. We'll see how it goes!

Andy

 

[ericamcl]

which one did you decide to go with?

 

[AndrewWG]

I just went for the full professional course. It will take me awhile to finish, I'm sure, but it should be very informative. My only hope is that it truly helps me to be a better photographer. I have a good eye for it, but my shots are usually not that spectacular. We'll see I guess.

 

[ElizK]

Well, I did it. I signed up today. I just couldn't let that offer go by. I doubt it will get much cheaper than that, but from what I understand, they will continue to mail offers like this, so don't worry. You will have other chances. I have been looking at this course for awhile now and just decided to do it. We'll see how it goes!

Andy

Congrats! Keep me posted! I want to know what you think.

 

[AndrewWG]

Congrats! Keep me posted! I want to know what you think.

Thanks. I'll be sure to let you know!

 

[Telynn]

For anyone who cannot afford thier course right now, sign up for NYIP newsletter! I've learned SO MUCH from the tips and the free online tutorials--my pictures have truely improved!

 

[ElizK]

SOOO??? How's the course going??? We need an update!!!

 

[AndrewWG]

So far, so good! My only problem with it is this first lesson that they send to you is basically an overview of what I already know with some small amount of stuff that I didn't know. Just the basics aperture, shutter speed, etc. It is somewhat outdated material, but it still applies to anyone with a DSLR. I think it would be a little tough to do with a P&S, but not impossible, especially if the P&S has manual modes. It is alot of material and it is done well. Alot of reading, pausing, listening to the tape, reading, pausing, listening, etc.. That is nice because I find that it can get a bit boring just reading this material for long stretches of time and the tapes explain what you read in greater detail. The true test will be if I can get some decent shots to send in with my photo project! I'll be working on that starting next week. The cool thing is that for this first unit, the photo project is to have 3 photos one showing action, one showing shallow DOF and one of a landscape style deep DOF. These are all things that Kyle has had us working on in his threads! Way to go Kyle!

I am pretty certain that in the end, I will be a much better photographer for having taken this course. That is what matters most to me.

 

[DVC Jen]

I think I am probably about a week or so further than Andrew. I finished unit one and am working on my photo project.

Went out last weekend - but didn't do so great (well at least I think I didn't). I was coming down with a killer cold and feeling kinda fuzzy. I am going to try to find some time this weekend to get some better shots.

Here are some that I took for the photo assignments - let me know what you think (be honest - like I said I am not overly thrilled with them).

Here is the one I was "thinking" about for the assignment showing distance with a high depth of field.

this one is for selective focus or small depth of field. i went back and reread the assignment after I had taken this and the main subject is supposed to fill most of the frame with only some background showing. I really don't think this is filling the frame enough.

for my photo that shows motion or action I took two and I am really having a hard time choosing one.

This one I think is just downright boring.

I like the motion in this one a lot better - but it the subject is so small due to me being so far away. It was really a spur of the moment shot. I heard the jet sky coming but didn't see it or have time to get closer to the water for a tighter shot.

Let me know what you think. Like I said I am not thrilled with them and hope to get some time to try and get something better this weekend.

 

[AndrewWG]

I think I am probably about a week or so further than Andrew. I finished unit one and am working on my photo project.

Went out last weekend - but didn't do so great (well at least I think I didn't). I was coming down with a killer cold and feeling kinda fuzzy. I am going to try to find some time this weekend to get some better shots.

Here are some that I took for the photo assignments - let me know what you think (be honest - like I said I am not overly thrilled with them).

Here is the one I was "thinking" about for the assignment showing distance with a high depth of field.

this one is for selective focus or small depth of field. i went back and reread the assignment after I had taken this and the main subject is supposed to fill most of the frame with only some background showing. I really don't think this is filling the frame enough.

for my photo that shows motion or action I took two and I am really having a hard time choosing one.

This one I think is just downright boring.

I like the motion in this one a lot better - but it the subject is so small due to me being so far away. It was really a spur of the moment shot. I heard the jet sky coming but didn't see it or have time to get closer to the water for a tighter shot.

Let me know what you think. Like I said I am not thrilled with them and hope to get some time to try and get something better this weekend.

Jen,

Here are my thoughts. The depth of field one I just don't really like for some reason. Maybe it is just too much water, I don't know. I think it makes me want to see more of a "subject" of some sort. It does, however, serve you well for DOF as it is nice deep DOF.

The flower is awesome! I know that it doesn't fill the frame, and maybe you could go out and try for one that does, but I don't think it needs to. One thing that I had thought it said was that it wanted a "busy" background that was out of focus. When I was thinking about this type of pic, I was thinking not so out of focus, but like some of the pics in the book are, no focus, but you can tell what it is. Know what I mean? I like this photo of yours anyways as the other flower is out of focus, but you can tell what it is. If you can't get one that fills the frame, I would send this one in.

I like the boat pic to show motion/movement. I think it does a great job, is a simple subject and should actually fit the bill for that. You might think it's boring, but it is perfect for the assignment. Could you have benefitted from a slightly slower shutter speed? Maybe, but I say send it in. The splashing water is showing the movement enough. It may have been cool as a panning shot too, but that is easy for me to say. I can't do panning shots worth a darn.

You are right about the jetski photo. The subject is way too small. It is a cool motion shot though.

I think you are doing a great job! You should be proud of these photos.

The shallow DOF shouldn't cause me a problem, the other two are going to be really hard for me. I'm not good with motion and there aren't that many great places for deep DOF around here that don't include water. I just think that unless there are a bunch of boats in the water, that deep DOF is hard to see with water shots. Sure, the other shore should be in focus too, but the whole water thing just throws it off to me. I'll have to travel a bit or keep a close eye on my surroundings. The more I look at the world from a photographers eye lately, the more I see. It's like a lightbulb going off in my head. I'm sure it is the same with you.

 

[DVC Jen]

I understand what you are saying about the lake shot - there isn't something there that you eye is drawn to as a main subject.

The thistle - well that was a whole darn field of them - i just zoomed in on one and set the camera at f/5.6 to throw the background out of focus.

The boat just bores me to tears. LOL I really like the jet sky - maybe I might see if I can do a tighter crop and still make a decent print out of it if I can't find something else.

The guy was flying on that thing - and I think the photo shows how fast he was going.

The motion assignment is the one I am going to have the hardest time with. The landscape with depth of field isn't hard for me to do - just hard for me to find something interesting enough for me to want to take a photo of it around here.

Guess I need to adjust my eye so I am looking at things differently.

I am hoping to head to the arboretum tomorrow. There is an area there that is high on a hill - looking down at White Rock Lake - and on the other side is the city of Dallas so maybe I can get something with that - maybe not. the concept isn't hard - the hard part is finding something around where I live that I can be happy with.

Thanks for your opinions

 

[tomorrowland]

I was searching for information on NYIP and came across this older thread. For those of you that started the program and have finished a few units, do you still think it has been worth it?

I am seriously considering it. I got an offer for $798 in the mail, but I would really like to see the $650 offer back.