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Higher Diploma in Photography

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Higher Diploma in Photography

  • niallthealy
    Participant

    Hi everyone,
    I love photography and I wish to become a professional photographer soon.
    To this end I have enrolled myself on the “Higher Diploma in Photography” in Griffith College
    and this commences this coming september on a part-time basis.

    Firstly has anybody done this course and how did you find it or does anybody have a friend that has done that
    course and has now started out by themselves?
    I wish to set up my own studio in navan and predominantly cocentrate on wedding and portrait photography.
    Can anyone offer me help or suggestions would be very much apprecited.

    Thank you,
    Niall

    Zabelka
    Member

    Hi. I see there’s no answersf or you here… I am interested in exactly the same thing! but I am planning to do this course next year. Have you started it yet? and what do you think about it?

    edg3
    Participant

    weird i was looking at the same course, aiming to start next year. I’d like to know if you can get a grant for this to, its something like 3,400euro a year. I’d like to know if it’d be worth it.

    aking
    Participant

    Hi, i done that course. i found it to be very vague and drawn out. done the initial 1st year and passed all my exams and tasks but still didnt manage to get into the 2nd diploma year, the numbers in the 1st year are quite large and the amount let into the next year are always small so many people miss out and end up leaving with just he fetac award cos they have to wait for a year to try get in again. i went back to do the 1st year again to see if i could get anything more from it as i was only 19 and didnt feel like wasting a year doing nothing and i might aswell have sat at home cos it was the same stuff over and over again. i had already been into photography for 2 or 3 years before hand so i thought they went over stuff way too much.

    I currently own a photo restorations business in galway called PixFix and i didnt even bother going to my interview for the 2nd year as i saw the course showed favouritism to certain students, and everyting had to be paid for by the students. And also many of the classes were breezed through, like the start your own business course was given to us and we just had to fill in the blanks, when i opened my own business it was 100% different to what i had been thought. Its very ‘everyone for themselves’ in there.

    i would recommend it to someone who is just starting out and wants to learn a little piece of everything, also if you dont mind having to fight for a place in the diploma year.

    i got a grant for the 1st year of 1,800.. but nothin for the 2nd time around so it was a total waste of a year. if i had gotten into the diploma year the 1st time it wud hav saved me over 2000 for accomodation and living in limerick.

    i currently have my own business and that course contriuted in no way at all, if you looking for a cert then the 1st year is worth it. thats about it

    just being honest lol

    AKing

    hey, a friend of mine did the course and said it was lacking, more of an overview than anything else, although i did have another friend finbar who used to do the full time course there and said he enjoyed it and learned alot, last i heard he was working in a studio in america:)

    hope this helps

    stew.

    Lovelife
    Participant

    Hi

    Havent done the course, and i dont know anyone who has. But before i went to college a few years back i had two choices for college and Griffith College was one of them as they had a 4 year degree course in photography at the time. I have looked around at the moment and havent been able to find that course, so im asuming its gone.

    Which gives me the impression that it either wasnt wanted much by anyone or wasnt very good. I dont know what that means for a diploma course in the same college, if the degree one wasnt great.
    Search around, im sure you will find the course you are looking for.

    Lovelife

    damien.murphy
    Participant

    I’m interested in keeping track of this post, as the Griffith College course was something I considered in the past, although ultimately couldn’t afford the €5k for 2 years tuition that they were charging at the time. It seems the tuition fees have risen a little since then.

    I don’t know anyone who did the course, but heard good noises in the past about the instructors often being very good working professionals in the field. To counter that though, I’ve heard several people note that the facilities could be quite dated.

    It sounds like the business module is not up to much, although as a business grad, it seems so many start your own business modules in courses seem to be more than half-hearted token efforts. It’s a pity it seems to be the same in a photography course, where the industry is already difficult enough to break into, without being poorly armed prior to entering the marketplace.

    pelagic
    Member

    Guys,

    Just some random thoughts.

    I know folks who did fine arts degrees, worked for nothing with established pros and then came out the otherside as great photographers.

    Is that a path you’d consider? Photography is about a lot of things. Does anyone really teach lighting? Who needs a lecturer to learn a bout cameras? What’s the best way to learn to see? What do these schools know about starting a business in today’s ireland.

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