Does anyone else offer tutoring services?

Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD Canon Mount

11/09/2012 08:36:54 PM · #1

Hey all

Today I had my first session as a private photo tutor, paying client and all! Kinda fell into it, I was talking to her about another hobby, but she's seen the calendars I produce and wanted to learn how to use her camera, a D5000. Goody, so I can handle her Nikon with confidence and not have to deal with all the weird stuff Canon does ;-)

Well, I've tutored immigrant students in college in English, and taught many a pubescent 80-lb child how to safely handle, care for and ride a 1200-lb horse and be able to look good and do so with confidence. I've also written a few hundred critiques here, so I have some idea what I'm talking about.

Best of all, it was HER idea to hire me, and she's a retired lawyer, so I know she's a smart cookie and had no problem paying a very fair rate. So I hashed out a bunch of basic things to teach her, advised her to be ready to take notes and have her camera's battery charged up, and off we went.

I didn't know if we'd get much further than basic cleaning and ISO/aperture/shutter speed. But she absorbed everything like a sponge and kept me on my toes with good, well-thought-out questions. We covered focal length, depth of field, what a histogram is and how to read it, and dabbled in long exposure - she had fun seeing for herself how I did the Lady in the tree shot, and had me do one of her too :-) We also found the latest Photoshop Elements online, so I don't doubt that it's on her shopping list. Also left her with the textbook from my college days Photography 101 course, pre-digital, but just so she has material on the basics to review.

So, for a 4-hr session, I made some nice (and badly needed) pocket $$, and she has some homework to keep her busy til next Friday. We'll review this session briefly and I plan to introduce her to the basic principles of composition. She has a pretty good eye, I don't think it'll be too long before we see her here!

And frankly I am very glad to have a student who pushes me in turn. I have to know my camera backwards, and have to learn hers too. Not all students are going to be as sharp as she is, but so long as they're willing to learn, I can teach them.

And businesswise, there is no shortage of photogs out there offering photo services. But very few if any offer any kind of tutoring, and I doubt that it would be a case of training future competition. I know some members have taught photography classes, so any kind of feedback/input is greatly welcome.

Message edited by author 2012-11-10 07:52:06.

Mike

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

11/09/2012 09:06:07 PM · #2

crap and I've been giving my great advice to you guys here for free all this time?

i wonder if I can sue for backpay?

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S21, S21+, S21 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

11/09/2012 09:10:20 PM · #3

Well, I used to teach photography at UCSD, and I do some tutoring from time to time now, so yup :-) I enjoy doing it.

Tiny

Apple iPad mini 4

11/10/2012 07:26:46 AM · #4

Good stuff,would be nice to see her here maybe when the time is right.

11/10/2012 07:49:49 AM · #5

Originally posted by mike_311:

crap and I've been giving my great advice to you guys here for free all this time?

i wonder if I can sue for backpay?

*glancing around nervously* Shhhh! Don't go giving Ryan any ideas, he's been my unpaid private photo tutor for the last 3 1/2 years!! ;-0

rooum

11/10/2012 08:06:53 AM · #6

Around 7 or 8 years ago i spent some time running courses on digital photography/photoshop and such for patients/clients at a psychiatric hospital in London. These were generally 10 or 20 week course for a couple of hours each week and for out-patients and long term in-patients. It was certainly an experience! I had the courses planned out but they rarely went as planned as there tended to be such a wide range of experience and illness in each small group. Some people would just whizz through what i did and then get on with their own stuff whilst some had hardly touched a computer before and had quite severe mental health problems. It pretty much depended on who had taken what medication each week and the scale of their illnesses. I did have to call for support from the nurses once when one guy had a pretty psychotic reaction to what we were doing to a bowl of spaghetti he'd drawn and i'd scanned in. He started off finding it hilarious but quickly went on to finding it terrifying. Something to do with the scale or colour we'd made it.

Previously to that i spent a great few weeks in Sofia, Bulgaria teaching Flash and Photoshop to students of the Fine Art university there. This was back in 1999 i think. Those students were amazing. Incredibly creative stuff they came out with. I wouldn't have a clue about that sort of internet design and animation and stuff these days though. I lost interest in that and fell well behind with the technology. I quite fancy doing what you are doing though; private tuition. I've recently moved to a different part of Wales which is very picturesque; in the Snowdonia National Park for those who know the UK, and i think i'm going to spend a year or two teaching myself to be better at landscapes so maybe i could do something along those lines as well as general photography.

Your student sounds great so good luck with it and i hope it expands for you.

Message edited by author 2012-11-10 08:07:24.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS II USM Lens

11/10/2012 08:19:39 AM · #7

Yes, my current student is whizzing merrily through the material, and I know not everyone is going to be as astute as she is, which is why I want to keep it strictly one on one. That way those who learn fast don't get bored waiting for the others to catch up, and the other ones don't feel pressured to keep up and get frustrated in trying to do so. The classes I took in college as part of the Advertising curriculum were very basic, and we were all using Pentax K1000s and shooting film.

Actually, my student approached me because she did sign up for a one-day seminar on basic photography at the camera store. Only $80, sounds like a good deal, right?

But everyone in the class had different models and different brands of camera, so the teacher did little more than go around teaching everyone how to find the Off/On switch on their camera. That left her feeling a little ripped off.

hahn23

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

11/10/2012 08:33:04 AM · #8

I offer what I call "field seminars" in 4 hour sessions. These are geared for people fairly new to DSLR photography. The goal is for me to share some of my techniques in landscape and wildlife photography. It's hands on... meaning the participants use their own equipment with their own hands. I simply coach. In the field, all of the pertinent issues come up during the process of capturing images. For example, I can explain "hyperfocal distance" in a classroom, but it imprints much more in the outdoors, using a real situation with the participants hands on the controls and eyes on the viewfinder and LCD feedback.

People come to me all the time who are frustrated with their photographs... mostly blown highlights, blocked up shadows and focus issues. They just want to make better photographs.

In general, people have inadequate tripods. They have little concept of depth-of-field.... either narrow or deep. Almost every person had never heard of a histogram, nor knew their camera could display such a thing, nor how to use it. Most have lens hoods, but haven't ever used them, nor do they know what they are for. Again, these things can be discussed in a classroom, but it's the field experience actual shooting which imprints.

We start at Bear Lake for basic landscape shots. Then, we hike down to Alberta Falls for silk water shots and general composition theory. After that, we head to the mountain valleys to photograph elk or coyotes or birds. I did a dozen of these last year, in spite of wildfire and health issues. I'm already booked for about 12 field seminars next summer and that's all I have time to do. The income at $225 per session is supplemental. I do have repeat customers. On the second or third sessions, we review some of their actual photos on a laptop. That feedback loop is important, because I can advise them on how to have avoided "fatal flaws". Then, on the subsequent shoot, they apply those tips. It's rewarding for me to see this kind of progress.

Alex_Petrini

Sony Alpha a7R III

Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM

11/10/2012 09:56:45 AM · #9

I used to teach photography and Photoshop, for groups and individuals.

A great experience was teaching Photoshop in classes of 15 people. They were free courses of 240 hours for unemployed guys.

This year I tutored 7-8 people (half of them needed a beginners' course, the other half a more professional one). Even if shooting videos is my main activity, teaching is what I love the most.