Website: Foundation Degree Website for Students and Course Info
Back at the beginning of 2013 when I started doing photography in a more productive way and began to show my work on Google+, I was surprised by the support of people that I didn't know, in telling me that they like what I did.
It got me thinking one day on the way home from taking some photos locally, where am I going to take this photography? I guess that's when I started to look at photography in a different light and wanted to try and make what I had already learnt myself better and with more professionalism that might lead to a day where I could promote my work in an exhibition or something along those lines.
Google+ has been amazing for me, as I've made some good friends that I've met and others that I communicate over the net via messages on work and the Google Hangouts with video conferences that helps put a voice to a face. But I felt that I wanted to learn more and explore photography more in depth and the only way to do that was some kind of course.
The City of Bristol College runs a foundation degree course in partnership with Plymouth University, so in part we are students of Plymouth but doing the course via the City of Bristol College.
When I was researching for a course that would suit me and came across this one, I thought great, this is just like what I'm looking for. When I applied I had to go for an interview and was told to bring a portfolio. Portfolio! just the word sent me into overdrive as I didn't have such a thing, all I had was the images that had been seen only on Google+. So with a quick email I asked if I could bring my iPad down and show some of my work off on that, luckily they were OK with that.
Being that this was a college, I knew that I would be one of the older students that they'd have around and not sure that about having screaming girls all over the place, boys being boys trying to show who was the cool guy to hang around with, but I know that would not be bothering me and I was going to be there for a purpose.
I decided to apply for the part-time course as it gave some leeway, and when I had my interview, it was mentioned that you have a bit more time to take things in. The senior tutor Mr C is a great guy and so is Mrs B who is the other tutor on the course. I had my interview with Mr C and as he looked through some of my stuff, the comment that came back was 'you've got some good stuff here'. Mr C has been around in photography for sometime and was a warm welcome in his thoughts on initial work that I had done with no help what so ever, so I was offered a place and then it dawned on me I'm a student again!
I think we are all students, students of life as we learn new things each day and help to pass those things that we've learnt onto others.
The course is a really good one with equipment being available to borrow and a reasonable studio to work from. I say reasonable because Plymouth has it all and makes ours look slightly more like a personal studio, I personally think that since the course is a Plymouth course and we and the tutors have to follow their guidelines, that some investment from them would go a long way to making life a little easier.
If your looking to do a photography course, you have to be aware that means that you need to use and learn how to use such software's as Lightroom and Photoshop as you can't get away from that side of thing when producing high quality images that you hope that will go into an exhibition or for sale. In 2013 Adobe announce that its new CC software was going to be on a monthly licence, this is OK if your going to use this software day in, day out, but for the hobbyist is a real expense. So students have to get the software which at the beginning was done at a reduce rate, how long that will last is to be seen. Students also need to have a laptop or if possible a MacBook so that they can work on the same line as the college.
The course does have a lack of Mac's to teach students in a classroom environment, even thought that there are Mac rooms around, the course seems to be left behind on this side of things as the courses like media get first bite at the cherry. At the moment our course is dependent on students bringing in their laptops or MacBooks to go throughout the lectures. This is not ideal as some have not got these things or have only a PC. As a student rep, I've made a point about this and ways that things could be done until the course can get what it needs to teach students that valuable information. I don't see why Plymouth University can't put some investment towards the course so that there were at least 10 MacBooks for use on the course. Cut back in education and other factors are all part of this, and when the tutors are out under pressure to meet targets etc, its hard work if you don't have the tools tone able to meet those targets, which is unfair in my view as these tutors put a lot of effort and work into teaching their students so that they can go on to be people that the course can say this is what this person has achieved by doing this particular course.
To Show how much the tutors believe in their students and the course, they started up their own website. The website is to show students works and to give information on the course itself and news on what things are going on. The official Gov. website gives very little in trying to sell the course with no images and just text, some other courses does have visual aids to help promote their course, it's a shame that all courses aren't given the same web space.
But the FDA website has a lot to offer and is kept up to date and has its own blog as shows some great work that's been done by pass and present students. I totally recommend that you have a look and if you're a photographer that might have some hands on work for a student, then to contact the website and they will pass on the info to the students.
Exhibition of Students Work
In May this year (2014) an exhibition of students work will be on show and a great chance to come along and meet the students and ask them questions about their work and answer questions about the course itself if its something that you're thinking about doing.
I'm having a ball in the course and have a good group of co-students that I get on with and even that they are all old enough to be my own children they don't see or treat them that way, and they've become very except able of myself and my situation so we can have a good laugh now and then. Mr C and Mrs B are great tutors and do a great job and put a lot of time into what they do and are very passionate about their work and the course. Having that makes the course more interesting and worthwhile.
So check out the web site, the link is above but you can click on it from here.
Foundation Degree Website for Students and Course Info
To Show how much the tutors believe in their students and the course, they started up their own website. The website is to show students works and to give information on the course itself and news on what things are going on. The official Gov. website gives very little in trying to sell the course with no images and just text, some other courses does have visual aids to help promote their course, it's a shame that all courses aren't given the same web space.
But the FDA website has a lot to offer and is kept up to date and has its own blog as shows some great work that's been done by pass and present students. I totally recommend that you have a look and if you're a photographer that might have some hands on work for a student, then to contact the website and they will pass on the info to the students.
Exhibition of Students Work
In May this year (2014) an exhibition of students work will be on show and a great chance to come along and meet the students and ask them questions about their work and answer questions about the course itself if its something that you're thinking about doing.
I'm having a ball in the course and have a good group of co-students that I get on with and even that they are all old enough to be my own children they don't see or treat them that way, and they've become very except able of myself and my situation so we can have a good laugh now and then. Mr C and Mrs B are great tutors and do a great job and put a lot of time into what they do and are very passionate about their work and the course. Having that makes the course more interesting and worthwhile.
So check out the web site, the link is above but you can click on it from here.
Foundation Degree Website for Students and Course Info
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