Private Lessons...

[abzphotoz]

I am currently taking private lessons from a professional photographer-a very good one as far as his pictures go. I

am paying $85/hr in 2 hour blocks once or twice a month. I am wondering if I am getting the most out of it and if it's

worth it. I was hoping for some feedback as to what I should be learning. Also if the teacher is really working hard at

making sure I learn. I was out with him last weekend shooting and he didn't really coach me too much. He told me

a couple of things like wait for the glint in the eye of the goat or don't shoot in to the sun. But now that I am thinking

back, there is a lot of other hands on stuff that he could've and I think should've told me. Any advice would be very

much appreciated.

[michaelging]

I think the Mentor and student relationship can be a powerful tool for learning. There has to be a melding of the minds for this to happen. If the student is not advanced enough in the fundamentals then he, or she, does not know the right questions to ask the mentor. If the mentor speaks over the head of the student, then he or she, does not get the point of the discussion across to the student .

 

I think the classroom method of teaching is best done with beginning students, and the mentor-student relationship, is best the student has reached a advanced stage of understanding as to what the craft of photography is all about. That is not to say that a experienced photographer could not teach a person the craft of photography to a novice, but at $170 a lesson , this would take a long time and a lot of money. You also have to remember that just because a person is a great photographer does not mean that they are even a adequate teacher.

 

I wish you luck in your quest

[Leonard-just-Leonard]

It is impossible to answer your question without a lot more information.

 

Where is your portfolio? What is your skill level? What do you want to accomplish? Why did you hire this person? The real question is what did you want to learn? Did you learn it?

 

The student must be as well prepared as the teacher. Once you both have an objective in mind and follow a plan, then you will have results.

 

One scenario for the teacher is

 

1. Tell them what you are going to tell them.

2. Tell them.

3 Have them tell you what you just told them.

4. Did they get it ?

[eric merrill]

"Also if the teacher is really working hard at making sure I learn."

 

I would say that it is only your responsibility to make sure you learn. It sure isn't the responsibility of anybody else.

 

Are you getting better? Do you feel more confident in your abilities?

 

 

Eric

[ty_mixon]

It's a dual responsibility for teacher & student to make sure that the student learns.

 

But to address your concerns, have you spoken with your mentor about these issues? Perhaps s/he IS doing what he knows has worked, but you are missing vital clues? Or it may be that his style of teaching doesn't match your style of learning.

 

I'm a big fan of talking to the people involved, not to outsiders who don't know the situation.

[Xiao Cai]

It is just a commercial relationship. Really good photographers (or artists) probably are very selective to chose their students, not just who paid them could become their students; really good teachers knows how to teach and could tell if their students have potential abilities...

[Xiao Cai]

As you paid so much money, probably you should have a clear idea about his plan how to teach you, such as any assignments and how he critiques your works. It is not so important how much time you spent with him, and it is very important how he instructs you to work alone.

[abzphotoz]

Thanx for the feedback-it is very much appreciated. Here is more info and answers to the ?'s.

I am a beginner and I don't have a portfolio yet-I'm working on it though. I am very pleased with my improvement in the last 2 month's but it has a lot to do with the fact that I have been going out every weekend to shoot, reviewing my images and examining what I could've done to make that shot better and then applying it to the next time I go out. I have also been reading a lot, and doing quite a bit of online knowledge gathering. (Photo.net is very helpful) I had a clear goal in mind when I started taking lesson's-to learn as effectively as possible. For L.J's comments-What did I want to learn and did I learn it?.I wanted to learn the best fundamentals of outdoor-(landscape/nature/wildlife) photography. I think I have learned quite a bit, I now understand the basics of good composition, aperture, exposure, shutterspeeds, camera settings, etc. I guess this is a difficult topic for one to accurately comment on.

[abzphotoz]

I tried to add a link to my Flickr page but I can't figure out how.

[abzphotoz]

[ifti]

If you are getting 1:1 instructions and you are learning and improving your outcome the 85 dollars per hour is cheap. ( believe you me it is lot cheaper than my plumber) <P> Attended a workshop for one day 299 for 8 hours 20 students. My cost was 37/hr (+travel +Hotel+lost wages) and instructor charged 750/hour ( minus his expenses for hall rental, breakfast, lunch and helping hands). Hands on learning was worth it.