Sometime after I bought my wonderful little camera, I started thinking I would like to take a photography course. Being that my baby was literally 2-3 months old at the time, a real classroom setting wasn’t going to happen for me. Not to mention, I live out in the country now so there is likely not one anywhere near me anyway. So, I began to investigate on-line options. Not having a CLUE which ones are worth a bean, I didn’t want to sink $350+ into something that was going to be a waste of money – which I really couldn’t spare. I came across the NYIP course. It had mixed reviews. Since it was something that had text, tape and video that was tangible, I did what I always do when I want something… I checked Ebay. I found many copies floating around from various years past. But I happened to be looking at the right moment within 20 minutes of someone posting a 2003 copy with a Buy It Now price of $50 and most of it was still shrink wrapped! A two year old copy still in the shrink wrap?! I thought it was a deal since signing up with the company would run me from $500 – $800 depending on the payment plan I selected. I eagerly started reading the text and listening to the tapes after I put my children to bed at night. And then for some reason I set it aside, never opening even one of the items the previous owner had left in the shrink wrap. I picked it up again two nights ago… NOW I remember why… Not only do I remember, but now I know why the original owner sold it for so little without ever progressing past Unit One!
Although there is some valuable information in there, the guys who are talking are SO corny and drag out a point SO much that it is almost painful to listen to them. The other night, my foot was literally twitching as I was listening to one of them beat the dead horse they’d been talking about for 15 minutes or more. And to finish the topic off he says, "Chuck, let’s not belabor the point…." ARGGHH! I suppose it’s probably the monotony of the speakers repeating what you’ve just read along with the fact that unit one is all the boring "technical" stuff of photography that makes it so painful.
Still, if you are "green" like me… you need to make use of what you have at your disposal. So I’ll be back at it again tonight. Trying to learn something. Not all college professors are easy to listen to either, right? Sometimes school just sucks. I guess this is one of those times that I get to try to be a grown up and do what I need to do for my own good.
