Courses On Photography - Do You Need One?

There are literally hundreds of courses on photography out there. The range can go from full fledged degree programs at world class universities all the way down to a quick tip you can download on the internet. Which is the best one - and do you even NEED one?Where are you in your photo education? If you're a complete newbie...yes, you definitely need some instruction! It will cut years of frustration and torment off your learning curve.If you've been shooting for a while, but you have a few holes in your skill set...you should take a course too! I've been a professional photographer for 20 years and I still get something out of even the most basic of courses.I'm not generally learning something new from each of the online photography courses, but they remind me of tips and strategies I haven't used in a while! One thought leads to another - you know how it is. Plus every course author has their own way of looking at things and I get a lot of ideas I may have never considered before!When it comes to the university level classes... get a degree if you really want one, but it really isn't required. In photography, the ONLY requirement is the ability to "get the shot" - every time!You could take a few evening classes at the local college but...The biggest problem with a classroom setting is that the instructor has to progress at the speed of the slowest student. Unless that is you, you are likely to be bored and frustrated before long. Plus you have to actually GO there every day! Not to mention that with tuition costs being what they are these days, it can get pretty expensive in a hurry!If you get one of the "4 week - we all log in at the same time" style of courses online, the length and timing of the course could create problems. Though they are generally VERY good courses...what if you pay hundreds of dollars for a course and your computer crashes? Or your boss decides that now is the time for everyone to work overtime? Or you run into a streak of horrible weather and can't do the assignments?So what to do?My recommendation is to pick an online photography course where you are able to download and do the lessons at your own pace. There are quite a few of them and they can teach you more than you might imagine - quickly!