OCA The Art of Photography Course Discussion Including Assignments and Submissions

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Thank you to everyone who has posted on this thread, its been really informative and inspiring how the course has helped you progress and play with your cameras :D

Im in the last stretch of my own degree (nursing!) but when thats over I think I'll have the time to dedicate and enjoy doing the OCA course. It'll be really tough and challenging, but thats how you learn right!

Question - would my nikon 3000 with the kit be 'good enough' to get the best of the course? Or should I think about getting a second lens to get more out of it? Any suggestions?
 
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You can start with the kit lens but later exercises will need a telephoto, but you don't need anything expensive. I read one blog that used a compact.
 
I don't know nikon, being a canon user, but that's certainly a good range to fit in with you kit lens and would be perfect for the course.
 
Hows everyone getting on with the course? I know from my point of view ive done virtually nothing over the last 6 weeks as work and home life have been hectic. Need to get back on the trail asap
 
Finished assignment 4, just got the last two exercises to write up then last assignment - assignment 5.
Then it's apply for assessment in January fro March (I've missed Novembers) but that'll give me time to collate everything into a folder to send off.

Incidental - how's everyone doing on their reading list? I was told I hadn't read anything (which was actually I hadn't written about reading stuff). I got recommended the photograph as contemporary art, mainly because I think my tutor wanted to stir things - not my sort of thing at all!
 
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Finally.........almost 6 weeks have passed with no work being done on TAOP and ive completed another exercise. Works been a killer with alot of drastic changes going on, plus ive been out most weekend shooting games or people so the course had been shelved for a while so I was glad to be able top spend some time on it lately.

Just finished primary and secondary colours: http://mattgilesphotography.blogspot.com/2011/10/primary-secondary-colours.html
 
Nice stuff Matt. I like your blog layout - really easy to read and good clear photos.

I've had an idea to do a small book for assignment 5. Just looking into it after taking the images.
 
Having had almost 3 months off from doing any coursework due to family and work life ive finally finished all the exercises in Part 3: Colour and and ready to tackle Assignment 3. Colour Relationships and Colours into Tones are here: http://www.mattgilesphotography.blogspot.com/

Am really disappointed that I havent finished TAOP off within the 12 months I gave myself, reckon it will take me a further 6 months to finish parts 4 and 5. Work and family lilfe have just taken over lately with a very hectic last 4 months!

Hows everyone else getting on with it???
 
Applied for assessment in march which means I have to submit in January. So I'm rushing to finish assignment 5 shot it once didn't like it so decided to shoot again, then work and extended family issues got in the way.
Just about done, then I've got to prepare everything for assessment.
 
Byker28i said:
Applied for assessment in march which means I have to submit in January. So I'm rushing to finish assignment 5 shot it once didn't like it so decided to shoot again, then work and extended family issues got in the way.
Just about done, then I've got to prepare everything for assessment.
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Good luck mate, let us know how you get on :thumbs:
 
Arghhh. I'm putting myself under lots of pressure as this is the final assignment which I know is only really about layout, but I'm seeing it as a summation of everything learnt, so I'm trying to produce something outstanding.
Nearly there, but being car based, I need the weather to complete the final moving shots
 
Byker28i said:
Arghhh. I'm putting myself under lots of pressure as this is the final assignment which I know is only really about layout, but I'm seeing it as a summation of everything learnt, so I'm trying to produce something outstanding.
Nearly there, but being car based, I need the weather to complete the final moving shots
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How long has it taken you from start to finish mate, well start to anticipated finish?
 
Started last October so about 15 months, mostly because I took a couple of months off, but also because I've taken ages over a couple of the assignments. I'd hoped to do it over 6-8 months but I'm well behind.

Still, a couple of shots to do tonight then it's get the final assignment sent off.
 
Really enjoyed looking through some of the blogs of people doing the OCA courses...looks very good and certainly interests me.

Apologies if this has already been asked in the thread and I've just missed it but does anyone know how much the course costs to complete all modules and gain the required points to obtain a BA Hons? I can't seem to find any pricing on the website - either that or the page is blocked on my computer at work.

Thanks for the help.
 
Click on the photography link and it explains the courses in more detail.
http://www.oca-uk.com/distance-lear...ography-1-introduction-to-digital-photography

Currently £625 per module (up from £590)

Or drop the office an email who will happily explain further
Our full postal address is:

OCA
Michael Young Arts Centre
Redbrook Business Park
Wilthorpe Road
BARNSLEY
S75 1JN

Freephone: 0800 731 2116
From abroad: 0044(0)1226 730 495
Office opening hours are:

Mon - Thurs: 9:00 - 17:00
Fri: 9:00 - 16:00
E-mail

enquiries@oca-uk.com
 
I should update that Assignment 5 went off last night. I'll update my blog later
 
Looks like I've messed up assignment 5. My tutor was expecting prints and without the article wrapped around it I don't think my prints stand out or together on their own in telling a story. I've just spent the morning reading/rereading the assignment to see where I went wrong, but I followed the brief I had.

This could be a case for my incomplete notes again. Oh well, lets hope for some good weather as I'll need to shoot another 12-15 images I think.
 
Well that's it. Assignment 5 has been reworked and sent off, with prints. Hopefully this is ok, I've put 4 months work into it and it's started to become an obsession. I think my wife is glad its gone :)
 
So decision time - what course to do next.

I fancy people and place, but do I do digital photo practice (which my last tutor said I would breeze through) or digital film production, creative concepts. I do have access to broadcast cameras and editing suites.

People and Place I fancy a full frame camera for, DPP as an easy module which I could race through has it's attractions.

Decisions, decisions.
I'm off to read some student blogs

A good list of which are: http://oca-student.com/node/70753
 
Im drastically running behind with the course, ive had literally zero time to dedicate to it over the last 6 months due to alot of photography work coming in. I only have until Jan 2013 to complete it and fear that I may not have the time. Im ready to start Assignment 3 and will hopefully be able to put a bit of time to it this weekend.

How did your reworked Ass5 go Byker??
 
I keep thinking about doing this course or something similar but haven't got round to deciding if I will or not.

How much time does it eat up per week roughly? I ask because with getting pretty much sod-all work from my very part-time job these days I am looking for something I can get my teeth into and be able to have at least one thing I can dedicate some time to rather than just sitting around the house and filling in endless job applications that nobody seems to read. :gag: (that makes me sound just a slob :lol: ).
 
hewhoknows said:
Im drastically running behind with the course, ive had literally zero time to dedicate to it over the last 6 months due to alot of photography work coming in. I only have until Jan 2013 to complete it and fear that I may not have the time. Im ready to start Assignment 3 and will hopefully be able to put a bit of time to it this weekend.

How did your reworked Ass5 go Byker??
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Same as me. I took 4 months plus to do/redo assignment 5. Happy with how it turned out ( it's on my blog. http://www.nineelmsphotography.com/blog/) but I still need to write up the overview/ behind the scenes etc. At least my tutor liked it. Family stuff ( mother in law I'll) plus work got in the way.

Signed up for digital photographic practice yesterday. Got a new tutor, looks like new rules for submission for him and he likes to Skype. Could be interesting
 
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EMA747 said:
I keep thinking about doing this course or something similar but haven't got round to deciding if I will or not.

How much time does it eat up per week roughly? I ask because with getting pretty much sod-all work from my very part-time job these days I am looking for something I can get my teeth into and be able to have at least one thing I can dedicate some time to rather than just sitting around the house and filling in endless job applications that nobody seems to read. :gag: (that makes me sound just a slob :lol: ).
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Supposed to be 8-12 hours a week in which case you'll compete the module in about 9 months or slightly less. At the moment if I'm lucky I'll put in about 4-5 hours a week. At the start I was doing a couple of hours every day, so the stuff flew through.
 
Byker28i said:
Supposed to be 8-12 hours a week in which case you'll compete the module in about 9 months or slightly less. At the moment if I'm lucky I'll put in about 4-5 hours a week. At the start I was doing a couple of hours every day, so the stuff flew through.
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Don't mean to sound rude but is the reduction in hours because you got bored of it or because other things got in the way. I am a bit wary of starting it if it will become more of a drag that a pleasure after a while. ;)
 
No problem at all. I started in October, probably best to start earlier as I found the seasons I was in didn't help I.e. there's one exercise of shooting an image every hour of the day from the same point to show the effect of sunlight during the day. I do this in June around the longest day!

I didn't get bored just circumstances changed. I was able to do about an hour a day at work, but that stopped, then I lost use of my studio. The last assignment I shot once, didn't like it and started again, so that took 4 months!

The course is nicely varied with plenty of opportunities to shoot **** you like. I didn't find it boring at all, plus I've started getting into the additional work. Checking out other photographers etc.

I plan to crack on with the next one although my tutor has already told me its averaging 15 months. We'll see :)
 
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Thanks for the explanation Byker. I'm glad you say there is opportunity to shoot what you like as that was going to me my next question. :D The course does sound pretty good from all I have read here and elsewhere.

I was having a look at their pricing last night but I don't quite understand there increasing fees bit. http://www.weareoca.com/education/oca-fees-from-september-2012/

2012/13 UK Fee
Level 1 module £700
Level 2 & 3 modules £835

We are aware that the decision to study for a degree is not one taken quickly. For this reason all students enrolling with the OCA before 1 June 2012 will be counted as current students for fee purposes and will be able to enrol at the protected fee rates until 1 September 2017. Students enrolling between 1 June and the end of August 2012 will be able to enrol at the current fee rates but will not benefit from protected fee rates in the future.
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I take that to be meaning that if you sign up before 1st June you will pay the current prices for anything you sign up for during the period 1st June right through until Sept 2017. In other words you would be able to complete the degree at current prices even if you don't sign up for the whole lot right now. Is this what you take it to mean? :thinking:

At current prices roughly how much would it cost for a full degree?
 
I actually think this is one of the good things the OCA have done. Because they know that this is a distance learning course and it takes time to complete, they've frozen the prices until 2017. With all the pressures on University funding and full time courses going through the roof this is still a cheap way to get a degree.

Basically when I signed up for TAOP is was £595, I've just paid £625 for DPP, but it goes up to £700 next year, but then that's it.

So there's 3 parts to level 4 (40 points each) from a choice of 6, current price £625, next year £700.
Let's take the worse case, that's £2100 for Level 1, which gives you a HNC in photography.
There's two modules to Level 5 (60 points each)from a choice of 3, at £835 each, so £1670, which gives you a HND in photography.
There's two modules to Level 6 (60 points each) no choice, at £835 each, so another £1670. You then have the full 360 points for your BA(hons) in photography

So £5440 for the degree until 2017

Lots of info in the Photography degree booklet
http://www.oca-uk.com/data/files/photography-degree-handbook.pdf

and the degree pathway booklet
http://www.oca-uk.com/data/files/photography-degree-pathway.pdf

You can always phone the office and ask (or drop them an email) - they are really helpful
 
So just signing up for one part at level 1 before 1st June enables you to get these frozen prices until 2017? If I'm going to do it then now seems to be the time if that's the case. I would still want to one sign up for one part to start with just to make sure it's ok.

£5440 would get you about two semesters worth at uni! Then there are all the accommodation and food costs. I priced up going down to Falmouth to do the Press Tog degree and while it looks an excellent course it would have cost be £40-50,000 all-up!!!

Anyway thanks for your help Byker, much appreciated. :thumbs:
 
No problems, I'm currently financing my daughter through Uni so know to the penny how much a degree costs :(
 
Right - come on people hows everyone doing?
Winters over - spring is in the air, lots of opportunities to wake out the slumbers and get working.

As mentioned - I've signed up for DPP, new tutor has some different ideas to the last so will be interesting. Just finished Exercise 1 which took quite a lot of work.

Bought the new essential reading list books, another couple of Michael Freeman ;) and trying to read those, and read though the course and take it all in so I know what's coming. I've planned in 8 hours a week for the next 6 weeks. Hoping to sneak a few extras in as well.
 
I recently enrolled on TAOP, planning on completing the full degree as I have had no direction in my life for a while.

Its been going well, working my way through the exercises up to assignment 1, though the last 2 weeks have been a struggle as I've been quite ill, so I'm not as far into it as I had hoped. On the upside, I have gotten through quite alot of the reading list :thumbs:

I have also planned out the majority of shots I want to get for the exercises and the first assignment, so hopefully no messing around trying to come up with ideas and locations.

I am determined to get myself out tomorrow to get a few more exercises completed, even if it kills me :p
 
Welcome aboard. I've learnt from taop that it's worth making notes as you can stick it all in as evidence later. If you sit down and plan it all or even just write down ideas then it's all useful. I had two weeks of rain where I just sat and researched the next few exercises.
 
I've just read the recent announcement, discovered through these forums so thanks.

I hadn't planned on starting the degree with TAOP until the end of the year as I have 1 course left of an e-learning photography course to complete (DigitalMasterClass). However seeing this announcement I'm really going to have to join before the end of May to save the money, its a no-brainer to be honest. However I'm not keen on doubling up on work for the first 6 months.

Anyway this is my first post here so Hi to you all. I'm 47, in full time emplyment and only really started digital photography 2 years ago. The courses with DMC has really progressed me.

I have a website with some of my work in case anyone is interested, www.warrenjonesphotography.com but it seems I need to set up a blog. Advice around blog options / preferences would be great. I would of course be very grateful for any start-up advice / mistakes to avoid etc but am really looking forward to starting a degree. I will of course confirm when I have signed up, which will be very soon

Cheers
 
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Welcome to the forum.
You get two years to complete each module, so starting now is a great idea. Speak to the office and the may be options to pay now and delay the start officially.
Allow about a year for each module. You can do it quicker if you put more work in.

Blogging is encouraged for your learning log. If you've got your own website it's easy to add a Wordpress site into another folder, I just called my folder blog, then it's easy to find or hide as its website/blog. Really easy to do as the Wordpress install is simple.
 
Nice, love heading that way for a day out. Sculpture trail, 365 steps, the spooky wood I've forgotten the name of :)
 
Byker - Good shout with OCA. Yes, they have confirmed I can register / pay for the first module before 31/5/2012 to take advantage of the prices and 5 year freeze, and delay my start of the first module.

is it Puzzleword :)
 
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