MLK Studios vs NYIP??

Thanks again for your support.

Country gal wrote:

photobod wrote:

MLKstudios wrote: I've had quite a few former NYIP students take my photo course, and they all have said my teaching style is better, moves quicker and explains things more simply. It's all about getting past the camera, learning to see (and think) like a pro, and expanding your own creativity.

Included are the history, the art and the humanities of photography. Or what you can do with your camera after you learn how to use it. I think you'll find it to be very inspirational. You can choose to make a lot of $$$ or use your new skills to literally change the world.

This is an example of one of my graduate's websites. Many of my student's work gets published. Some before they finish the training.

www.marccartwright.com/

Matthew

PS I got a "Super Sale" going on too for $199.99. Use code "Super Sale".



PPS Thank you all for the "rec". Much appreciated.

I like your modesty Matthew I have looked at both and would seriously pick you as you seem to have a more personal touch, once I get back to work and earn a few pennies I will seriously consider joining, shame I will miss the sale offer but hey no choice.

Of course you would pick him. He is a single person, compare to a known school. 50% of the population will help out a single person. The other half will help out known companies/schools.

I have never heard of MLK studios until I joined this forum. I have heard of NYIP.

Not quite sure why you say "Of course you would pick him." You dont know me personaly and I stated quite clearly my reason for picking him over NYIP and it had nothing to do with him being a single person, I simply stated he looks to have a more personal touch,.
You are a member of this forum and MLK is a supporting vendor of this forum, a little more respect would be advisable, your words indicate a clearly aggressive and venomous attack on someone you probably know very little about.

Country gal wrote: From what I can see, it seems as MLK...Matthew is the only one who teaches the course. I don't think I am too crazy about the idea of paying a single person to teach me something I could learn online..via forums, video tutorials, free classes from professional photographers via HP.com, Kelby and other sites.

And as I read Mathew's comments, he seems a bit full of himself.
Saying, he encourages all his students who have a 18-55 to buy a 50mm lens. IMO, that is just wrong. It's up to the student to decide what lens they need. The 50mm is a good lens, but that doesn't mean everyone needs one.

Students get a diploma that they can download and print themselves. He can't even take some of that $ that the student forked over for the course to pay for the "diploma" to have one printed and mailed to the student.

50mm primes are cheap to buy and are usually used heavily in acadmic enviroments due to the nature of people zooming to frame instead of foot zooming. It's a bad habit most photographers have, and its about controlling distortions for maximum quality. Matt knows his stuff.

To be completely honest, we're not on this forum to defend our name or sell to you guys. We're here to participate in conversations and to answer questions. Having never heard of MLK Studios personally, I can't comment on the merits of the program.

What I can say is that it seems like more of a personal preference than anything else. NYIP is 101 years old this year. We've made it this long because we know what we're doing, we do it at a good price, and we have satisfied students. If those things were not true, we would have gone out of business a long time ago.

Our programs are a little more expensive it seems than MLK, but we also provide a whole lot of materials to each and every student. That's not to say the quality is better, but we spend a whole lot of time continuously updating our courses and the materials, and we're proud of the quality of training we offer.

And no, Country gal is not a paid spokeswoman. But we do appreciate the support, and we see that kind of support from most of our students and graduates. So thank you!

Everyone has heard of NYIP, and they've been around a long time. You should be able to find endless discussion on what they offer. I've only heard of MLK since coming to this forum, but he seems to know his stuff, and his student work examples are very nice. It's really not about whether one knows more than another. The important info is available for free all over the place. You are looking for a teacher because you want more direction and motivation than you are getting from self instruction. You need to pick an instructor or school that teaches in a way that's more advantageous to your learning, and that's not the same for everyone. Referrals are always a good idea when spending a lot of money on a service. See if you can talk to former students. Ask questions about teaching style directly to MLK and NYIP.

Not to steer anyone in any particular direction, but don't forget to check out what your local colleges and universities offer. I met some wonderful mentors in college. You can also combine art classes with your photography education. I'm a firm believer that Drawing 101 and Design 101 did more to improve my photography than anything I learned in an actual photography class.

Wow! A heated discussion!. There are so many ways to learn photography and so many people and schools that teach it. If you don't have the money then buy books and read them, find someone to tutor you, go on line and read up. I took a couple courses from Betterphoto.com on line years ago, they are not cheap. I'm thinking if you can't afford photography, because it is verrrrry spendy the more you get into it then find something else to do. By the way, an 18-55 lens is considered a Kit lens for starting out with. Then you grow and learn about the better lens and the reasons behind them. As far as my schooling, I have been a part of a local photography group that has been meeting for 6 years plus I go to the Professional Photography conventions that I belong to and listen to those professional speakers. Country Girls comments are rude.

Nikonjan wrote: Wow! A heated discussion!. There are so many ways to learn photography and so many people and schools that teach it. If you don't have the money then buy books and read them, find someone to tutor you, go on line and read up. I took a couple courses from Betterphoto.com on line years ago, they are not cheap. I'm thinking if you can't afford photography, because it is verrrrry spendy the more you get into it then find something else to do. By the way, an 18-55 lens is considered a Kit lens for starting out with. Then you grow and learn about the better lens and the reasons behind them. As far as my schooling, I have been a part of a local photography group that has been meeting for 6 years plus I go to the Professional Photography conventions that I belong to and listen to those professional speakers. Country Girls comments are rude.

And yours on the mark!

John Landolfi wrote:

Nikonjan wrote: Wow! A heated discussion!. There are so many ways to learn photography and so many people and schools that teach it. If you don't have the money then buy books and read them, find someone to tutor you, go on line and read up. I took a couple courses from Betterphoto.com on line years ago, they are not cheap. I'm thinking if you can't afford photography, because it is verrrrry spendy the more you get into it then find something else to do. By the way, an 18-55 lens is considered a Kit lens for starting out with. Then you grow and learn about the better lens and the reasons behind them. As far as my schooling, I have been a part of a local photography group that has been meeting for 6 years plus I go to the Professional Photography conventions that I belong to and listen to those professional speakers. Country Girls comments are rude.

And yours on the mark!

+1 .... I might add that an AF Nikkor 1.8D is about $130 brand new, it is the least expensive brand new lens that you can buy. Not exactly a bank-breaker.

I'm certainly glad that NYIP chimed in on the discussion. It will take some time to sort thought the options and techniques used to determine the better option for many people.

In a way, I don't think Country Girl's comments were meant to be offensive but more a reaction to the Hollywood "slickness" of some of Matthew's comments. That does put some people off.
I attended a one-day workshop with Bill and Lind Lane about a year ago. Their "mantra" was only shoot in manual and only with a tripod. I found that their opinions were so self-centric that it really discouraged me from attending their week-log workshops,

Matthew, I appreciate many of your comments but at times feel a little put off at your self promotion and seemingly rigid opinions. When someone tells me I have to have this lens or that, or I must buy this tripod or that, I get the feeling that that person is a bit too biased to be truly instructive. Just a personal view based on years of observing people.

My decision at this point is, neither. Both seem to have their merits but each has it's drawbacks.

Country gal wrote: Saying, he encourages all his students who have a 18-55 to buy a 50mm lens. IMO, that is just wrong. It's up to the student to decide what lens they need. The 50mm is a good lens, but that doesn't mean everyone needs one.

Well I do the same thing or actually suggest the 35mm with a crapped body as it gives you the near same field of view as the 50 on film. Why it forces you to frame and compose with your feet, something most of us had to do in the good old fim days. Fact is the 50mm was the kit lens of the film days because it gave the same field of view as your eye. What the 50mm will teach you is how to frame the world around you since it does mimmick the eyes view. This is why I will also suggest it to a new shooter.

McBeth Photography wrote:

John Landolfi wrote:

Nikonjan wrote: Wow! A heated discussion!. There are so many ways to learn photography and so many people and schools that teach it. If you don't have the money then buy books and read them, find someone to tutor you, go on line and read up. I took a couple courses from Betterphoto.com on line years ago, they are not cheap. I'm thinking if you can't afford photography, because it is verrrrry spendy the more you get into it then find something else to do. By the way, an 18-55 lens is considered a Kit lens for starting out with. Then you grow and learn about the better lens and the reasons behind them. As far as my schooling, I have been a part of a local photography group that has been meeting for 6 years plus I go to the Professional Photography conventions that I belong to and listen to those professional speakers. Country Girls comments are rude.

And yours on the mark!

+1 .... I might add that an AF Nikkor 1.8D is about $130 brand new, it is the least expensive brand new lens that you can buy. Not exactly a bank-breaker.

You are correct.

Sometimes it's hard to decide which way to go.

Stealthy Ninja wrote: Sometimes it's hard to decide which way to go.

Rofl

Baydream wrote: I'm certainly glad that NYIP chimed in on the discussion. It will take some time to sort thought the options and techniques used to determine the better option for many people.

In a way, I don't think Country Girl's comments were meant to be offensive but more a reaction to the Hollywood "slickness" of some of Matthew's comments. That does put some people off.
I attended a one-day workshop with Bill and Lind Lane about a year ago. Their "mantra" was only shoot in manual and only with a tripod. I found that their opinions were so self-centric that it really discouraged me from attending their week-log workshops,

Matthew, I appreciate many of your comments but at times feel a little put off at your self promotion and seemingly rigid opinions. When someone tells me I have to have this lens or that, or I must buy this tripod or that, I get the feeling that that person is a bit too biased to be truly instructive. Just a personal view based on years of observing people.

My decision at this point is, neither. Both seem to have their merits but each has it's drawbacks.

completely.

Joves wrote:

Country gal wrote: Saying, he encourages all his students who have a 18-55 to buy a 50mm lens. IMO, that is just wrong. It's up to the student to decide what lens they need. The 50mm is a good lens, but that doesn't mean everyone needs one.

Well I do the same thing or actually suggest the 35mm with a crapped body as it gives you the near same field of view as the 50 on film. Why it forces you to frame and compose with your feet, something most of us had to do in the good old fim days. Fact is the 50mm was the kit lens of the film days because it gave the same field of view as your eye. What the 50mm will teach you is how to frame the world around you since it does mimmick the eyes view. This is why I will also suggest it to a new shooter.

I assume you meant a "cropped" body . I agree on the 35 suggestion. I was shooting a ball hockey game from a close vantage point and would loved to have had the extra view along with the faster lens. I used the 50 and feel I missed some of the action.