Institute of Photography Reviews 

Very pleased to have taken this course. It has improved my technical and practical knowledge of photography and has encouraged me to take further IOP courses.

Wow! An excellent course worth every penny! Our instructor Michael Barrow, although young (well compared to me) was very professional and knowledgeable photographer. He spoke to you as an equal not as a student, which helps massively with your confidence. And he was very adept at pitching the course at the right level for each participant. Ive been on lot of courses through the years but this one I truly feel I have learnt something worthwhile and come away with a body of useful work. I would recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in street photography and wants to take it to the next level. My only criticism, if there is any would the day goes to quickly! In the future I would certainly be interested in a longer, possibly a 2 day course for a more advanced course.
Maybe to look at a more specific themed body of work. And if Michael was running it I'd sign up straight away.

Thanks for a great day

Sean

A brilliant course, really helped me with my photography. Plenty of support and guidance if needed. Well worth doing!!

I enjoyed this course from start to finish - it opened up my eyes to photography on a higher level and gave me a challenge to learn and improve my photos. The tutors are extremely helpful and strive to improve the students progress.

Loved it

I found the online nature of this course excellent, it has allowed me to develop my skills at my own pace, sometimes plodding through and other times racing through. The mix of reading material, videos, tests and practical assignments with feedback has been great.

I've learnt a huge amount about how to actually use my camera and then what to look for in a shot beyond the normal Facebook and postcard shots. I'm looking forward to the next challenge now.

This was the first time IOP had run this course, so they where learning as much as i was . The tutor Michael Barrow was very friendly and made you feel at easy. The day went well and i learnt a lot you where never rushed you went at your own pass which was good because every one worked at different passes . Michael did not stand over you , he pointed you in the right direction and you where left to put what he had told you in to practice which was good that let you put your own style in to the image .
There was a few things that needs changing but Michael picked up on this as the day went on, and I'm sure for the next course this will be done
Over all i would say if you want to learn about Street photography and have a good fun day do this course
Lorraine Spittle

I am in the final stages of my Diploma with IoP, and have also taken one of their one day Workshops.

I have found the Diploma course to be really well structured, with a good balance of theoretical and practical. What I've found most beneficial about the course is that with each module you learn the theory with helpful text and video support materials; then you put it into practice and receive critique. This is the part that has really enhanced my skills as a photographer: some of the things that I learnt were already familiar to me (the Rule of Thirds, for example), but having to interpret and apply that, consciously, and then receive feedback on where it had worked, and where it might be improved, has been invaluable. There is no doubt that the course has improved my photographic abilities. I've also found it very useful that you can learn at your pace, fitting the course around other obligations.

The Workshop was a day learning Street Photography, which was very hands on and practical, but with good support from the tutor (it was a nice small group). The intensive nature of the day, and having particular subjects and targets were really beneficial. I certainly came away feeling that I had taken another photographic step forward!

I have no hesitation in recommending the Institute of Photogrpahy to anyone that is serious about improving their photography skills and acquiring new knowledge.

I completed the Institute of Photography Advanced Diploma because I wanted to get better at composition, choosing subjects and generally have help with technical aspects of photography. Tim McCann offered thoughtful and challenging feedback on the submitted images and pointed me at course resources which would help me understand the good and not so good aspects of my photography. He was a great help and by the end I think there was a noticeable improvement in my submitted images.


The course allowed me to progress quickly when work allowed, or slower when life got in the way. It also forced me to produce images on a much wider spectrum than I would normally choose, helping me to deal with challenges, for example, of black & white or portrait photography when I would much rather stick to photographing buildings and landscapes. The course and tutor feedback reinforced the importance of post-processing and I have signed up for the Diploma in Image Editing – Lightroom.


I could not recommend the course highly enough for any amateur photographer wanting to get better, get professional feedback and learn about his or her style.

As a keen amateur digital photographer I wanted a course that would provide me with better knowledge and skills in my chosen hobby. After consideration of different providers/courses I decided on IOP as it is very flexible.
I have completed one course which met all my requirements and expectations.
I will have no hesitation in recommending IOP to any individual photographer or photographic organisation wishing to improve skill level of it's team.

I completed the advanced diploma recently and absolutely recommend it anyone. Due to the nature of my job the time off is limited. With this course I studied when free time was available and it was easy to follow the step by step modules and practice assignments.

After submitting each of my assignments I received in depth constructive feedback from my tutor. I started off the course using a Nikon D5000 in semi auto modes, but the best thing about this is I am now confident in using all of the modes especially Manual! And to top it off I have moved to a full frame camera, so more learning ahead.

Thanks to all of the Team involved especially Tim my tutor. This course has given me the confidence to start producing a webpage to show off some of my images and depending on the reviews it may change the direction of my career in the future.

Well structured and easy to understand. You can work at your own pace and combine the theory with lots of practice. Really helped me refresh my knowledge having been away from the camera for a little while.

Learned a lot from the course on how to take pictures and different types of photography from still life to HDR to landscapes, and now i can use my camera properly!

The first modules were quite hard to take in, i would recommend putting videos in with those to help with the understanding.

Advanced Diploma in Photography was a superlative experience to me! I enjoyed this course slowly over the time I was learnig english.
At the begining I coud parcially understand, and heads-time my English improved, the course was such a discovery! Ussually I had not to much time to study but as soon as I had a rest period I fully immersed in my course.
Each time I had doubts I entered the course page, as well to compare my images with those in the course. I needed to follow indications and see the videos which by the way were new and better, and allways ( more than a year) the IOP web-site was accessible and available. The teacher was very professionall and motivated me in moments where I though I would have failed. At the same time the feedbacks and reponse to my assigments were always very accurate and constructive.
It was worth the time spent.

An excellent on line course, it gives a complete new comer to digital photography a clear and understandable introduction to the subject.

This has been really useful for taking me from a general, slightly knowledgable photographer to a position where I know what's possible and what to think about....now I just have to practice!!!

I think the Diploma in Photography offered by the Institute of Photography is an outstanding teaching tool and thoroughly worth the money.

Very good and through for anyone who is just starting off with photography. For those who are further ahead, its a good refresher, rather than adding anything particularly new.

I have always been interested in photography but, until recently, I have not had the time and devotion to pursue my interest and learn a new skill. Having previously taken a course at night school, I saw this advertised and decided to give it a go, albeit I was sceptical at first.

The course is structured well. Each module focuses on a key area of photography, starting with the basics, such as choosing a camera, aperture and shutter speed, progressing through the various types of photography (Landscapes, Portrait, Black & White).

Each module consists of a presentation explaining the various concepts. This is then tested by a short multiple choice style "exam", which helps you to ensure you understand fully what has been discussed. You need to pass each test before the next unit is unlocked.

Well structured, simple yet detailed presentations, fun tests, and all at your own pace, help make this course really enjoyable to undertake. Well worth the money, and looking forward to doing the Advanced module which I had previously enrolled for. This involves submission of actual photos for a critique which I am excited about, albeit nervous!

Great online courses, very well put together and very informative. thought it was great being able to do as little or as much as you wanted in the time you have, no deadlines to complete content.

What I enjoyed most about the course was that the intensity of the feedback I received on each assignment was given in the most professional manner. I most enjoyed that feedback to direct me in a way to vastly improve my photographic skills. If I was asked on ways I could improve the course I would say this. I think the course has been set out and managed in an extremely specialised and professional way and leads the student into looking at his/her abilities much more deeply than could ever happen if the student was working on their own. I see little scope for improvement. I would definitely recommend the course to anyone. The final assignment tutor feedback improved photography. It has shown me that, not only can I vastly improve me photographic skills by knowing my camera and equipment completely but that I can improve the look of my images by the use of software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements. I thank the course Director, Tim McCann most profusely for his friendly and professional help in not only getting me through the course but to LEARN such a vast amount on my journey. My photographic abilities have improved ten-fold (perhaps more). Before starting this course, I can now say that I was probably a point-and-shoot photographer that was so easily satisfied with my results. Not anymore. I now see myself as a much more skilled photographer that has potential to be a professional. I can look back over all my photographs of the past and can pick out all my mistakes and I have started to understand why those mistakes were made. I couldn't have done that without this course. I have come to understand my camera and equipment in a way that I could only hope and pray to previously. I accept, of course, that I have a world of additional information to digest and practice to carry out before I can call myself a professional photographer. I can't count the amount of times I felt the need to contact Tim in emails and he has ALWAYS been happy to assist and how swiftly he replied. Thanks once again. I shall keep in touch with the Institute and look for other courses which I feel will help expand my skills and understanding of this brilliant art.