What was your primary motivation for purchasing this course?
Learn a new skill, Pursue a hobby
“This course is as open and honest and broad ranging as Rankin himself. What a wonderful course. Talking to those photographers was outstanding because they were all unique storytellers with a different insight into the world of photography. And the things they did with that photography too. And talking to the make up artist and the subjects. But the way he treats his assistants too... it's all about balance, fairness and trying to shine the light. Sorry to use that cliche slash pun. Would I become a professional photographer? I don't know. Will I keep trying to take photographs of people I love yes? Some are no longer here and I am glad I did. Rankin has given me confidence to believe in bringing light to a world that is glamourised but not humanised.”
What was your primary motivation for purchasing this course?
Learn a new skill
“A "photography course" should seek to teach you the fundamental technical skills about the profession. This is instead about the photographer and only the photographer - about namedropping celebrities he has worked with. There is no technical knowledge imparted. It isn't a course worth the name, and I have tried many courses on BBC Maestro. Unfortunately, this was the worst. I cannot recommend it and I think this is a deep shame as I had an interest to learn more about photography. But as the producer of the content seems more interested in himself and namedropping and not actually teaching skills worth having, this was a bad experience and I cannot recommend it.”
Hi Luke,
Thanks for your review. We value every BBC Maestro customer, and really value your feedback.
All courses have detailed course notes to accompany them, which a lot of learners find really useful when watching a course, especially to complete the course exercises and practice some of the learnings from the course. I hope you'll take a look at these and hopefully get some practice which might support you in getting more out of the course.
I hope this helps, but feel free to contact our amazing customer service team at support@bbcmaestro.com if you would like more support!
Best,
Rebecca
What was your primary motivation for purchasing this course?
Pursue a hobby
“I have always loved taking photographs but am aware that I do not have enough knowledge to properly utilise my camera, especially in a more creative way. This course is helping me do that. I like Rankin's approach. I wondered if it would be too 'professional' for me, but his way of presenting makes me feel he is genuinely interested in all levels of expertise. Unlike some other courses which I have tried, this is very accessable. I feel that I am learning - and will continue to learn - a lot.”
“This review is based on the photographic course by Rankin. This is deeply egotistical. The first four videos tell us how wonderful he is. The one on camera choice says use what you want, but he has one as expensive as a very flash car. The one on photography with a smart phone is just 3 minutes. And when he interviews three other photographers he gave the men a lot of time, and much less to the woman and then talked about how she made him feel, not what was important about her. Deeply disappointing and a waste of money.”
Hi Richard, thank you for your feedback on this course - I'm sorry that you didn't get any value from it. I hope you are able to find inspiration and enjoyment from the other 36 courses available now, and the new courses that are on their way.
What was your primary motivation for purchasing this course?
Learn a new skill, Pursue a hobby
“It should be called An Introduction to Portrait Photography as that is the focus of the course. The information shared is useful and can be applied to other fields, but there's no discussion of other types of photography.
I found this a useful refresher course, and Rankin is, of course, a good communicator and an excellent photographer. I found the discussions with models, other photographers, etc. particularly useful with a more philosophical approach to the subject. Recommended.”
What was your primary motivation for purchasing this course?
Learn a new skill
“Hello, I appreciate the professionalism and quality of the videos. However, I notice they primarily concentrate on studio photography. I would greatly appreciate it if there were more videos covering street photography, nature, and general outdoor photography. Thank you.”
