Cathy Church Photo Course

pitdvr · Sep 20, 2006

I am heading to Grand Cayman this winter and staying at Sunset House as my buddy is most comfortable with shore dives. I don't know if we will use the on site dive op or not yet (for boat dives) I am thinking of taking an hour photo dive with Cathy Church (for $125). Any experiences to advise me?

alcina · Sep 20, 2006

I haven't done it myself, but she has a long-standing reputation and I think for the $125 it would be worth it!

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Mike Veitch · Sep 20, 2006

$125 for an hour, Is this for a course or to have your pictures taken?

Sounds like the latter to me, i would think.

Cacia · Sep 20, 2006

I think she can be a bit grouchy, but she is old guard and probably gives good course. I bought her latest book. She is okay. Lots of photogs are better, IMV. But, I bet she is organized. IF I was going to be there I would not miss the opportunity. Go flip through her book "My Underwater Photographic Journey". Like I said, I found her a bit crabby. I wanted her book because she and Jim were the IT couple when I was a little kid and in the Cayman's at Bob Soto's. She goes way back.

pitdvr · Sep 20, 2006

From the information on the Sunset House website, it is supposed to be an hour of diving and taking pictures with her
"Our photography courses are designed as private classes. Cost is US $60 per hour per person (50% off for family member second person) with our excellent instructors, and $125.00 per hour with Cathy. Call for rates for additional students. The private classes have been very popular, as we can adjust the topics and time to fit your needs; learning is easier and you can have a great time. We have taught on hundreds of camera
systems, from Digital SLR's to Compacts."

RonFrank · Sep 20, 2006

pitdvr:
I am heading to Grand Cayman this winter and staying at Sunset House as my buddy is most comfortable with shore dives. I don't know if we will use the on site dive op or not yet (for boat dives) I am thinking of taking an hour photo dive with Cathy Church (for $125). Any experiences to advise me?

For $125 do it assuming she is actually teaching you something which leads to the question... Why is this so cheap, and why only one hour? How is she going to *teach* you anything while UW?

Most aclaimed photographers are charging a LOT more, but most also do a classroom session, a dive, and then more classroom with feedback, and post processing techniques?

What does this class offer? If it's just her pointing at things to shoot, hmmm hard to judge. Maybe someone who has done this class will speak up, and certainly you should know the answers to these quesitons before signing up?

pir8 · Sep 20, 2006

I think the $125/hr is for surface time. Diving extra. I could be wrong though.

Cacia · Sep 20, 2006

I think she does some volume, she might be be super efficient, if I was going to guess. Also, you may not be getting HER. You might be getting one of her assistants....which could be fine. Sounds like an opportunity for 125.

Damselfish · Sep 21, 2006

gotta read the rest ...

3. What is a class like?

Digital classes are offered at our photo centre at Sunset House in Grand Cayman. Typically they take take about two hours in the classroom, plus an hour and a half for a shore dive, weather permitting. Usually starting at 8.30 am or 1:30 pm, topics vary to meet your needs and can include an introduction to digital concepts, the basics of photography, camera settings, optimum menu settings for underwater use, strobe aim and exposures, camera handling and diving with a camera. We teach both basic Photoshop classes and more advanced techniques, using the latest Photoshop CS2, and working with raw files.

Phenol · Sep 21, 2006

My wife and I did the course this summer with one of her staff instructors, and liked it a lot. The course is best if you have something in mind that you want to practice or learn, or (as was our case) a new camera you want to try out while learning the techniques of UW photo. They can also gear the course at a more advanced level.

I know that in our case we had already done a bit with UW point-and-shoots, but it was good to be walked through the techniques specific to a more advanced system by an instructor. The basics involved in-class time (a few hours) with UW exposure theory, then a dive to practice wide angle and silhouettes, with and without strobes.

We did a second session on macro, with a practice dive as well. In both cases, they took care of getting the film developed (we were using Nikonos's) and some time was included to critique the shots.

All in all, I think it was money well spent, because it helped us better understand our equipment and how to get the results we wanted from it.

Cathy Church Photo Course

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