Why the question comes up so often
Most people who contact us about Field Camera Techniques ask about cost before they ask about content, and that is sensible. A course for news camera operators is a real expense, whether you are paying yourself or asking an employer to cover it, and you should know what you are buying before you write to us.
As course coordinator I answer these enquiries every week. What I have learned is that the figure on its own tells you very little. Two courses with the same headline price can include quite different amounts of tutor time, practice and kit. So this article does not try to sell anything. It explains how the price of a field camera course is built, so that you can compare it honestly with any other option you are considering.
The exact current prices sit on our Prices page, and a written quotation confirms them for your own situation.
What the fee actually covers
The fee for a Field Camera Techniques course pays mainly for instructor time. Daniel Okafor, our lead camera instructor and a former news operator, teaches the group and works alongside each person during the practical exercises. Shot composition, exposure, audio capture and handheld stability are skills you only learn by doing them and having someone watch you do them, so that time is the largest part of what you pay for.
The fee also covers the classroom, the planning of the exercises, the use of cameras and audio equipment during the sessions, and the administration around your place, which I handle. You do not need to buy kit in order to take part.
What it does not cover is travel to Reading, accommodation, or meals unless we have said so in writing. We list those exclusions in the quotation so there are no surprises later.
- Tutor time during classroom and field exercises
- Use of cameras and audio kit during sessions
- Course planning and learner support
- Travel and accommodation are not included
The main things that change the price
Several choices move the figure up or down, and it helps to know them in advance. The first is length: a single day costs less than a multi-day course, but a short course gives you fewer repeated attempts at the same skill, and handheld stability in particular improves with repetition.
The second is group size. We teach in small classroom groups, and a smaller group means more of Daniel's attention for each person, which is reflected in the price. The third is whether the course is run for individuals or arranged for a team from one employer, where dates and content can be agreed together.
The fourth is how much of the course happens outdoors. Location work needs more planning and more equipment than a classroom session, and that cost passes into the fee. None of these is a hidden extra. Each one is stated when we quote.
Open places or a course arranged for your team
If you are an individual operator, you will usually join a scheduled group. This is the simpler route: dates are fixed, the content is set, and you share the day with other people at a similar stage. It suits freelancers and people paying their own way, because you pay only for your own place.
A newsroom or production company may prefer a course arranged around its own people. That can make sense when several operators need the same grounding, or when a team wants to work on the habits of its own crews. The total is higher because the tutor time is reserved for you alone, but the cost per person can come out close to an open place.
Either way, tell us your number of people and your preferred timing when you write, and we will quote for that rather than guess.
How to compare us with another course fairly
When you hold two quotations side by side, ask the same few questions of each. How many hours will you spend actually holding a camera, as opposed to watching a demonstration? How many people share each instructor? Is audio capture taught properly, or only mentioned? Who provides the equipment, and is it the kind you will meet in a working newsroom?
A cheaper course that gives you less practice is not necessarily a saving, because the skill is in the repetition. A dearer one is not automatically better either. Look at what you would do on the day and judge it on that.
We are happy for you to ask us these questions in writing, and we will answer them plainly, including where another format might suit you better than ours.
- Hours with a camera in your own hands
- Number of learners per instructor
- Whether audio capture is taught in depth
- Who supplies the equipment
How ordering and payment work
Nothing is bought on this site. You write to us through the contact page, tell us which course you are interested in and who it is for, and I reply with a written quotation or confirmation setting out the date, the content, what is included and the total.
Once you have agreed to it, we send an invoice, which you pay by bank transfer. Your place is confirmed when the arrangement is complete. If your plans change, cancellations and refunds follow our payment and refund policy, which you can read in full before you decide.
I would rather you had every detail in writing and took your time over it than felt pushed. If something in the quotation is unclear, ask, and I will explain it.
The price of a field camera course comes down to tutor time, group size, length and how much of the work happens on location. None of that is mysterious once it is set out clearly. Decide what you need to be able to do at the end, ask each provider how much of the course is spent doing it, and then write to us with your details. A written quotation will tell you exactly what your own situation costs.