MasterCOURSE FAQ
HAVE YOU GOT QUESTIONS? WE HAVE ANSWERS!
What are the admission requirements?
This course caters to photographers of all levels. How is that, you might wonder? This course will not deal with the basic technical aspects of photography, since this knowledge is easy to obtain from manuals or other existing learning material provided by other authors. This course deals with the expressive and creative potential of photography, covering, in depth and with intensity, all aspects involved in the photographic process, from A to Z.
Thanks to this MasterCOURSE, beginners and intermediate photographers will literally become advanced. Advanced photographers, in turn, might very well experience an inflection point in their philosophy and practice of photography. If you are an advanced photographer who is able to produce at will aesthetically pleasing images but who feels that something is lacking, then this course is made for you. It will expand your views, push you to abandon old ruts, leave your comfort zone, and experience a radical change of mindset when it comes to your photographic practice.
Is there a limit to the number of students that can enroll at any time?
Because the MasterCOURSE provides one-to-one guidance and support from a tutor, there is a limit to the number of students we can handle at a given time. For this reason, the MasterCOURSE will only accept enrollment of a limited amount of students every year. If the MasterCOURSE is not accepting any more students, you can always sign up to the waiting list and we will let you know as soon as a new place becomes available, so that you can decide to join in.
Is there any follow-up or personalized guidance for the MasterCOURSE students?
Yes. The MasterCOURSE is not just another online course where you buy material and are left alone. It is truly a mentoring program, with personalized guidance, feedback and support.
The MasterCOURSE will start with a Portfolio Review and personal assessment of your work by your tutor. Then, throughout the course, you will apply what you have learned by means of several Practical Assignments (PA) that will cover the whole creative process, from message to print. These Practical Assignments will allow you the possibility to apply what you have learned to your own photography.
Upon submission of each Practical Assignment, your tutor will provide you with personalized feedback, guidance, and support by means of Video Assessments (VA) that you will be able to review in all flexibility.
Remember also that, as a student of the MasterCOURSE, you will be able not only to receive the Assessment to your own Assignments. You will also have access to the Video Assessments of other peer students.
This will provide you with hundreds of hours of enlightening videos containing a ton of insight for your own photography!
At the end of the MasterCOURSE, you will receive a Diploma certifying your achievement and a printed portfolio of the body of work we have put together throughout the learning program.
What if I have some questions or doubts during the MasterCOURSE?
As you know by now, during this MasterCOURSE you will receive many hours of personalized guidance and feedback from your tutor, with many hours of videos that your tutor will prepare analyzing and assessing your Practical Assignments. Already at the very onset of the course, you will have a One-to-One meeting of 1.5 hours with your tutor (Practical Assignment 1), where he will review your portfolio and assess the next steps directly with you.
But we know you might also need to ask a few things or clarify some aspects during the MasterCOURSE. For this reason, as a student of the MasterCOURSE you are entitled, free of charge, to up to 6 sessions of 15 minutes of One-to-One live discussions with your tutor, that you can use at will throughout the whole duration of the MasterCOURSE (24 months).
Is the material static?
No! As a student of the MasterCOURSE, you will be able not only to receive the Assessment to your own Assignments. You will also have access to the Video Assessments of other peer students.
This will provide you with hundreds of hours of enlightening videos containing a ton of insight for your own photography!
As new students join the program, more Video Assessments will be available for all.
This will make the content of the MasterCOURSE expand.
What do I get at the end of the MasterCOURSE?
At the end of the MasterCOURSE, you will receive a Diploma certifying you have successfully completed the MasterCOURSE.
You will also receive a final written assessment from your tutor based on your performance in the practical assignments.
In addition, you will also receive a printed portfolio of the body of work we have put together throughout the practical assignments.
What is next, once I have finished the MasterCOURSE?
Our MasterCOURSE is not a dead-end, nor just an online course. It is a door to a never-ending process of expressive and creative growth.
As an alumni of the MasterCOURSE, you will become eligible to enroll on our MasterPROJECT. This is a mentoring program where you will be able to apply everything you learnt in the MasterCOURSE, developing a new photographic project from A to Z, guided by Rafael Rojas.
Therefore, for students who are currently following or have already completed the MasterCOURSE we have put in place a series of Creative Photo Retreats. These events are intense and practical, hands-on holistic creative experiences designed to apply everything you have learnt in the MasterCOURSE, while receiving personalized feed-back and benefiting from one-to-one interaction with your tutor and other fellow students.
During our Creative Photo Retreats, we will combine moments of total immersion photographing in some of the most inspiring places of the World, with work in the studio and creative group discussions about the work being done. You will take the reins and tackle every single step of the photographic process, including composition, post-processing, printing, editing and bookmaking. Finally, you will also learn thanks to the enriching round table discussions with Rafael Rojas and the other students.
Can I purchase just a few modules of the MasterCOURSE?
No, since if we let you buy isolated modules, you will not learn as much as you could with the full course!
This MasterCOURSE has been planned, designed, and put together as a structured, coherent, and comprehensive course. Our aim was to create something we know will really have a huge impact on your photography. Every single module is put in context with the rest, and only by starting at the beginning and ending at the end will you understand that everything is linked:
The message ignites the expressive process
Natural light defines visual design
Visual design informs composition
Post-processing in the studio is just an extension of composition in the field
Final printing and presentation of the image is the logical culmination of the whole process.
When becoming one of the students of this MasterCOURSE, you are enrolling in a whole learning and mentoring program. The unique and valuable character of this MasterCOURSE resides not only in the quality of the different isolated modules it consists of, but in the way they are linked together. Just like in good photographic composition or in good cuisine, one plus one is more than two.
Am I required to finish one module before starting another?
No. Once you have enrolled in the MasterCOURSE, you will have free access to all modules from day one, and therefore you could theoretically jump from one module to another at will.
That being said, doing so would betray the whole purpose of this MasterCOURSE. We cannot overemphasize the importance of following the order and structure we have laid out for the course. Only like this will you take full advantage of the MasterCOURSE as a coherent, comprehensive and logically structured learning program.
Therefore, there is a number of practical assignments to be done during the MasterCOURSE. This is how you will apply what you have learned and receive personalized feedback and guidance from your tutor. For this reason, these assignments have been spread throughout the MasterCOURSE in a precise order, which should be respected, so that each assignment is tackled when your are prepared to do so.
How can I access all the Master COURSE material?
Once you enroll, you will be able to create your account with a username and log-in password. From that moment on, you will be able to have private and exclusive access to the MasterCOURSE area of our website for two full years. From there, you will be able to download all the PDFs corresponding to the learning modules from day one. You will also be able to view all videos in streaming, without having to download the large files, and be able to watch them directly from any mobile device or computer. Here too you will find the practicall assignments, and have access to the private and exclusive MasterCOURSE COMMUNITY.
How long can I take to fully complete the MasterCOURSE?
For someone with a normal amount of time available, this course might take around one year to be completed. This can be done by allotting a few hours every week, enjoying the process without it becoming a burden. That being said, you can also finish the Master COURSE in six months if you do not sleep at all! It is all up to you. What is important is that this MasterCOURSE has been designed not only to help you become a much better photographer, but also to let you fully enjoy the learning process and learn at your own pace.
Once you enroll in our MasterCOURSE, you will have two full years of access to the MasterCOURSE content area. Because the MasterCOURSE has been designed to be covered in one year for most people, you have plenty of time to fully go through the course and the Practical Assignments, even at the slowest pace, without having to stress.
In these 24 months you should have covered the different Practical Assignments, if you want to receive the corresponding Personalized Assessments of your tutor, as well as the final Diploma, printed Portfolio and final written Assessment at the end of your studies. Bear in mind that from day one you will be able to download all the PDFs, so that means you will in any case keep all that material with you when the twenty-four months expire. In order to keep the videos up-to-date and limit the hassle of downloading heavy files, videos can be viewed in streaming.
Is this MasterCOURSE just for landscape or outdoor photographers?
Not at all. Our MasterCOURSE caters to creative photographers who use photography as a tool of personal expression. If you conceive of photography as a tool that allows you to express feelings, concepts, thoughts, emotions… then our MasterCOURSE is for you.
Many of the examples and case studies that have been used throughout the MasterCOURSE revolve around landscape and outdoor situations. However, all concepts discussed are general and apply to any expressive photographer, no matter what they photograph. In fact, there are quite a number of examples that focus on still life, conceptual projects, etc.
One of the things that you will learn throughout the MasterCOURSE is that, when approaching photography as a tool of personal expression, the subject matter is very often different from the subject of the photograph itself. When you use non-literal channels of expression like signs, symbols, metaphors, and connotations, you can photograph a landscape, a portrait, or a still life and still be referring to the same concept, emotion, or feeling. In other words, personal and expressive photography is not bound to subject matter. This is why this course will help you, no matter what subject matter you photograph, and help you identify, hone, and cultivate your own personal vision and expressive potential.
Is your website secure?
Our website has SSL security enabled. Our visitors can access a constant, secure connection on every page of our site. Through SSL, you will see a lock icon next to our URL in the browser, showing that your information is safe.
Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL, is a technology that secures the connection between your browser and the website you’re visiting. To verify that SSL is protecting a page, look for a URL beginning with https://, instead of http://, and a green, closed padlock icon. This means that you can navigate the website and submit information through a secure connection.
SSL provides three important security benefits:
Privacy: Encrypts the connection between the browser and web server and securely transmits information (like login credentials) to prevent unauthorized parties from eavesdropping.
Data integrity: Prevents unauthorized parties from altering data during transmission (such as during a Form Block submission).
Authentication: Protects against impersonation by requiring web server proof of identity.
How can I pay? Are my payment details secure?
Once your application of enrollment is approved, you will be asked to make your payment by wire transfer into our bank account. If you would prefer to make your payment online, you will be sent an invoice via Paypal or Stripe so that you can pay with your credit card. In this case, however, you will be asked to cover the payment gateway fees of 4%. Whatever payment system you choose, we will keep no financial information from you in our server. By the way, our website is SSL secure, and you can access a constant, secure connection on every page of our site.
Can I pay in separate instalments?
Yes, you can pay in 12 automatic online installments. For this option, there will be an increase of the final total price of 400 CHF (Swiss Francs) in order to cover fees charged by Stripe and our Membership third-party supplier. If you would like to pay in different installments, please mention this when you fill in the “Application for Enrollment” form in the general comments box.
Do you expect to release this MasterCOURSE in a language other than English?
Not in the short or medium term. It took us more than seven years to put together this course in English, and therefore versions in other languages will have to wait!
Bear in mind that even if the whole material of the MasterCOURSE is available only in English, the One-to-One sessions and the Video Assessments with your tutor might be done either in English, French or Spanish.
Do I need to be a techie to take this course and use the website?
No, you do not need to be an expert with computers, or be a geek when it comes to cameras and devices! Our whole MasterCOURSE revolves around expression, intent, and creativity. Sure, there are many aspects that are quite technical… but we have spent a lot of time to provide all the details, in depth, with a language that will allow anyone to ultimately understand it all. The website and the material has also been designed with ease of use in mind. And if you have any problem, we will always be here to help.