Worth taking a photography course

[Carlos92]

I'm pretty much a beginner to photography. I bought myself a new Canon 450D to go to Iceland last month, and got a great introduction and good insight into how to use the camera, with a bit of help from a photographer that went along with me.

The question is should I go do a proper photography course, something like the one shown below?

Experience Seminars: Understanding your digital EOS — Part 1 — Basic overrides

In terms of where my photography has got to so far, feel free to take a look at my flickr for a couple of examples of my photos. I understand a fair amount about how the camera works, but still strugle in some aspects. Whilst I understand the workings of creative modes, it usually invovles a lot of guesswork at selecting appropriate apeture/shutter speed/ISO. Looking at the second level course by the same company, that covers a lot more of what I have no clue about - metering, white balance, historgrams.

Question is, is a structured course the best way to learn all of this?

[LeeR]

If this is like any of the courses I have been to, it will be highly informative, you will see some fabulous images and may well come away inspired to try some new things. You are likely to learn a great deal about how your camera works and how to make it work better for you. I enjoy these events and always come away with some significant new information.

[Jim Bryant]

It's always a good thing to know your equipment inside and out and what it's limitations and advantages are. That way, you won't be fumbling around with the controls and happen to miss a great picture. It should get to a point to where your equipment becomes second nature to you.