YELA Frequently Asked Questions
Does my child need to have a fancy camera to become a student at the academy?
Not at all.
We purposefully created all the photography classes so that they can work 100% with smartphones.
We wanted kids to have the easiest route to finding a creative outlet and we are all aware that the most accessible tool for photography is the smartphone. Most kids have it (or access to their parents') and most of them know very well how to operate one.
In fact we want to encourage parents not to spend any money on cameras.
If your child has access to a dslr or a compact camera, that is good, but everything we will teach them, can be applied with a smartphone.
In what language will the instructions be?
Both instructors are fully bilingual and all instructions and notes will be in English and Afrikaans.
Should your child at any stage feel unclear about the instructions received, he/she should feel 100% comfortable to ask to have it explained in either one of the two languages.
How many classes will there be?
We aim to host one class every week and the frequency of the classes will be correlated with other school activities, to ensure minimal disruption of school programs.
At the moment we aim at between 5-6 classes per term. Our goal here is to ensure that we cover the whole curriculum for the term.
Classes will be from 15:00 to 17:00 and will be held on Wednesday and Friday afternoons at the West Coast Fossil Park.
If you have enrolled you child for the Wednesday classes, he or she will only attend the Wednesday classes and vice versa for the Friday classes.
Keep in mind that this is a year-long academy and classes are designed to build on each other. Therefor we encourage you to make a year long commitment to attending the academy.
This way your child will get maximum benefit from it.
There will be no academy classes during exam times or holidays.
What else will my child do besides learning photography?
Besides photography we will also teach the students the basics of photo journalism.
With our focus on the outdoors and nature - and to foster independence - we will also teach children basic first aid, how to use walkies-talkies, and some basic survival skills, among others.
How large will the groups be?
To ensure that every child gets the best opportunity to grow, we are limiting the ratio of students to 12 per teacher.
Should classes grow larger than this, additional teachers will be brought in to assist with the activities and to maintain the ratio of 12:1.
What happens after this year is completed?
As students' skill levels grow, the size of YELA's projects will also increase:
We are already working on follow-up lessons and in the next year, students will explore many of the current subjects more in depth and they will also be introduced to graphic design, videography and sound recording.
We are also working on a holiday program that will provide students with the opportunity to get more exposure to nature and learn extra skills.
For senior students we are also looking at introducing FGASA's (Field Guide Association of South Africa) junior field guide courses in the future. The aim with these courses will be to equip the students with post-school qualifications that will help them to enter the environmental or guiding job market after school.
We'll keep communicating this as the project progresses.
How much does it cost?
You'll pay a registration fee of R550 and ten monthly fees of R265 per month, starting January 2021 and the last fee will be at the start of October 2021.
How will payments work?
Because of the small amount of entries - 12 per class - we will only accept payments via EFT and Direct bank deposit.
You'll receive a monthly invoice from us.
Should you wish to pay for the full year, please contact Ron Moller via the Contact form and he'll work out a discounted price for you.
Who can I contact if I have more questions?
We welcome all questions and want to encourage you to contact Ron Moller, Nature & Photo founder and photography coach via the contact form on this website. Here is the link.