Oklahoma School of Photography

about 1 year ago Past student

I was a student at this school a few years ago, and although I am now a very knowledgeable high paid photographer, I do not owe any of it to the school. In fact, since I was a student I only know of a handful of people (less than ten) who actually left the school and entered the photography field. The school is very dated...From the lectures taught, to the videos shown, to the shooting techniques and the equipment. Everything they boast about in their brochures and on the websites are lies. It took me two years after leaving the school to learn how to actually run a business, take photos, and learn what actual good equipment is. The lessons at the school actually hindered my becoming a photographer. It really is a joke...I would have gotten farther faster if I had used the money spent on the school on going to workshops with actual professionals instead. I highly suggest not going to this school. It is a HUGE waste of money and time. The owner and his daughter should be in jail for the scam they run in owning the school!

over 1 year ago Past student 4 years ago "2006"

Ok so I just read everyones postings on here and all the ones that were directed NEGATIVE are so on spot. I have been out of that school for 4 years and never once have they ever called me to offer me a job that was given to them to hand out to the graduates. I know for a fact that the instructors themselves take the jobs and work them, and no not all of them but more than 70% of them. See they have to leave some to make themselves look good. I also know the very little jobs thats they let someone other than an instructors do are only given to there favorite students, they bypass the ones in the book that are next in line to get a job based on if "Kristi" liked you or not. Its is a REALLY REALLY BAD place, and yes all that you have read about the fact they put on a good show at first is so TRUE. All the other bad things are true and so much more that there is not enough space to type. BEWARE, you will waste alot of time and money at that school. If for any reason at all I would not go there cause I had my identity stolen there and by someone who works there, I never could get to the bottom of it cause I was told well all that info is locked up. Well no it really is not. I know it was someone there cause I never took anything personal in with me other than my work and a notebook, and I never had any problems till right after graduation. 11,000 in credit card debt that I am still fighting to get off my credit report. You can get into Kristi's office and into the computers were peoples files are. So b careful. You can't trust anyone there. They all back each other up, AND AS SOMEONE SAID ABOVE THEY DO MONITOR THESE KINDS OF SITES AND POST THINGS TO MAKE THEMSELVES LOOK GOOD, AND THEY DO THIS ON THE CURRENTS STUDENTS MONEY WHEN THEY SHOULD BE TEACHING THE STUDENTS WHO PAY. I COULD TELL YOU ALL STUFF THAT WOULD MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN.

over 1 year ago Windy
iamphoto ((at)) yahoo dot com

Ok a few words about OSOP. I graduated in 09. All schools no matter where you go even UCLA teach film and it can be very valuable. There were some instructors I liked and some I did not like as much. If you need close contact with your instructor or if you expect your financial aid on time this may not be the school for you. You have to be able to learn allot on your own, especially when it comes to learning in the computer lab. I did however learn somethings while I was there, yet when I graduated I learned there was a lot I did not learn. After my graduation I moved to LA and found that with what I knew it just was not enough to start a carrier in photography.

almost 2 years ago Lisa

Okay let me start with WORD OF MOUTH is do or die in a business. My name is Lisa George and I went to this school. I'm glad there is a site that ask for your review bc I had a horrible experience there and with many of the staff. I quit in December b/c I was not happy with the way things ran. I loved the black and white photography part of it but I hated that there was never enough help. I will say David was a great teacher and did as much as he could to help the students but that is the only person. The equipment was old and if was broken took FOREVER to get fixed or replaced. We were constantly trying to rig up equipment to work right. The computer labs so called "books" are hard to work from since they all are photo copies of pieces pulled from other books. The computers are gawd awful slow. The lighting equipment was a total joke. I was not happy there so I quit but before I quit I asked for information to see how much I would pay and FINICIAL lady let her secretary give me that information and go over it with me which I don't think was her place. After going over with it with me she asked me why I was unhappy I told her and she just got very angry with me and then her and another teacher cornered me in a hall and if I didn't go in that hall she was going to drop me. So I went into the hall to "talk" to just have her laugh in my face along with the other teacher. All in all its a negative enviroment that will suck all the positive energy away. This is my honest to goodness experience there. I hope you read this and think twice.

almost 2 years ago Current Student

I am a current student at OSOP. The school is fun, interactive, and I get lots of attention from the staff. Everyone is nice and very helpful. I heard that a few past students (thank goodness they are not here anymore) were posting stuff online. Don't believe what you read from them, they are just unhappy people. I didn't know them well, but tried to avoid them the entire time they were in school. They were rude and arrogant. I think the school is good. I am getting to learn about cameras, photoshop, posing.

almost 2 years ago current student

I am a current and satisfied student, I cannot believe some of the people on this site. Just so you know reading this information the negative comments on this site are mainly from a couple of students that wouldn't be happy if someone plated them in gold. Speaking for myself and a lot of the other current students we are VERY glad these guys are gone. The school is great and I am learning a lot. It is much better now that these guys are gone.

almost 2 years ago Lisa

This is not a good school. I know it's confusing seeing comments on here about the school but it's not a good fit for anyone. There is no good equipment, no good computers, no good programs for the computers, and the books you learn out of are paragraphs they pulled from other books and they lessons don't correspond with the information in there. They still use CS2 when CS$ is already out and available! The computers are slow and the teaching style is horrible. PLEASE PLEASE research other places to go. You will waste your money on this school.

almost 2 years ago 4 10K I could've bought a car!!!

Completely agree with the negative comments! There's a good reason so many of us are whining. We are NOT getting what we paid for. If you paid 10K for a car and it was a lemon, would you complain? Absolutely! If the lemon laws applied to this school we would all get our money back. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way so we are screwed. I tried to speak to some students when I toured the school before I enrolled but I wasn't allowed to spend enough time talking to them to get some honest opinions. I also asked for references and was told that I couldn't get any information because of the privacy laws. So it wasn't until after I enrolled that I learned of all the unhappy students, the unreliable equipment, unqualified staff and all the old and useless information. They still teach FILM!! HELLO! We are in the digital age!

about 2 years ago Lisa

I am a recent graduate of OSOP and really liked it. I looked for a long time for a school that was reasonable in price and actually taught you rather than just talked at you. The instructors were really helpful and any time I had a problem, they really tried to fix it. I even have gone back in since graduation to get help on setting up some stuff and they were right there and took the time to walk me all the way through it.

about 2 years ago Don't Trust Them

If you see any good comments about the school here it's because the staff from the school placed it. This school is not the right school for anyone. They don't have the equipment that they say you will need and if they do have some it's broken or you have to ducktape it to stay in place. I have dropped out of this school b/c I was not satisfied w/ them stealing my money. I have found different places to invest my money and I'm happy with the decision of leaving this facility. DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILD HERE. Go to metro tech or find a private instructor who will teach you. You will save ALOT of money and you'll have better equipment then this school has.

about 2 years ago former student

Word to the wise. As a former student I concur with all the negative comments on this page. I also know that the staff monitors this site and is not above posting their own positive comments to offset the negative reports. So, bottom line: do your homework! Talk to past & current students and I believe you will find out the truth. I'm going out on a limb to say that you may find 1 out of 100 students who have anything good to say about their education at this school. Don't be fooled by their posted accreditations at the school itself. Numerous complaints have been made to the accreditation agencies to no avail. The owner and staff are very good at covering their tracks and putting on a show when visitors are observing. Be sure to check out their placement dept. Can't find it? Of course not. There isn't one. Wish the powers that be would dig a little deeper. If that day ever comes I believe the doors to that school will close forever. They are crooks! What is put on paper is not at all what actually goes on there.

about 2 years ago Happy Graduate

I am a recent graduate of OSOP and truly enjoyed my time there. I have done a lot since my graduation and learned what I needed to in order to work in photography. The staff is helpful and does their best with each student. My only complaint about the school was not with the school, but with some of the other students. I had more problems with whiny, gossipy students who ignored the instructors and tried to help one another rather than asking for help from the staff. The only students that I knew while I was going there that were "dissatisfied" were those who didn't do their work and didn't show up, so they were in trouble. I would recommend this school to any student who actually wants to learn about photography and has the drive to actually do it.

about 2 years ago Ihatethisschool

This school is a waste of money. DON'T GO HERE!

about 2 years ago paying10grandandlearningnothing

I am currently enrolled in this school and I wish I never enrolled. The staff is very two faced to the students. The secretary Cheryl is the biggest two face and liar. They hired a new instructor and his name is CALEB and he is the worst of them. He's 26 and acts like he knows everthing about photography and if you don't understand something he said he makes you feel like you are the stupidest person for not knowing what he's talking about. He's all talk and no show AT ALL. You ask him for help and he'll give you a 20 minute lecture on the history of the camera and then walk out of the room and he never helped you at all b/c you were just wondering how to get rid of a reflection. When you do your walk thru they tell you that the everything is provided but its not. They have lighting but they don't have the selection of accessories you need to learn proper lighting. The computer book you do your photoshop assignments out of isn't consistant with the lessons. The lighting rooms are used for storage of computers and random things they can't find a proper place for. The finicial aid lady aka owners daughter brings her son to work. He runs around the school touching everything and I've seen him with my own eyes banging on the computers. When you go to this school you have a midterm you have to do at 16weeks and I have yet to do my midterm and I'm in week 20. They had changed our lecture review testing to computers and everytime we went to take the test everyone would pratically fail b/c the test questions never matched what we heard in lecture. I don't understand how this school is still open. PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILDREN HERE.

over 2 years ago CameraHappy

Hi, I am currently a HAPPY & Satisfied student at OSOP. The owners and staff are both friendly and helpful. I have learned so much and feel attending this school has been a positive decision. The curriculum is practical and informative. The tuition is very inexpensive and it's only a quick 9 month program. Those serious about their future should come take a tour of OSOP.

over 2 years ago Current UNHAPPY student

This is the worst school. The management SUCKS, the equipment sucks, the lesson plan is irrelevant and repetitive, I could go on all day.....they only have to radio slave units which are BOTH broken and have not been replaced, the lights are several years old, the cameras they have are older models, they have 3 tripods one of which has a broken leg duck taped, the manager keeps her son there and he runs rampant through the halls screaming and being a major distraction. It's an awful school and a horrible learning environment. ALSO, a girl had some things stolen out of her purse in the classroom by another student as well as one other student had her digital camera stolen and the school did nothing about it. I would highly advise you do not attend this school, it's not worth the 10K ripoff. And the last comment was correct, Kristi will NOT give you a break down as to where your financial aid goes. They are a fraud. It took 3 to 4 months for her to file my financial aid and was supposed to be disbursed $2800. They beat around the bush telling me when I'd get it and it ended up getting split into two and I had to wait a month for the second portion. What they do is keep the money in their accounts and collect interest then give you the money when they want to. They are frauds and crooks.

over 2 years ago dissatified student

i am enrolled in the school right now.. IT SUCKS... they lie so much to get you in, and once you get past your first few weeks the real Kristi comes out.. I asked for i financial aide break down and was told by Kristi " I don't do that". I was there for at least 6 weeks before my financial aide was even sent in. I personally think they are nasty people. Her son is there EVERYDAY and she is potty training him so he walks around in his underware and a t-shirt.. We dont even get color copies of papers that should be in color. they make over 10 grand off every student and we cant even get color copies. Not to mention the equipment that they have is very out dated and falling apart. Im gonna do everything i can to see this school gets closed!!

over 2 years ago Dissatisfired Student

I agree w/ Mike Watts. This school is a complete rip off! Not only are the social skills of the "management" ridiculous, but the overall education system there is stuck in the 70's. The owner does not even know how to load a memory card into a digital camera, the "management" lost my financial aid paperwork (including my tax paperwork & ss# on it) 3 times. They still teach color processing in lecture for several weeks even though you only shoot & process black and white film before you move on to digital. All in all, it is not a proper learning environment. Like Mike said, visit in person BEFORE you ever consider enrolling. Kristi will put on a nice horse and pony show for you I am sure.

almost 3 years ago Mike Watts
MikeWatts773 ((at)) news9 dot com

This is not a picture of the school. The school is located in a small building, tucked away in industrial part of Moore, right off of I35. The school "manager' Kristi Brumel has the worst social skills, and most unprofessional business practices out of anyone i've ever encountered. DO NOT SEND YOUR CHILDREN TO THIS SCHOOL. The Oklahoma School of Photography is not a suitable learning environment for anyone for a number of reasons. If you are considering this school i encourage you to visit in person before obligating yourself you attend.