Learning - What works for you?

[Big Mike]

Look around your area for photography classes.

I teach photography classes and the students often tell me that they learned more in one course (12 hours of class time) than they did in months or years of trying to learn on their own.

A lot of people just learn better when they are face to face with an instructor in a class setting.

 

[soufiej]

What do you fellow beginners think is the most effective way to learn when it comes to getting the most out of your camera and starting to take good photos? I realise this question is very subjective but I'd like to know how others are getting on out of curiosity. Have you jumped in at the deep end and gone straight to manual? Have you spent hours on aperture priority and then spent hours on shutter priority? Do you practice every day?

Please let me know how you've been learning, what's helped you, and what you wouldn't recommend. Thanks!

Lewis

To amend my original response a bit, do you presently own a specific camera? If so, learning the rules and thought process of photography is still where you begin. There are tutorials on this and other sites which give you basic rules. Study them for ideas and stay with the basic ideas of how do I get a good shot in broad daylight, not how do I photograph a moving race care in a sunset situation and a rainstorm or something esoteric like that. A class is good but IMO any classwork is going to be generic and not teach you how to begin getting the most from your particular camera. Sort of a chicken and egg concept here. You need to learn how to take a good shot but you need to know how your camera allows you to take good shots first. With today's cameras the camera does a lot of work and you need to be aware of what it is doing to aid or hinder your work. The difference can be as simple as a single setting on the camera for the type of photography you want to do.

Try placing your specific camera model into a search engine with the words "tips and tutorials". If you own a relatively popular camera, you should see a few sites pop up which have people like you - beginners - who are asking the same questions you have right now. Most of the major lines have support forums which will gather owners together and the questions can be answered and feedback provided by beginners learning their camera's capabilities. Youtube will have a few lessons on specific cameras which can answer many questions about "if this, then that". Most of today's digital cameras are jam packed with features and simply switching between which metering mode you use or how you employ auto-focus will affect the quality of your results if you are unaware of the system taking over your shots. "Tips and tutorials" should answer many of those questions so you're a bit more prepared when you hit the classroom for your first lesson in the hows of photography.

 

[mcap1972]

Experiment and practice. You can also try some workshops.

 

[Shelby B]

I am new at this too. I have been interested for years but recently I have had more time on my hands and wanted to learn. I am a structured learner. I learn better from a "class" setting. I took some online courses at improve photography.com and that sealed it for me. I shoot in aperture mode. And practice practice practice. I have just found this website and I am hoping I can get a lot of tips too! Good luck!

 

[Ilovemycam]

What do you fellow beginners think is the most effective way to learn when it comes to getting the most out of your camera and starting to take good photos? I realise this question is very subjective but I'd like to know how others are getting on out of curiosity. Have you jumped in at the deep end and gone straight to manual? Have you spent hours on aperture priority and then spent hours on shutter priority? Do you practice every day?

Please let me know how you've been learning, what's helped you, and what you wouldn't recommend. Thanks!

Lewis

Very seldom I shoot auto. I hate program codes. I pay big money to shoot manual. I don't like being raped, but that is how cameras turned out nowadays. (Leica) Fuji is cheap but the controls are screwy. I sometime practice in front of my TV like Jimi Hendrix did with his guitar.

I shoot a lot less nowadays. I only shoot work that has potential of being made in a artists' book, go into a museum or my portfolio. I gave up shooting crap, no time for it. In the beginning I read and practiced 7 days a week. Been at it since 1969 / 70

 

[Nettles]

first and foremost... learn to see,
always carry your camera with you (when practical).

Learn to See.

I'm with what you say generally, but I've often wondered if we CAN learn to see, or is it a gift we either have or don't have?

 

[Microbois]

What worked for me to learn photography was to actually find a way to understand the triangle (aperture, ISO, shutter speed) everyone is talking about. This is really the foundation of photography, and until you fully understand that aspect inside-out, you are truly wasting your time experimenting on more advanced stuff. You can find websites and even YouTube video that explains that in depth.

Then, get yourself a good detailed book on photography. Back in the days I've learn photography (in the 80's), there were 2 authors who wrote good books, namely John Hedgecoe and Michael Langford, but I don't know what's available today. In a nutshell, you need to find a book that is broken down in small pieces and explain every subjects individually with a lot of examples (depth of field, contrast, textures, lense properties, framing, using flash, quality of light, etc.). I think books like "Langford's Basic Photography: The Guide for Serious Photographers" or "Langford's Advanced Photography: The guide for aspiring photographers" would be a very good place to start. Once you have the basic knowledge of photography nailed down, it's very easy to add layers of complexity afterwards.

Of course, in the meantime you are going through every steps, use your camera as often as possible to practice. Fortunately, it doesn't cost anything to take pictures today, so by all means, take as many as you need.

Then, when you reach the point where you are comfortable in pretty much all situations, and you know how to capture the scene in front of you, you will also have preferences for certain type of photography, then most likely specialize in those fields.

Good luck!

 

[Forkie]

I tend to learn best under pressure. I invite a friend or someone round to sit for me, then I fiddle and play with lights until I get the shot I want, anything I miss or get wrong, I correct next time.

 

[Torus34]

An interesting approach to learning, possibly from one of Feininger's books, is to imagine you've been given an assignment. One I remember was to assume you're to take 5 photos of your town for a magazine article. It's open-ended, but it also forces you to think of what makes an interesting picture and, technique-wise, how to go about capturing it. You begin to look at what you usually take for granted in a new light.

Then, do it.

You can think up additional 'assignments', too.

 

[Buckster]

@OP:

I first learned photography in the early 70's using books on basic film camera operation and then more advanced photography techniques by checking out books on those topics from the local library and spending what seemed like a small fortune to me at the time shooting rolls of film, making notes, getting it developed, then comparing the results with my notes on how I made the shots.

That probably doesn't help you much in today's circumstances, with the internet largely taking the place of libraries, videos often taking the place of books, digital camera settings taking the place of film types, EXIF taking the place of handwritten notes for each shot, and nearly instant review taking the place of developing, and that's really the point I'd like to make.

What works best for others may not work best for you. Different people learn best by different methods. Some people can learn anything from a book. Others learn best by watching videos. Still others need one-on-one personal face-to-face instruction. Yet others do best in a classroom with a laid out course structure, curriculum, goals and tests. Still others may do well with a mail-order learning kit.

That said, you should think about your own achievements and limitations with regard to the methods for learning things that have worked best for you in the past, and then seek those out in particular.

 

[soufiej]

Learn to See.

I'm with what you say generally, but I've often wondered if we CAN learn to see, or is it a gift we either have or don't have?

The rules and guidelines which largely control photography are fairly simple and by no means as complex and interdependent as, say, learning to play a musical instrument. If you've heard the advertisement of a popular language learning program, you've heard the phrase 'learning a second language as you did your first". We understand the human brain is extremely flexible and is at its most malleable stage in our youth and the ability to take in additional learning decreases after we reach a certain age. However, the ability to learn never ceases. We also know older humans who have suffered a serious brain injury (a physical issue) have the ability to restructure the operation of their mind (a cognitive issue).

Whether you are learning a language, a musical instrument or photography, one of the most common mistakes students tend to make is the "I want it all now" matter of instant gratification. I play guitar and when I get on a guitar forum it's quite common to see players of all ages wondering why, after six months of lessons, they can't play like such and such an artist. The advice, of course, is learning to play well takes time. To which the older students often reply, "I don't have that much time left".



A few decades back I was a visiting instructor in an illustration class. I could see which students had a better grasp of the concepts of illustration and which did not before I walked into the classroom. My job was not to teach them how to be an illustrator in my one day in class. My job was to give them some ideas on how I went about the processes of creating an illustration which immediately stood out from the rest. Two specific concepts which always seemed to surprise the students were; 1) have piles of resources from which you can pull and, 2) always be aware of your light source(s). Having resources means you are constantly culling and compiling those images which interest you, which you can analyze for the why and how of that interest and from which you can learn to use similarly inspired techniques in your own work. I would call the task "backwards engineering" of the original, trying to think like the artist to determine how they created their image. In photography you want to think about the technical aspects; F-stops, shutter speed, ISO in particular but also what other elements you can perceive which are making you see the image in a certain way. Most of the students though were unaware of the idea light from one side always casts a shadow on the opposite side. Seems simple enough and a thing we see everyday without really recognizing its importance. However, just as in audio we are most attuned to the sound of the human voice and can recognize abnormalities in a voice more easily than we can in the sound of, say, an automobile tire rolling across a gravel road. Miss the effects of lighting and it will immediately take away from your image. For lighting people this means one thing due to the color of light and for illustrators and photographers this means another since the highlights and shadows will present the opportunity for drama and dynamics.

Back to learning how to play a musical instrument, it is best for anyone learning the basics of a skill to take the learning process in small steps. For the guitarist this might mean learning basic chord shapes and ALWAYS, WITHOUT FAIL playing to the beat. Most aspiring players believe their innate ability to hit on the beat is far better than it actually is. So you slow them down by way of an outside meter, a metronome which does not waver yet can be set to provide any guideline desired. I always tell students to begin practicing at 40 beats per minute which is a very slow tempo but gives them ample opportunity to THINK and be aware of what they are doing and how they should be doing it. Good advice for photographers also IMO. Then take a small portion of what the skill is about and work in that one area for as long as it takes to get yourself familiar with those skills. For a guitar player that may mean drilling the single notes of a Major scale over and over and over for weeks if not months. For the photographer it would mean deciding on one "style" of photography and working very hard at developing the skills required to turn out interesting images in that one style. Bouncing from one shiny bright thing to the next like a crow is fine for those moments when you are allowing your mind to wander and explore. For learning stay with one style, one scale, until you have it down to the point it becomes second nature. And be critical of your own work. A metronome does that for a player and a set time for deliberation, say, a thirty second rule before you can even focus the camera, provides the photographer with the liberties of seeing one subject in many ways.

Anyone can teach themself certain skills at any age if the desire is there. The patient with the brain injury cannot rebuild their mind if they do not have the desire and the will power to work at the rehab. It must be done regularly, not when you feel like it. You must play your guitar daily, not just for three hours on the weekend. Same for a photographer to learn the skills required of their work. Can you teach yourself talent? IMO, no. Talent is somewhat a you have it or you don't thing. However, we all have talent in some area. Possibly your talent it is seeing shapes while another person sees colors. One person can portray motion or emotion or lack of either. You have to recognize your own talent and then build upon those skills which bring it to the front. If your talent is in keeping a steady and forward moving rhythm, you'll be in greater demand than a blazing lead player who has only a few tricks up their sleeve. So don't always think you need "this" talent to succeed. Find your talent and apply your skills to that one area until you feel you have become the best possible at that skill and you'll begin to recognize real talent when it crosses your desk.


Like the musician, work with other people. Learning from others is a great way to test your abilities and to take what others have in their bag of tricks which you can then steal for your own. There's no shame in stealing if you're stealing from the best.

 

[chuasam]

first and foremost... learn to see,
always carry your camera with you (when practical).

Learn to See.

I'm with what you say generally, but I've often wondered if we CAN learn to see, or is it a gift we either have or don't have?

It's kinda like empathy or imagination.
There's this quote: only tourists are interested in art, real artists are interested in life. Observe life and think.
Photograph what you love what you fear what makes you sad what makes you happy.

Reading list :
Tao of Photography
Camera Lucida

Avoid: anything by John Hedgecoe


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Microbois]

There are tons of Photographers on this Forum who can recite all the technical skills and shooting manual modes...but their photos are horribly boring and torturous to look at. Why? Because they have no vision...no sense of taste.

That's an interesting aspect of photography... Sure, you can shoot artistic pictures loaded with symbols and emotions, and use photography as a powerful means of expression just like painting or dancing can be, but there's (fortunately) a more down to earth approach where it's mostly all technical. Sorry, but photography isn't just "art".

When I teach photography to friends and relatives, I tell them to always ask themselves the following question before taking ANY picture : What are you trying to show? Quite a simple question, but it automatically leads to much better results when the person think before. The subject has beautiful eyes, well, fill the frame with her eyes, or use the same color of her clothing to make the eyes pop. What about if your subject is tiny small? Well, put it next to something that we are use to the size, so we have a visual reference, and it will be obvious how small the thing is. That kid is skating crazy fast, well, use a slower shutter speed and follow the subject, you will automatically create a blur suggesting speed.

While all photographers need to learn how to "see" in order to create interesting pictures, I think it's also possible only after you understand the fundamentals of photography. Just like you need to learn the alphabet, learn how to write, then read lots of books, if you aspire to write the next bestseller. I also strongly beleive in learning from those who were there before. You can learn a lot by looking and studying millions of pictures taken in the last century. Once you have that kind of background, you can start thinking by yourself. But no one will reinvent the wheel in 2015, so any style you may want to hum-hum "create", chances are pretty high that it's been done zillions of time before. I don't mean it's impossible, but there are just so many ways of shooting sports, that it's not the next newbie who will revolutionize the world with his/her style... But anyway... I digress...

My only point to all beginner photographers is to learn the basics, and more importantly, have fun and enjoy taking pictures. If you love it and you're hungry to learn more, you will improve fast. Who cares if you suck in the end? Your pictures are in your computer and you are not shoving them the throat of anyone. Please yourself first.

 

[soufiej]

What do you fellow beginners think is the most effective way to learn when it comes to getting the most out of your camera and starting to take good photos? I realise this question is very subjective but I'd like to know how others are getting on out of curiosity. Have you jumped in at the deep end and gone straight to manual? Have you spent hours on aperture priority and then spent hours on shutter priority? Do you practice every day?

Please let me know how you've been learning, what's helped you, and what you wouldn't recommend. Thanks!

Lewis

This series of videos should help a total beginner; Powershot | The Visionary Folk Photographer

Scroll about 1/4 down the page to locate the videos. They are based on a Canon Powershot camera. Most Canon menus and controls will be similar though not identically located on any one camera. Other camera manufacturers will have different looks for their menus and different controls locations to change settings. However, the basics of controlling the camera (as opposed to the camera controlling you) are identical. If changing ISO on the Canon results in this affect, the affect will be the same on all cameras. The only significant difference might be your camera/lens allows for lower f-stop readings. Still, the changes are similar in all cameras when you alter f-stops. If exposure compensation gives "this" result on the Canon, it will give the same result on all cameras with exposure compensation. Start shooting in "Auto" making note of the settings. Switch to "P" where you can control the settings and change only one setting at any one time. Learn what changes with one setting before you move on to another.

 

[dennybeall]

Always reading books and manuals and watching youtube videos that catch my eye.
Over time I find that thinking about pictures I want to take and then learning whatever is needed to be able to take that picture works very well.
Of course, when you're an old retired guy this approach works well. Not so much when you need to work to put food on the table.