Do you ever stop learning?

[Dubie]

I can sit on this forum and read, read, read. And sometimes it is so overwhelming. I am almost at the end of my first photography course and have really learned the basics...lol...yep, aperture and shutter speed! But there is so much to learn. I hear about lighting, composition, I buy books and try to read and absorb as much as I can but it can make your head feel like imploding. There are so many of you on here that have been doing this for years and I can get so caught up on your threads trying to take it all in. I go onto a online store and see all this "stuff" for photographers and wonder "what do I need?"

I am not trying to pursue a degree (no time), I do not want to be a photojournalist, or work in fashion but I love it as an art form, creating what I see in my minds eye. How the heck do you get there? I would love to show my photos one day.

Are you all still learning whether you been doing this 5 years or 40 years? What have you done to further your own knowlege?

 

[newrmdmike]

i've been doing this for a couple years, but it consumes my day to day life . . . and i think that if i ever stop learning i won't need to take any more photos, or at least won't want to.

all the technical stuff is a pretty steep learning curve, and after that your learning takes place in the intellectual side of things. or with how you deal with people.

photography technology is really changing NOW, but as a whole its been fairly stable, and even now i guess silver to digital is like albumen to silver geletin or whatever.

while i try to stay on top with the technical stuff i really want the content to be front stage. . . in which case a disposable camera will convey many things the same as an 8x10 view camera.

wow, i don't think i answered any of your questions . . . but i'm still posting this.

to further my knowledge i:read every day, watch every documentary i can, go to every show i can, am an art major. . . i saturate my life with art.

how do you get there? don't worry about that as much as just trying to get out those things. don't force an idea or project but rather just work and eventually an opportunity to realize that idea will present itself.

all you need is the drive.

 

[Dubie]

Thanks for your reply. It truly is inspirational.

I guess the frustration comes with the territory.

 

[craig]

Developing or growing may be a better way to put it. Of course you will always be learning. The key is too apply that knowledge to your personal work.

Love & Bass

 

[Iron Flatline]

I only stop learning when I stop shooting and processing. The rest of the time my photography is evolving. It's not always a question of learning technically, but rather about oneself - what do I like, why do I like it?

 

[ksmattfish]

I go onto a online store and see all this "stuff" for photographers and wonder "what do I need?"

If you want to be a gear collector you need it all. If you want to be a photographer you probably already own what you need. 95% of all the gear I've purchased I really didn't need (shhhh, don't let my wife see this).

There is a lot to learn, but just like anything concentrate on one thing at a time until you understand it, then move on to the next, never forgetting to keep working on and exercising the skills and ideas that you've explored before. Photography/art is not a race; it's part of your life. Work on the fundamentals until you have a solid understanding, then let your interests guide you. Talk to other artists/photographers and view their work. Don't be afraid to follow your own path, or steal and copy like a bandit. Like the Nike commercial, the most important thing is just to keep on doing it.

 

[ann]

No, i don't think people who are serious about their work ever stop learning.

I have been involved with photography for 60 years, with the last 35 of those years on a daily basis.
Either studying, working or teaching.

Just this past weekend i took a workshop and try to learn something new everyday.

There is a lot to learn and with the advent of digital that has only increased.

 

[skieur]

I taught myself photography with the assistance of my mother who was a photographer but I also picked up my academic degree, teaching certificate, and technical qualifications in television and film.

While learning more and refining my skills by working in all of the above areas, I became interested in graphics and computer animation. I taught myself that too and the reputation I developed helped me get a government grant to develop a teaching program for computer animation in schools of the arts.

Life then threw me a curve and I started teaching myself about law, physiotherapy, brain injury, and neural psychiatry. One neural surgeon actually asked where I got my medical background.

At the moment on top of everything else I am playing around with computer 3D modeling, image creation, and virtual photography. Learning is always interesting.

skieur

 

[ShaCow]

dont worry, we all feel like this at some point.. just keep shooting

 

[Garbz]

Everytime I push the shutter I learn something. Either learning from a mistake I just made, an improvement I figured out, or a happy accident I had that turned a mindless image into a great success.

Photography is an art and the best way to learn an art is to develop yourself by doing.

 

[JerryPH]

I grew up around photography. My father was an avid and very enthusiastic amateur. I thought I knew something about it until I bought the D200, but really thats just where my apprenticeship started.

Photography is simply so much fun. Taken from the perspective of a technicality, there is a limit, but taken as an art... you take it as far as you can, as does every other enthusiast. Some become the "fiftycent" of their photography whereas others strive for the "Pavarotti" of their art.

I'm happy to tell you that... it never ends until you decide it ends. Up to that point, soak it up like a dry sponge and enjoy!

 

[JerryPH]

dont worry, we all feel like this at some point.. just keep shooting

I often get this feeling of being overwhelmed by info overload... then I take a deep breath, exhale and all is good again, I am ready for more!

 

[patrickt]

No. And if I did it would be boring. I enjoyed my work because there was always something new to learn. Now that I'm retired, that's what photography does for me.

 

[Dubie]

Thanks for all the inspiration! It really puts things in a different perspective.

I work with horses and like photography, it's an ongoing learning adventure. Except making a mistake can kill you.

But you all settled my racing thoughts.

 

[dpolston]

I thought I knew something about it until I bought the D200, but really thats just where my apprenticeship started.

I had the same revelation! I became comfortable just shooting with the program mode on my D70, but I had to relearn everything else I had taken for granted about the "basics".

I'm glad I was re motivated.