How did you learn?????

[amg]

Hi Everyone
I am wondering how everyone on here learned the ins and outs of Photography????
Tips, Techniques, Articles/Books, Suggestions....... Please Share
Thanks

 

[cgipson1]

Books and practice! Started in a small town.. with only a library, long before the internetz ever existed (mid 60's)! Of course, learning basic physics helped also!

 

[ann]

Trial and error as there weren't classes , the internet or much else in 1947 when I was ten years old and fell in love with photography.

then in the mid 60's began taking workshops and classes as more became available. In those days basically the only method to learn was to become an apprentice of another photographer which wasn't for me .

Lots and lots of practice, lots and lots of failures

I must add, even today , i try to take a workshop at least every two years, and if possible one a year. Learning is a life long process.

 

[Robin Usagani]

I went from a regular guy to a PRO right when I stepped out of Best Buy.





LOL jk.. I think just understanding the basic technical stuff really helps. Everything just come together once you understand how the camera works.

 

[ann]

:thumbup::lmao: of course you did

 

[IByte]

Camera simulators on websites, my camera manual, harsh critics with good advice, Google some YouTubes, trial an error. Yup pretty much covers it lol.

 

[Mrgiggls]

I think for most a mix of solid text-book information and practice/trial and error is the way to fast-track your learning curve.

Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson is an invaluable resource for a solid understanding of the fundamentals of the Exposure Trinity and more.
One of my favorite instructional materials is The Nikon School: A Hands-on Guide to Creative Lighting. This DvD is densely packed with valuable, I can use this right now, not a bunch of theory, information that can be applied regardless of your brand of gear.

 

[Joel_W]

Started way back in the mid 60's. Popular and Modern Photography magazines were my main learning tools.. When I could get to the local Library, it was what ever books I could find, but the selection left a lot to be desired. So I guess you could say that I took my basic training at the school of hard knocks.

 

[bhop]

Took some photography classes in the early 90's. From then 'til now has just been through internet/books, but mostly through practice and/or trial and error.

 

[nmoody]

I am still in the process of learning but the things that have really helped are the following:

1. Reading the manual. I know it sounds trivial but you will be surprised at what you will learn from it.
2. Reading everything on this forum. Just about every single thread can teach you something when you are starting out.
3. Picked up some basic books. Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson and Digital Photography series by Scott Kelby specifically were great starters
4. Go out and shoot things. Sometimes this is the one that I forget to do. It is essential to use the things you learn so you can fully understand them

 

[Big Mike]

Learning is a (should be) a non-stop process.

I have read many books and many, many web sites & forums.
I have taken several classes and attended many seminars.
I work with and for other photographers.
I have made friends, both on-line and in real life, who share an interest in photography.
I teach, which in itself a great way to further my own understanding of photography.
Practice, practice practice.....ever heard of the 10,000 hour rule?

 

[APHPHOTO]

When you have a passion for something. That something becomes easy for me to learn because it inspires me to do well.
My first obsticle was to master my camera and know what to do when to do it. And im still learning. The second is to master
composition and light. Seems easy, but after shooting something and reveiwing it you soon learn not what to do. And eventually you learn how to walk up to something and master
the moment. Still working on that, but getting there.

 

[KmH]

Self-motivation. I'm a real self-starter.

I started learning photography in 1981, so books (the library) were the best source for photography information. It would be 10 more years before the World Wide Web would begin and the first web browser to gain wide public use - Mosaic, one of the first graphical web browsers - wouldn't appear until early 1993. So, I was 12 years along already when the Internet started getting popular.

So today I still rely on books, but mostly for the more complex and ever changing information that applies to post processing using computers and image editing software. The photography books I read now deal more with electronics and data processing than f-stops, shutter speeds, and visual image composition.

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...-forum/267492-info-those-new-photography.html

Light Science and Magic, Fourth Edition: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting

The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos

The Photoshop Elements 10 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

Adobe Photoshop CS5 for Photographers: A professional image editor's guide to the creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers (Voices That Matter)

Real World Camera Raw with Adobe Photoshop CS5

Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom (2nd Edition).

 

[SCraig]

Worked in a camera store in the mid 60's and learned a great deal from the owner. After that many years of trial and error, reading book after book, some more trial and error, more books, and so on. The circle continues today.

 

[Tee]

Books and internet at first but the first time it began to click was when I took an outdoor natural lighting portraiture class a local camera shop was holding. I then joined a few meetup.com groups and became hooked on shooting models and people. From there it was learning lighting and I got served up a nice slice of humble pie and realized I stunk and am now intent on learning the art of studio lighting and flash.