Question about LEARNING photography

jowensphoto

Been spending a lot of time on here!
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
2,981
Reaction score
899
Location
Northern Viriginia, US
Can others edit my Photos
Photos NOT OK to edit
For those who have been doing this a long time- When learning photography, do you think it is best to:

A. Put the camera down! Read, read, and read some more.
or
B. Shooting and reading/studying photography at the same time.

I've not really picked up my camera in the last few days; I've been reading more about composition and the technical aspects of photography. Honestly, I feel a lot more confident picking my camera back up! Trying to do everything at once was too much, and I couldn't focus on just one thing at a time.

I know everyone learns differently, am just curious to what has worked for you.
 
In my (non-professional) opinion the best way to learn is with the camera in hand. Reading can give you guidelines to help but in the end nothing is better than experience.
 
No one can tell you how to learn. What works best for me, may be a disaster for you.
 
Read ... then do .... read it again ... then do it again ... continue in that loop until you can do it without reading it.
Then go onto the next one.

Photography is visual ... and the information will become second nature by examples taken by yourself.
 
I would read for a good day and figure out what I need to go, go out and shoot and take your time, think about what you read, go home, evaluate, read over things again, figure out how to make the photos better, and then repeat :)
 
In my (non-professional) opinion the best way to learn is with the camera in hand. Reading can give you guidelines to help but in the end nothing is better than experience.

Fair enough!

I don't plan to stop using my camera, it may have sounded like that. It might make more sense if I give an example.

Like many others, I received a 50mm 1.8 lens for Christmas. I shot WIDE open for the first few days. Then I started reading more about the actual lens and studying up on DoF, etc. If I hadn't stopped to learn about what I was doing, I don't think I'd have ever figured it out.

So after a few days break, I feel good about what could happen when my batteries finish charging (yes, I know, I need another set... lol)
 
I don't learn it if I don't DO it. For me, it's best to pick a topic, read and study, then go shoot. Come back, read some more, and shoot again. Once I do that a few times, I may not have the *results* I want yet, but I understand the process enough to keep improving.

If I read it, and "understand" it, but don't go DO it...well, by the time I get the chance to do it, I don't remember what I read about it.
 
No one can tell you how to learn. What works best for me, may be a disaster for you.

For sure, I was just curious on what has worked for others. I guess there are more answers to that than A and B, huh?

Never hurts to learn from what others have done :)
 
It's really not that complicated in principle. Each element (focus placement, exposure, choice of shutter speed/aperture, choice of focal length, placement of the subject in the frame, management of light, and so on) is relatively easy to understand, but combining them in a predictable and purposeful fashion can be quite complicated. I'd suggest understanding each element in principle (the theory), then practicing it until you don't have to think hard. Then move to the next. At a certain point, you can start combining two or more elements and explore how they affect each other. In some cases, they are truly independent and have no effect, in other cases, they do.

For instance, one can think that focus placement and ISO have nothing to do with each other, and for most situations, that is probably correct. However, if you are shooting in low light conditions, and you need to set a small aperture to get adequate depth-of-field, you may need to raise your ISO if increasing your shutter speed is not an option. With a limited depth of field, the focus placement becomes critical to ensure that you don't waste any of the depth-of-field that you have.

Photography is really a muscle skill requiring eye-hand coordination. And you can't learn muscle skills by reading about it - you have to do it. The really good photographers I know have internalized the whole mechanical process into an unconsious action - leaving them free to focus on getting the "peak" image. In addition to this mastery, they also have a very good understanding of light and the different ways one can modify one or more sources to sculpt shape in what is a two-dimensional medium. When your tools become an extension of you, then you're getting there. For too many beginning photographers, the "tools" are a barrier and even an enemy thwarting your attempts, because one's actions do not result in predictable results.

Another useful trick is to deconstruct someone else's work - to analyze what they did to get the image they did, and then (bonus points!) to try and replicate it.

As we learn, we become aware of nuances that we were completely blind to earlier, and that too is part of the learning process. Sometimes you need the right vocabulary to be able to ask the right question.
 
Another useful trick is to deconstruct someone else's work - to analyze what they did to get the image they did, and then (bonus points!) to try and replicate it

You make great points, but this one stood out to me. Was thinking about that earlier. See it in action (in addition to reading the theory), deconstruct/critique, then keep all that in mind and shoot it yourself until you get it right.
 
Well you do have to read to understand what your camera can do. Then you use those information and go out to test. You can't just sit there, read and know what to do. You can know what to do if you don't know how to use your camera. I read, walk around the house to snap photos of my family. If I'm learning to utilize shallow DoF, I place a cup or whatever on the desk, focus on that and snap the photo and it'll show the subject is in focus while the background is blurred. You want to practice flash? Read on lighting, walk around the house when the sun is down, take photos of family or friends.
 
Find a lot of TALENTED photography friends, ask questions! But don't ask basic question. Learn the basic from reading.

I like to dissect a photograph that I love. Look at where the sun is, composition, where the strobe is etc. It is like reverse engineering. Then I try to apply it to my next gig.
 
Youtube can be a huge help. Anything you want to do in photography is on youtube. You can probably find the subject you want that uses your camera if you look hard enough.
 
Youtube can be a huge help. Anything you want to do in photography is on youtube. You can probably find the subject you want that uses your camera if you look hard enough.

Or anything on photoshop. Just type the tool on the search, bam!
 
imo, it's up to the individual.

some learn great from just reading. some from hands on.

personally, i need my camera in hand for it to sink in.

i read, i watch videos, but the whole time the camera is in my hand...

though, i haven't taken many photos, because i'm using film. for things that i need to see an instant result in a lesson, i use my point & shoot which offers full manual, so i can do what they are explaining.
 

Most reactions

New Topics

Back
Top