What is your photographic education level?

[Soocom1]

I am not looking for specific dates, times, schools or certificate type thing.
What I am wanting to know is if you are a trained photographer with actual schooling (accredited or not) or a shade tree type who learned it on the ropes and school of hard knocks?

In my case I was only given rudimentary knowledge of photography and have had to learn the hard way ever sense.

As of late however, and after cataloging my own experiences, I am finding the massive number of issues with my work and see the major problems and the simple solutions that was, unfortunately not taught int he classes I did taken and not told to me from others.


What is your experience?

 

[webestang64]

Getting a K1000 in 1980 started it all. Self taught film processing and darkroom printing.
Shot for the High School newspaper.
2 year degree in art at community college.
Started working in pro-photo labs in 1985, been doing that ever since. You sure learn a lot from others mistakes.
Worked in a studio part time doing product photography.
Self taught in Photoshop (most of my job at the current lab is doing photo retouch of old photos).
Reading many photography dedicated books and magazines over the years. And taking many many photographs, still with film.

 

[smoke665]

I was interested in art at any early age, and started fiddling with cameras in the early/mid 60's. Though never an art major I always tried to supplement my education with a class here and there. In 72 a business venture forced me into photography and processing. I had to learn on the run. By the mid 80s I was burned out on photography, didn't do much except the occasional snapshot until 2017 when the youngest granddaughter came along. Bought my first DSLR and have been at it since.

 

[Original katomi]

Started in film.in 80s. with a zenith 53mm and a rolli twin lens reflex
Moved on to Pentax k1000 at this stage doing own b&w develop and print learning from errors
Jump to 2000
Point and shoot digital move to bridge cam, still learning by trial and error
Move to canon 1100d and decided to do the Open University digital photography course
Since then changed to canon 600d&60d still learning, from others at camera club and trying out ideas to see what happens. Pushing the limits with macro shots of seed heads using UV light Or large, multi,20plus shot, panoramic pics

 

[smoke665]

K1000 in 1980 started it all. Self taught film processing and darkroom printing.
Shot for the High School newspaper

Cool! I bought my first of three weekly newspaper in 72. I started with the Spotmatic, then the Spotmatic II, skipped the ES and F, and jumped to the K1000. I'm pretty sure I still have a K1000 somewhere. From there to the ZM-x which is a flimsy plastic model that works, but is nowhere near Pentax quality. Then on to a K30, K3II, and K1MII.

and a rolli twin lens reflex

I had a Yashica Mat back in the early 60's thought it made me look cool

 

[limr]

Bought a K1000 and a book on black and white photography in 1992, and have been learning as I go ever since. No formal training, though I have been trying to take a photo class at my community college for years so I can learn how to wet print in a more controlled, systematic way than I how taught myself to shoot and develop film. Still shoot with the same K1000, along with a bunch of other film cameras. The newest of the bunch is a Mamiya 645 Pro TL that I got from some students sometime around 2005. Everything else (other than the K1000) is from the 1960s or earlier. Well, I do have a Pentax K7 that I use sometimes. And my pinhole cameras were all from the last few years.

 

[Original katomi]

I used my k1000 to death thought it was a brill camera. A lot of the methods I use now come from learning on that camera. I know my DSLR can do things for me like bracketing but I find that by the time I rem the camera can do it I have done it. Bit like having a super fast car and only using first gear I know and have been told more than once lol

 

[gk fotografie]

I am not looking for specific dates, times, schools or certificate type thing.
What I am wanting to know is if you are a trained photographer with actual schooling (accredited or not) or a shade tree type who learned it on the ropes and school of hard knocks?
In my case I was only given rudimentary knowledge of photography and have had to learn the hard way ever sense.
As of late however, and after cataloging my own experiences, I am finding the massive number of issues with my work and see the major problems and the simple solutions that was, unfortunately not taught int he classes I did taken and not told to me from others.
What is your experience?

As in a number of other European countries, it was not possible in the Netherlands to start as a photographer without any education and official diploma (due to EU rules it has become slightly different in the last 10 years) and so I studied in the 1970s to become a qualified photographer.

In addition to being a photographer, I graduated as a designer/decorator and had my own photo/design studio for almost 30 years.
Man, looking back, I used a lot of different cameras in the analog years, from Asahi Pentax S1a, Yashica MinisterIII, Werra2, Yashica Mat 124, Minolta Autocord to Nikkormat Ftn, Nikon F1, Polaroid SX70, Pentax ME, Hasselblad 500CM/500ELM and Linhof Kardan 4x5"

Over the years I've also been busy designing jewelery, furniture and shop interiors, etc.
Through my wife (goldsmith, gemstone cutter and graduated FGA gemologist) I started designing jewelry in the 1980s and in 1990 (through evening classes) I also graduated as a jeweler. Due to enormous health problems I've stopped almost all activities.

 

[Call_me_Tom]

Was in a photography class in High School around 1990-1991, that’s it.

 

[Sharpshooterr]

I am not looking for specific dates, times, schools or certificate type thing.
What I am wanting to know is if you are a trained photographer with actual schooling (accredited or not) or a shade tree type who learned it on the ropes and school of hard knocks?

In my case I was only given rudimentary knowledge of photography and have had to learn the hard way ever sense.

As of late however, and after cataloging my own experiences, I am finding the massive number of issues with my work and see the major problems and the simple solutions that was, unfortunately not taught int he classes I did taken and not told to me from others.


What is your experience?

Soocum, interestingly enough, I’ve read enough of theses types of questions to know there are 2 camps. Those that are formally trained and those that advise to just dive into the internet and forums and get the same education.
If that were the case we’d all be engineers and brain surgeons!!! Well true, your photography probably won’t kill anyone! LoL
I took photography in HS and then about 5 classes in college in the early seventies and in the eighties.
But when I went digital in 08 I decided I needed more schooling to accomplish my next photographic phase, so in 2010 I enrolled at a local college and took a Professional program with a Professional Certificate. It was 45 college units. It took me 5 years at par-time. That pesky work thing is just so inconvenient!!! LoL
BUT, what you learn from real pros in a real classroom setting CAN’T be learned on the internet, no matter how hard you try!
What can’t be learned is what’s acceptable in the industry. Plus few are dedicated and disciplined enough to glean the correct info even if it was out there.
Needless to say I thought my work was good before but it took an exponential leap from its previous level! It’s the difference between real schooling and just real hard knocks.
SS

 

[SquarePeg]

No formal Photography schooling - some beginner level art history courses in college. Self taught via rtfm/internet (classes not YouTube) /books/trial and error/workshops.

 

[zombiesniper]

First camera in 1977 - sucked a lot.
First SLR in 81 - sucked a bit less
First DLSR 2008 - This doesn't work right! Sucking on a new level.
More DLSR's later than Mrs. Zombie wants to admit - starting to figure it out....... some days.

No formal schooling, read quite a bit, watched youtube (stopped watching youtube since most couldn't teach, only boast opinions).

 

[Solarflare]

Well, around 2012 or so I thought "hey why dont you look up a site on the internet that can actually teach you photography".

I ended up on Ken Rockwells site.

You can say about Rockwell what you want but his introduction into photography pages aint half bad. I mean he still gave tons of bad advice. But he really actually got me into photography, of which I was very clueless before.

Ever since I've watched tons and tons of YouTube videos, read through various other online sources, bought approx 2 douzen photography books, and iterated through a total of four DSLRs. I also have about 20 lenses for Nikon F now.

 

[RVT1K]

I am not looking for specific dates, times, schools or certificate type thing.
What I am wanting to know is if you are a trained photographer with actual schooling (accredited or not) or a shade tree type who learned it on the ropes and school of hard knocks?

In my case I was only given rudimentary knowledge of photography and have had to learn the hard way ever sense.

As of late however, and after cataloging my own experiences, I am finding the massive number of issues with my work and see the major problems and the simple solutions that was, unfortunately not taught int he classes I did taken and not told to me from others.


What is your experience?

I started playing with point-n-shoot film cameras since I was a kid.

I managed to gain some basic knowledge and at some point my step-mom gave me her Ricoh 35mm film kit. It was nothing special but there was a tele included, maybe 200mm but I don't remember.

Then I changed jobs and spent 8 weeks in Cambridge, England one summer. I took a zillion pictures with the Ricoh and the guy at the place I was getting them developed said something like "You may want to consider a digital camera...".

Up until that point all my learning was hands-on and really up to me to figure out. In looking back, I had a good handle on some of the basics but there was lots to learn.

I took the plunge and bought my first digital, a D40, from the place I was getting film developed.

Things really changed for me then. I loved the instant feedback and endless shots digital provides. I started photographing like a nut. I really started wanting to learn more so I took a basic digital photography class that was taught at the same place and by the same guy who sold me the D40. I took one more adult-education class after that.

So now I feel like I know what to do. And sometimes I even get it right....