Where did you learn photography?

I'm new to this photography thing and I'm really starting to get into it. Sometimes i catch myself thinking, now that would be a good picture. So i was just wondering if you guys just learned as you went or if you have taken a course.

 

I got most of what I know from books and magazines. Ernie

 

I picked it up myself when I took a the fall semester off last year. I'm self-taught, as I'm sure most of the others on the forum are, unless you count books, of course.

 

Never took any courses. Self read when it came to f-stops, etc. I truly believe real artistic expression cannot be taught. It can be helped along but not taught. If you can't carry a tune in a bucket, nobody is going to teach you to sing. Most of us aren't Ansel Adams so don't become discouraged. If you like your work that's all that really matters. My .02 pesos...

 

Me too lots books, mags & On-Line reading.... As well as lots and lots of hands on experience... That is the best way to learn - SNAP SNAP SNAP and keep on SNAPPING!!!

Read & Apply what you have read, thats what I do.... I just recently started a little notebook with different tips and techniques to keep in mind when shooting...




-iSellJerseyShore

 

All self taught, with a little help from the my cameras instruction manual.

 

I learnt the technical side in school and did a visual art course last year which had a photography class as part of it.

You'll continue learning as you go along. If you don't have a digital camera, write down the settings you use for each shot, so if something doesn't turn out right it's a bit easier to find out why, same goes for knowing why a shot did work..

 

Self taught. Its the only way to go unless you intend on being a professional in which case the education is usually necessary. Artists shouldn't have to goto school to learn their trade.

I am considering going to an art school just so I can take pictures for four years while still on my parent's tab

Photography isn't that difficult, I find it much harder to mentally find the shot. Taking the picture is just a choreographed, predetermined movement based on the meter. Printing it though is a tad harder and once again requires that creative eye.

 

Self-Taught through trial/error and experimentation.

Probably the steepest learning curve for me was learning how to gauge different light levels and messing around with Depth of Field.

 

I started out on my own: reading books and visiting galleries and museums. I find that looking at lots and lots of real prints, framed and on the wall, really helps me because a framed print is really what I want to end up with. I still read a lot, and visit any photography and art exhibits I can find. I collect photography books almost as compulsively as I collect cameras.

As I became more interested in photography I started taking classes at the local community colleges, university, and art center. I still try to take at least one photography or art class/workshop a year, and I occasionally teach photography at the local arts center.

I worked in a professional photo lab for almost 4 years. Talking to amateur and pro photogs all day every day probably taught me more than anything.

Read a lot, look a lot, and talk to other photogs. That's how to learn.