Learning Photography

[skipdup]

Some of the photos people post here are beautiful (re: random pics you've taken).

I would love to learn how to take a proper photo. Can I learn by reading books? Or, is it advisable to take a class at CCollege?

Any thoughts/recommendations appreciated.

Thanks,
Skip

[Moneyguy1]

A class at a local Community College will teach you the techniques, but it is up to you to develop your own "eye". Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[scottmandue]

If you are starting from scratch probably quickest way would be a class.

I'm pretty much self taught but I was lucky that my family was into photography so I grew up with cameras and books on photography laying around the house... even had a darkroom equipment kicking around the garage that I figured out how to use. I also took some art/drawing classes in high school that probably helped.

Technically this would (might) be a much nicer picture if I cropped it down to just the hood of the 356 and the reflections on it I ws focusing on. YMMV

[Wickd89]

Take some basic classes. Learn how to use a grey card for exposure calculations, learn about framing a photograph in 1/3s, depth of field is critical, lense selection, etc.

Great thing these days is that with digital photography, you can take tons of pictures like the pros. National geographic photographers take thousands on an assignment to get 20 good shots; and they are the best.
Take one picture of one subject and use different settings, angles, depth of fields, angles, zoom settings, flashes settings, etc...

I worked at a camera store at 14 and took some college courses. Car pics are easy, its what they capture is tough: for example a Pcar on Highway 1 in California at sunset. Now that combination is a winner. E.g. this years pics from Yosemite after a rainstorm were incredible. Timing, time of day, a little luck, etc...

Just go get a digital SLR , a few good lenses, a bounce flash, and snap away........

[mjohnson]

The biggest leap for me was being able to see the image in the camera as simply an image.

I have to sort of detach myself from the surroundings so I can evaluate and compose the image. When the photo is on the wall or on the computer screen a viewer won't have the benefit of being immersed in the original environment. At best, I'll try to make the image relate to how I felt taking it, remembering that in the end, it's just a picture without the sunlight, the wind, the whatever that was around when I took it.

A dark red filter with B&W film helps sometimes too - can make dramatic clouds and black skies though sometimes I get annoyed with the effect. If you use digital or scan color film, play with the channels in PS to simulate various filters for the same or even stronger look.

A super wide angle (< 24mm on a tradtional 35mm camera) can be really neat once you get the hang of including foreground elements into the photo. I love my 20 mm Nikon lens. Really dramatic images though the look can be sort of a cliche some times.

The galleries at www.photo.net alternately inspire and humble me. There are some really great portfolios there.

Use a tripod whenever you can and wait for good light. We've gone to Death Valley twice a year since 2001, sometimes returning for multiple tries at a particular image. Still have to go back this spring, maybe El Nino will bring a good bloom in early March.

Oh yeah, just take lots of photos and critically evaluate each one afterwards. Edit heavily - never show people your mediocre or bad ones, only the good 5-10%.

Good luck,

mike
'78SC

[skipdup]

Thanks. Awesome info!

So, basically, it sounds like there are really two main aspects at play. One is the technical aspect of the camera settings and the other is developing an "eye" for the image. Right?

Sounds like a class will indeed be the best/fastest way to get up to speed.

Thanks again.

- Skip

[Steve Carlton]

There's got to be tons of great books out there, but there are lots of good websites, too. I suppose a class is only as good as the teacher you get. Check your local quality camera stores for "Nikon Guide to SLR Photography." It's supposed to be outstanding, and it's only about $10.






You should have an SLR, preferably a DSLR so you can take as many photos as you want and view them immediately. The quality just isn't there with the lesser cameras, and you won't have as direct control of the parameters. With digital, you become the darkroom, and that's huge. There's so much that can be done with Photoshop after you take the picture, you wouldn't believe it. Learning Photoshop is just as important as learning to compose the image and expose it properly.

Lots of great resources on the web:

http://photo.net/
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech.htm
http://www.photozone.de/4Technique/index.html
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/
http://www.fredmiranda.com/

[nostatic]

confession time: I rarely worry about the techical aspects...and infact shoot mostly in auto mode. I will sometimes shoot aperature priority to alter the depth of field, but 97% of the time full auto.

To me is is all about seeing something then trying to capture it. If you don't "see it" first, they you won't be able to photograph it. I "see" things mostly in abstraction and shape/geometry/etc. I don't really see people that well, nor do I see scenics. Maybe at some point I will...but for now I'm happy finding beauty in odd places like a decaying board as opposed to a really nice vista. Everybody is different.

[steve185]

Skip
Go to a used book store and there should be lots of older books on photography. What you can learn from books will be far better than an intro to photography class. Learn the mechanics of photography on a manual camera and the same principles will apply to the new digital cameras.
Steve

[Steve Carlton]

Kinda disagree with that. If you don't already have a manual camera to use, you get to buy one that you'll quickly outgrow. With a film camera, the gratification is delayed, plus there's the expense of film and processing, and you'd need to write down your shutter speed and aperture settings to learn, which is a PITA. A DSLR will record that information for you in your image file, and you can set your camera to manual and experiment around with the ISO (sensitivity), shutter speed, and aperture. You can take hundreds of pictures for free, then erase your memory card after you've transferred them to your computer.

I'd basically suggest going straight to digital. It can allow you to be lazy, but it can also help you learn more quickly how things work.

[masraum]

Here's a good place to start until you get into a class with lots of info.
http://www.camerahobby.com/EBook-TOC.htm

Here's a link to a thread at another forum that is a list of photography people's favorite books and links.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=53846

[K.B.]

1. Take pictures of the things you love the most ............... Kids, family, car, music, sports, macro, scenery, whatever it is. That will develop your eye faster than anything else.

2. Take a lighting course or read a book.

3. Take a photoshop course or study up on it.

4. Spend time on photo.net or other great sites mentioned already.

5. Buy some good lenses, then buy the camera that works with those lenses.

[Wickd89]

2 useful learning Aids:

1. Canon has a course on a CD. for around $20, you can learn a lot. It lets you use different lenses and settings, etc.


2. Nikon does a one day $99 course. they go to different cities, etc. Never did this but always wanted to.

Best of luck, luis

[mjohnson]

Originally posted by nostatic
confession time: I rarely worry about the techical aspects...and infact shoot mostly in auto mode. I will sometimes shoot aperature priority to alter the depth of field, but 97% of the time full auto.

Today's auto mode isn't your father's auto mode.

While I love slinging around my big cameras and standing in the dark with wet fingers, I use a Nikon D70s at work to document our prototype and small-lot production widgits. Sometimes I do some arty shots for propaganda purposes. The ability of the "auto-matrix-super-whatzitever" metering mode blows me away even in difficult situations. I get far more "keepers" with the digital camera...

If I were starting the hobby, I'd get a cheaper but modern DSLR (like the D70s) that has full controls and a good lens or two. With digital, the sensor size is almost as important as pixel count for determining how big of an enlargement you can make. I see pretty darn good 13x19 inch prints from the D70 that couldn't be made from a 6Mp point-n-shoot. No, it's not medium-format quality (I get a meaningful 70-100 Mp from 6x7) but instead you get more than 10 pictures on a roll and don't have 8 pounds of camera and lens to carry around.

Remember not to get caught up in the DSLR pixel arms-race. Paying $600 extra for 10Mp vs 6Mp gives you roughly a 66% increase in areal pixel density which works out to only a 29% increase in in the linear "resolution". That's not worth it in my book.


Oh yeah, shoot what you like. Lots of it.

mike
'78SC

[campbellcj]

I've concluded that it's 90% "practice, practice, practice". However, I just finished two books by Bryan Peterson, which I would recommend. The first is Understanding Exposure and the second is Learning to See Creatively. Some of the concepts seem like 'common sense' but they are explained clearly and illustrated with some great examples.

I also find it informative and enjoyable to browse around on Flickr and Nikonians looking at other peoples' work.

A smidgen of innate talent and some good equipment doesn't hurt, either.

[spencejm]

Check out http://www.nikonians.org. I don't know what brand camera you have but it doesn't matter for learning. There are a lot of different areas for different specialties, such as portrait and close-up and forums for different Nikon cameras, etc. Even if you don't own a Nikon you will learn a ton on this site. They do ask that any photos posted for review be taken with a Nikon.

Good luck! Right now it's a real tug of war between the 911 and my camera equipment. I don't know which one is costing me more!

Joe

[Boxer_Airhead]

There is too much that one can say about learning photography.

You asked how to take a proper photo.

The complicated answer I think is that there is no proper photo. Art or creativity should have no boundries. For example think of what a self portrait might look like.....well here is mine.

As stated before, learn the rule of thirds. Then get a camera and express your self. Pricey equipment and manual understanding can come later.

Also (if you haven't already), before you purchase a brand of equipment such as Canon or Nikon consider what your friends or family already own. It can work out great to share expensive lenses with those you trust.

A basic photography course is great because someone with experience will be at your disposal. Also you learn fast when someone gives you a homework assignment that you would not normally have thought to do on your own.

Good luck!

Oh, http://www.dpreview.com/ is a great site for equipment reviews.