How did you get to were you are now?

Beav

Beav

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Hello.

I was thinking it would be interesting to have a thread where you can post information about how you got to where you are now with photography. For example courses you may have done or if you have simply learn't from going out and playing about with the camera and image editing software.

I am new to photography so I can't really post anything up for myself but this thread could be interesting for others to read.
 
I took a LOT of photos.

Hundreds of thousands of them.

I found every way possible to get into situations where I could have something cool in front of my camera.

I look at a lot of photography. Hundreds of images by some of the world's best photographers, almost every day. Only quickly, but enough to really root the aesthetics of photography into me, constantly. And only looking quickly helps me prevent subconsciously copying people.

Go out and take photos. Lots of them :)
 
As Dave has said already take photo, then take some more :thumbs: also I've probably spent far too much time of TP, IMO the best thing that you can do is take photo's and post them up here for critique :thumbs: there are some of the most talented, skillful and knowledge filled photographers going on this forum and they are on the whole more than happy to help you get the most out of photography :thumbs:

Welcome to TP :wave: now let's see some photo's :thumbs:

Matt
MWHCVT
 
Beav said:
Hello.

I was thinking it would be interesting to have a thread where you can post information about how you got to where you are now with photography. For example courses you may have done or if you have simply learn't from going out and playing about with the camera and image editing software.

I am new to photography so I can't really post anything up for myself but this thread could be interesting for others to read.
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Books? :nuts: Libraries :gag: no? :thinking:
 
Bought a DSLR, took ALOT of photos and before that read ALOT of books.

I'm not considered a professional yet, but thankfully I know what I'm doing in most circumstances.

I'm still interested in doing training courses for certain aspects aswell, nothing wrong with bumping up the CV.
 
I started by doing a BTEC ND in Fine Art which meant I had to take shots of my work for my portfolio and often borrow a camera for research.

I didn't have the money to buy my own camera so had to wait until I got a decent job.

Finally last year, I booked a holiday to Italy and decided now was the time to get one and I've never looked back although I'm sure my gf/bank balance would have preferred I didn't get one! Lmao

It's also been a reason to get out of the house regularly as I moved to Beckenham from oop'norf and didnt really know anyone until I got a camera.
 
What, to the lounge?

I left college and fell into archaeological location/Studio photography. Worked for local government/Private companies/Police/and National press. s

so you can be a pro tog with out being self employed.

Went self employed 3 and half years back and regreted it ever since.....
Long hours and sodding paper work
Business is booming but the you loose time and fun goes out of it. Time is all important.
 
Put the DSLR away for a few months and use film instead, it really makes you look at the image before you press the shutter not after. You can just use a small card in the DSLR to limit the quantity you take like film but that allows you to see the image instantly which defeats the object a little.
 
Big Andy said:
Put the DSLR away for a few months and use film instead, it really makes you look at the image before you press the shutter not after. You can just use a small card in the DSLR to limit the quantity you take like film but that allows you to see the image instantly which defeats the object a little.
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Really come on. This comment is going to have to go into my addition to my pet hates . This elitist, film makes you better attitude i find laughable and thats after spending many years of my life in a dark room. If people want to shoot film becasue they enjoy it thats one thing, but shooting film becasue it makes you better is just silly. I feel the years of shotting film i did at college and in my early Carrier was nothing more than a waste of time and money as there is nothing i could do with film that i can do digital.
 
Big Andy said:
Put the DSLR away for a few months and use film instead, it really makes you look at the image before you press the shutter not after. You can just use a small card in the DSLR to limit the quantity you take like film but that allows you to see the image instantly which defeats the object a little.
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I really must dig out my old 110 then I can send off the film to truprint and wait a fortnight to see how crap my pictures are, er, no thanks.
 
crofter said:
I really must dig out my old 110 then I can send off the film to truprint and wait a fortnight to see how crap my pictures are, er, no thanks.
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Yes dig it out and allow a lab to process them for you making those important decisions without any of your input. Thats how to be a better photographer.

O and as your couldnt see the images right after taking them you would have forgotten where you went wrong and have no clue how to get it right next time... even better.
 
I'm not talking elitist I haven't owned a film camera for twelve years or more, it is meant as more of an attitude to photography. This was brought home to me on a recent holiday to the Gambia when on arrival found out I'd left the charger at home. It made me think like film and limited shots as I had to stretch them out for a fortnight. What I'm realy saying is think more about the image before pressing the shutter rather than machine gun mode and see what turns out.
 
I trained as a graphic designer and then went to university in 1997 to carry out a wildlife illustration degree. I ended up doing lots of photography for resource material and enjoyed it more than the art side, so switched courses and joined the photography course. Got myself up to speed and finished my two-year HND, before taking an option of a further year to get a BA Hons degree.
Wasted lots of film and chemistry, but learned enough about general photography that it got inside my head and then on.
Left uni, worked at a few jobs in the media and then in 2001 joined the company I'm at now at a deputy editor on a carp fishing magazine. Journalists are expected to write and shoot their own material.
In 2004 I became editor of Advanced Pole Fishing magazine, which I ran successfully for fine years before taking the role of Photographic Manager (my current role), which sees me undertaking photographic duties across the portfolio of 11 magazines.
These last three years have probably pushed my photography forward more than those years since leaving university and much of what I've learned has been as a result of looking on TP, flickr and Strobist.


Big Andy said:
Put the DSLR away for a few months and use film instead, it really makes you look at the image before you press the shutter not after. You can just use a small card in the DSLR to limit the quantity you take like film but that allows you to see the image instantly which defeats the object a little.
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I did my time lugging 5x4" cameras up mountains, loading RB67 backs up and getting stinky chemical all over the shop. There is something about the whole system of processing and printing film shots, but as a day-to-day medium to shoot on it would drive me nuts and slow me down massively compared to what digital can offer.
I don't agree with all this "using film makes you think more about your shot" - the only reason many of us didn't machine-gun it when using film was the overall cost and those who did machine-gun it did it because they had to (think sports togs). Digital allows us to be self-indulgent in that respect and that's no bad thing.
A lazy photographer will be a lazy photographer regardless of what equipment they use and what medium they shoot.
 
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KIPAX said:
Like they did in the old days :( I dont want to drive a ford zepher or wear flares either :)
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A long and draping nylon kipper tie might have been very useful for kneeling on. :)
 
For me, books, mags,college, forums, blogs and lots of pictures. Lots. Even before I spent 2 years travelling the world !
But the best thing to start of doing is reading your camera manual. It goes a long way to understanding photography IMO.

I get the whole film way of thinking. And I do love just taking my range finder or even point and shoot xa out. It's all auto, but it's still fun with a roll of ilford 400 bw in it. If it really is about thinking about composition etc, then how hard is it to cover your LCD up !


I always say though, to make interesting pictures..............find interesting subjects
 
danelliott said:
But the best thing to start of doing is reading your camera manual. It goes a long way to understanding photography IMO.
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Mine confused the hell out of me.. couldnt understand half the stuff it talked about when I got mine.. I prefer yer "idiot guide" manuals, or patient messageboard users :)
 
Hard work. Not being afraid to try things, learn and retry

My biggest step forward was entering Photographer of the year on here, that really pushed my work forward and I finished 5th that year. Looking back I can see some real improvement.

I'm currently studying for a degree in photography over distance learning.
 
I think there is no right and wrong way. The route I took was learning on a DSLR until I had the basics down and was fairly confident taking photos.

I then was given a film SLR and I agree with Big Andy on his statement. It really helped me to learn faster.

For me personally, the switch to film forced me to consider every shot much more before taking it (I know you can just do this with digital as well, but you have to make yourself do it). Knowing that each shot will cost me money, that I have a limited number of shots available and that I can't just check and adjust means I had to consider each shot far more clearly. Also without being able to just adjust exposure in photoshop from the raw image, it pays to expose right first time.

I found myself not taking a shot as I could feel it wouldn't work out and spending longer picking the right spot to take the shot from, finding the right angle, elevation.

Overall it led to me taking fewer photos, but taking more good photographs.
 
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Photography to me is something I do when I have the time which is rare when you have kids and single father. However, I did start in 1983 with canon A1 and I loved it ad took thousands of photographs all over the world (ah what would I do to be single again). then I stopped in 1989 and sold my system (Canon A1 and 7 lenses) to finance my degree. Then I started again in 2009 with Canon 450d and now 60d and 3 lenses (you got it. it did not improve my photography :-) ). Looking back, I think I took far better pictures back then. as others said, you are limited with films and you have to get it right, no second chance without expenses. How on earth did I do that with no digital, no IS/VR/VC or whatever?

Now I spend most of my time learning the equipments. You must learn the tools if you want to do the job right. I have books for the camera and manuals, flash, and forums like this. Believe it or not I am learning by experimenting on the children, items at home and sometimes I go out to do some landscaping, air shows etc... but most of the time understanding the camera/lenses/flash settings until they become second nature to me and able to change settings in the field without a pause. I am short in creativity though :-) but i do shoot what I l ike.

Funny thing,I did not do any photography course and instead I went for programming :-)
 
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It's been a long hard slog for me!

I started off as a black and white darkroom printer at a newspaper back in the 1980's. I never saw daylight in the winter months, it was dark on the way to work, I spent all day in the dark (well under a red safelight) and it was dark outside when I went home. Eventually I was let out of the dark and became a trainee newspaper photographer. I then went off to college in Sheffield to do the NCTJ - National Council of Training for Journalists course in Photojournalism. That gave me a "real" qualification in photography and I got a job as a photographer for a newspaper. I then worked for a press agency taking photographs for national newspapers. I left press work in 1999 and set up my wedding photography business, dabbling in digital photography from the start and also running a colour darkroom. By about 2003 it was all digital. I still have all of my film cameras (a big box full of Nikon FM's, FM2's and later Canon Eos1's) but haven't shot a roll of film for many years.

I print a lot of my work myself on an Epson Pro3880, the black and white out of that is beautiful.
 
Georges said:
Funny thing,I did not do any photography course and instead I went for programming :-)
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Yeah im aiming for a web design job/technician job but in the past 6 months ive not had much luck. Might be doing voluntary work though. Ive put in for it just got to see if I get it. Ive even had to send my CV to the job centre for them to review and send off. May just keep photography for a hobby/job for hours when im not at work.
 
Took an interest in photography after having shot a riduculous amount of disposable films over the years & at the age of fourteen I found I wanted to have more control over my photographs. I stumbled upon Lara Jade's work who was only a couple of years older than me & it inspired me further. I began researching & reading a lot before eventually deciding to buy the Canon 400D DSLR.

From there I just shot a ridiculous amount of photographs & just practised all the time. After school I went onto study a National Diploma in Photography at Kingston College where we were taught history & theory, visual studies, studio & most of our assignments were darkroom based. Going to college increased my knowledge & best of all, helped me find a style that best suited me. I fell in love with black & white film.

These days I mostly do Photography for myself but am considering university as there's so much left out there to be introduced to & to further develop my individual vision. My story thus far isn't the longest but it's been about five years & I'm pleased with where I'm headed :}
 
I think everybody takes photos, all the time, without knowing it and without being a "photographer"
The deference is do you view the world you live in as a constant stream of images or do you only consider images when you have a camera in your hand? I have viewed the world through my minds viewfinder for years now, and long before i had an slr, so i think that has helped with my visualization methods. So putting a camera between my my eye and the chosen scene has created a way of recording the images. Sure there are methods and disciplines to be learned and mastered to help bring these images to life, but that's only half the story. Having the ability to visualize and compose an image in your minds eye is something you learn long long before you pick up your first camera.
 
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Simon photo said:
I think everybody takes photos, all the time, without knowing it and without being a "photographer"
The deference is do you view the world you live in as a constant stream of images or do you only consider images when you have a camera in your hand? I have viewed the world through my minds viewfinder for years now, and long before i had an slr, so i think that has helped with my visualization methods. So putting a camera between my my eye and the chosen scene has created a way of recording the images. Sure there are methods and disciplines to be learned and mastered to help bring these images to life, but that's only half the story. Having the ability to visualize and compose an image in your minds eye is something you learn long long before you pick up your first camera.
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Yeah I find my self doing this a lot. "oh that would make a good photo" etc.
 
I've no idea where I am let alone how I got here.

Don't ask me, I just press the buttons. :shrug:
 
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