learning phography.

[sam51]

hello all, after buying a canon 550d a couple of years ago,and shooting in auto, I have managed to now shoot in av.
I want to be a good photographer, I have an 18-55 lens, a 55-250 lens,
and just brought a 10-22mm lens, for work purposes, and a sigma 105mm f2.8 ex dg macro os lens,
I really want to shoot wildlife and small stuff with my macro lens, this hobby can be addictive.
is it worth doing some kind of college course to be a good photographer, or some other course.
I am not interested in any kind of certificates,
this is only a hobby for me, but would to learn more,
is a club worth joining, I did enquire about a club near to me,
I asked if I could bring my camera, and if some one could give me some pointers,
but was told that people didn't bring there cameras,
a bit strange I thought.
anyone got some suggestions,
thanks sam.

 

[Martyn D]

You'll learn a lot off here Sam, take some photo's and post them up and ask for help and advise, but remember, sometimes advise can seem harsh but it's given to help and...will help.

 

[robinchun]

Hi Sam..I personally think a camera club is a good idea, why they're telling you not to bring your camera is for the simple reason that nobody is going to have the time to sit and teach you how to use it..camera clubs are for seeing other members work, listening to guest speakers and seeing there work, competitions and the like..I'm sure the club you join will have dedicated times when you go out on a shoot, here you will be able to get some pointers etc:
I think you need to get out with your camera and take some pictures, practice makes perfect.
I can offer you a 1/2 day workshop to show you the rudiments i.e. composition, exposure, depth of field, focal length etc:, but it would be a journey for you (I'm in Bristol)
getting your hands dirty so to speak is always going to be the best way to learn, if you feel the way for you to learn is with guidance in the field then go down that route, but of course you will have to pay for it! (I'm cheap btw lol)
Posting on forums such as this one is also great for feedback on your work and you see what others are doing
Hope this helps, if I can be of any more assistance..please get in touch

Robin
www.robinchun.com

 

[viewfromthenorth]

Everyone learns differently. Some people prefer to learn from books, others from youtube videos, others prefer being shown. Personally I prefer the latter, and have done various workshops and nightschool courses, but you may differ.

Camera clubs may or may not be a good place to learn, they're all different in their approach and membership, so it's hard to give a definitive answer. But, in my experience, people don't bring them to the one I go to for the reasons outlined above by Robin.

 

[cotty332000]

Adult Education is all the rage in my area and the local secondary school do a digital photo course that's only £50 for 20 hours and is excellent!
Taught by a working pro tog.
See what your local adult ed offers as it's good value for money.
Once you've got to grips with the basics and decided what you want to shoot,dedicated workshops can be good to help you fine tune your skills,but they can be pricey!

 

[StephenM]

If you take the AE route, you might be advised to talk to the tutor first. One of our local AE outfits (with which I have a tenuous connection) offers a digital photography course, but it's aimed at people who want to know how to get their photos onto a computer and manipulate them. One evening class I did years ago was given by a fungi enthusiast, and we probably learned more about fungi than photography.

What route you take will depend on what you want to learn, and how you learn best. If you want to know the technical basics of photography, that's one thing; if you want to produce art that's another; and you might just want to know how to actually operate your camera or use an image editing program.

Personally, I learned the technical stuff by reading, and the arty side by reading books on art and studying images to see why and how they worked; a knowledge of how perception "works" helps here as well.

 

[shaylou]

Classes are fine but I learned right here in this forum. There is a world of knowledge here and very gracious people that are more than happy to help you. If you want to try it this is what I suggest. Start out with asking for links to tutorials (I prefer videos) but there is tons of good stuff and I think most of us save them for just the occasion. After watching and practicing you will end up with questions, that's where the forum comes in. Come here and ask away. I prefer to ask one simple question at a time because that seems to work best for staying on the subject and getting the info you need. Repeat, repeat and repeat till you are the one answering beginners questions. But just remember, ask a ton of questions we do not mind.