Things I Have Learned from Photography #4
4. Most beginner photographers should take some formal classes.
I do know some excellent photographers who have not had formal training. My friend, Jason Little, who is professional photographer in NYC, is an example that immediately comes to my mind.
Photo by Jason D. Little. Used with permission.
Photo by Jason D. Little. Used with permission.
Photo by Jason D. Little. Used with permission.
My Instagram and real life friend, Jason, is an exceptional photographer, all the more exceptional because he is self-taught. He writes excellent teaching articles for Lightstalking. A recent one is, Three Easy Ways Photographers Can Maximize Image Quality. He has published a book, New York On the Line, that features images he has taken on the NYC subway. You can see his Instagram gallery at @jdevaunphotography.
I think Jason is the exception. Most of us benefit from formal classes. I kept at it until I understood how the exposure triangle works. Getting light into the camera by adjusting the Aperture setting (how wide the lens is open), the Shutter Speed (how long the lens is open) and the ISO (how sensitive the sensor is to light) is a photographer’s dance that definitely has consequences in the depth of field, the focus and the noise of an image.
There are a lot of places to take such training. Community colleges, art schools, private studios and even camera shops offer courses for the beginner, intermediate and advanced photographers.
Next Sunday in the mini-blog I will feature a photographer, Jacques Wood, who did choose to further his training at a community college when he took up digital photography. I relate to his journey in photography, because, like Jacques, I also was a film and slide photographer. I took a long “sabbatical” from photography. When I came back I took several courses in the fundamentals of photography. Those classes were so important to getting me restarted in photography.