We all want to be able to take great photographs, but the question we continue to ask ourselves is, do we try teach ourselves, do we consider and online option, or, do we enrol for a photography course.
With a passion for photography and educating beginner photographers to the hobby or a career path option, I have over the past 12 years been fortunate to research through practical applications and teaching methods, what works best for those individuals starting from the beginning with an interest in photography. As photography is something practical and requires a lot practice, it is best to start with some idea as to what you want to gain from taking photographs. This will lead to how much you need to learn in order to grasp the confidence from the start without wasting time and getting frustrated with poor results.
The Online Option
My first suggestion, however attractive the advert might seem, is avoid online tuition, if you doubt my words, do some research by asking people who attempted this, I promise, the answers will be the same. Notes and theory do not make you competent in the field, nor does it explore your learning abilities to ensure a confident and sound “after school” result. Every person has a different understanding and desire when wanting to learn photography, it is a passion that needs to be released. The online option fails to meet this expectation, in fact, you might as well just read the manual in the box and try make sense of it. Again, most of us have attempted this and not got anywhere, just highly confused and bored. Online limits the practical relationship as well as the ability to answer questions that are not found in the notes.
Attending a Photography Course
Realize, that if you are planning a career in photography, your degree or diploma means very little, so don’t be sold on the “certification”. What makes a good photographer is an impressive portfolio of work and being versatile and able to develop an eye and understand what you want to achieve from the end result. As I stress, it is believing you have an eye for it, the rest is easy and just evolves learning about settings, lighting and post production. There is a simple formula for each of these, and that comes with practise and asking the right questions until it all makes sense to you.
My suggestion is attend and research a short hands on course that is tailored to your needs and interests. Find a short course or workshop that is practical, a lecturer that cares more about your success that has the patience and the simple ways of teaching you the skills and shortcuts in a language that you understand and are comfortable with. That way, you are relaxed and focused and able to ask the same questions over and over until you are 100% comfortable to go out in the field and try it out without being afraid of failure. There are many photography schools and training institutions that offer photography courses, just be careful which one you decide to enrol with and don’t be shy to ask questions and believe in your gut. Remember, it is about you, what you want to get out of the course, you are the one investing the time and the money to learn.
Alternative methods
We are all experiencing the anxiety of world change, especially as we are getting more desperate every day and more confused with how to approach learning this skill. There are many specials out there that come with added benefits to meet your pocket and goal. Again look around and ask questions, do your homework first.
Established schools like DLPHOTO STUDIO are offering free consultations, along with full course modules and notes that are easily understood and self-explanatory for beginners. This is something to consider as once you have the notes at a really nominal fee, you are able to go live with lecturers to answer any of your personal concerns and queries to ensure you get the most from your photography. The time has come to take these alternative learning methods of “home school” with live 121 practical forums into consideration. Not only are you able to conduct these sessions from your home or in the field, but there is not travelling to and from the place of study, which is time saved as well as the hassles of travel and parking. This is a learning method that we believe works. Our student are very happy and therefore so are we. It is for this reason that I am writing this blog with an informative approach which will assist you in this learning process.
To conclude, whatever you choose, and however you decide to learn, make sure you will be able to walk away having learnt what you intended, without doubt, uncertainty or remorse.
