I would love to learn photography. What are the best ways to learn? Are you able to share any tips please?
I learned about photography at community college. I felt like they did a pretty good job and it wasn't so challenging a course as to scare off newcomers. It was really interesting.
1. Never take a photo directly at mid day sun or any other direct light source. You will do that much damage to your camera, it won't be worth fixing. 2. If you are taking a photo outside, it always works best if you have the sun behind the camera. 3. When taking a photo of a person, it works best if they are wearing dark clothing against light coloured background. Also, if you can get the odd shiny object in the background that can also help. There is no need to have a heap of headroom. You can of course crop it in your photoshop program. 4. Does your camera have manual settings on it? If you want to start using manual settings then you have to start using light meters , tape measures and artificial lights. It is a lot more involved. You really need to do a Tafe course to learn manual settings. 5. Take lots of photographs. Every shutterbug deletes many photos they take.
Photography schools can be expensive, but you could start by taking one course. Remember one thing, photography is all about the light. You don't say where you live, but if you live in the States, there are things called Meetup groups. Plenty of them are related to photography. Good luck.
Start with a good digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera with a couple of lenses. Stumble through the manual that comes with it and take some photos. Then buy a camera specific book. David Busch has written several of them. And shoot a lot of photos. I also like Light Science and Magic by Fil Hunter, Steven Biver and Paul Fuqua. Those are just a couple I pulled off the bookshelf that have helped me. Time Life has an 11-book series that I first used back in the 1970's The original 1977 version is still available but it' $400 from Amazon. And finally, shoot a lot of photos.
Get a modern DSLR. No light meter needed, the view finder contains a whole range of info you can use re. Metering/exposure etc. I quite like shooting sunrise/sunset. Never look directly at the sun through the view finder! (You can use the back, no issues) Even the moon can be damaging........ And light bulbs too, but filaments do make an interesting subject (but I am odd) If you’re unsure of which field of photography you would like to explore, get a camera bundled with a “kit” lens. Typically an 18-55mm zoom. have fun. analyse your images. Be critical. See what you like...... Work out what you need to progress. Open your wallet. continue........ad Infinitum. I highly recommend Cambridgeincolour.com It’s free........ when I started out I had no idea of what direction I wanted to head! Now I’m covered for most things I like to shoot.....but not with pro gear! Oooooof that’s pricey! cameras devalue at a sickening rate! Lenses fare much better! my kit lens is now 7-8 years old. Despite having a range of MUCH BETTER lenses, it is still very much in use. (It ain’t broke! So......)
