Learn to Be a Photographer
Photography can be a fun and rewarding career. Being a good photographer requires more than just pointing a camera and pressing a button. Good photography is its own brand of art. Composition, lighting and content of a photograph all combine to make a visual statement as individual to the photographer as a painting is to the artist who created it. The difference between amateur photography and artistic photography is the effort and love a photographer puts into learning the craft of picture taking. Here's how you can learn to be a photographer and turn your love for the camera into a good living.
Instructions
1. Buy books about photography. Two great books to start with are "Digital Photography" by Scott Kelby and "Understanding Exposure: Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera" by Bryan Peterson. Study all of the elements of photography, including the various types of cameras and equipment you can buy. Reading is a good place to begin. Get a few photographic book collections and study the way other photographers work. This is a good way to learn more about techniques and how they affect pictures.
2. Subscribe to a photography magazine (see Resources). "Shutterbug," "Popular Photography," and "Digital Journalist" are excellent choices. Subscribing to one or more photography magazines is a good way to keep up on all the latest equipment and techniques as well learn old-school styles of photography. Investing in one of these subscriptions is an expense well worth it.
3. Take pictures applying the various techniques you read about. Even if the style isn't something you enjoy, it might be worth the effort to give it a try just for the experience. Having at least a basic understanding of a wide variety of techniques can only expand your photographic talents.
4. Consider attending a short course at a photography school (see Resources). While you can learn to be a photographer on your own, a short course can be worth the expense and it will look great on your résumé.
5. Take pictures and study your work with a critical eye. Are you telling stories with the pictures you take? Do your pictures capture one-of-a-kind images? The more you take photographs, the better you will become at it. Like any artistic endeavor, you should spend time studying the craft, but practicing it is where you'll learn the most.
Tags: Learn Photographer, short course, Take pictures
