Becoming a photographer is my dream, I just have no idea where to start!

[ChrisnSteph]

I love to shoot pictures, and someday I hope to become a portrait photographer. I'm a sahm now, and I've dabbled in a few classes at my local camera store. I'm a bit of a "slower" learner you could say, and I get so overwhelmed by all the photography jargon, and it seems like there is so much out there, I don't even know where to begin!

I have a Nikon D50, so I plan on shooting only digital. The local community colleges focus on regular slr cameras. What about the New York Institute of Photography - any reviews on their program?

I can take halfway decent pictures, but I'm clueless when it comes to using flash, composition, ect.. Part of the problem is that I have ADD, and have a really difficult time with numbers - and numbers seem to be a big part of photography. It took me forever to be able to understand how F stops work, and the smaller the hole, the larger the number...anything involving numbers is a real challenge for me.

I've subscribed to photography magazines, and have some books, but without understanding all the techno stuff, some of it is like rocket science to me.

Can anyone recommend a good starting place or have any advice on how to become a good photographer?

 

[ukcatfan]

If you like to read, Bryan Peterson's books are well respected for explaining photography in general terms.

Kevin

 

[tinksdad]

I second the recommendation for Peterson's books!! Well written in a easy to understand way with lots of pictures and examples to illustrate his points!!

 

[Groucho]

I think you're going to have to resign yourself to learning, if not exactly what each number means, how it relates to the others. Ultimately, the exposure of your photo is the result of the film/sensor sensitivity, the aperture, and the shutter speed. If one goes in one direction, another has to go in the other direction. Each movement of those three affects the final photo in a different way.

The trick is to figure out those three key variables and how best to decide how they should be set.

 

[0bli0]

one thing i'd recommend is learning your camera in manual mode. sure it can do everything, but when you learn proper exposure (which echos the comments re: Bryan Peterson's books, you will know when you need to go against the automatic settings.

how many shots do you take a week? i also recommend to take lots of shots. if you have a prime lens (a non-zoom) spend a day shooting with that lens. if you only have a zoom, then set it to a focal length and don't zoom. this will help you with composition. you might try to do a photo-a-day collection or at least photo-a-week. by taking lots of photos and learning to take shots without zooms, you'll learn quite a bit about taking photos and the various outcomes. you'll also learn about your own likes and dislikes.

photography is a mix of physics (and to some extent, now, technology) and art. portrait adds another dimension - the people side. learning the physics of photography is pretty easy. learning how to take a portrait is also relatively easy. learning how to read people and build a rapport, and to bring out the best is a learned behaviour. learning what types of shots people like/want is a mix of the art, physics, and behaviour.

if you have a dog, they are great subjects for learning portraiture and are a lot more patient than significant others and/or children...

 

[seashoreCM]

Composition (artistic) can be practiced and learned using any kind of camera, although nowadays you would want a digital so you can see the results immediately.

When learning to become a photographer you might want to separate the topics of: composition, camera mechanics and features, and exposures (that is, concentrate on only one at a time). In this case, when concentrating on composition you would not make multiple shots in case the picture came out too light or too dark.

Digital camera technical hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/digicam.htm

 

[tennisfan]

I have completed the New York Institute programme a few years back. I found it very imformative and they gave good constructive feedback for the assignments.

The good thing too is thatit is done at your own pace

 

[Michele]

I just bought Bryan Peterson's Understang Exposure on Friday and after reading the first 10 pages have already learned something new. How to use the light meter. My pictures are better already.

 

[MICKEY88]

I have completed the New York Institute programme a few years back. I found it very imformative and they gave good constructive feedback for the assignments.

The good thing too is thatit is done at your own pace

that's exactly what I was going to say..

NYI course is great