Has anyone taken a photography class?

[pittsburghmom]

Title says it all. Online? Community college? or does everyone teach themselves through trial & error. I have been watching you-tube tutorials when I have a chance here and there and they have been helpful. I just got my first DSLR a few weeks ago and am eager to learn....

 

[havoc315]

Title says it all. Online? Community college? or does everyone teach themselves through trial & error. I have been watching you-tube tutorials when I have a chance here and there and they have been helpful. I just got my first DSLR a few weeks ago and am eager to learn....

I took a class... In Middle School... about 29 years ago or so. A few things have changed since then.
But I'm self-taught since that time
There are many great books, great online resources.... and nothing beats just getting the camera into your hands and shooting.

 

[LittleMissMagic]

I read a lot of books... Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson really got me started. I've also enjoyed his books Beyond Portraiture and Understanding Composition. Joey L's Photographing Shadow and Light is perhaps one of the most unique and ingenious books I've read.

There are also a lot of great online resources... Strobist and Digital-Photography-School are two really good sites that I often find myself referring to.

 

[Gianna'sPapa]

No, I have never taken a class. I would like very much to do so, however when I returned to photography (I quit because I got tired of film) with the digital revolution everything took off so quickly that, now, I don't have time. I shoot 3-4 days every week and when I'm not looking through a viewfinder, I'm looking at a computer screen processing what I shot! There's no time to dedicate to a class. I do a lot of reading, a few online videos and I practice a lot of techniques as I learn of them.

 

[photo_chick]

I graduated with a BFA in photography so I've taken more than a few photography classes.

Whether or not you should take a class depends on what the class entails and what you want to get out of it. While there is a definite benefit to a formal art education that goes beyond just learning to use a camera, it is certainly not necessary to become a good, or even really great, photographer. All of the basic camera operation (shutter speed, aperture, etc) I learned on my own before I ever took my first formal photography class. Although all of the basic technical stuff is usually covered in a beginning photo class.

If you want a great book you can't go wrong with Understanding Exposure. And while there is a lot of great information online, there is as much misinformation as well so beware on that.

 

[amomma23]

I just got my first DSLR yesterday. I read the Understanding Exposure book and found it very helpful. Just today, I found this website. http://clickitupanotch.com/best-of/
I really like all of the examples she shows. I think I'll be spending a lot of time there over the next week or so.