Getting To Know The Group - Self Taught, Or Formerly Trained?

CyberSteak

Ok so I'm still fairly new to the group and don't really know anyone yet. So as I sit her accumulating more equiptment then I could have ever imagined, I realized I'm going to have to get pretty serious about this to justify all of this gear.

Getting "formal" training (read: at a school, in class) won't be an option for me. So I kinda wanted to see who here has been formerly trained and who's going the self taught route? It should hopefully give me an idea of what I can aspire to without formal training.

So...speak up.

SimpsonBrothers

I went to photography class for about a week in high school. That's it.

It's been all internet training for me.

Scott_Quier

To date, all my "training" has been self-taught. I've learned just loads from reading posts here (I have my heros and they know who they are).

Then, when I thought I understood something, I would make a "contribution" which was closely followed by a good smack on the back of the head (think NCIS). Really, you don't learn something so well as when you attempt to teach it to someone else and then answer their questions.

Oh, and reading books. There's a good one. Find the books of the masters and read. Study their words (for technique) and their images to train your "eye". Then, work to copy the work of the masters - just to find out how difficult that is. Eventually, that will evolve into you doing your own work.

But, now I'm starting "formal" training - first my attending classes at a local community college. Eventually, I hope to attend seminars and classes at real photography schools (I have a itch to study at the Rocky Mountain School of Photography). Some day!

adbsgicom

Self-taught (books, forums). You could say dgrin-taught....
I am purely an amateur, though a friend has threatened to pay me to take a family portrait. That hasn't materialized, so I shoot small events for my daughter's school, and try to capture moments in her growing up in a more and more aesthetically-pleasing way. I am a graphics processor designer by trade, which supports the habit.

DeeCajun

I have always loved taking pictures since I was a kid.. Remember those flash cubes??

The interest grew and grew.. People complimented my photos but I always assume people are just being nice.. I have always been fortunate to live in places that provided great nature shots...I loved the adrenaline rush of the pre-digital days.

I am now financially able to support this very expensive hobby and have a chance to sell photos in a store where I work in the summer.. so what great incentive to get out there..

I am dyslexic and never thought I would get aperture.. it may not be perfect but I am finally learning that M mode and enjoying actually using my camera thanks to a patient photo buddy, forums like this and tons of info on the internet.

sweet caroline

I have always had an interest. I took photography in high school. I was very involved in the drama department, so I became the headshot taker. I got my first SLR as a graduation present. I've been self taught since then. I also consider myself Dgrin taught:) After reading and reading and reading, practicing and practicing and practicing, being able to give and receive critique has hugely helped my growth. It was also helpful to come here when I decided I wanted to work on one thing in particular and I could look back at old threads discussing technique.

I now officially have a business, although it's only a fraction of my total income. I have a small but loyal clientele, gaining a few new here and there, but not really advertising. I also started the yearbook when my kids' school only had 20 kids. Now they are up to 85 and I'm still doing the yearbook and the school portraits. I'm about to start teaching an after school class to the middle schoolers, focusing much more this year on photography, rather than spending the class time putting together the yearbook. They have assured me that they are responsible enough now to work on yearbook assignments outside of our meetings.

cab.in.boston

No training or classes whatsoever. My wife and I would like to take some courses at a local community college, but that will have to wait a bit until I finish grad school (in May) and our kids get a little older (oldest turns 3 next month, youngest turns 0 in June).

I was always attracted to camera "stuff," and got myself a Minolta SLR back in 1999 when I finished college, since I'd moved to a place I'd never been before, and I had the intent of going around shooting New England on weekends as a way to explore. I never did that as much as I wanted, and honestly I never really was happy with film. I hated the feedback lag of getting the film developed, so I didn't get that much into it. Then I started wanting a DSLR, but of course they were out of my price range. We went down the road with a couple of Canon digital P&S's, but it just didn't inspire the same desire for photography in me, and my wife was the primary shooter.

We had our daughter in 2007, and after a while we were feeling really let down by the P&S, so we bit the bullet and went with the DSLR, and I couldn't be happier. Well, yes I could, there's always the "next" thing to add to the arsenal. I still have the bug for gear and how cool all the photo equipment is, and since I've been shooting with the DSLR, I just don't want to put it down.

As for education, I'm spending time here, reading tutorials online, and reading books. I have a great time, but I really don't feel like I have that natural gift of a good eye. But since I'm not worried about wasting film anymore, I just keep shooting and trying new stuff.

lilmomma

adbsgicom wrote:

Self-taught (books, forums). You could say dgrin-taught....

you took my line . Another one here for "dgrin" taught. Literally just about everything i've learned has been from reading stuff on this forum almost every day since my first dslr purchase last feb. And if course practicing like crazy.

Joe Dukovac

I too am self taught. I read books, what seems to be a TON of magazines, post here on Dgrin and learn from feedback, plus there are other websites that I go to that have lessons here and there.

I have an MBA and I'm hoping to attend formal photography classes very soon because I do want to work for myself and have the freedoms (and sometimes no so much freedom) that comes with working for one's self. My MBA will help me immensly with the business side of things, and I figure that the photography side will always be learning as styles changes all the time (Remember the days when your Mum would take you down and they'd take a portrait shot, and in the corner, faded would be your sibling's profile, or yours.....ahh double exposure....I hope those NEVER come back in style).

At any rate, that's my story and I'm sticking to it! Self taught here.

Joe

D'Buggs

I would LOVE to take some formal training from our local art institute but current time constraints of becoming a full time student again, isn't a reality... The New Years Resolution, though, is to get enrolled in to some "quality" workshops around here and to photograph my ass off.

Photography has been a BIG part of my life and I reckon that that life is ~ half used up (turning 45 this spring).... This year it's going to take up, yet,,, an even bigger part.

Last fall I bought a space that I use as a dedicated studio, and even had the fortunate of securing a local company that requires regular shooting (product work). I'm also scratching up some portrait gigs for pay and am doing a family shoot this Sunday and have a husband/wife coming in on Tuesday - I'd like to rev up this part exponentially as I find it's VERY rewarding (not talking monetary). Right now I don't advertise per se' but seem to be getting interest from people that I mingled with at holiday cocktail parties (about a grands worth so far). It's quite refreshing (actually, surprising!) that people will actually pay me to do them this service... I mention all this as I quantify it, as you say; "training", or as I look at it; training in the works. Sink or Swim has always been a motto of mine and the only real way of engaging that, is to hang yourself out on; "The Cliff's Edge".

As far as open-aired forums go, I think dgrin is about as good as it gets, right now - We'll see how it flows as it builds momentum but there's a lot of good resource here and if it keeps up, shouldn't be a problem as things evolve. I'll bet that it's helped you out a ton, already.


PS: I don't consider myself as "taught".
I'm still learning.
And always will be.

imagesofhim

I would LOVE formal training, however, in "po-dunk" Abilene, TX, we don't even have a camera shop, much less any classes. I started shooting at the age of 16 after having a Pentax K1000 in layaway back in the 80's. I put the camera down when I went to college and got back "into" photography about 4 years ago. I only made the digital conversion about 3 1/2 years ago.

I'm still learning everyday and find that after two years, I'm no longer getting discouraged so often. Whether I'm any good or not, it is definitely my passion. I "stalk" every forum in dGrin that I can and I post every now and then to get a little feedback. I find that as I get more comfortable with my work, I feel "worthy" enough to post more and ask more questions. I also subscribe to two photo magazines and have recently purchased a small "library"!! I'm simply trying to absorb everything I can... sometimes I feel like I'm back at square one, but I'm not quite ready to give up!

Scootersbabygirl

Totally self-taught. My boyfriend in college was in graphic design and one mandatory class was a photography class. So I was able to sneak into the dark room evenings and to learn a little bit (very little) about developing. But I specifically remember one homework assignment he had where he had to go around town and to find letters in common places - like a telephone pole being a T. He couldn't do it! I saw all of the letters. Now I know that it's because my eye tends to see things that some people miss, like many photographers. I'm still learning and growing and, one of the things that I love about photography, is that you'll never know "too" much. You can never be done learning. I've learned tons through DGrin and through other online sites and books. Because I live in a very rural area, and there is ONE professional photographer (he's got a monopoly), I'm having to learn it all on my own. But practice makes perfect, right?

chest2tank

It might also help you to know who is a full-time (profitable) pro along with who was formally trained. I've actually been curious, as well.

Formally trained in business and music. Never took a photo class.
Full time for 2 years. Profitable? Ugh. Barely.

angevin1

chest2tank wrote:

It might also help you to know who is a full-time (profitable) pro along with who was formally trained. I've actually been curious, as well.

Formally trained in business and music. Never took a photo class.
Full time for 2 years. Profitable? Ugh. Barely.

Good addendum!

Me~

Self Taught. I read somewhere that on average it takes about ten years to get to a place of top level technical proficiency in a chosen field. Judging from my past I'd say that number isn't far off.

I'm approaching year three this '10 Summer. I am leaving full time nursing to concentrate on marketing my fledgling photography business. It's taken me the three years just to decide what I like, what I do not like and to make enough mistakes to grow technically.

From an artistic perspective, most kids and many adults have artistic talent straight out of the box, and I do too.

But what I have to work at/on is the melding of the two: Art/Tech.

Daddy0

Never took a formal class, but there is one at our local community college that I plan on taking when the funds and the time become available. I have a degree in business and I am a formally trained sax player. A partner and I own an insurance agency and I have a soon-to-be 2 yr old and a 4 yr old, both girls. I have always taken pictures, and wore out several polaroids while growing up(does that date me?). I also went thru several P&S 35mm's, but I absolutely hated waiting for the film to be developed and then getting only half of the images that you thought you were going to get. :bash Right before my oldest was born, I got my wife a Digital P&S bundled with a little photo printer. My wife wore both completely out and we had to buy a new P&S. By that time, my oldest was too fast to catch in focus and the youngest was learning to go from her older sister. So Thanksgiving I went out and got a D90. What a world of difference. Plus after researching several photo-hosting sites, I decided on SmugMug and have been 100% satisfied!! I am learning something new everyday on this forum and I am getting involved in the challenges. Those have to be your greatest learning tool, because it forces you to think out the box and take photos. I am trying to put a photography business together so my wife can become a stay-at-home mom and still have something to do once the girls start school. Anyway, formal training in photography is like any other formal training. You can be taught the basics, but you won't truly learn it until you get out there and do it!!! That's when the "true" lessons really begin. Good Luck!!!!

VayCayMom

Never had an interest. My daughter began competing in the Miss America Scholarship program and I began making ad pages, for her and others, then I made a few small program books. I "photoshopped" a few photos here and there. When she became Miss Arizona I took p&s photos for the website and I "edited" them to make sure she looked good.
One day I needed 10 photos for 2 large frames to decorate a wall as cheaply as possible. I had p&s photos from Spain of buildings and I did some fun effects and viola the wall looked awesome for only $40.00 !

After being a stay at home Mom for 30 years my hubby asked what I intended to do. Hmmm. Don't want to work, or go to school, never went to college but one day as I walked past those 2 frames I thought, why can't I just do this kind of stuff. I had a Nikon d70, took an online class on how to use a d70 and almost dropped out the first week.I knew NOTHING!!!!!

My plan was to take pretty photos and sell them in boutiques.
What actually happened was my friend bugged me endlessly to keep going and to take photos of her 3 kids.

My second online class was a basic class on digital photography and when the lesson was about portraits taken in north facing windows my photo got this review from the instructor " Wow and once again wow!"

Two years later I love to shoot people, never did the buildings etc. DGRIN alone is responsible for about 50 % of my growth to this point, along with other internet sites, books etc. I spend as much time on this as a full time job, I read, read, and read some more. This last Christmas I had a ton of bookings!!

I feel I am in a pretty good point for a Grandma, but I worry I won't live long enough to get as good as I want to be!

ivar

I've moved this to the BP, since that seems to be a better fit

divamum

adbsgicom wrote:

Self-taught (books, forums). You could say dgrin-taught....

+1

DId sit in on a lighting class at comm coll last year - that gave me a chance to use the gear firsthand and pick up a few things, but there is NO DOUBT AT ALL that the most I"ve learned has been from the folks here at dgrin. I"ve also found STrobist and planetneil invaluable.

And, of course, just looking at other people's work - good, bad, indifferent - and figuring out what does or doesn't make it tick. Most importantly, I think being willing to go out and shoot a LOT teaches you as much as anything if you really sit down afterwards and self-critique honestly and objectively - you start to figure out how you did what you did (good and bad) and understanding emerges from that.

CyberSteak

ivar wrote:

I've moved this to the BP, since that seems to be a better fit

Hmmm. Well I was really wanting to know this from those who frequented the People forum as that's where I would like to specialize in. Knowing how many people are successful in that genre of photography without requiring formal training is what I had hope to determine from this thread. Unfortunately since being moved, It only received one post and that's when it was still visible in the People forum.

I understand it seems like a fairly generic topic, but I don't think it's getting discussed here. Am out out of line to request that it get moved back?

Cayuse

Self taught here as well. Shot one year for the school annual in high school many years ago where I learned some darkroom techniques.