How to learn photography?
Me holding Mamiya RB67
“Inspiration does exist, but it must find you working.” —Pablo Picasso
Photography changes the way we see things. With a camera, you not only study how to take images but also develop many other skills. You will learn how to observe, create, imagine and feel the connections of everything around you.
How do I get started?
All you need is a phone with a camera. YES, THAT'S ALL YOU NEED! Even Tyler Mitchell, one of the leader in fashion photography, has a full course on MasterClass teaches you how he got the shots with his iPhone and edits them. Of course, you cannot go far or nowhere near professionalism with your phone camera. However, limitation is power. That was the reason I switched to film photography, but I would save it for a later topic.
Review your photos.
Don't review your photos with a statement. Then you will soon realize it only ends up in negativity. Instead, asking yourself questions help you understand the problems and find appropriate solutions. Asking another person for feedback is always a great idea. I prefer asking artists not in the same field as I do because they might see problems with different perspective. And don't be afraid of comparing yourself to your belove photographers, you have to understand what missing in your photograph.
Pick a niche early.
Picking your niche early is an unpopular opinion. Most photographers will tell you go out and shoot everything. But hear me out! Photography is a vast term with different areas of study. It's like walking into “the valley of the suck.” Without navigation, you will be lost in conflicts and ways of approach. What considers correct to a portrait isn't necessary true to a landscape photo. Picking your niche early will potentially save you money by investing in useful gears. Remember, you can always expand your horizon when the foundation is built.
Learn from other photographers.
"The good learns from his mistakes, the great learns from other's mistake." I truly believe in collaboration and grow together as a community instead of being a lone-wolf. This will save you tons of time and open new connections. Don't hesitate to put down the money if you're really serious of being a professional photographer. On my third month of having my camera, I flew to Richmond, VA to study with J.Marcus Photography for 1 day. That 1 day experience with Marcus opened my horizon.
Practice stragetically.
Another uncommon opinion here, stragetically? East to West, we all grew up with the phrase, "practice makes perfect." But that's not true. I would rephrase this as "practice make progress." Let's think for a second! If you practice the same way, make the same mistake every day, you only grow into the speed of getting the same mediocre result faster. Instead, I prefer you review and analyze your photos from the last session before you head out to the shoot, then you pick only one problem and try to fix it. Annie Leibovitz keeps her works in prints and reviews them.
These are the suggestions I would tell my old-self when I first started this journey. I hope you find these suggestions helpful. Please sign up for my email newsletter for the future tips.
You can do this!!