New to Photography

[DennyC716]

Hello everyone! Recently retired police officer now looking for my second career/hobby with photography. I have looked everywhere for photography classes but have not found any in my local area. I am considering waiting and taking the course at the college. Only issue is the next class isnt until January.

What is everyones opinion on the Online Courses? Any good ones that you can recommend would be greatly appreciated.

My goal is to focus on fishing tournaments first to start taking pictures. I will be shooting mostly all outside. I have a Nikon D7000 with the 18-105 lense, a 35mm lense and I just purchased a external flash(Nikon SB-700). Please, I would love all the tips, suggestions and recommendations you all have.

Thank you!

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[Fred Berg]

Waiting till January doesn't seem that long, and patience is something a good photographer needs. E-learning is okay, but there's no substitute for the classroom, where you'll not only benefit from having face to face contact with your tutors but will also get to know, and share knowledge with, other students.

What happens if you don't understand or are having problems with something? in college you ask the tutor and the matter is addressed there and then, online you typically fill out a contact sheet and wait........

Of course, you can put questions on tricky issues to the members of forums like this one, but whether the answers you'll get are always that reliable is another matter. Sometimes the answer is from an experienced photographer who knows what they're talking about, and at other times the information supplied is extremely suspect and from someone who has as little understanding of the problem as yourself.

I would wait until January and just enjoy getting the feel of your camera and other equipment in the meantime.

[John B.]

What is everyones opinion on the Online Courses? Any good ones that you can recommend would be greatly appreciated.

Welcome to the forum, Denny! Stick with us and we'll tell you everything you need to know!

[Designer]

I have looked everywhere for photography classes but have not found any in my local area. I am considering waiting and taking the course at the college. Only issue is the next class isnt until January.

What is everyones opinion on the Online Courses? Any good ones that you can recommend would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Classes are fine if you have the money and the time for them. You get rapid feedback from someone who you can question further, and whose own work you can view.

I have not tried any online courses, but there are many online tip and tutorial sites that you can explore for free, and on your own time schedule.

Have you attempted to find a local camera club? I have found that the locals can not only help, but they usually sponsor group field trips which can be fun and informative.

Of course you can post your pics here and on other forums to get C&C.

[TCampbell]

Welcome to Photo Forum!

I haven't evaluated any online courses (I started in the late '70s ... so no online option for me.) I have heard wildly variable experiences from people taking live classes at a college or community college.

I have a niece and a nephew who both took college courses (different schools). Both had similar experiences in that a lot of the things that I'd consider to be fundamental and essential parts of photography that every photography must know regardless of what type of shooting they'd prefer to do -- were not stressed in the class.

The following year my nephew took a studio course. The instructor took them into the studio, showed them all the lights, and told them to shoot lots of shots and submit them for evaluation. No training on lighting. I kept questioning him thinking surely they taught him some things and he didn't remember. I asked him if they showed him any light modifiers, soft-boxes, snoots, etc. Nope. I asked if they covered different styles of lighting... Rembrandt (aka "45/45"), Butterfly, ring "Paramount", short, broad, split, etc. Nope... nothing. Never covered it. I asked if they discussed the inverse square law and how to control the power of a light either by dialing it up or down or by moving the stand. Nope... nothing.

A class full of students basically wasted a semester screwing on with gear without anyone to show them how to exploit it.

There are photographers who tour and will teach seminars that last a day or maybe a weekend. Those usually tend to be extremely good. There are also a lot of online webinars that you can watch (or watch the recorded replay) and a lot of them are free.

In any case, if you're new and do not yet understand the fundamentals of exposure, pick up a copy of Bryan Peterson's "Understand Exposure". Probably the most recommended book for anyone new to shooting with a camera capable of shooting on manual. You'll not only understand the fundamentals of exposure (and it's easy to understand... he uses great examples and analogies) but you'll also understand the benefits of NOT shooting on full automatic with your camera and why you can have more creative & artistic control of your shots when you get off automatic.