How to Learn Photography: The 6 Best Ways
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Loading... - Jude Baker
- 22 Mar 2022
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Below, I share my favorite six ways to jumpstart your photography education, whether you want to do nature photography, product photography, portrait photography, or something completely different.
Note that there is no one best way to learn photography. Different methods work for different people, which is why my recommendations take into account various learning styles. I also include several instructorless methods, so if you’re looking to teach yourself photography, you’ll know exactly what to do.
Ready to become a great photographer? Let’s get started.
1. University/college degree
Learning photography through university studies is the traditional road, and it’s a path that many people take. You’ll discover a wide variety of photographic styles, you’ll be offered insights by experienced teachers and industry experts, and you’ll do it all in a structured environment. You’ll also have access to state-of-the-art studios with all the latest cameras, lighting equipment, accessories, and software.
Schools offer a group learning environment, which can be hugely useful for budding photographers. You and your fellow classmates can study together, practice skills, and have lots of fun. Plus, you can develop networks that’ll be useful in the future.
The big downside to formal photography education? The expense. While the cost does vary from location to location and from school to school, a degree or diploma can cost tens of thousands of dollars or more.
There’s also a significant time investment, which can be difficult to manage for older students who have families to support. And there’s no guarantee that you’ll get a good job (or any job) right out of school.
Note that many of the best photography schools are located in cities, so you may need to consider travel expenses, relocation expenses, or student housing costs.
If you like the idea of a university-based photography education, thoroughly research the schools in your area. Find out who the teachers are, who the past students have been, and what they’ve gone on to achieve. If you can, attend an open day and ask current students what they think of the program. I’ve known students who have felt miserable and have even failed classes because their personalities didn’t match their schools’ culture. Then, after transferring to schools better suited to their learning styles, they thrived.
2. Apprenticeships and internships
Working as an apprentice (or intern, or assistant) may not sound glamorous, but it’s an often-overlooked method of learning the ropes and breaking into photography. In fact, it’s how I – and many of my peers – worked our way up the ladder.
After graduating from art school, I started out as an unpaid intern for a celebrity and fashion photographer. Then, at the end of my internship, I was offered a full-time job. I couldn’t have landed such a sought-after position based on my portfolio and by cold-calling photographers alone.
The photography education you can get during an internship or an apprenticeship is incredible; I learned more in my first month on the job than in four years at art school. And the 18 months I spent assisting taught me tons of lessons about how to light, direct, pose, and talk to models. It also taught me how to work with makeup artists and stylists, and how to deal with difficult clients.
But most importantly, I witnessed firsthand the ups and downs of running a business. Had I struck out on my own without first assisting a photographer, I never would’ve realized that everyone experiences downturns in their business, and that nobody – no matter how amazing or in demand – is immune. That lesson was gold and saw me through many quiet times in my career.
Now, I did my interning after going to art school, but if you can find the right person to work with, you may not need a formal photography education. Sometimes, interning can be far more valuable than a university course. The person you choose needs to be generous with their knowledge and an encouraging teacher, though.
Unfortunately, internships aren’t all great, and the wrong kind of internship will get you stuck in a tiny office, answering phones, filing papers, and performing menial non-photography jobs without the opportunity to ever learn anything. So before you commit to an internship, make sure you know what you’re signing up for!
3. Blogs and other online resources
These days, the internet is full of in-depth photography blogs, and while some of them don’t offer top-quality photography education, a few of them do.
Learning through blogs offers lots of advantages. For one, you get to teach yourself photography, rather than relying on an instructor to set your path. You can research the topics that interest you, put aside the ones that don’t, and develop sought-after skills.
Plus, online learning is completely free, which means that you can level up your skills – often with instruction from world-class professionals – and you won’t pay a cent.
Of course, blog-based photography education has its downsides. It’s not especially structured, it lacks interaction, and it’s easy to miss out on huge parts of your photography education because you didn’t know any better. Blogs are also pretty theory focused, which means that it’s up to you to develop photography exercises, practice your craft on your own time, and develop a portfolio.
If learning by reading blogs appeals to you, you do have the option to supplement your education with free YouTube videos and low-cost books/eBooks. In fact, if you do decide to go in that direction, Digital Photography School offers plenty of free articles as well as high-quality ebooks (some of which I wrote!). Read More…
