“Life never stops teaching. Be sure you never stop learning.” — Michael Josephson
I have been photographing for a long time and believe I know my way around a camera pretty well; however, I am always finding new things to learn that help me improve upon my skills. There are many resources out there that can help you improve with your photography. Below I have listed the five that I have found that has helped me the most.
Books
Books or any written medium for that matter can offer a wealth of information when learning photography. Whether you are new to photography or you have been taking photos for years, there is a wealth of knowledge available to you. There are books available that cover all subjects, whether it be how to use your camera, how to post-process, a specific topic such as light, or even biographies of some of the greats such as Ansel Adams.
I prefer physical books over e-books whenever I can get them. I find if they are sitting on my bookshelf where I can see them I will remember more often that I own it and skim through it every now to remind myself of the lessons I learned from it. Unfortunately, not all books are available in physical form so you may have to find an e-book online, which you may prefer.
Online blogs are another place you can read a lot about photography. Sites such as digital photography school and f-stoppers have blogs on a wide range of subjects written by many different experts in each subject. Sites like these are publishing new blogs all the time so you will never be short of something to read and learn.
Social media
Social media is another good resource you can use to help improve your photography. Sites like Facebook and Instagram give you the opportunity to not only share your photos with your friends and family but also with other photographers who can offer feedback on your images. There are many pages on online forums such as Reddit where you can ask for feedback about an image you have taken or a post-processing technique you have tried.
Not only is social media good for sharing and getting feedback on your own images, but it is also good for viewing images of photographers that inspire you. I find to get the most benefit out of viewing other photographers’ images is to spend a bit of time evaluating the ones you like, rather than just mindlessly scrolling and clicking the “like” button occasionally. Ask yourself what it is that you like about the image. How is the image composed? What is the lighting like and which direction is it coming from? How have they used colour in these images? Also, ask yourself what you would do differently.
You will find if you stop and pause and truly evaluate an image by another photographer; when you are out taking photos of your own, and you are faced with similar conditions as a photo you have seen, it will be easier for you to envisage the photo you are wanting to capture.
Online courses and YouTube
In the digital age, you no longer need to go to a tertiary institution to get photography training. There are many courses available to you online in all areas. Many photographers will sell courses on their websites on a variety of subjects. The prices of these will seem quite expensive to begin with but if you compare that to attending a university to learn or even just attending a weekend workshop then the price is actually quite small. Plus you will have access to the course materials for a lifetime.
I find most of the online learning I do is on YouTube. There are about ten photographers that I have followed over time that consistently put out videos each week that will teach me something new or remind me of a technique that I had forgotten about. You can do the same. Jump onto YouTube and do a search for a photography subject that you are interested in. Watch a few of the videos returned in the search results and find some vloggers that appeal to you and subscribe to their channels. You will probably also find them on social media so follow them there. Check out their portfolios and evaluate their images. They may also offer ebooks and online courses that you can purchase to increase your learning.
Photography clubs
Photography clubs are another great resource to help you improve upon your photography. Joining a club brings you together with a big group of like-minded individuals. Some of the members will be above your level of photography so you will be able to learn from them, while others will be below your level and you will be able to increase your knowledge by sharing the things you know. The content that is offered at a club usually consists of the following:
- Talks from professional photographers or people who have been in the game for a long time and have a wealth of knowledge
- Tutorials on a certain subject from club members
- Competitions
- Outings/photo walks.
- Socialising
Competitions are a great way to build upon your photography. You get valuable feedback about your images from the judges; however, remember that this feedback is only one person’s opinion, so don’t take it to heart if you don’t agree. At the end of the day, it all comes down to how you feel about the image. Competitions also give you the opportunity to try lots of different genres, which is especially beneficial if you are new to photography and unsure which direction you want to take your photography.
Your camera
Finally, the most important resource I believe to help improve your photography is the camera itself. No matter how many books you read, photos you look at, YouTube videos you watch, or people you talk to, if you don’t go out with your camera and practice then you will never make any progress.
When you are out with your camera try to implement what you have learned from all of the above. Look at your own photos like you would for others and ask yourself what you like about the photo, and what you don’t like. Even if you do like it, ask yourself what could you do better, or try differently to get a unique result. When you discover something new, write it down so you can remind yourself of this self-taught lesson at any time. And perhaps one day you will have enough of these lessons that you will be able to write your own book or course to help others wanting to learn this great hobby.
Final words
No matter where you are in your photographic journey there is a wealth of knowledge available out there to help you build upon your skills. The five I have listed above is by no means an exhaustive list but it gives an indication of the many options available to you. The last thing I can say is don’t get bogged down in consuming resources and trying to get everything perfect. Make sure you have fun along the way.
