Learning Steps In Photography

 Learning Steps In Photography

(What if you don’t necessarily want to be a professional?)

by William Lulow

I have written about how I learned many of the skills in photography that I continue to use today, but sometimes I forget that when I started studying about photography in earnest, I had already had experience in the darkroom and knew how the process worked. In addition, I had made a conscious decision to become a working photographer and make it my profession. This wasn’t something that I wanted to do just to learn how to improve my photographs. It was the commitment of a lifetime. I never really considered doing much of anything else. (Although I earned a teaching credential and sometimes used it. I was also lucky enough to teach photography in the NYC public schools). I was, therefore, determined to learn everything I could. Many of my students today, don’t have that same level of determination, but just want to improve their skills.

There is no doubt that regular classes with objective homework assignments given and evaluated, will help the learning process proceed more quickly. But, some people don’t have the time it takes. They just want a class that will kind of guide them in the right direction and get them going on the learning curve. So, my approach is to begin with exposure basics (what we now have come to call the “exposure triangle” of ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture). Then, proceed right away to making images and seeing how the process works, with a “hands-on” approach. Students begin by taking pictures. I ask them to put their camera settings on manual and begin to shoot. Then we examine the results. Why are some good and others not? What did we do in the beginning and how did we modify the approach to improve the images? Why was one over-exposed and another not? Then we can delve into the basics of what makes a good exposure. This takes more than just a few tries, though. You can always just put your camera on “AUTOMATIC’ and let its computer figure out exposure for you, but you can do that with just reading the camera’s manual. So, if you are interested in photo lessons to begin with, I assume you want to exercise some control over the process and not just let the camera do everything for you. In addition, there are quite a few times when the camera is “tricked” by other than normal lighting conditions. Or, it won’t allow you to take pictures in very low light. Or, if you use a zoom lens, the pictures often come out a bit blurry. That’s when you need some decent instruction to help you deal with these situations. Plus, you need to be willing and able to commit at least some basic time and effort to the study of the photographic process.

The camera will give you a decent exposure under most “normal” conditions, but if you are truly interested in studying the medium of photography and its various nuances, lessons are the way to go. You certainly don’t need to be as devoted as a professional, but learning about the art form is a life-long benefit. That’s how I intend to help my students. I also encourage students to shoot one or two frames at a time and then evaluate them. It’s so easy today, since there is no more film to develop and print, to just reel off a hundred frames. But that doesn’t really teach you anything. You need to examine your results slowly and carefully in order to understand the process.

Here I am working with a student “on assignment,” and showing her how to use a bounce flash and teaching her what she would need to know in order to photograph a dance class.

This was a student who wanted to learn how to set up her own home studio.

So, there are lessons for everyone from beginner to professional. That’s why I always begin by asking people what they want to get out of their photographic educations. These days, I am certainly mindful that not everyone desires to be a professional. They are just looking for professional-type results.