Your photographic training

[ThePhilosopher]

I took two photo classes in High School 1999-2001 (one each school year) and shot film through my XE-7 and 50mm f/1.8 until they died. I got my first DSLR in 2007 and went crazy with all the "nifty" little digital gimmicks; now I'm toning it down a bit and trying to do more on film.

[Brains]

Yesterday: Saw nifty SLR at Wal Mart, bought it.
This morning: Built my website using WebsiteNOW!
This afternoon: Now accepting bookings for WEDDINGS!!!

[ChristopherCoy]

1995-1996 Photography I in high school (first camera was a pentax something or nother)
1996-1997 Photography II in high school
1997-1998 Advanced Photography in addition to Art II, III, & IV in the same year. (spent the entire morning in one art classroom, and often spent 4 hours in the darkroom)
(got my Canon EOS Elan II during my Senior year)

1995-2000 Worked for a video production company as a camera operator/live video editor
1997-1999 Worked for a professional photography studio covering corporate events and assisting in the studio.

2000-2008 Shot film a few times for family portraits etc...

2009-2010 Purchased my Oly E-520, promptly traded it in on a D90, attended After Dark & Imaging USA, and the rest has yet to be written...

[kamekaze]

Gear and a year.

[texxter]

I've been interested in photography since I was a child, as my father was a serious hobbyist doing some darkroom work in the bathroom, and I remember being there with him. I had 35mm SLR cameras in the 80s and 90s doing some portraits and travel, but, without focus and dedication, the pics were pretty bad. Bought my first digital camera in 2000, and used it for kids portraits, eventually moving to a digital SLR, the D70.

In 2006 I started taking courses at the community college and reading lots, practicing lots, building a lighting kit, and spending lots of energy and time on improving my technical skills. Have been shooting people mostly since 2006, with architecture and travel being also topics of interest.

Most of my technical skills have come thru books and practice, in addition to the few courses that forced me to work on assignments.

[rockpics]

PJ photo class at BU when I was still at the "what do you want to be when you grow up?" stage. I didn't become a PJ. Later, a for grins class at a local college before digital was big. Instructor had actually studied with A.Adams in the 70's. Never know what you'll find locally.

[ChristopherCoy]

Originally Posted by Brains

Yesterday: Saw nifty SLR at Wal Mart, bought it.
This morning: Built my website using WebsiteNOW!
This afternoon: Now accepting bookings for WEDDINGS!!!

I'm sure this is a tounge in cheek statement, but if you haven't already, perhaps you should read this months issue of PP Mag. Specifically the article on Scott Hayne. He had no photography training, and no photography experience, but has successfully ran a business for the last 2 years, and was named the 2009 Best New Photographer in PPA. We saw him and his wife speak at Imaging USA, and it was a great story. Probably one in a million, but a good story...

[RandySmith]

Received my first camera in 1966 Kodak Instamatic (avatar self-portrait). Great-grandfather was avid "experimentalist" with flash powder and glass negatives in the early 1900's who inspired me with his stories. While stationed in Keflavik Iceland in 1978-1980 I attended every photography class that I could, that was at a local community college on-base taught by an Icelandic PPoA member. As Paco also said, I am continuing to learn, study by reading and attending seminars whenever I can. Although a webforum cannot replace "formal" training, I have benefited a lot from the TPF group here. So appreciate everyone who has offered suggestions to me during my affiliation here.

[klynam]

no formal education in photography...
was an art director for a mid-sized DFW ad agency...
worked alongside some great commercial shooters...
picked up the bug and lots of technique from them...
everything else is from books, magazines, and the net...

[Brains]

Originally Posted by ChristopherCoy

I'm sure this is a tounge in cheek statement, but if you haven't already, perhaps you should read this months issue of PP Mag. Specifically the article on Scott Hayne. He had no photography training, and no photography experience, but has successfully ran a business for the last 2 years, and was named the 2009 Best New Photographer in PPA. We saw him and his wife speak at Imaging USA, and it was a great story. Probably one in a million, but a good story...

yeah, tongue in cheek for sure

I'm definitely a long term hobbyist really. I remember sitting on my parents bedroom floor as a small child (~6 or 7 years?) after finding a big black case in their closet. It had an old Pentax SpotMatic SLR, a Pentax flash, and three lenses. I would take it out and play around, even though I didn't have any film. See my father passed away when I was 4, and my Mom didn't know I liked to play with the gear - she worked 3rd shift to support us, and was typically asleep while I got into trouble. So long story short, I figured out through experimentation how the functions worked, and what I thought they would do to a picture. I wasn't able to translate that to film until many years later, after my mother passed on (11 years old) and I went to live with an aunt and uncle. I kept hold of that camera gear, and eventually worked up the courage to ask for some film for it. My first pictures are about what you'd expect - I got the focus pretty good in most cases, but poor framing on many of them, some shakiness in low light situations, some pretty bad shots when I tried to use the flash, etc. When I got to high school, I ran a bunch of B&W through it and was able to develop as much as I could afford supplies for in our darkroom. After a few weeks it locked up, and it was cheaper to get a new body than repair it. We were using Pentax K1000's in class, so I bought one of those used, and got an adapter for the old screw mount lenses I had. I kept shooting with that until after the class ended. Later on in life I was broke and really wanted to get my girlfriend at the time something nice for her birthday. That camera gear became a gift for her (she was interested in photography as well, in my HS photography class, etc.). After graduation, single, and a couple years without a camera, I picked up a Casio point n' shoot, then another, and then ultimately the wonderful gal who is now my wife buys me a Canon EOS 10D! That relit the fire, and I've been playing around since.

[Cajungaltx]

Self taught primarily.

I like to learn and I like to ask questions and listen to the answers.

First camera was a little 110 thing... then an old Canon 35 mm.... I would shoot, and it would take ages before I could afford to get the film developed.

Darkrooms were places you didn't go with boys alone... not where you developed film... ;-)

Have always taken photos, and loved doing them... but just from a 'like having the photos' perspective...

My husbands dad is a photographer... he's shot for Stars & Stripes during Vietnam... he's shot for the Denver Post, National Geographic... I didn't meet him for a year or so after I met my husband... but found a common interest in photography. So I pulled out the Canon 35 mm, and started learning. 2 years ago, my Christmas present/Don't kill me cause I've re-enlisted in the National Guard from my husband was a D80 with several other things to switch to Digital.

And here I am... self made kind of photographer... with quite a bit of help from a few kind souls.

[ka5txl]

Originally Posted by jfoureyes

My training since 1968 has been trial and error and heavy on the errors...

+1

Early to mid 60's used a Kodak Brownie

early 70's used a 126 kodak instamatic at home and shot with a Yashika 124 for the jr high yearbook

took photography/darkroom classes in high school. Thank you Mr Hunt. shot with a 35mm Pentax SL. Wished I had shot for the yearbook then

mid 80's I started using a Pentax ME Super, shot three or four weddings, learned the value of backup's

somewhere in the 90's put the camera away, but bring it out occasionaly for family events,

2005 youngest niece ask's me to photograph her wedding (I was her second choice) found the cameras, cleaned the dust off, changed batteries and shot some film. tried to remember what I had forgotten Sweating bullets during the entire wedding but the photo's came out fine and will last much longer than the marriage did. Oh well I'll get a do-over someday!

Later that year make the jump to digital and upgrade again two years later. Taken several classes at Richland, been to several photoshoots/seminars and try and shoot everyday

[Crashoran]

PHTC-1311 002 Fundamentals
PHTC-1400 002 Digital I
MRKG-2333 001 Print Selling
PHTC-1341 002 Color I
PHTC-2301 002 Intermediate
PHTC-2349 003 Digital II
PHTC-1313 001 Photo History
PHTC-1340 001 Retouching I
PHTC-1347 001 Landscape
PHTC-1351 001 Photojournal I
PHTC-2271 004 Adv Imag Lab
PHTC-1345 001 Illustrative I
PHTC-2271 002 Adv Imag Lab
PHTC-2271 002 Adv Imag Lab
PHTC-2345 001 Illustrative II

Those are my photo classes from ACC. Should be finished in December 2010...then probably back to TTU

[Truckman]

I bought a Canon 40D and 2 lens package from Best Buy when my ex-wife left me just so I could say I had a better camera than the two I bought her...Then my compulsive personality took over and I started trading and buying...I'm now up to three bodies and 33 lenses...I should probably learn something about photography now...

Hey, did any of you know this little dial moves to postions other than auto?......Ben

[srwatters]

I ain't got none...