Your photographic training

[Murph]

My formative photo years were:

1) 1975-1978-((In Japan) PJ/Yearbook style, lots of Tri-X, f/8 and be there, film (B&W and Color slide/print film).

2) 1978-1982- SFA under Dr. Roach. No flashes, hot lights only, medium and large format cameras, Plus-X and Tri-X film, 35mm EVIL. Color is Kodachrome, slides, not print film (BAD! BAD!, NOT GOOD, EVIL!). Rembrant lighting, make it perfect, lighting, composition, make it perfect (if you want a passing grade that is). Flashes NOT allowed, hot lights only! Photojournalism was not taught at school, only classical photography IIRC.

3) 1982-1986- 35mm, whatever they have available at the PX in Germany, losing interest in photography, too busy with the US Army. Flash not really something used.

4)1986-1990- Back to Medium/Large format, Tech Pan, Agfapan 25, B&W, some color print film. Lose my access to a darkroom, get another job, not much time anymore. Some flash, not much though

5) 1990-2002- Marriage, family, work, only photos are point and shoot using color print film. Too busy, and cannot afford things like film and processing. Don't really take any photos.

6) 2002-Now- Digital! Kodak 4900, then Kodak DX 7540, Nikon D70, then D2X/D700. Re-discover the joy of photography. Re-discover the Masters like Adams, Caponigro, Kubota, Cartier-Bresson, Atget, et al.

How were YOU trained/formed in photography.

[danm]

i have used the internet for the last year or so.

[toverman]

1. Got my first Polaroid camera when I was 9. Eventually worked up to a 35 mm SLR.

2. I took one basic photography class in college (b&w film).

3. Photojournalist/reporter at a small daily paper (1996-97). We developed T-Max by hand and then printed it in a stifling, barely-ventilated closet.

4. Focused on words for a few years, still photographed for myself.

5. Editor of small weekly paper (2003-2008), digital SLRs.

6. Contract/freelance/portrait/wedding photographer, digital SLRs.

[jeffkohn]

Got a digital point-n-shoot in 2004, and it took off from there.

No real training, just reading books, looking at photography, and soaking up what knowledge I could find online, or more recently in person during group shoots and get-togethers.

[Tom]

I've had my own camera since I was 6. Got my first SLR when I was 12. Published my first picture when I was 14. Took photojournalism in HS, where I learned absolutely nothing.

Took photojournalism in college as apart of my focus in broadcast journalism.

Worked at the college paper. In my time there, we produced a ton of great photographers. One guy was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in PJ, one works for SI now, a three that I know about are staffers for newspapers and still have their jobs, two of us head up the photography for two different major universities, three that I know of are full-time freelancers.

Got a job after graduation, then took up photography more seriously as a hobby. Studied and shot countless hours.

Went to a Joe McNally workshop. Assisted a number of photographers.

Here I am.

[Flea77]

1977-1979 Shot various 110 sized cameras. My favorite was one with a built in electronic flash and a zoom lens!

1980-1986 Started a photography class in school so I bought a Canon AE1 Program, nice to have a good job and no expenses! Within a year I had decided I really did not like the Canon and switched to a Nikon FG with a FTN as backup. This setup had me shooting as a school staff photographer and eventually, the yearbook staff, as well as a stringer for the local paper and odd jobs at the local university SID. I was very lucky during this time to live next door to a real pro who was nice enough to take me under his wing. This time also saw me entering medium format with a Yashica Mat 124G and later a much more professional 645 system.

1987-1994 Photography was little more than taking pictures of special occasions etc, mostly with a poloroid.

1995-1998 Broke out the Yashica, bought a Nikon FA, a Nikon FM2 and took the NYIP photo course.

1999-2005 Sold all my film gear and went digital! My first was a .01MP camera that connected to the computer with a serial cable. It was color, and had a fairly large storage capacity. This led to a Sony Mavica CD200 2MP camera.

2006-2008 Traded up to a Canon S3 IS camera and got pretty good with it. Started doing a little side work with it mainly taking pictures for online sales. Learned that a bridge camera can do some fairly impressive work. Then I realized how limited it was, bummer.

2009-now Traded the S3 IS for a D80, FG, N90s, Yashica Mat 124G, Zeiss Ikon, Cambo 4x5, and my beloved Contax G1. Still doing some commercial product stuff, misc shoots, and the occasional wedding (ACK!)

Allan

[wclavey]

I got a Spartus folding 120 camera in 1961 when I was 7 and an afternoon of "lessons" from my father about f/stops - - no need to worry about shutter speeds - - it had 2: Bulb & Instant. Then followed a parade of cameras: Kodak Bantam, Minolta Autocord, Kodak Retinette, Hanimex Practica while a member of the photography club in jr high and high school.

Then I worked as an X-ray technician while I was in high school and went to college and also spent 3 years on the college daily, ending up as Asst Photo Editor. Then a few courses in architectural graphics, macro photography and nature photography and spent a few years during graduate school doing photography & graphics arts & mapping for the Anthropology Department - - along with a few more cameras: Olympus OM kit & Mamiya TLRs.

Then, just 20 years of taking pictures and not even developing them - - just accumulating rolls of unprocessed B&W film. But when my son did a high school fine arts diploma program, and started taking photography, I got out that box of B&W film, dusted off the developing tanks and started back up. (When you use Diafine it isn't hard to remember how to do it... LOL). I bought the Bronica S2A kit and my son & I started learning LF together with Crown Graphics. And, of course, a few other cameras along the way...

Then, 2 months ago, I picked up this neat little Olympus Evolt e-500 and it has breathed new life into my 35mm OM lenses - I had pretty much given up 35mm.

[venchka]

Training? Now you tell me. Thanks Murph.

I still have the first two cameras that I ever touched.

Training? Who knew?

[Murph]

Yeah, I got into the whole academic "Rule of Thirds", "Butterfly and Rembrandt lighting", "Your photo sucks, so I am giving you an "F" on this one", "WTF were you thinking, this photo sucks", "Why are you bringing this trash to class?", "Now this one I like, you followed the rules, but you need to print more contrasty, so I'll give this one a "B"". "My G_d, look at the grain on this one, It sucks, I know you shot it on 35mm Tri-X right? "F"". "Real photography is done with large format cameras, the way the Masters did it, and that is what you will learn." Runs screaming down the hall holding one of my prints; "Grain!, Grain!, Grain! 35mm! The format of abombination (the Grad assistant)".

You know, those rules.....That kind of training

Originally Posted by venchka

Training? Now you tell me. Thanks Murph.

I still have the first two cameras that I ever touched.

Training? Who knew?

[jfoureyes]

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

[Jake]

I got my training from a guy who lives in a van down by the river.

[mmuhlenkamp]

Originally Posted by thejakestir

I got my training from a guy who lives in a van down by the river.

Was he also a motivational speaker?

[Jake]

Originally Posted by mmuhlenkamp

Was he also a motivational speaker?

Why yes, yes he was!

[tml]

Started with a Canon AE-1 in the 70's, never got beyond point and shoot. Majored in studio art with emphasis on drawing and lithography in college. Only became serious with photography the last 5 years because of necessity to document dental cases for publication. Became more seriously involved last 3 years. All instructions are from books (a lot!), mags, internet, workshops, critiques from this forum...

[texkam]

I got my training from a guy who lives in a van down by the river.

Oh yeah, the Matt Foley "How can we get your photography (and life) back on track" Seminar. You sound like one of those doobie rollers.