photography

Digital Makes It Easier To Teach Yourself Photography

With today's digital cameras, it is much easier and cheaper to teach yourself photography that it has been in years gone by. Without waiting for the film developing processing you can see the results almost immediately, and make any needed adjustments to your personal lesson plan.

In order to teach yourself photography you will need to first determine what type of photography you plan to actively participate in and find instruction materials in that particular field. For example, if you wish to know more about still life photography you will need books on lighting and composition. It will also be helpful to at least look at examples of still life work to get some ideas of things to try.

Duplicating a previous work is one method of learning the concept of lighting and learning how certain techniques can make a difference in the finished picture. With digital cameras you can see an immediate result as well as how subtle changes in light and angle can sometimes have a dramatic affect on the finished print. A good way to teach yourself photography is by setting up a picture to look similar to en existing work, and then make subtle changes in the lighting, or in the angle from which to take the picture.

Do Not Fear The Photogenic Unknown

Understand when you begin to teach yourself photography you are going to make mistakes, whether in lighting, in shutter speed, in depth of field or in composition, but each frame you shoot and for every mistake you seem to make you are learning more about photography. Additionally, reading books can only go so far when you teach yourself photography until you need to pick up your camera and try different things.

By experimenting with different film types and speeds, trying different angles and different lighting conditions you will come up with a look different from what you have seen in the past. If you continue to do the same thing the same way, the results will be the same. If you are looking for a unique look, then you should do things your way.

Remember, when you teach yourself photography you can learn the basics from books and from other places offering advice and technical information, but as an art form photography has many aspects that cannot be taught, rather it has to be interpreted by what appeals to you individual taste.