How do I get into photography?

F

Fishmeister

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Lindsays comment about Photoshop is completely wrong. Many kids these days think that all images need editing, nothing could be further from the truth. A truly good image should require no editing at all!. Photoshop is not a necessity to an image, it is only there if an image requires it. If you take the time to set the shot up properly, have your camera settings on the correct settings and compose your image properly then Photoshop should not be needed. There is a sayings amongst photographers.. "Garbage in, garbage out".. Get the photo right IN CAMERA, do not think "I'll try and save it later with Photoshop".

Have a look at the images on my site and see if you can work out which are edited and which are straight from camera.

http://www.ianfisher.info

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I'm a 15 year old girl and i'm really interested in getting involved with photography. The problem is that I have no idea where to start. I have a pretty basic camera and i'm not sure if there are any places around where I live (south east of england) where I can do photography classes. There is a GCSE course at my school but I didn't choose it and we're half the way through the year already so I can't change to it.

Any tips on where I can start?

I know that photography isn't something that can be learnt straight away and I'm willing to put tonnes of effort into learning.
Thanks, Lindsay (:
I have Adobe Photoshop CS2 already.. and my Dad owes me a birthday presents so I'll see about getting a nice camera.

I don't really know any good photographers though so i'm not sure about asking for help from one..
 
Yeah, dont go with a Canon 40D if your just getting into it...

I was a few months ago, and all I have is my cell phone camera (which is awsome), get a powershot or something that has good pixels and or what ever options you need/want on it.

And photoshop shouldnt not be used in a photo if your a real photographer.
 
1) start experimenting with your pns (point and shoot) camera. try catching things from weird angles, play with lighting, and use different surroundings.

2) buy a camera. a nice, photography camera. i recommend a canon 40D. photography really comes down to the camera. it is also all about lenses. and top flashes. talk to the person at a camera store to figure out which camera suits your needs.

3) photos are also all about the way they are edited on the computer. most digital photos need editing in order to be perfects. so buy a nice photo editing program like photoshop.

4) find a mentor. you don't necessarily need to take a class, although that would be useful. but find someone who is already a successful photographer and ask them to guide you through it. self-teaching is harder, but also very fulfilling.

good luck (:
 
Well I didn't know anything about photography before I found Flickr.com

It's the most popular website where photographers can post their photography. There's amazing stuff there! It's the best place to get inspired at. You can collect favorites and go back and look at them whenever you want. After a while you begin to notice tricks and details. The next thing I knew, it was Christmas and I got a 10 megapixel camera as a present. Since then I've been using it to take beautiful pictures thanks to the stuff I picked up by collecting photography on Flickr. Maybe that would help?

About finding a photographer for help : I'm sure you'd find someone on Flickr.com that would be willing to help you out. Maybe they can give you tips. There's some pretty nice people there.
 
It is NOT about the camera you have or the editing you do!

It's about how much you know about composition, lighting, and using your camera, etc.

Anyone can take a picture with any camera, but that doesn't mean it will turn out as a piece of art or even be considered, "photography."

There is a lot to learn. What you need to do is find your own style. It's not all about taking pictures. You have to be creative and think of creative ways to take the picture. For instance, you can take a picture of a container of fruits that came in the package, with poor flourecent kitchen lighting, and using a flash. Or you could take the fruits out, put them on a clean plate or bowl, place them in natural light (such as near a window or outside) and turn the flash off, which will probably turn out much better.

Some people just snap away taking pictures of everything in the beginning, and that's okay, because your still learning. But after some experience and practice, you begin to think more about why your taking that picture and which exact look your trying to achieve, rather than point and shoot without thinking how it's going ti turn out.

Sign up for Flickr, and you will see some amazing, outstanding photographers. You can also get to know a lot of other photographers the same age as you. I'm 16, and have some contacts my same age and get to know their styles too. Flickr is also an inspiration, because you always want to do better and improve.

But mainly, try to have your own style, and don't just get into photography to compete and be the best, because that doesn't really help YOU get "into" photography.
 
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