Amatuer Photographer

I have been doing photography without any classes for a few years and have been doing good..I recently just bought

my classes from New York Institute of Photography and im very frustrated with it. I feel like i was taking better

pictures from before I took any classes. Im having trouble with lighting, and getting clear pictures, also with

understanding apertures and f-stops. If anyone can help me please let me know!

 

Thanks!

Erica

can you give some specific examples/questions? What camera/lens are you using, etc...

I think these issues would best be taken with the school.

 

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What might be relevant is that as a general opinion on teaching Photography (having taught Photography at Technical College): Photography is a subject which lends itself more to a multiplicity of interactive teaching methods that are best executed ``hands on / face to face`` with a teacher AND other students, rather than on line or distance education.

 

I taught both: hence I feel quite comfortable making the comparison.

 

WW

Are you having trouble now after the classes....?

 

Did you used to shoot your work with automatic settings on camera or you used to use the manual settings...?

 

If you were doing well with manual use of camera earlier than I don't think you needed any classes. Well, please answer first to understand your problem well and also let us know what do you learn in classes and what are big problem areas.

A tourist family walking in New York City, taking in the sites, were looking for Carnegie Hall, overwhelmed by the city,

stopped a person then asked, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" He responded, "Practice, practice, practice!"

 

Same for photography.

 

You gotta get the basics down then move on. How can a person break the rules if you don't know what they are? I'm

teaching a class on Monte Zuckers style of photography (Classical Portraiture) and I suggested that everyone bring a

notebook and take lots of notes. I'm learning as much as they are!

 

My recommendation, to go through the class. Work & study hard. You may need to take it again.

 

Passion & desire are important. Constant learning, a never ending process with photography. I love it!

 

There is a wealth of information on this web site to help us all.

 

Keep at it! Forever.

erica, there are several questions that needs to be answered first. what type of camera are you using? tell us the make and model. next, do tell us what you did before. did you point at a subject, left the camera in automated mode and shot away?

 

jargons like aperture and shutter would seem a little complicated if you have not paid attention in the class or perhaps had a poor teacher. on the right hand side of this forum post you would see some popular links. one of those links takes you through to the BASIC PHOTO TIPS: EXPOSURE. click on that, read the article carefully and follow all subsequent links from that article. i think it should then be crystal clear.

While I'm not sure exactly what your problems are, I can give you a pep talk about learning photography.

 

For years, I took pictures without learning about apertures, fstops, composition, lighting, exposure, etc. I took some very good pictures and I took a lot of lousy pictures too. But what I couldn't do was repeat my positive results consistently, and that's a key aspect of being a good photographer.

 

I struggled with all the technical and composition stuff too when I took the time to learn it (I think most people do). But now I'm much more capable of envisioning what I want to capture and how to capture it. I don't always think about all the technical stuff, but learning about them expanded my creative abilities dramatically.

 

In short: it's worth it.

 

Just my two cents.

took me 3 years to learn it in private shcool..have to learn the speed of ligth, the photography history, the f stop, the chemical to developed my own neg and print...15 years ago when automatic and digital where not there : )

 

Its seem easy today for new comer to take good image on camera using the preset included, the auto white balance, hitting print and get a nice inkjet print. Im sure you ditn get all that concept before because you didtn know it exist probably, but that what photography is; f stop, ligth, speed, frame.

 

You maybe have better picture before without knowing why; now you learn the why, and im sure youre image will be better in the next years.

 

Still dont know what is rong with your school since you dont get good result as last week? just quit and keep doing what you done in the past to get the nice image back : )

I had been only for a year in photography, no previous classes. I´m very happy about what I get. Sure I´d been

learning myself in the internet, but I think I can grow without any kind of formal education in photography. I

am a teacher myself, but to have classes on a matter isn´t a magic recipe to improve. In some cases (and I think

photography is one of them) it´s better the discovering-failing system (adding a lot of enthusiasm)

 

So why should I have to lose my self learning style while it is working so fine?

no one say that you have to let go your style or your way of learning...

 

what i said, is like anything, getting some basic technical understanding of a subject always paid in the end. You can be a good *framer* without knowing why you should put this f stop or that apperture and still get good images for sure, but it never hurt to get to know why this and that append, and learning it from someone who can make you learn is and will always be good.

 

I give workshop to hundreds of people in the past 5 years about photo retouching and fine art printing..most of them presented themself as *people who know how to retouched and print*..and in the next 5 min they all start to write down notes like crazy..for 3hrs. Until you meet someone who really know is stuff you cant place yourself and judge about what you know. Sure you can get yourself all the info you want and need (i do the same) but having the chance to get some education about something would help get the concept faster.

 

Some of the top photographer i know study in politics, graphic design, theather, dance..not even in photography BUT they all have the curiosity to get the help where they can, even if that mean going to santa fe for a week per years to get more knowledge, and of course taking image outside, inside, with tungsthen ligth, with flash, with 2-3-4 flash..experimented.

 

Your style work fine. good. Fine enough to make a living out of it if you want? no?..well its maybe time to seek some help; book, tutorial..or school.

I had a one semester class on Photography in, I think, the seventh grade. If a seventh grader can learn this, so can

you.

 

For f/stops and exposure: some things in photography are relative. There may be several possible answers to a

problem. Sometimes you have to assert one (f/stop or shutter duration) to correctly choose the other.

 

If you get lost in solving problems with exposure, ask yourself this: "Do I need to ADD LIGHT or SUBTRACT LIGHT

from the settings on the camera now?" Sometimes this can help to clarify some basic problem solving. It works with

enlargers and strobes and a myriad of other situations in photography, too.

 

You're having trouble getting clear pictures? Is your problem with focusing, or do you mean that the digital image is too

noisy? Are you shooting in film, but seeing fuzzy edges, when the image seemed clear in the frame? If the problem is

the latter, and your own vision is okay for focusing, sometimes when exposure is off too much, using either too little or

too much light, the edges can go soft. This problem with luminescence is very much like the appearance of the full

moon. Get the correct amount of light, and the edges will appear sharper.

 

As far as your feeling of confusion goes, I don't know what they teach at the New York Institute of Photography. You

may just be at one of those early stages where you're feeling some confusion because you're about to grow and learn

and expand your skills. Talk to your teacher. Tell him the truth. Courses are usually cumulative. Some confusion is

okay, but if it goes on for an extended period of time, you can fall too far behind. Good luck. J.

OK Patrick. I have to agree with you. It was only my personal position right now, not an advice for everybody.

 

I have never inteded to make a living with photography, but as you say, maybe I (everybody) will need in some point, some kind of formal photographic education to grow.

Cheers

May I take an obverse point of view, although this is about painting? A mid-70's friend spent half a year in NY and half here in Taos. Even as he approached 80, he skiied several days a week. He worked out at a local spa. But Ben was a brilliant self-taught painter, usually water colors. When ever he came to town he would take a painting class from a starving artist. And guess what? His paintings got worse!

 

Just be careful not to allow a natural ability to be stifled by a teacher. Yes, before others scream, there are technical aspects of photography, in particular the dark room, where instruction is important. But paint what you want and take the shots that you want.

Erica:

 

I am in agree with Nathan. Can you, please give us a better explanation about your difficulties?

 

What were you doing before? were you using automatic functions? Is your camera Ok? have you clearly understood the

NYIP lessons/concepts? What camera are you using and under which settings are you now working? If your images are

not clear, are you using auto-focus or manual focus? did you switched to another camera (new digital?)?

 

I am graduated from the NYIP, I have been making photography since 1991. I begun my NYIP course in 2006, so I had

plenty experience before taking the course. I can tell you that something, NYIP helped me to cover many gaps in my

photography knowledge. most of them in illumination / formal portraiture.

 

In order to give you a better approach, give some more information. Do something: compare what you have done before

with what you are going now, post it in here and see what feedback can you get from the forum.

 

Best

 

JC

I too thought about taking classes, but I really don't think that is the answer. You just have to keep doing it -- learn by trial and error. The nice thing about digital vs. film is that you can instantly see what kind of results you're getting. I often take shots several times and change the settings alittle each time. This is how I practice and attempt to get better at it.

 

I would suggest you keep reading the forums on this site, because I have learned so much since becoming a member! I am also reading Understanding Exposure which is excellent!!!

Erica,

 

Take a breath and know that what you're experiencing is very normal and most of the time expected. Don't become

frustrated with the school. What's happening is relearning what you've taught yourself. However, it's doing it in a much

more systematic way. Breaking bad habits and learning to develop new ones. Teaching you why this happen the way

they do with a camera. Photography, unlike so many think, is a hobby or profession that takes years of diligent study

and application. There is a difference between taking good picture by hit or miss or accident and taking a great

photograph and understanding exactly how you did it. If you're putting the due diligence into the course it will all

eventually begin to click. No pun intended. You may get even worse before you get better but allow yourself to take it in

the necessary progressions and you'll begin to see the light.

 

Your story happens in many more instances than just photography. Many people put years of self education into

something only to hit a wall and can't go any further. They go to get educated only to find out that, for a time, they get so

much worse than better. It's because the education does not start where they left off. It begins from the beginning. If

they can keep their ego in check and stick with it the rewards are more often times than not worth their time.

 

Good learning.

 

J

OS much positive inputs here Erica, I also replied you mail. I would also add that I never joined any school for this art, but learned by reading and mistakes. This is going to about 2 years of shooting with a Film SLR and results are getting finer and finer. I always learn new things with about every new shot. I usually shoot with M or A mode and don't like to stick with Auto. Yes I do use Auto focus usually but still like Manual focus feature.

 

Manual mode gives more freedom and control over auto. In auto mode, you camera does everything for you and going manual gives you your personal satisfaction and brings results according to your desired presentation.

"I too thought about taking classes, but I really don't think that is the answer. You just have to keep doing it -- learn by trial and error"

 

This is a statement that I often see (and hear). Frankly if this works for you, you're having fun doing what you do and are happy with the results than there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

 

But part of human nature is that people want to learn so if you, like Erica, want to dive deeper into a hobby there are some things that you come across. Patrick is absolutely right in saying that learning why takes some effort, and more often a lot more than that. Because a large part of it is technique it feels you got to start all over again which essentialy is true. And to be honest, it can get the fun out of it right fast. But if you really want to learn about photography you should invest some time. A written course isn't the answer. Also it doesn't have to take years. Short courses with individual tutoring can be quite valuable too.

 

Big question: IS IT WORTH IT? Yes, it is. Investing time, sticking with it will make you a better photographer. Be aware though. Learning never stops and while that may sound like a cliche it is true, especially with a creative art like photography.

Photoraphy is an art not a science. To do it well you have to suffer - try going manual with a fixed lens and limit your shots (this was easy with film as you got 36 per roll - 15 or less with MF!)

I argue that all Great Artists (all genre), even though maybe instinctively, understand the mathematics (pure science) which underpins, music, art, poetry, photography, et al.

 

For me, as a very MUCH less talented artist, I found firstly understanding the mathematics (the science of it), an easier path to open the doors to Creativity.

 

But, I do agree, the suffering (on both counts) is very, very good - as was the discipline of learning ``waste`` with film.

 

WW