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How many photos here on MM site are self taught?
Well, I went to a community college... I donât know what thatâs worth... I can say I did not learn 1/2 the stuff I know now in school.... Nov 28 05 12:45 pm Link Allow me to expand... My first job was shooting a formal portrait of a CEO of a small business. It was nothing to major and it went ok... I used bounce flash and natural light outside. I thought it was funny because of the fact his friend from Cali was an art director who worked for a mag that focuses on the small business world. It was my first intro to an art director as well. It was chill... I had to go back and get a check re-written because he wrote it out to my non-existing business... that was a blast  ! I do Photography full time, many different things in the field (portraits/events) but this is my focus... Itâs almost time for me to move out of DC and aim to a city I can make more of a profit off this, ya think? Nov 28 05 12:56 pm Link Self taught w/ a little help from the hubby...I'll take photog. classes just for the hellof it next year, maybe/hopefully fill in some gaps :] Nov 28 05 01:05 pm Link BasementStudios wrote: That's a pretty big blanket satement. Nov 28 05 03:56 pm Link Eventually, everyone has to teach themselves. Some photographers go to seminars regularly, but have seen no proportionate increase in skill or technique. I think some people are just too afraid to break the mould. Education is good, but the most important thing is that the photographer should have a practical knowledge and familiarity with the technical aspects of the field. An eye for beauty is not necessary so much as a knack for symmetry, style and movement, not to mention lighting. Nov 28 05 04:04 pm Link I'm somewhere in the middle - I began with drawing and design classes at my community college but then took both beginning and intermediate classes in both B&W and Digital Photography, but that's about it; I'd hardly consider myself proficient in either (photography : - ) ). As of now I've quit photography classes and am off on my own, experimenting, seeing what I like and don't like, what works for me and what doesn't. I have the basics down, now let me go! (A 35mm Film guy by the way). Photography is more of a hobby for me right now; I don't make money off of it. I freelance cartoons at the moment, but, unless your syndicated that doesn't rake in the bucks, so I'm torn between the two. If I pursue photography professionally I'd be interested in fine art instead of commercial work. Paul Nov 28 05 05:21 pm Link I have a Doctorate in BS... no wait.. *d@mnit!* Nov 28 05 05:56 pm Link Self Taught as many others would say my learning came from hands on mistakes and a few books for technical advice. Nov 28 05 07:38 pm Link almost completely self teached ( ok i did b&w darkroom stuff in year 10 all those years ago! ) until i went down to the local professional photography studio one day and asked the boss photographer guy if he hires graduates or students and which is the best place to learn etc, and he said hell no i wouldn't hire them if my life depends on it.. so i asked him what he looks for then and he said show me your work, and he checked it out and hired me on the spot, part time since i was still at school at that stage. Since then i have learned all aspects of his business too, like closing sales deals, marketing, cold-calling for new clients, makeup ( just kidding ! ), and studio work as his photographer. I'm still working part time for him and trying to start my own three studios up now, i run a custom bike/model poster business and i have just started putting together workshops and group shoots with over a dozen models, 2 pro mua's and 10 interested togs involved so far, 1st one is due to kick off mid Jan! if you have a passion for this stuff, forget the schools etc, find a old tog to take you under his wing and learn everything you can off them, and then teach them some new tricks, like digital and what a computer is  later Rexy Nov 28 05 07:40 pm Link UdoR wrote: I've shot weddings, a total of 7, 5 of the 7 were BRIDEZILLAS.....OMG they were the worst of the worst and the mothers were as bad. The money is there, no doubt, I have a friend that's all he shoots, makes a TON of money, I work with him from time to time and I just can't do it, I can't put up with the crap that you have to put up with....just not worth it to me. Nov 28 05 07:48 pm Link geodiego wrote: BasementStudios wrote: That's a pretty big blanket satement. It's only a blanket statement it I said EVERYONE should feel that way, that's why I phrased it with I THINK, just an opinion, neither right nor wrong, just what I think about it. Most of my ad work is with Sterling Jewelers, (JB Robinson, Kay, etc) Sterling is the parent company. A furrier out of Columbus I have done some catalog and brochure work for and others. geodiego wrote: LOL.....funny man! not less pressure, just different. Nov 28 05 07:56 pm Link Went to college to be an investment broker like my old man, got a degree in Economics and decided I didn't want to invest other people's money for a living. After a year in management and then a couple of years teaching, I quit to in favor of more creative pursuits. I decided on photography. Spent the following 6 months or so reading every photography book I could get my hands on to soak up concepts I couldn't understand without a camera in hand. Eventually, I got a camera and began shooting. And the images were pure shit. Several trials, errors, books read, wasted rolls of film, and patient models later... here I am. I think my imagery has improved from "pure shit" to "just plain crap." I plan on going to get another degree somewhere on down the line, this time in photograhy. Still teaching myself. Still learning. Nov 28 05 08:15 pm Link Glad to see another economist turned photographer on here. I got my BA in econ and business mgmt. worked in financial services and was miserable. started moonlighting as a photo editor, then made the jump to a working pro shooter. I've never taken a proper photo class, but have read a ton, assisted a little and just shot alot. I met with a chair at the ICP here in NYC to go over my work, talk about getting an MFA. I told her i felt that in order for me to take my work to the next level, and to get a lot of jobs/shows/etc that i absolutely had to go back to school and get the formal degree. She told me that was complete bullsh!t to think that. (keep in mind this is from someone who teaches a graduate program) she said sure, the degree is nice to have, will maybe open some doors or facilitate networking a little better, but when you get down to it, all that matters are the merits of your work and your desire to succeed. hearing this woman suggest just shooting everyday and taking that 30k to spend on equip/travel/technique could be worth so much more made me stop and think. if you have it in you, have drive and ideas, then you dont need a professor telling you what to shoot or suggesting how to shoot it. the only thing i feel i am missing out on is having a forum for critique from peers, but still i am happy i decided to not go back for formal training just yet. Sometimes i think i wasted money on an undergrad degree that im not using and wished i had gone to art school, but then again, i wouldnt be where i am now. theres something to be said for life experience and figuring out things on your own, in your own time. Nov 28 05 10:47 pm Link I am self taught. I started with a Brownie many moons ago. I have my own businesses so aside from corporate shoots I do TFCD or pay the model. mark Nov 28 05 11:00 pm Link Self-taught? Always thought that was a rather misleading term. At age 11, I quit piano lessons. A year later, I was fired from guitar lessons (I think I've made more as a guitarist this year than all my other dead-end careers combined). I quit high school at 17 (and again at 19!) and never graduated. At 35(?) I was diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Me and school never really hit it off. That said, I certainly hope I'm still learning... I read constantly (always have) and ponder incessantly - when I do bend a more experienced pro's ear, it's with well-considered and pointed questions. I learned dodging and burning from watching over my little brother's and another friend's shoulder, as much as you can watch somebody in the dark! I shouldn't have dated myself by talking about film; I imagine you'd all be kinder to my lack of progress if you thought I bought my first camera this week! I think formal education, if one can avoid the pitfalls of rigidity of thinking or facts-vs-intructor's-opinions, will get you where you're going more efficiently than my method (learn evrything by reading, osmosis and trial-and-error, for years and years and years). But alas, it doesn't work for me. Still, the notion that I'm "self-taught", in anything, is amusing. Contrary to the assumption of some of my friends (with different learning styles), I don't "create knowledge" out of thin air. Sometimes I think of self-taught as "stealing all of your tricks when you're not looking". Lapis wrote: Some photographs are just not good test-takers. Assure them it doesn't mean they're "dumb". In my experience (and I may be over-generalizing), B&W 8x10 prints (especially satin or matte) tend to have better concentration and study skills, where Polaroids, for example, prefer to fly by the seat of their pants (but excel at thinking on their toes). If your photos are feeling depressed about their academic progress, remind them that there's room for all different types of... Oops! I think I just exceeded the bandwidth limits for dry absurdist "humor". Nov 29 05 03:43 pm Link Self Taught with a little help here and again from my friends who also where self taught, go figure Nov 29 05 03:51 pm Link I started out self taught and then followed it up with college courses and then worked freelance with a Master Photographer here and there. Still a lot to learn though and now I guess I am back to being self taught so to speak (books) and forums such as this. Nov 29 05 03:56 pm Link I didn't go to school for photography,... but I learned on my own from reading photography magazines and books, plus working as a commercial photographer's assistant for several local commercial photographers.. One worked with the local paper for 25 years before he went freelance, and another was an art professor, and learned photography innitially to document his works,...and then learned how to make money with it,... then moved to NYC, and shot for several fashion magazines, and then moved back to WI to be closer to his family..and became established here as a commercial photog..because around here, we have a much different market.. I worked for them, often for a burger and fries, if that.. but I learned a LOT by watching them,... and asking tons of questions.. and the more interested I was in what they were doing,...the effort they put into teaching me.. I have learned so much that I couldn't possibly learn in a classroom IMO... Several interns have reflected those same thoughts too.. The rout I took was a lot of work and sacrafice, but I am here now,...self employed as a freelance photographer...so I guess it works.. JP Nov 29 05 06:35 pm Link I studied the work of a guy named JP on a site called G.G.. He's from Minnesota, It think. He likes to stir it up and is a bit of an ass at times, but I've seen some of his "non-glamour" shots, like guys on a bike, race cars, etc. and he really is quite talented. I think he shoots Canon though, and that's a deal breaker for me, cuz I love my Nikon stuff. If you can get past his need to turn a photography site into political commentary, he's really quite knowledgeable. Mark Nov 29 05 06:56 pm Link VirtuaMike wrote: I left art school because being in a structured learning environment was slower (and incredibly more expensive) than learning on my own. But that was for a different major. Maybe photography's different. Nov 29 05 07:22 pm Link On this post, I want to thank all of you for your interesting, insightful and humorous responses. I see allot of good work out there, I just get nauseous when certain family members are " all about college" like if you don't take a class you some how less than them. It's funny but I seems like as a society, even when you listen to commercials that the inference is if you want to " be somebody" and amount to something you have to go to college. I don't knock college, but there are allot of educated people out there number one not employed or underpaid for their training, or changed careers completely. Personally, I wanted to go to college, but no go $$$, I have always been a "big thinker" big vision, big picture....but began to refine my interests and goals.... I love to hear about others stories though- Thanks for sharing...keep it up! this is good stuff Nov 29 05 07:23 pm Link well i went to columbia for photography (when it was still good at the tail end of the NG photographerds era), but bailed on photography becuas eri hated film. Took up digital video then 3D animation. So even though i havent touch a camera in almost 15 years, i worked in a virtual camera and had to recreate enviroments. So i probably know more geeky techical photography then most photoographers, but the real world works totally oppsite (real world you try to make everything prefect / digital world you try to make everything imprect.) So i just picked up a digital camera for months ago or so, and been selft taught on learning how to do real wolrd potography agian. So that my story! ==B) Nov 29 05 07:42 pm Link im in high school so i took a few photo classes, but i didn't learn much in there because i dunno i only took the classes to get elective credit out of the way hahah. im pretty much self-taught i guess Nov 29 05 07:46 pm Link I've been to two seminars. So largely self taught. I don't have as much of a problem with "self taught". While much theory has come from books, you can read every book on portrait and glamour photography and still run a lousy shoot and take mediocre images. Trust me I've been there Directing and lighting take practice.Nov 29 05 08:59 pm Link Self taught with a little help. About 3 years ago another MM photographer was kind enough to spend a couple days showing me some basic stuff and from there it was trial & error, lots of practice, a patient model & a friend or two to bounce ideas off. I still need lots of help but still progressing & learning. ;-) Nov 29 05 09:08 pm Link Bustamante wrote: Okay...not to embarass R. Bustamante...but...I remember when he first joined Photosig and the first images that he posted of his (and my) favorite model...Tina Grant. Ahem, I'm not going to say they weren't good but.....over the years of watching his work, he is proof that "self teaching" works and works very well. Nov 29 05 09:14 pm Link BasementStudios wrote: Okay...not to embarass R. Bustamante...but...I remember when he first joined Photosig and the first images that he posted of his (and my) favorite model...Tina Grant. Ahem, I'm not going to say they weren't good but.....over the years of watching his work, he is proof that "self teaching" works and works very well. LOL...no embarassment here! I know when I look back at my work....I go "damn, did I really shoot that?" & "WTF was I thinking" Thanks for the laugh! Nov 29 05 09:24 pm Link I got into photography in a rather round-a-bout way. My love was always for sports photography -- I loved everything about it. But as the lenses got bigger and the costs got higher... I decided this "hobby" was too expensive for me. I shot models purely for subjects for traditional art projects -- drawings and paintings. I saw photography as a way to avoid having models pose for extended periods of time. One such model would tell me about her experiences and how she worked with several formally trained photogs whose work was just plain awful. She liked my eye and my fertile imagination and said go for it. I sought out two photographers whos work I admired and was mentored by both in the technical aspects. So I'd say I'm "self-learning" as opposed to "self taught" which implies there's nothing more to learn. And I hope the learning never ends. Nov 29 05 09:30 pm Link Self taught by getting what I could from books, then the hands-on trial and error. Shot a ton of shit, and learned bit by bit. Nov 29 05 10:13 pm Link Master Image Photograph wrote: I'm self-taught. I wanted to do it, I wanted it so badly that I taught myself how to do it. Nov 29 05 10:25 pm Link Master Image Photograph wrote: 1. I am. Nov 29 05 10:26 pm Link Wow 90% self taught, that makes me feel like a complete moron because Im stuck in a rut Nov 29 05 11:15 pm Link *raises hand* Yep, learning without an instructor. I bought my husband a camera for his birthday a couple of years ago, and I took it on vacation to Colorado, and they turned out very well. I guess that's when I really actually started paying attention to cameras, but it wasn't untill around June of this year that I began digging in, buying books, saving for something other than a P&S... Do I wish I could go to school and learn at least the basic aspects? Absolutely. I feel I'd be a lot farther ahead than I am now. But there's a sense of pride at being able to learn on your own, in my mind. ~Mary Nov 30 05 11:28 am Link camptown wrote: I must be in the same class. Nov 30 05 11:44 am Link I went to school for a degree in Business Management... ended up with dual degrees in business and fine art. My pasion is art mainly painting but anytype of art will do... I got into photography by needing photo reference of my models...so setting up models for my painting got me into lighting and what i wanted to see on canvas.. from there creating new images with the camera became the next step Nov 30 05 11:55 am Link i actually did go to art school to learn cine a long while ago, but i'd never recommend it over just doing your thing and trying to develop something thats uniquely yours. schools can't teach you a point of view, so you gotta work that out on your own. i find studying fashion mags like zink and w really helpful, seeing how the really great ones approach a subject. Nov 30 05 11:59 am Link Pull up a chair............ I have always had a camera since my 127 Brownie days in 2nd grade. Got a Maxxum 7000 for graduation (1985) and started taking more and more nature pix. Learned almost all I know from the "Wildlife photographer's field guide" by John Shaw. Still love shooting nature see www.pbase.com/fitpix for some examples! Model photography is a better story: I was working for Cord Camera in Worthington Ohio when I guy named Scott (aka Michael Scott) came in with a few rolls of prints. Well I saw them come through the lab and there was a bunch of shots of Lou Ferrigno. I had always been a big Lou fan, way before the Hulk days and followed bodybuilding heavily (pun?) in the 80s. Well I had seen the ads in MuscleMag, Flex and Muscle and fitness for a barbell company in Columbus and put 2 and 2 together. So I hid his pix. Now to ge them I would have to "find them" for him and then I could ask about Lou. Well Scott came in a couple hours later, I took care of him and we gabbed about bodybuilding etc. He asked if I did any shooting and I said I did. Of course it was flowers and waterfalls etc. He invited me down to the warehouse to do some test shots of equipment. In two days I had to wrangle up some flash unit, a flash meter, a medium format camera and some quick knowledge. The flash units and meter were taken care of by a friend who had a novatron 3 head kit and a minolta meter. I rented a Mamiya 645 system from Midwest Photo Exchange and my friend told me the basics. Well I was shooting the various pieces of equipment he had, studying the polaroids and watching as 2 models were being shot across the warehouse from me. Soon the other photog left and I expected to pack up myself and leave after showing him the polaroids. Well, as fate would have it he came over w the two women and introduced me to Kim Paul and Jaque Wang. In the early days of the fitness model craze they were HUGE. After the usual nice-to-meet-yous he told me to get se up and it was my turn. MY TURN? WHAAAAT? So now I was a nervous wreck and set up on a mottled grey background. Well after 90 minutes he asked my rate (I had no clue so asked what the other guy got and went for half....$75 an hour) and paid me. So in the week after the shoot he called me and had me come down to see the slides. He ended up printing 5 posters from the shoot (in the days before the internet went big he made $ selling posers) and used other shots in his ads in magazines. I ended up with pix in MuscleMag, Pump, Muscular Development, Parillo Performance, Great Lakes Fitness Guide and a other magazine and catalogs from my time w him and the Michael Scott Agency. I ended up leaving in 2002 and have been doing more traditional stuff since. ok....that's my story! Dec 01 05 08:39 am Link MarkMarek wrote: And the other is one of my teachers. Dec 01 05 08:44 am Link i'm a "n00b." i'm not even majoring in anything right now because i'm 18. but hey, there's room to grow, i say. and i rhyme. Dec 03 05 02:27 am Link Master Image Photograph wrote: Aye! Dec 03 05 02:31 am Link |
