Did you take a photo class (yes its a poll)

[Gary Sheynkman]

With all these enthusiast here...i wonted to know where did you get your knowledge. Was it a class? Did you read the manual to your SLR 5 times in order to get the lens detached from the body?


please tell :wink: :arrow: :!:

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

It's called thinking about what you're doing, what you've done, and what you will do. =P

Also reading well written articles, and talking with people who know their stuff.

[Suhit Gupta]

I have always been in love with taking photographs. I started taking a photography class in college (a few years ago) but had to drop out after my advisor "recommended" I do so, due to my majors' course load. I really feel now that I should have continued then. I am at Columbia Univ. now and the Photography courses pretty much fill up as soon as they are open. :(

I have, unfortunately, learned by taking lots of pictures and reading manuals and books. So, I feel like I have spent an awfully long time trying to figure out what I do wrong or correctly with each photograph, perhaps taking a class would have helped. Often I will document certain settings I choose on paper so that I can go back and take a look at the results.

And as yslee points out, it is not only important to spend time learning from your mistakes and truly thinking about results, but it is just as important to spend time reading materials available in books or the web. I have often gone to Barnes & Noble and spent the afternoon in the Photography section perusing through books teaching technique and style. There are several documents on the web as well where professionals will post tips. It is important to keep up with all of this whether or not you have taken a class. IMHO.

Suhit

[Godsongz]

I took a photography class in my junior year of high school back in the early '80s (and then a videography class during the senior year). They would bus us off campus to a studio 5 miles away for the 1st and 2nd period every day. I think I probably signed up for the class because I was just a goofball slacker and saw this as a chance to cut my time in school but I quickly got the bug and took it seriously. As a result of those classes (and the bug) I ended up working in television and film production for nearly 10 years, and though I'm now a professional computer geek there is no doubt about how that experience has shaped my life.

[Russell]

I took a class in high school that was mostly b/w. Today, I mostly dream about being a photographer, and my camera was stolen a few years back. I never actually replaced it, and knowing me, I might have just lost it.:oops: But, I am pretty sure somebody took it .

[Godsongz]

Thats awful. I have two other friends who have had equipment stolen recently, no fun. One of them was actually my first SLR that I had given to a friend 15 years ago (after I'd used it for 7 years), a Pentax K1000 with a few lenses, a flash, bunch of filters, and of course all in a convenient bag. Swiped right off his kitchen table while he was even in the house. He heard the back door slam and when he went to look, no Pentax. woof. The other friend had a car window smashed and his Olympus SLR swiped from the back seat while he was kayaking.

EDIT: Sorry, this is a thread about camera classes... heheh <slap self>

[Paul Martin]

I took a class in college...and dropped out when it was going to be more work that I had time for! :D I started with a small Kodak point and shoot (126 film cartridge..yeah baby!) Got an SLR for my high school graduation and that's been my main camera before the digital came along. I really have a very weak knowedge of f-stops and other important photog stuff...I'm hoping hanging around here will do me some good. 8)

[groan]

i recieved my first camera (a 110) at the age of 10 and moved up from there. my first SLR was a Nikon FG at the age or 14 or 15. i neve rlooked back. I took a college course for professonal photography (covered most aspects from model photographe and studio work to processing and priting slides.

i wish i were there now...covering all things digital!

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Fwah, a 110! Haven't seen those for a very long time! Cute cameras, those. Especially that Pentax SLR, kawaii-ness!!!

[Don Tolson]

I'm kind of a gadget geek and really got hooked on digital imagery back in the days of MSPaint, Adobe Illustrator, etc. Once the digital cameras started getting into the 3 megapixel range, I immediately threw away the film...and haven't looked back.

I do look fondly tho, at the digital SLRs out now, but my wallet (regularly emptied by family requirements) just can't go there just yet (we're getting close tho, with the EOS 300D!)

[backpackerx]

I took a self taught class :D My Junior year of college I read every book I could find in the library (25+) and experimented with my SLR. My Senior year I was the yearbook photographer and learned even more on my school's film budget :) <----that's the way to go for those of you in college or high school, get someone else to pay for it while you learn.

I recently got into digital photography so much of it translates but some of the technical terms etc. doesn't.

[socrates63]

My uncle is a part-time professional photographer, and I picked up my photography interest from him. He gave me an introduction to stuff like exposures, and I read books and articles from then on.

I've been a frequent lurker at PPCThoughts, and this site is very exciting. Looking forward to things and taking part more actively.