Where do you stop?

One year ago I knew practically nothing about photography. Still... looking through my old folders I have some very nice photos, taken in Auto mode
Last year I became more interested and I decided to do one part-time photography course.
I have completed four courses by now - Intermediate, Dynamic, Expressive and Photoshop. I'm on a list for the Fine Art course.
I stopped buying decorating magazines to buy photo magazines, which I read from cover to cover.
I upgraded to a Canon 40D and Photoshop CS3.
My point is... the more I learn the more I realize I know nothing.
I do not aspire to be a professional photographer, just a better photographer. I wanted to keep this as a hobby but it's fast becoming an addiction.
Please don't say "Welcome to the world of photography"

You can learn just as much on these forums and other forums as you can taking courses. Dont stop learning. Just dont pay someone to teach you things that you can learn on your own all the time. Read books. Practice. Expiriment. Develop your own style, not your instructors.

What do you mean "stop"?

I keep learning every day. IMO ingnorance isn't bliss

One of the things I've learned is, that spending money is not the best nor fastest way to better images.
Get to know what you have, learn its limitations, and take some nice images.

But above all: Have fun!

Photography is like golf or bowling. It’s easy and anyone can do it… But the more you know, the more you realize you have to yet to learn and it never stops.

gjl711 wrote in post #5696250
Photography is like golf or bowling. It’s easy and anyone can do it… But the more you know, the more you realize you have to yet to learn and it never stops.

Bowling is easy, I think I am going to buy a new bowling ball and join the pros. Should I get that powder stuff and a wrist brace thing?

And the better you get, the more you want to improve! And the more you want to improve, the harder you'll try.

I just went from Rebel to 5D. I was comfortable with the Rebel. I took some awesome shots with the Rebel. I could do everything without looking with the Rebel. Why, oh why, did I buy the 5D?

My shots now look like those first shots from a little girl with her first Instamatic! I can't do diddly. I can't read the disply without glasses. I can't find anything. And there's so much more stuff to obfuscate what I'm looking for!

But I want the best Rebel shots out of my 5D, so I'm muddling through, RTFM and taking shots of Canada geese (dearth of ducks in OK right now!).

And I agree, this was supposed to be a hobby.

I wonder if that's what the meth addict says?!?!?!

a_kraker99 wrote in post #5696235
You can learn just as much on these forums and other forums as you can taking courses. Dont stop learning. Just dont pay someone to teach you things that you can learn on your own all the time. Read books. Practice. Expiriment. Develop your own style, not your instructors.

I would disagree with this statement, You cant say that you can learn just as much on these forums or from books as you can from taking a class. People learn different, some people can read about something and pick it up, others have different ways they learn better. For them having someone if front of them real time to ask questions and maybe explain the same thing in a different way works for them.

I would never discourage someone from taking a course or class. Not everyone learns the same way. If you read something and you dont know what the means, then you have to look that up somewhere and read about that, then you may find something in that writing that you don't understand then you have to look that up. You can end up searching for all kinds of stuff just to understand one thing you are reading about.

Im not saying it cant be learned that way, but like I said I would never discourage someone from taking a class.

Right Cranium Imaging wrote in post #5696307
I would disagree with this statement, You cant say that you can learn just as much on these forums or from books as you can from taking a class. People learn different, some people can read about something and pick it up, others have different ways they learn better. For them having someone if front of them real time to ask questions and maybe explain the same thing in a different way works for them.

I would never discourage someone from taking a course or class. Not everyone learns the same way. If you read something and you dont know what the means, then you have to look that up somewhere and read about that, then you may find something in that writing that you don't understand then you have to look that up. You can end up searching for all kinds of stuff just to understand one thing you are reading about.

Im not saying it cant be learned that way, but like I said I would never discourage someone from taking a class.

It is definately alot harder to learn that way. I should have mentioned that. Instructors can teach you things that you never though about learning in the first place.
I am just saying that becuase there are so many people that think that in order to be a photographer you need to go to school for it.

One thing that I am doing is developing my own style, well...not developing, sharpening.
Isn't it amazing that one picture can be absolutely wonderful, dull, insignificant, etc? depending on the person looking at them?
My husband does not enjoy my style and my sons absolutely love it.
So I guess I'll keep on taking photographs that appeal to me and a few other people. It shouldn't be important but recognition and appreciation are huge factors in encouragement.
I love photographing water drops on a shower bench, rusted junkyard pieces, bottle corks, old books ans so on. This appeals to me, makes me more creative and to look beyond the attractive.
I did learn a lot in those photo courses and those courses played a role in taking it further, like reading photo magazines, photo books, forums and joining a photo club.
Thank you all for your posts.
It is addictive though!

betty1704, You will be dead for a lot longer than you will be alive.

Take pictures now of how you will want to be remembered.

Get out there now and turn it up.

Or you could just hang around waiting for some good advice

Steve

a_kraker99 wrote in post #5696599
...becuase there are so many people that think that in order to be a photographer you need to go to school for it.

I don't know anyone who thinks that. Everyone I know thinks you just buy a camera and start taking pictures. BTW, from what I have seen, that is the consensus of about 95+% of the people on this forum.

The more you shoot the more you learn.Play around with your camera setting's and see what you get, Digital is great because you are not spending money on film like i did many many years ago and having to wait to see what i shot. You will be surprize how much you will learn just by shooting and getting help on this fourm. In time it will be second nature when you put the camera up to your face ready to take a shot. Have fun with it. pos

I would like to say that I am FAR better taking photos than I am at bowling. I can't even bowl on a Wii.

a_kraker99 wrote in post #5696269
Bowling is easy, I think I am going to buy a new bowling ball and join the pros. Should I get that powder stuff and a wrist brace thing?

Don't bother. The powder and wrist brace in bowling are equivalent to L lenses and tripods that cost over $50, they're totally unnecessary and most pros just carry them around for the looks.

Don't stop! I love photography. If you have the time and money for the hobby and it doesn't get in the way of anything, keep going. Your style may change if you decide to shoot different subject matter, and perhaps your husband will like it then. But regardless, shoot what inspires you and you enjoy. Theres nothing wrong with taking courses to speed up the learning process. I've just learned stuff on my own, but I know I'd be ahead if I had someone teach me. I've been shooting with my DSLR since christmas, almost 9000clicks on it so far. While my pictures aren't bad, they could be better (winter doesn't help though, lots of boring indoor pics and "test" pics).