Photography Education - Beginner Resources
One of my good friends saw a personal photo I posted on Facebook and asked me "How do you get the Christmas lights out of focus?"
A simple question, but it totally hooked me! I spent the next few minutes messaging back and forth, showing a couple of examples and encouraging her to try some things using her own camera.
Ultimately, we decided on setting up a short in-person lesson next weekend (so excited!) but the conversation got my brain whirring.
There are a TON of fantastic photography education resources out there these days. I first got interested in photography back in 2011, and through a combination of online research, in-person classes, workshops, and practicepracticepractice I've come a long way.
Some of my favorite education resources include:
- PhotographyLife - When asking those beginning questions like "What is aperture?" this site is full of helpful articles and reference images. I've probably read every article here over the last few years. :)
- Photography Concentrate - This is a more recent find of mine, and it's been INCREDIBLE. The tutorials and blog posts here are phenomenal and immediately useful!
- Clickin Moms - Once you're ready to move past the basics, this site is full of amazing resources, including workshops & breakouts hosted by leaders in the photography world (and usually they are moms too!)
- SLR Lounge - I love their free articles and resources! I haven't yet purchased a workshop or paid content, but I'm planning on including more education for myself in 2017.
- Creative Live - This is a huge resource of educational materials!
Ultimately, the best way to learn is to TRY. Ideally, try at a time when you can jot down notes about your settings and what works/doesn't work. This basic method of guess-and-check still works for me to this day as I try new gear and want to figure it out.