Hello, .
A lot of photographers I meet don't think that they're
photographers.
If you're one of those photographers, I want to let you know that you are a photographer, and don't let anyone tell ya any different.
I met a photographer recently who seemed annoyed with a lot of photographers.
They said that anyone using a camera thinks they're a photographer.
The implication is that some of us ain't photographers.
I wanted to avoid getting into it with him because he appeared to think highly of his expensive camera and himself as a photographer.
I imagine he believed that the rest of us running around taking pictures with our phones and less costly cameras couldn't create photographs nearly as good as
his.
He probably also thought that since our equipment is basic, we can't be good photographers who produce good pictures.
In other words, he thinks he's using a REAL camera, and the rest of us are posers.
Of course,
nothing can be further than the truth.
Here's the truth.
If we're making photographs, we're photographers.
Whether we are photographers or not has nothing to do with what camera we use.
It's
simple.
As soon as we take a picture, regardless of the camera we use, by default, we're photographers.
So, now that we've established ourselves as photographers simply because we're making photographs, the question becomes, are we good photographers?
And that question can't be genuinely answered by anyone but ourselves.
If we think we can be better photographers, it's only our answer to how we can be better photographers that will guide us in our studies and practice.
For example, if we feel our pictures are frequently unintentionally unsharp or blurry, we've gotta understand why that happens.
Out of that identification of what we don't understand comes a spotlight on what we need to work on in our studies and practice.
After we've applied ourselves in our studies and practice, we've become better photographers because, in the example two paragraphs above, we now understand why our pictures are unsharp or blurry.
This process continues over and over again.
No matter how long we've been making pictures, and regardless of the equipment we work with, there's always room for improvement.
But remember, It's not for anyone but ourselves to define how or why we need improvement.
Because even though we use the same tools and procedures to make photographs, our way of photography is and should remain
unique to each of us.
Of course, if we need help improving our photography, we should get help.
However, it's up to us to inform the teacher how to help us improve.
In other words, before the teacher teaches, they need to learn how we believe we need improvement, and then the teacher should develop a course of studies and practice to get us to where we want to be.
And the process continues throughout our life.
And in continuing that process, we never get bored with our work or become disgruntled photographers.
We keep making photographs and becoming better photographers.
You can learn to use your camera in aperture and shutter
priority modes by taking the Getting To Know Your Camera class or with a private lesson.
If you'd like to work in manual exposure mode, you can register for the Introduction to Photography class or with a series of four hours of private lessons.
Whatever you wanna do, I'll be here to help you be a better photographer.
I'll help you be a better photographer—study and practice photography with me.
Currently scheduled classes are below.
Smaller classes mean better learning, so class sizes are limited to 5 participants plus me.
But smaller classes also mean spots fill up quicker, so sign up soon.
And what if the timing doesn't work for
you in any of my scheduled group classes? Private in-person or online lessons suited to your schedule are always an option.
And remember, we learn and improve by doing, so practice making at least one picture daily.
That's all for now; thanks for reading!
Sam
