So, you've got a brand new camera but have never used it, and you want to take a group photography class with it.
Please don’t do that, it’s a bad move.
I understand why we wanna do it.
Getting a new camera is exciting, and we want to learn to get the most out of it and improve our photography.
But going headfirst into a class, especially a group class, before we’ve even turned the camera on, put in a memory card/film, have a fully charged battery, and set up the most basic information like date, geolocation, etc., isn’t the best thing to do.
Still, even if it’s a private lesson, we’re probably better off doing it ourselves.
If we need help, we can go to a camera store and ask them to help us set the camera up so it’s ready to use.
Private lessons ain’t cheap, and why pay someone a lot of money to do what we could’ve done ourselves, or have someone at a camera store help us for free?
And then, after it’s ready to use, what could it hurt to make some pictures?
It can be frustrating and discouraging for the person with the brand-new camera they’ve never used and everybody else in the class, too, if a chunk of the limited time of the group class was spent helping someone get their camera set up and
ready to use, especially when everyone else is ready to go.
Allow me to expand on this.
What’s the use of waiting?
When we attend a photography class without having fiddled with our new camera, we’re missing out on the most useful kind of learning—the kind
that’s experiential and leads to some misunderstandings and mistakes.
If we haven’t even put in a battery and powered the machine on, we don’t know what we don’t know we don’t know.
Every menu, dial, and button is a big question mark.
And spending time in a class with one person, figuring out where things are instead of learning how to use them to make pictures, is an unwise use of the group's time, especially when the rest of the group already knows how to do that and is ready to move on to the bigger and better things.
Some of this is understandable.
I’ve worked with photographers in group classes who’ve been using their cameras for a while, but are surprised to find out that they have multiple focusing modes, focusing areas, exposure modes, etc.
The difference is that they were familiar with how to use their cameras.
They know how to insert a battery, a memory card, and the shutter release to
make a picture, even if it’s in fully automatic exposure mode.
Even though they feel they know nothing, the fact that they could use the camera to make a picture is much more than they knew when they took it out of the box.
That’s the place we should all be when we take a class.
A lot of value comes from the frustrating confusion we experience when trying things on our own.
That’s where the most important questions come from.
When we’ve tried to change an aperture or a shutter speed and ended up in the wrong menu, or we don’t know if our picture’s blurry from using too slow of a shutter speed or if it’s unsharp because we don’t out we don’t understand how to use the
focusing modes and focusing areas-that’s the kind of stuff that frustrates us and yet peaks our curiosity and primed us for learning.
Our Questions Are Our
Guidance
When we’ve never used the camera and show up for a class with it, it’s like showing up for a cooking class without ever having boiled water.
When we play with our camera first and get familiar with it, we’ll have specific questions when we walk into a class: Why are my pictures too dark? Why are my pictures too bright? Why do they look out of focus? Why do they look blurry?
Remember, a class is most useful when it helps answer questions about using our cameras, frustration with compositional outcomes, and misinterpreting camera ergonomics and operation.
Plus, we’ll get more out of the class if we’re not stuck trying to do basic camera setup and functions like inserting a memory card or battery, etc.
We’ll be ready to learn about the relationship between camera operation,
composition, and light, which helps us make better pictures.
Study, Practice, and Then Get Some Help
I always suggest that photographers familiarize themselves with their cameras before working with me.
I advised them to make some pictures- it doesn’t matter what kind, but it would be helpful if the photographs were meaningful to them.
Get frustrated, confused, make mistakes, and get curious; all this will happen automatically by using the camera and taking pictures.
That frustration, confusion, and curiosity, combined with our familiarity with our cameras, will ensure we’re an ideal place to get the most out of a photography class.
Many photographers at this stage in their evolution benefit from my Photography Basics (Introduction To Photography) classes because I help them make the connection between camera operation, composition, and light.
The
confusion and frustration come to an end, and the confidence shows up.
If you want something more specific to your needs, there are always Private Lessons or my Online Learning Platform, where you can study and practice at your own pace after you’ve had some hands-on time with your camera.
Bottom line:
Don’t wait for a class to get started.
The best way to learn is to jump in, mess up, and take a class when
stuck.
That’s how we become better photographers.
Stay curious, keep making pictures, and if you’ve got something you wanna ask me about photography, just reply to this email and let me know.
I’ll help you become
a better photographer by studying and practicing photography.
The current schedule of classes is below. And what if the timing doesn’t work for you in any of my in-person group classes? In-person private lessons suited to your schedule are
always an option.
Keep studying and practicing, and when you’re ready, work with me, and I’ll help you become the photographer you wanna be.
