learning photograpy

hey folks.. since i'm not down w/ the esoterica (you like that, huh?) of the photography threa,d i figured i'd give this a shot.

i was wondering if anyone could suggest any sites (prefferable) or books for learning photography (w/ an slr). there's 100s of websites, so i was wondering if anyone could suggest the better ones.

yeah, i could just 'fuck around,' but i don't wanna spend 3 years learning something i could have learned in 3 monthes, had i learned a different technique before hand (it's easier to learn the steps of tying your shoes, than how the knot is structured)

appreciate any help, thankee :jpotato:

take a photo class at a community college. i learned more about screenprinting in six weeks there than i did in two years making patches in my mom's garage.

i dont mind taking a little longer, and doing a little dicking around, but i don't want to do it needlessly (block on)

i hate how every thread i ask for help in, inevitably gets geared towards me as an individual, when i'm try to portray it as a representation of a group.

the medium is the message

um, okay...

so everybody who is learning something new should at least get their feet wet while having their hand held by someone who knows what they're doing, just to give you an idea of what you're getting into.

is that better? your last post confused the hell out of me.

Your (and that's a 'you' in the mass sense) best bet is to check out the major magazine sites for their 'how-to' sections. They'll have a lot of useful info for everyone of all levels. Plus there's usually a forum that is chock full o' tips, tricks, and help.... (plus you can read the fun photographic equivalent of "where can i get caps?" and "how do you make a pilot?" type shit).

Here's a start:

Popular Photography: always a good place to start. Tons of stuff.

PhotoLinks: if you can't find it here, chances are you're not looking hard enough. Clicking around is gold.

The thing with photography is (especially now that digital is so dominant) that there is A LOT to learn and people don't really want to learn a craft anymore. The basics are, well, basic, but they take a little studying and internalization. I don't think one can ever be 'complete' as a photographer; there's just so much out there that can be done to an image. Still, once you get the basics (talking and shooting with other photographers helps here too), it's retardedly fun. Frustration is always looming but stick to it.

hey Vanity. I'm pretty much on the same boat as you are.

I took a photography class like a year ago, but my school was fairly new.... So it was just added, and I was in their very first class... so we had fun, but didn't learn much. Now a shitload of quarters later, I see photos around school in our lil glass cases that students took and im allllllllll amazaed and intrigued... and wish I had that class NOW.

But i've been starting to develope my own film again which is fun. Yesterday I went to the library and browsed some books on photography.... have u tried going to the library yet??? we'll that should help a lil.

:o good luck!

Originally posted by gfreshsushi

take a photo class at a community college. i learned more about screenprinting in six weeks there than i did in two years making patches in my mom's garage.

my advice as well

well, i didn't want to just go into the library and pick up some random book; cause, well, some books suck, and i don't want to get a poor foundation

sorry for confusing you g, :p

thanks car

im in the same boat vanity.

i figure its kinda like graff tho, all the reading/instruction/tips/etc. pale in comparison to going out and busting out tons of shitty rolls. hopefully one day i might improve. maybe with photography too. ;)

the book i bought was:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...=glance&s=books

pretty good. thorough but written for the layman.

so what's the equivalent of bombing? upskirts? :D

when writers learn graffiti they don't go and take college courses so keep it the same way with this

you go to class where a teacher destines your work into their viewpoint thus making you their little photograph

Word Vanity, there is SO MUCH out there on photography that it's somtimes hard to distinguish between the good and the bad. The main thing (like graffiti, and the comparisons don't end here) is to look at as much as you can and figure out what you like and why. From there you can really unpack the image and figure out just how they were done and why they were done that way. One good thing to keep in mind if you head to the library (god forbid ;) ) is to look at books that are somewhat older. A lot of the stuff from the 60s, 70s, and 80s carries over and, in many cases, is more informative for the beginner. That is, there is a stong focus on the core basics like metering, depth of field, exposure, shutter speed, and so on (which, always keep in mind, are all interrelated).

Unfortunately photography and graffiti are only so similar before splitting far apart, obviously. You can steal paint, you can steal film, but processing (unless you life some chemicals and do it yourself) isn't cheap.As for teaching, well, aren't there a bunch of graffiti classes at boys & girls clubs out west? But I digress...

yeah.. i don't really like the comparison... photography is way more accessible (although, these days, you're likely to get harrassed by the cops just as much)

i have some old photography books in the basement.. but they're just dressed up porn (frederick's of hollywood, etc)

Originally posted by Vanity

i don't really like the comparison...

No, I hear you on that... I don't really like it either but that whole 'art' thing you know...

Of course for every one quality photographer there are a thousand horrid. What's worse is when you see a bad 'art' photo of bad graffiti... "yeah dude, I write ACE, take a picture of my dope piece!"

If you want basic basics I can probably write up some shit that I got way back in '95 in university.... let me know (on aim or whatever: americancarwreck) becasuse I can talk photography for days.

for the record,

the graff/photography comparison wasnt meant to be an absolute comparison...

no doubt

autodidact on that shit.

unfortunately i wouldn't

say there is an easy

way to learn photography

past the basics. any book

with the functions, the zone

system and different metering

methods, how to get proper

exposures with different

flashes and all that shit is

good to go.

*www.photocritique.net

www.photo.net

^i have no idea if those are worth

anything, but they were recommended

to me by a very knowledgable photographer.

Originally posted by DEE38

hey Vanity.

...this vial's.. empty...so are you

hey glamorous... this vial's not god... anymore... yeah!

Sorry, couldn't resist some Deftones.

um...i took a course, so i duno, just dick around a little with the camera and get it processed at walgreens.......and get a feel for it, then take a class?