This is a short blog on resources for photography but to answer the question directly; You must shoot a ton to learn photography, and you must learn everything about whatever photo instrument you use to capture your images. There is no short cut! I have personally learned more from shooting than all the books I have read or videos I have watched. And the best way to maximize the shooting experience, is to take on a project and stick to it. Shooting randomly is good but not near as good as a project where you have to think, finding different ways to shoot, using different techniques, etc. Projects force you to grow, take advantage of getting bored shooting the same way, forcing you to really think differently. In the process you become a better photographer.
Now as a supplement to your intense shooting, my favorite ready resource is Lynda.com. For $25/month, you can get an education on all sorts of topics beyond photography. The videos are good, and you can watch them from any device with an internet connection. My suggestion here is to take their free trial period and see how it works for you. For some people it sounds like a good deal, then they don't take the time to watch..........not good. The same is said for books, folks buy them but never read them.
So you are short on cash, don't have $25 to spend each month, try Creative Live(creativelive.com). If you have the time, the videos are free on the broadcast dates, but if you can't watch on the broadcast dates or want to get a copy of the broadcast for watching again, you can buy the video. Many of the broadcasts are multiday so even if you can"t watch every moment , you have some idea of the content. Here's the way it works, subscribe to creativelive.com and they will announce the programs, timing and length. It's an innovative idea where they are betting the content will be so good, you will want a personal copy. They allow questions during the live broadcast, so you get the benefit of audience questions from other photographers, a great resource. They also cover programs not associated with photography which also may be of interest. Founder Chase Jarvis, a sports and adventure photographer is behind the new startup.
Another option is Kelby Training, which is heavily weighted to Adobe products but is also very good. Scott Kelby has a number of programs you can watch, podcasts, video programs as well as tutorials on all aspects of Photoshop and Lightroom. Here's the link.
All of the major manufacturers of photography equipment provide training online covering a variety of subjects all in part designed to sell you something but nonetheless provide good information. A number of photographers provide free blogs and Youtube video's, some of my favorites are David Hobby(Strobist.com), Zack Arias. If you go to Youtube and type in a subject in photography, changes are you will find some information. You can buy videos like " The Best of Dean Collins on lighting" which is a terrific resource on lighting. Zack Arias has a great video "One Light Workshop" which is very good. David Hobby also has "Lighting in Layers" which is excellent. These videos can be purchased directly from their websites.
Books are another great source of information. The two books I'm currently reading are; "The Rise: Creativity, the Gift of Failure, and the Search for Mastery" by Sarah Lewis and "A Beautiful Anarchy: When the Life Creative Becomes the Life Created" by David duChemin. Gregory Heisler's "50 Portraits: Stories and Techniques..." is another great one. All of Michael Freeman's books are excellent. One of my absolute favorite authors is Chris Orwig and espeically loved "Visual Poetry: A Creative Guide for Making Engaging Digital Photographs". Art Wolfe is an excellent author, Frans Lanting and Steve Simon are terrific. These people inspire me but most of all make me think, then I go out and shoot. The last part is critical, if you don't shoot, you will not improve.
Finally but certainly not exhaustive are the forums on the web like DPReview.com where you can ask a question or just look through various subject matter for what interests you. There are tons of Meetup's you can join and attend, as well as camera clubs where photographers gather normally on a monthly basis. I have at one time or another participated in all of these types of things and learned from each one.
I buy most of my books from Amazon, most of which I read digitally. Some like Gregory Heisler's book I bought in hard copy. I read the reviews, listen to other photographers on what they like, and select from what I hear and read about.
A final thought about improving your photography, studying the images of the historical masters of photography is not only interesting but helpful. Now you don't have to go out and buy these books, they can be rather expensive, but libraries and bookstores carry them where you can go in and see them first hand. I know there are less and less bookstores, but independent bookstores seem to be on the comeback. Anyway I have collected a number of these and look through them frequently. One of my favorite old books which is hard to find but worth the effort to look, "The Daybooks of Edward Weston". This book is a treasure. I keep these books in my studio and look at them for inspiration and ideas. As any photographer, I love looking at pictures, getting composition ideas, subject ideas, lighting ideas, ..............you get the picture!
Now for a final, final comment, Community Colleges are a great way to learn at a price most can afford. You get classroom instructions, field trips, meet other photographers and many are in the evening or in some cases online. Check out your local community college. That's All Folks
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