Learning Photography

To start off with, what can I read or do?

Everything I ever take is shit

You want to learn with film. the old fashioned way, or just digital? If you learn with film you can use the same skills effectively for digital, but not the other way around. You would learn exposure properly, and composition, but obviously not Photoshop.

There is a thread called Non-digital film photography, and you can ask any film photography questions there. Pretty much all the users on there know their onions when it comes to f-stops and whatnot.

If you want to go the digital route only, there is a thread with the copycat title, Non-film digital photography.

But a part-time college course might be what suits you, or maybe joining a local photography enterprise.

Everything I ever take is shit

T-shirt.

I own an LX3 intending to have something that can do a bit of manual controls. I dont have any money to go down the film route right now so I think I will read the thread on digital..

http://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/photography

Put it on auto, learn to compose interesting photos. If you see an expose you particularly like then check out the exif (aperture, iso, shutter) info and make a mental note of it. Continue until you feel happy you can compose then move it onto A and start playing with it as above, selecting apertures you think will make an image more interesting. Again make a mental note of the iso and shutter speed it's calculated on the good ones. Then shift into S and do the opposite. Then finally (at least a year later) shift into manual or find a camera with proper manual controls!

^ this is what I did and gained 'some' success as an amature.

I own an LX3 intending to have something that can do a bit of manual controls. I dont have any money to go down the film route right now so I think I will read the thread on digital..

Film photography is cheaper than you think. You also really learn about exposure, as a wrong exposure will be very obvious in a print, and that itself will teach you what didn't work. Its only a suggestion, but if you get the opportunity, at least consider a cheap film camera that has full 35mm manual operation. Film can be cheap, and so can d+p (developing and processing packages) - examples below.

Film and d+p
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_1&products_id=5741
http://www.club35.co.uk/35mmcolourdandp.html

Cheap 35mm cameras
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/vintage-fujica-stx-1-35mm-film-slr-camera/84416525
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/nikon-f50-35mm-film-camera-with-nikkor-35-80-af-zoom/81736185
http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/nikon-f65-35mm-slr-film-camera-w-af-nikkor-28-80mm-lens/84698865

Its harder to grasp digital exposure, as the camera will inevitably make corrections for you. With a manual film camera, the print will tell you how well or badly you did. Improvements can be made from roll to roll, and soon you would understand over-exposure and under-exposure perfectly.

Of course I am biased towards film photography, but I do believe that someone that learns exposure using film cameras, understands it better than someone who has learnt via the digital route only.

Otherwise, there are online courses that may be helpful to you.

Agree with ^ but argue that, unless you're developing yourself, developers will also make adjustments.

I own an LX3 intending to have something that can do a bit of manual controls. I dont have any money to go down the film route right now so I think I will read the thread on digital..

Put it in aperture priority mode, and set the aperture to f3.6/f4, and adjust the ISO to whatever the conditions are: 100 - daylight, 400 - dusk, 800 - night, etc.

Do you have a RAW converter? If so, you'll get the best from shooting in RAW then playing about with the files - which you'll have to do, otherwise the files will be a bit flat. Or just stick it in JPEG.

Raw Developer works well with LX3 RAW files.

To start off with, what can I read or do?

Everything I ever take is shit

To start you can watch these if you like .youtube.com/user/DigitalRevCom?feature=chclk It teaches you a hell of a lot about photography, camera, lens and what not.

As in for what pictures you can take, when I first got my camera I literally just walked around everywhere with my camera and just kept taking pictures, and soon enough I got a feel of the camera and also what kind of photos I like to take.

So you should do the same as well, like asking people what photos you should take is like for example, asking people what kind of girls you should date, that is something you have to find out on your own. So yeah, just go out and take pictures and you'll soon get a feel for what kind of pictures you like to take.

Here are the kind of pictures I take, nothing special, but I just like taking pictures.
365london.tumblr.com/

Film can be cheap, and so can d+p (developing and processing packages) - examples below.

The cheapest has to be Jessops - £6.50 D&P and they give you a replacement roll of Fujicolour.

There are loads of film SLRs at car boot sales. I got my Zenit-E for £6 and it works fine. I often see Pentax Sportmatics etc for £10-15.

Repped for adding to my knowledge base, and being damned useful!

Anyone tried Shae Academy, can get a free course so was thinking of doing the below

https://www.shawacademy.com/courses/photography/learn-photography-online

I'd be happy to grab a coffee with someone and teach them creative controls, exposure, manual mode etc if anyone was just interested in learning how to control their camera.

Couldn't see an appropriate thread to ask, excuse me whilst I hijack / dredge this one.

Anyone know any good 'tubers that teach how to pose people for photos? Helpful cues to give, angles to avoid... I'm absolutely shit at photographing people, especially if they have little self confidence and feel like I turn everyone I point a camera at into a sack of potatoes.

Double dredge… anyone forked out for one of the Magnum Learn $99 courses? https://www.magnumphotos.com/learn/

Or any other online learning recommendations, I fancy a project to relieve the boredom.

I fancy a project to relieve the boredom.

There's loads of them that you can do for free. Join a photography forum and you'll be spoilt for choice. I do find these kinds of things can attract the worst photographers but if all you are needing is a bit of inspiration to get out and shoot...?

join a photography forum…

I daren’t, for fear of getting permanently lost down the rabbit hole. I’m not sure I’m deft enough at discerning the nuggets of truth from the bullshit either.

I guess the Magnum ones appeal because of the insight of bona fide pros to their thought processes. There’s a couple of guys I rate on YouTube but I consume in a fairly passive way.

I do find these kinds of things can attract the worst photographers

Photography forums are essentially photography equipment collectors forums with some heated debate around tech specs. Most of the actual photography seems to be extremely highly detailed pictures of squirrels eye balls.

The magnum courses are probably good because they’re very much specific to certain approaches/styles.

Personally I’ve found a good way of developing (sorry) is to basically spend a decade studying and copying other people’s styles. Hearing it from the horses mouth might fast track that process a bit so I say go for it.

Yeah very much.

If it’s not squirrels eyeballs it’s garden birds or washed oot black grey and white images of big issue sellers and teen mums pushing prams passed off as ‘street photography’ 🙄.

Yep, I’ve done the classes by Gregory Halpern and Alec Soth. They are brilliant if you have an interest in books/ sequence/ working in projects. They are sort of like YouTube lectures, in which each artist breaks down their practice and gives you a look behind the scenes of how particular projects came together.

@M_V Lolz.

Something I recently became aware of is how routine my life has become (middle age thread >>>>) and how fundamental real world curiosity is to my well being. Less
sofa, more cycle.

@GDCadam Ace, cheers.

Learning and practicing new things is a sure fire way to increase neuroplasticity which will keep you sharp long into old age and fights off Alzheimer's (not saying you're old)