How did you start with photography? (also how did you get better?) I'm a pretty amateur photographer and I was just looking for some real life experience
Good question! I started photographing with a digital camera. Start with a digital camera that has a manual mode, shooting in manual mode will allow you to adjust your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, this should allow you to pick up on the relationship between those three variables. I recommend beginning with digital since they’re great learning tools as you can get an immediate result and figure out what to adjust for to get the photo you desire, whereas with film the turn around time isn’t as immediate. I suggest reading your camera’s manual and camera theory books to obtain a comprehensive knowledge of the camera, this will help you develop the skills and know how to shoot and get the image you desire in any situation. When you’ve mastered being able to use the camera proficiently, I would suggest moving on to shooting with film and learning how to develop and print film. Classes at colleges or community colleges, Meetup.com groups for photography, etc should be able to assist you in finding a community darkroom in your area. You can use your digital camera to assist you with shooting film by taking a shot with your digital, figuring out what settings works best (ISO, aperture, shutter value) and replicate that on your film camera. Once you got the hold of that, move onto medium format film and alternative processes like wet plate or cyanotypes. I started shooting with a digital camera and that helped me develop an understanding of photography and then I progressed to shooting film and medium-format film. Also, it is best to find photo friends to help assist you! You are more than welcome to contact me whenever with questions! Email: [email protected] or fb: https://facebook.com/vivekjena And my other advice is keep shooting always! Always have a camera with you! Invest in prime lens, tripods, etc. Join photo Meetups, Flickr groups (make a Flickr if you don’t have one), and maybe sign up for photo classes. Follow photographers on facebook and invite them for coffee and shoot with them. And always keep looking for things to be passionate about and things to inspire you!