ask a cmpro | what has been your biggest source of photography based education?

CMmentor, April Nienhuis has been gathering some questions for our CMpros from the CM community.  It’s so interesting to see the different responses and the thought processes that go into the choices they make.  This week we’re asking “What has been your biggest source of photography based education: college, books, internet, forums, workshops, conventions, etc.?”

Image courtesy of Sarah Wilkerson

Courtney Keim

I have two … but they are related. I have found out of everything the support of fellow photographers who have taught me to open my eyes, see new things and try new things. Lifestyle photography is just not huge here in my little beach town. Enter my friend Sara and her introducing me to Clickinmoms. Since then, I have learned so much about my camera, styles, locations and so much more. Without her and you all, I wouldn’t be anywhere near where I am today. So thank you.

Tracy Bradbury

Mine has definitely been CM. Before I joined I had read numerous books but didn’t feel I was learning very much as I’m much more of a visual learner. After joining here I found that I was in not only a very informative forum but also a nurturing and supportive one too. The workshops I’ve taken here have been amazing and I’ve learnt so much and know that I wouldn’t be half the photographer that I am now if it wasn’t for CM – thank you CM!

Bre Thurston

I’m a very hands-on learner. I get frustrated when I don’t know where to start if there is a giant pile of information looming in front of me. For that reason, I have learned the most from online photography forums. Places like ClickinMoms have tutorials laid out in categories and I can choose to learn about one thing at a time. I also had to rely on my friends and fellow photographers to answer questions for me.  I was lucky enough to have friends who just so happened to be talented, generous photographers who didn’t hesitate to help me along. I make sure to remember that and I will pass it along to new photographers.

Jennifer Dell

I learned the basics of photography on a film camera in high school in a photojournalism class. However, I didn’t start to take photography seriously until way later while studying it in college. I learned Photoshop then as well but it wasn’t centered around portraits so I had to learn those tricks on my own. While these classes were awesome for teaching me the fundamentals of how to use a camera (both film and digital) and the software. I learned most of what I know via CM. I found that the tutorials there are worth their weight in gold and posting for critique was the only way I would get better. Using a forum like CM, keeps me constantly learning and growing.

Jessica Holden

I am a reader. My first big leap was reading Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Exposure. That book really made the exposure triangle make sense to me, and I had been so overwhelmed and confused by it before. I finally understood how to make a technically correct exposure, and, even better–how to make a CREATIVELY correct exposure. After that, I felt I was ready to get both more information AND some genuine CC from photographers whose work I admired, so my next step was to take a beginner’s workshop. The tutorials, assignments, and feedback provided in that workshop were tremendously valuable to me. I took that workshop in 2009, and have been taking one or two per year ever since to keep myself creatively inspired and actively learning, and I am still reading voraciously about a variety of photography subjects. I feel like with photography, there will always be a new frontier, and I know this passion will last me a lifetime!

Carrie Anne Miranda

would have to say Clickin Moms, I knew how to use my camera in the manual setting before I came here, but I didn’t know how to put it all together. I was so overwhelmed. I came here, I read and read, and then I started asking questions. I looked around at all of the members who inspired me, and who’s work was at the level that I wanted to be at, and they all had a high post count. So, I left my pride behind, and read, posted, asked questions, and got feedback. I have only been here a year, and I feel like I have grown so much. I went from a (very amateur) hobbyist to owning my own business in a year and I NEVER could have done that without the knowledge, and more importantly support I have gotten from this group.

Tami Wilson

Hands down online forums, specifically Clickin’ Moms. After reading the book Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson and practicing shooting in manual every single day for a year I knew I needed more guidance and help. After looking at a few other online forums, I decided to check out Clickin’Moms after a review I saw on a blog I followed. I seriously couldn’t get enough and was so excited how much I could learn at this place and the amount of information at my finger tips. I found people to be very helpful and learned at a much faster rate than if I had just “figured it out” on my own. Plus, I not only learned how to become better at photography but also how to properly run a business.

Amber Scruggs

When I first started it was books, I read any and every book I could get my hand on about photography and how to use my camera in it’s manual settings. After that, I found online photography forums and those have been a wealth of information ever since. Even 4 years into this journey, while my style has definitely developed, I learn something new every day and am constantly pushing myself both creatively and professionally.

Leah Cook

First of all, I wish I had joined CM long ago and really took advantage of the expertise on this board…the amount of knowledge to take in is staggering. My photography friends from across the world and locally have been invaluable to me from a learning standpoint. They are always there to bounce questions off of, encourage, and teach me. Aside from this amazing forum and my peers, the biggest education has come from shooting consistently – both with client sessions and personal work. I’ve succeed and failed miserably, but each has allowed me to grow!

What has been your best source for learning?  We’d love to hear about it – share with us in the comments!

Thanks to April for a fun series and to our CMpros for sharing with us!  Have a question of your own for our CMpros?  Make sure to check out our “Ask the Pros” section of the CMforum!