Is photography easier to learn now

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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
I know cameras have got more complicated,PP has been added so being proficient could well be a steeper learning curve,there is though the advantage that a beginner can look at his images within moments of taking with all the info as to settings displayed on the PC screen.
When i started my first few films where taken over maybe a couple of weeks each,sent away for 4 or 5 days processed and returned,i had a very high percentage of reject images with no chance of remembering the settings i had used,tried jotting down things like shutter speed but got to the end of a 36 shot film with only 34 notes so that meant i didnt know which notes matched which shot.
Things got better when we built the dark room but no where near as good as it would be now,all that info instantly.
 
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egosbar

Senior Member
i used to shoot film on good slr cameras , it was harder to learn and harder to get it right , not seeing the image on screen , being roped into a film speed , iso adjustments these days makes photography a breeze
with the internet there is a wealth of knowledge , so much easier
i paid 1300 dollars in the 80s for my eos 630 , same as my d7100 , i know which one i want to shoot with , i still have it if anyone wants a film camera , i used to have to buy books , magazines etc to learn , now its the click of a button
so in short yes photography is far easier to learn thats why there is so many photographers out there
 
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J-see

Senior Member
What certainly has changed is our ability to completely mess up things.

Back in the day you could not only mess up your shot while taking it, you could permanently mess it up afterwards. From developing the negatives to messing those up while developing the pictures themselves. It was a very fragile thing.

Now you can still lose shots by corrupt cards or drives but all in all, once the shot has been taken, the odds are low something happens to the RAW.
 
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Bill16

Senior Member
Though learning photography isn't easy for me, I believe it us easier now than if I had done so with a film slr! Yes there is more people taking photos these days, but who knows how many actually know how to do anything except auto? I ran into a nurse lately that saw my DSLRs and mentioned how she was going to buy herself one, just to take photos faster! She had no clue of how to take her own photos and was intending to treat it like a point and shoot! Then I explained what a DSLR is and that auto doesn't always turn out photos as good as a point and shoot, and that she would need to learn photography and post processing to make the most use out of a dslr! She was changing her mind before my eyes and when the prices was mentioned she bailed on the idea of buying a DSLR as if it was a desease she was thinking about! Lol :)
So is photography more popular now? Sure it is! But is the amount of people learning how to do it themselves up? Maybe, but I don't think it is as much as people might think! I think most people who take photos sticks to using point and shoots or phone cameras!:)
People like us are a little crazy, with how much we put into photography,nearly all our free time,nearly every dime we can scrape up, and the amount of work put into the whole process! If we didn't love it none of us would do what we do for our photography! But a point and shoot just takes the jpg to the local drug store or mall and has what photos they want printed printed, while the rest get stuck into their digital photo books or computers until they are replaced with another set of snaps! Easy, cheap, and skill though handy is not required!

Sorry for the long winded post! Lol :)
 
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egosbar

Senior Member
i know plenty of people with good dslr's that have no idea how to shoot , they shoot on auto and yes get a few great shots and dont really know anything about the basic exposure triangle let alone the rest you have to learn, but love the idea of a big expensive looking camera
 
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BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
Taking pictures is easier. Nothing else really is (though the skill set has migrated with the tech), but we're so overwhelmed with images that what we think of as "photography" has forever been diminished.
 
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aroy

Senior Member
Taking pictures has become easier and cheaper. With proliferation of cell phone cameras, every one can take a picture. Beyond that it is still the same. Those who want to, study their images and try to get the best out of the equipment. Rest are happy with their cell phones, and when they invest in a P&S or a DSLR and a couple of lenses, it is still the same mind set - jpeg, all auto. Just that now they can take photographs in lower light (with better sensors or bigger flash), at longer distances (Tele lenses) or closer distance (macro).

Learning has always been time consuming if you are serious, and few can afford the time in these days of hectic schedules and high pressure jobs. So in conclusion - NO it is not easier, but YES it is less expensive.
 
BackdoorArts

BackdoorArts

Senior Member
I should have also added this...

Access to high quality learning materials for anything is so much easier now than it was even 10 years ago, and infinitely easier than it was in the 20th century, and it often comes at no cost other than one's time.

There are things I've learned to do in a matter of hours using only what is available YouTube. In the last year alone I have learned everything from how to replace a household toilet, to how to print, mount and frame an archival, gallery quality photograph, simply by watching videos, and have done so with almost no trial-and-error lessons along the way.

So yes, it is easier to "learn photography" from the point of view that access to a "teacher" is almost ridiculously easy. But I would posit that while it's easier to reach the "skilled amateur" level as photographer and just about anything else, the time to progress to a higher level from there has probably remained about the same (though the cost has gone down substantially).
 
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Moab Man

Senior Member
Easier to learn and experiment with. Instantaneous results to see what happens when I do X . And without the cost of developing failed experiments I think more new ways of doing things are discovered.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
The tools for learning are certainly more prevalent, what with the advent of the Internet and personal computers; and the evolution from analog to digital photography certainly gives us more immediate control and feedback. I guess all that is balanced in some ways by the fact that as digital photographers we're pretty much required to develop a new computer-based skill-set, in order to do our post processing but that seems trivial in comparison. So yeah, I think the tools of learning have improved greatly but becoming a truly competent photographer I don't think is any more or less difficult than it ever has been.

All *that* being said, I certainly wish all these learning resources had been available to me when I first picked up a camera.

....
 
hark

hark

Administrator
Staff member
Super Mod
Contributor
For me it depends on how the question is interpreted. Learning photography now is easier in the regard that there is instant feedback on your results. As Mike said in the initial post, long ago there was a time lapse between when you clicked the shutter and when the photos were developed and printed. I had a small log booklet I carried with me to write down the settings used for each photo. That way I could compare the results with the settings I used. It is also easier now because info is so readily available--videos, online tutorials, etc help to allow finding answers relatively quickly.

But if we are talking about whether or not it is easier to learn photography such as aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, for me it was easier to learn on a manual camera. There were LOTS less bells and whistles on my first SLR--a Minolta XG-M. There weren't distractions from all the other setting options, wheels, buttons, and menus that are found on DSLR's.
 
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Pretzel

Senior Member
The tools for learning are more accessible, the previews we get and the freedom our digital beasts give us to change settings on the fly are a bit easier, and the "practice" is easier... so I'd say the basics and "moderate" skill level is much easier to achieve than before. I think it's HARDER to hit the realm of excellence, though, as what the masses label as excellence these days just isn't the same, and once people hit that "good enough" stage, there's more of a tendency to say "been there, done that" and move on to something else rather than push through to reach the truly GREAT levels.

Too many folks out there interested in snapping a shot, slapping a pre-made filter on it, gathering a few likes... (don't get me wrong, I'm a like-a-holic, love them!) Not too many that are interested in continuously learning, applying, advancing to the next level. Then you add in those "I'll buy better equipment to take myself to the next level" folks, and it's a mess. Not that there's anything wrong with buying the best, but if you rely on the equipment to up your game, you're not learning. My D7100 (and kit) is light years ahead of what Ansel Adams used, but I haven't put out anything near the quality of art he produced, so I'm still driven. Perhaps, some day...

PLUS, since it's easier to produce, and share, a great image, it's become such a much more common medium... almost more of a novelty, these days. That seems to detract from the overall art as well, as it creates a billion "Armchair Experts" that know just enough to be jerks.

WHOA... starting on a rant, now. Gonna stop.

Did I answer the question?
 
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jay_dean

Senior Member
My only experience of film was p&s. But in answer to the question, i'd say wholeheartedly yes. Once, photography was a specialist niche. Digital and the internet has opened it up to a much wider demographic, as well as many other areas that were once specialist. Its a different world now
 
Michael J.

Michael J.

Senior Member
I don't think it is easier or more difficult. It depends on your motivation why you wanna learn photography.

Yesterday I watched 3 times a VDO to understand my camera functions. After that I practice a while. It was time assuming but it was worth it.

As same as I am a hobby cook. I love cooking and I try to do my best and take everything to get better and better and better. It is not only for others but for me as well.

In both case the feeling of being proud of myself pops up when my family, friends and people who I care saying something nice about the result and I know it comes from the heart.

If you wanna something good it is not difficult but not easy as well. It is just a process where everyone is going through with enthusiasm. If yo have the feeling just to do something it can be a struggle, can be boring or it is just a o.k.

If I look around my environment, people feeling just do something they look for the easier way, so they think, they looking for new gears. People who are doing something with enthusiasm they use what they have to get the best result and with experience comes the thinking of changing equipments.

When I started cooking here in Thailand, the ingredients, the pots, the oven and so on was not the standard I used to have. But it didn't stop me to try my best. Nowadays I use old pots, not original Italian noodles or French bread as well as imported ingredients in the way they taste delicious.

No, not easier but I think in someway it is easier cos of the equipments we got makes it easier. Back in old times, the film was expensive. Nowadays a SD card can store lots of pictures. After photos are deleted or moved to an other device the card is ready to use again. Yes, if I see in this way, photography is easier today.
 
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sonicbuffalo_RIP

Senior Member
BackdoorHippie said:
I should have also added this...

Access to high quality learning materials for anything is so much easier now than it was even 10 years ago, and infinitely easier than it was in the 20th century, and it often comes at no cost other than one's time.

There are things I've learned to do in a matter of hours using only what is available YouTube. In the last year alone I have learned everything from how to replace a household toilet, to how to print, mount and frame an archival, gallery quality photograph, simply by watching videos, and have done so with almost no trial-and-error lessons along the way.

So yes, it is easier to "learn photography" from the point of view that access to a "teacher" is almost ridiculously easy. But I would posit that while it's easier to reach the "skilled amateur" level as photographer and just about anything else, the time to progress to a higher level from there has probably remained about the same (though the cost has gone down substantially).
Click to expand...

I want to thank you for keeping on insisting that photogs on here subscribe to Lynda.com. I have learned so much so fast, and it is a great reference tool. I am really inspired to go shoot when I start watching the Lynda videos. Thanks for the recommendation!
 
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