Are Photography Schools A Good Investment?

Photography schools are on the minds of a lot of people who have an artistic bent, but find that they aren’t good at painting, sculpting, or any of the other ways of expressing a physical expression of their take on reality. Being a photographer would allow them to give voice to their inner artist, and possibly change the world in the process. However, learning photography is a bit different than developing other talents, such as painting or drawing. With painting or drawing, an artist can go to school for training, but in most cases there was an innate talent that the education builds on. In other words, a person should be pretty good at drawing or painting before they think about going to school for it. Art school can show them how to take their basic talent and greatly improve upon it, but it usually can’t instill the talent when it’s not there to begin with. Photography schools are different. But are they a good investment?

Well, when it comes to photography, there’s really no such thing as a natural talent for it, simply because it is so technical. No one is born with the ability to instinctively know which lens is best, or what shutter speed, or how to light a scene. It’s true that they don’t necessarily have to get training or instruction on such aspects of photography, and they can experiment, using trial and error until they get these things right, but that’s far different than being born with the ability. So when it comes to taking photos, some instruction is clearly necessary. That doesn’t necessarily mean that going to photography school is a good idea, though. In fact, for most people, photography schools are probably a bad investment.

Why is that? Well, it’s because for most people it simply isn’t necessary to plunk down thousands and thousands of dollars to become skilled in photography in the age of the internet. Just as the internet has radically changed the television and publishing industries, and is continuing to do so, it has also made learning certain skills, such as photography, much easier. Read the rest of this entry »

Digital SLR Photography Tips for Shooting Wildlife

Technology has made digital cameras more affordable and lightweight and digicams are becoming as common as mobile phones these days. In the world of digital photography, one item that is gaining in popularity is the DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera.

Back in the days when digicams were still mere figments of imagination of most photography enthusiasts, SLR film cameras were only used by professionals. These cameras are built in such a way that allows the photographer to see exactly how the final picture will appear.

With the regular camera, you only see what the viewing window shows you but this is not the exact image that the camera sees. For example, you might see a clear background through the lens but when printed, the background will be blurry because the depth of field used for the shot was shallow. With a DSLR, what you see through the lens is the blurred background because this is how the final picture will be displayed.

This is also the case with Digital SLR photography. The only difference is that DSLRs use digital memory cards and light sensor chips instead of using films. The advantage that digital SLR cameras have over the regular ones is that they are faster at focusing; capable of higher ISO speeds so there is no graininess even at low light; and provide more control over exposure and depth of field. They are also more expensive and bulkier to carry.

Since you have invested in a more expensive piece of equipment, you have to make the most out of it by creating amazing photos. These digital SLR photography tips will help, especially when you are shooting wildlife. Read the rest of this entry »