How To Become A Photographer Part II: Classes To Take For Photography

So hopefully you have already read How to Become a Photographer Part I: The Ultimate Checklist to Get You Started, and you are now ready for Part II! In this second part of learning how to become a photographer, I’ll be getting into another very important topic: classes to take for photography to get yourself to a professional level!

Alright, let’s dive in.

A. Classes to take for photography

Whether you decide to learn online, go to school, get private lessons, or do a mix of it all, there are some specific classes to take for photography in order to get yourself to the next level.

1. Start with something like Photo 101:

As mentioned in Part I, the first place to start is with a camera, a lens, and the basics of how to take a photo. This class should cover everything exposure, shutter speed, iso, aperture, lenses, lighting, and how to use your camera in Manual mode. Make sure you take a class that provides exercises of different kinds, to practice all of these skills, and really understand the concept of each in and out.

2. Film photography and darkroom:

I’m sure this might feel outdated for some, but I can’t emphasize enough how shooting film helped me understand the basics of photography. When you shoot film, you have to understand how to control your exposure so well, because you don’t have a way of knowing what it will look like, other than trusting your light meter. 

Film photography slows you down and makes sure you don’t have technology as a clutch. You learn to depend on the controls of your camera and to understand how light really affects the photo. You pay attention to framing, focus, and subject matter, leaving the technical aspect to complement the principles of a good image.

Shooting film and developing my own photos taught me everything I know about photography. For real.

3. Business admin and taxes:

I don’t know if you will find anyone who dislikes this more than creatives…. But no one needs it more. Look, here is the bottom line: you can’t run a business without a proper business. And a proper business means registering your company, charging and paying taxes, and having proper accounting systems in place.

The good news is that if you do this well, it becomes easy after the first year, and also most of your expenses become deductible. The bad news is that each country (even province, state, etc) have different rules, and usually only your local and national government can provide you with the proper information.

Here in Canada, I took a free class offered by my provincial government where they walked me through how to register my business name, how to properly charge taxes, and a few other things needed to make my hustle official. Some places might not require you to do this if you earn under a certain amount of money, but if you want to turn your photography into full-time work, at some point, you will need to have all these things in order. I recommend getting it done and out of the way as soon as possible

4. Portraiture/posing class:

unless you are hoping to be a product photographer, chances are, you will have people in front of your camera. Learning how to direct them, what lenses and angles to use to favour different body-types and messages, will be a huge asset when it comes to taking charge. Find a class that can help you understand the best way to direct people, based on what they need.

5. Lightroom:

I always say a photo isn’t finished until after post-production. Editing is simply part of the overall process. Not only are you converting raw images into edited lower resolution files to give to your client, but you are also processing contrast, color, saturation, and a few other things to finish the look and feel of the photo. You must get the photo right at the time you shoot, but editing will enhance your photos and take them from nice looking images to professional photographs. 

There are a lot of online resources for Lightroom, including many in this blog. But Lightroom is one of my biggest passions in photography, so I created a Lightroom Masterclass to teach you absolutely everything you need to know from the moment you finish taking your photos until you are ready to deliver it to clients.

6. Secondary Classes:

As a secondary set of classes to take for photography, I would suggest deciding what kind of photography you want to work on and focus on classes that are specific to that.

For example…

• If you are interested in wedding and event photography, taking a class on flashes, and family posing can be very useful.
• If you want to work as a commercial photographer, understanding studio lighting and how to shoot with strobes would be a good idea.

You get the gist… start focusing on learning in the field you want to be an expert in.

B. Supplement your classes with these two things…

So these aren’t classes to take for photography, but rather suggestions on how to supplement your classes so you can maximize your learning and get to a professional level faster and just overall gain more skills and experience.

1. Assist a photographer who is already doing what you want to do

This is an incredible way to learn. In-studio you would often be an assistant or helper, while in event photography, you might get the chance to be a second shooter, which is fantastic practice time.

2. Shoot everything, everywhere, all the time!!!

Practice, practice, practice. Shoot people, shoot cars, shoot landscapes. Get a tripod and shoot yourself. Shoot your grampa’s birthday party, shoot your night out at the club. Literally, shoot EVERYTHING. Nothing is going to teach you better and polish your skills more than practicing non-stop. Get those 10,000 hours in.

Make sure to check out PART III of this series and check out the Beginner to Boss 12 Week Program to accelerate your photography career today