How to Become a Photographer

Series Summary

Photography is the art of making pictures by exposing film or another medium to a timed flash of light. The basic equipment used for photography includes a digital or mechanical camera equipped with a flash, film or a memory card. Mastering the art of photography is a technical and challenging experience. One has to learn how to focus the lens, control the aperture of the lens, filter the light and understand the importance of the focal length and duration of the exposure, among other things. In this free video series, a professional photographer provides photography tips, as well as tips on becoming a photographer. Learn about lighting in photography, how it's used and how to use different kinds of lights, like umbrella lights. Discover how to become a professional photographer, how to design a studio for photography and how to clean photo negatives. With this extensive photography guide, current photographers and interested parties will both find plenty of information to help them become more successful photographers.

Video Transcript

"This is Anthony, and we're going to talk about how to become a photographer. I think one of the best and simplest ways to become a photographer, or just to see whether you want to become a photographer, is to spend a day with a professional photographer, or spend a few hours and see what this photographer does, or she does. And, you know, see if you like it. See if you can actually see yourself doing that. And if you see, "Hey, I want to become a photographer," you might want to check out local classes. There are a lot of affordable classes and communities around that you can maybe pay 50 to 100 dollars for an informal class or a workshop -- something where you're not going to spend a lot of money, and you can spend a little bit of money to maybe take a photography class. Talk to other people who are interested in photography, too, and then see, "Okay. Do I...do I want to become a photographer? Do I want to do this?" The other really great thing you want to see is: "Do I have the time to become a photographer?" Photography is one of those things where you're going to spend more time doing it than you possibly thought was possible. So that is one of the ways that you can become a photographer. You can also go to your local bookstore or the Internet and look at tons of photography, and if it really floats your boat, gets you going, I would say that's probably the first sign that you want to become a photographer. And I would just, from there, you could take a class, you can apprentice. Apprenticeship is a great way to learn any industry. You could find a photographer in town who just needs someone to lug their equipment. It will not be glamorous, but if you have a good eye and you can take direction well, and more importantly, you can listen to people, you'll find out and you'll become a photographer."