Hippos relaxing in the Hippo Pool in the Ngogongoro Crater, Tanzania, Africa, with Reflections
Do you know what kind of learner you are? People learn by seeing, hearing or doing. These three are called the Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic Learning Styles.
In my last post, Who’s On Your Team?, I wrote about treating yourself as an athlete. Let’s face it. Photography and travel can both be physically demanding. Who needs sore muscles and tendonitis to get in the way of a good day of shooting?
Today, I’m writing about another support team that you need. The training and research that will make you a better photographer and traveler. But, first, I want to encourage you to look at the three types of learning and take advantage of all of them.
No matter what kind of learner you are primarily, if you use all three approaches, you will learn and retain information much faster. A quick example would be to read a photography article with your camera handy. Try out what you read. Then, finally, tell someone else about it. One of the reasons for YouTube’s popularity is that it covers two of the three styles. You hear and see as you watch. Now, grab your camera and add the doing (kinesthetic) part, and you’ll retain what you learned much better.
So, now that you know how to learn, what sites should you check out?
Here are a few of my favorites:
KelbyOne: This is the best. If you can choose only one place on the web to learn photography and processing, this is it. I’ve been a member of KelbyOne (and it’s predecessor, NAPP) since 2008! You can pay for it annually or monthly. The price is amazingly low, especially considering the volume of outstanding classes they offer. If you’re not sure about it, you can even try it out for free for a month. The instructors are great and teach photography, plus how to work on your photos after you’ve shot them, using Lightroom and Photoshop and other software. They also cover lighting and special genres of photography. If you are going on safari, be sure to check out the safari classes. It’s one thing to ask your travel agent about what to bring. It’s another to hear it from a photographer, who understands that what you really want to bring is your camera equipment!
Digital Photography School: DPS, for short. This is not a school… in spite of the name. Instead, it’s a website that, to quote them, “has what you need to take your photography to the next level. We offer daily tips, resources and free tutorials that will help you get the most out your camera and create stunning photos.” You can sign up for daily or weekly emails from them. I’ve found many of my favorite photography classes through them, including all of the links that follow below!
SLR Lounge: I’ve been a fan of them for years. In fact, when I discovered them, in a link from DPS, they were filming free photography tips out of a garage next to their studio. They have come a long way! I’ve bought their Photography 101, Lighting 101 and 201, and Natural Light Couples Photography. I can recommend them all!!!
Steele Training: Lightroom Made Easy!: This is a great and simple online Lightroom workshop, by photographer Phil Steele. If you want to learn how to process your photos with Lightroom, online, this is a good place to start! I own and like many of Phil’s other workshops, as well.
Phlearn on YouTube: Aaron Nace covers lots of processing and shooting ideas at this YouTube channel. I’ve subscribed to it for years. He also has a Photography 101 video available. I haven’t tried it, so I can’t say what it’s like… but, I bet it’s great.
Light Stalking: I’ve subscribed to this blog for years. You’ll find tutorials, reviews, great links to follow, etc.
Finally, if you’ve taken a photography class, now is the time to pull out your notes and have some fun practicing. Make it a challenge. You’ll be glad you did!
Do you have any good training sites you recommend? Share them in the Comments.
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