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I have one rule for growing as a photographer, regardless of what you love photographing or your long term goals with this work.
Learn from more than one person. (But not from too many.)
I know. There’s a catch there so let me explain what I mean by this.
Pick three people who resonate with you the most and dig in. Watch their work, pay attention to what they teach, open yourself up to learning.
Every photographer is different. We all have a different workflow, different beliefs, different sources of inspiration. When we learn from a few different people, we can take what they teach that speaks to us the most and apply it to our own work to create our own unique way of doing things.
So why not a lot of people? Well, if you’ve ever felt that drowning frustration that everyone is telling you to do something different...that’s why. Having too many mentors only pulls us in too many directions. We basically return to where we started with a lack of focus and no idea how to move forward or grow.
I owe my growth and knowledge to many different people. Your three will evolve over the years and you’ll end up with many. Just don’t try to learn from all those many at once.
I’ve been a huge fan of CreativeLive for years. I have three favorite classes in their libraries that taught me so much.
Fundamentals of Photography
I took John Greengo’s Fundamentals of Photography years ago. When it was a 10-week course for free. Now you can buy it at a very affordable price. I committed to those 10 weeks like you wouldn’t believe. He taught me pretty much everything I know about my camera. Minus a couple things learned from the others below.
If you are new to food or product photography, I wouldn’t start with learning about food and product photography. Learn how to use your camera through a course like this.
Why? Because I promise you, if you have a love of taking photos, your interests will grow and change. What starts with food may evolve to culinary travel, scenic farms or still life. When we begin learning in the narrow focus of a field, we tend to only learn how to do that one thing.
Start wider with your camera and photography in general, then go narrow and focused.
Story on a Plate: Food Photography & Styling
I actually had the golden opportunity to learn from Diane Cu and Todd Porter in person at their studio in Orange County. It was just before they created the course, Story on a Plate: Food Photography & Styling, for CreativeLive. And you know I watched that live, too.
They are incredible, helpful people and they can tell a story through photos and video more beautifully than anyone else I know.
Food Photography
Finally, if you know how I work, you know that being in a dark studio with lights is not an environment that inspires me to create. World travel and exploration are close to my heart, along with food culture. I have followed Penny De Los Santos for years due to her inspiring work around food culture. I have not yet had the opportunity to meet her, although I did inquire about her in-person classes when I went to New York a couple years back. No luck.
The Food Photography class is the perfect representation of how great she is. You will walk away inspired and educated.
Do you have your three mentors? Spend some time finding them and then dig in and start learning.
I’m wishing you so much growth and creative energy for 2021!
Have you grabbed my free training 5 Steps to Better Food and Product Photography?