I was wondering if anyone knew where or how to become a amature photographer. I am VERY interested in it but I have no clue how to get starting in this field of work.

Thanks!

I'd go to Wolf or Ritz camera, whichever one is closest to you, and talk to them. That's what I did first. They can help you get started picking out the type of camera that would be best, professional Nikon brands, something cheaper, with just a bit less megapixels, and all that stuff. Plus, when you buy most of their camera, it comes with free photography classes. Also, what I did...but I went into Wedding photography/professional stuff...was go to the library and research everything, poses, lighting, examples...

But Wolf camera is always a good start, and they are really helpful even if you don't plan on buying, you can try out the cameras, ect... Also, if you do decide to buy from them, if you go to www.wolfcamera.com (http://www.wolfcamera.com) you can get the same camera and not have to pay sales tax..
Hope this helps~

Shoot me an PM and I'll help you out.

BTW, you're already an amateur photographer! (Unless someone has actually paid you for taking a photograph)

Best thing to do is to take a class helping you figure out all those great settings on your camera. Look for a workshop locally that is a small class and very hands on. After that, practice... practice... practice.

Also, a good class on Photoshop is a good idea.

KSU's Continuing Ed Dept has some classes. Some are online.

KSU CourseCatalog - Photography (https://reg.coned.kennesaw.edu/wconnect/wc.dll?acecode%7EGroupCatalog%7EGROUP%7EFNAPHO%7EP hotography%7EFNA%7E&Checkspace=ON)

Photography can be addictive though......... ;)

I already have a Nikon D50 Digital SLR Camera so I don't think I need anything better than that. When I baught my Camera about a year ago I could have gotten a free Camera class but I wasn't into it back then. Bryan PM on the way.

If you can take a picture, then you're an amature photographer. But if you want to get better:

Take a lot of pictures. When you think you're done, take more. And then take some more. Eventually, you'll be able to "see" a picture before you take it. Over time, you'll understand what makes up a good picture and what doesn't.

Yeah I have kind of already figured out when to take pictures and what looks good and not good but I just want to know how to become like a profesional or close to it.

I'd start submitting a lot of pics to photo contests... get something published.

There are always some online ... and then those contests in Readers Digest... Time.... Parade Magazine... etc.

Submit something to the AJC, maybe?

Might be a good idea to post stuff in a forum like this:

Photography-On-The-Net (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=99053)

I bumped around on this place a bit and there are lot of local shutterbugs posting on this site. Lots of forums.

And here's one of those contests (the link is on that forum page):

Photo Contest (http://www.picture.com/contest/enter.asp?suite=4601-8146)

You've got a great eye and I love your pictures. I have your bumblebee on my desktop as wallpaper.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

~Linda

Yeah I have kind of already figured out when to take pictures and what looks good and not good but I just want to know how to become like a profesional or close to it.

Ah... I didn't realize that. You said "amateur", which is, of course, "not professional." :)

Check out these articles:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/next-level.shtml

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/next-level-2.shtml

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/levels3.shtml

Well, as a pro photographer myself (weekends only) it is relatively easy to get into the business. Classes can help some, but in honesty, not needed at all. The key is to understand your tool..the camera. Know it in and out. Read the manual front to back and try every option out. Create assignments working each option only, then start to combine them.

Mojo said it best, shoot, shoot, shoot. The more you shoot the better you will become. Keep your camera with you at all times. You never know when a shot will be there. I couldn't tell you how many great shots I've missed in the past becasue I didn't have my camera with me.

As for breaking into the pro side, start a portfolio and a website. Put your portfolio on the site so others can see your work. Go to sites like OneModelPlace and create a profile and post your profolio. Now you have visibilty and need to look at what direction of photographer you want to focus on: print, sport, model, or ad/product.

Once you've decided your path and have images you want to sell, sign up at sites like GettyImages, IStockPhotos, Jupiterimages, etc. and post them to sell. This will get your photos sold and published. This will also get your name out and if companies like your work enough, they will contact you and possible contract you for jobs.

But I'll be honest, photographers are a dime a dozen. So you have to find a niche, carve it out, make it your own, and do it better than anyone else. Otherwise you become another person with a camera that can take good shots and this group is increasing by great numbers thanks to the digital world. Under film, it was much harder to take the perfect shot, but under the digital alot of the constraints have been removed.

Ansel Adams was just a good photographer, but he was a genius in the lab. He could take an average photo and make it into art in a lab without losing the reality of the image. In the digital world, the lab is a computer, so get to know photoshop. But be careful! To me, there is a fine line between photographer and digital art. Too much manipulation to a photo and you loose the real life of photography and move into digital art.

That's my lession for today. I hope it helped. If you have any question, need any direction, just ask. Here to help.

jazz

If by professional you mean your work published, you can do that pretty easy. Just start submitting work. My GF is published in a photography book about Africa but far from an expert photographer.

If you want to get serious about this as a living or even a side job, again I recommend taking classes to learn all the settings on your camera. You can figure them out from the manual and books but hands on will likely stick much better. Knowing by heart how to set a camera to get a certain shot is often what seperates the pros from the amateurs. Lighting is also a hard learned lesson that often is difficult to master on your own.

I can't urge you enough to learn Photoshop... it is the dark room/photoprocessing of the future. I have some friends who do a lot of abstract work in the dark room, but you can accomplish pretty much all of it in Photoshop now. It is a skill that will pay for itself many times over.

You can also learn a lot from established professionals that have photo-tours. Those can be extremely educational as they are often very detailed instructionals and offer great tips on certain styles that you often can't find other places. Tours usually showcase a variety of focused subjects including landscapes, animals, people, architecture, etc.

just google how to properly use your specific type of camera and if you have any bit of artistic skill, everything else will fall into line....most important is you know how to use your camera ;)

Thanks guys for the help! I am most likely going to take a class and I will try to make a portfolio. I can already say I have missed so many shots by not bringing my Camera with me already. I learned that the hard way. Linda Lee thanks for the compliments!

I took a class at the Art Institute of Atlanta, cost was 750 dollars.