Find photography classes near me Derby

Finding the Perfect Photography Tutor

In the art world, photography is a relatively new phenomenon. While art forms like painting and music have existed for millennia, photography originated during the 18th century and only became commonplace in the late 19th century.

Now a lot of people carry a high-resolution digital camera with them wherever they go but that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone is an expert when it comes to photography. Just look at the difference between your friends Instagram account and the wedding photos they paid a professional to take for them!

With that in mind, let's see why studying photography is important, the challenges photographers will face, what we learn about photography at school, how private tutors can help, and where you can find them!

Why It's Important to Study Photography

High-quality photography requires several skills, experience with photographic equipment, and an understanding of the theory behind what makes a good photo. There's a reason why many professional photographers take photos of a much higher quality than those you'll find in your social media feeds.

To take good photos, you need to understand the equipment that you're using and it can take years to fully understand what every single setting on a camera does and how you can use those settings to get the most out of every photo.

Then there's the theory behind taking good photos. Taking photos of stuff that looks good will only get you so far in the world of photography. You need to understand the theory behind what makes a good photo before you can start toying around with the settings on your camera to get the desired results.

Challenges in Photography

Photography isn't all fun and games, though. There are many challenges that every aspiring photographer will need to overcome before they can start developing their photography skills.

For one, there are a lot of hobbies that are kinder to your bank balance than photography. Sure, some paints can be quite expensive but you can start painting without having to spend a few hundred pounds on cameras and camera equipment.

The cost is the first hurdle that every photographer will have to get over. Similarly, expensive equipment won't automatically make you a good photographer, either. There's nothing wrong with opting for second-hand cameras and equipment, especially if you haven't fully committed to photography or not.

Once you've paid for the equipment, you'll need to learn how it all works. Every photographer needs to have an understanding of how photography works in terms of the science behind them. You won't need a physics degree to become a photographer, but an understanding of what's going on in the camera is important and without this, your photos can suffer. This means you'll have to spend a lot of time studying your gear to get good at taking photos with it.

Then there's the theory behind photography. As we said, we all have can tell whether or not we like a photograph but understanding the theory behind it can take years of study, something that not every aspiring photographer is willing to commit to.

Areas of Photography Studied at School

At school, we don't learn an awful lot about photography, but there are opportunities for students to study a bit of photography if they opt for the Art and Design GCSE.

As the name suggests, art and design are the main focuses of this course, which means that students will learn about painting, drawing, sculpture, as well as a bit about photography.

While the photography part of the course is only a small part of it, students do get to learn about the theory behind images such as line, form, composition, etc. They'll also get to learn a bit about digital and traditional photography and technical aspects of photography like aperture, shutter speed, and focus.

We'd advise those who are interested in photography to take their studies beyond GCSE. At A Level, students can study photography at either sixth form or college and move onto university courses if they're serious about studying photography academically.

There are also photography night classes and workshops available up and down the country as well as in Derby and around Derbyshire which might be useful for people who are no longer in full-time education.

Private Tuition in Photography

One of the best ways to learn about photography is with private tutors. With a dedicated tutor, every lesson is tailored to you and what you want to learn about photography.

If you're putting together a creative project for school, college, or university, they can help you with it or if you're wanting to learn more about the art theory behind photography, they can help you with that.

Private tutoring is also a good option for those looking to try out photography without investing in all the equipment. A lot of tutors will have cameras and photographic equipment you can use during the lessons and some may even be kind enough to let you try out cameras you're interested in buying.

Finding a Photography Tutor in Derby

If you're interested in learning more about photography from a private tutor, just search for one on the Superprof site. There are plenty of tutors with years of experience ready to help you become an amateur or professional photographer!

You can even learn more about photography from a professional photographer online. If none of the tutors to your liking in Derby or Derbyshire are available, as long as you have a decent internet connection and a webcam, you can use video conferencing software to learn new photography skills from photographers all over the world!

Those on a budget can organise group tutorials with several students. While these lessons can't be fully tailored to you, they are a good way to reduce the cost of the course by sharing the cost of the tutor's time with the other students in the session.

Don't forget that a lot of the photography tutors on Superprof offer the first hour of tutoring for free so try a few out before deciding on which one is right for you!