Are you self taught or did you formal training?

I am self taught, I did not receive any training, I didn't study photography. everything I know comes from books, the internet and trial and error. I really wanted to study photography when I was younger, but the cost involved where too high at the time....so I taught myself. How about you?

Mostly self taught.

Pretty much entirely self-taught. My high school had some photography and darkroom courses, but I didn't take them - convinced one of the teachers to give me a crash darkroom course but didn't do anything with the knowledge for over a decade.

Came back to it this past summer and have been entirely self-taught with lots of time at the library, online, with my camera and in the darkroom since. Still a long way to go.

I have almost no formal education in photography. I took a summer school class when I was twelve and that set the hook. The rest has all come from reading books, practice and most importantly, I think, taking notes. I didn't really learn much until I started taking notes.

Self taught in just about everything I do now.


Steve.

Completely self-taught. Started reading books about photography when I was 15, later learned a lot through the web.

Good Afternoon,

Still continuing the process.

My teachers were the popular photo magazines and photo annuals of the 1960's, numerous extremely helpful Kodak publications (RIP) and data sheets, an occasional book on basic darkroom procedures, very useful information from Calumet Photographic catalogs, a lot of trial and (mostly, I suppose) error, and probably a few other things I can't recall now. Issues of the old International Photo Technique could always be counted on as an incentive for technical improvement.

Konical

I've taken some instruction at a local community college, an introduction class of sorts, learning basics about film processing, printing, and a little about composition and so on. Pretty much an oral version of Henry Horenstein's 'Black and White Photography' handbook.

Ever since then it's been about seeking information, from books, and others. I've been blessed with knowing lots of really knowledgeable people, with possibly hundreds of years of experience between them, which has been invaluable to me. And, I don't ever intend to stop learning.

I believe some formal training is good, especially if there's room for a lot of soul searching and internal exploration.

Basically self taught although I had some very basic guidance aged about 9 or 10 while at schoool. later I worked in the same building as a top advertising photographer. Aged about 19-20 I went on a college coarse but knew more that the tutor about developing & printing, I had been teaching basic photography while at school aged 16 after being approached by the teashing staff.

My bibles in my teens where Kurt Jacobson's Developing, and also Enlarging, and they still remain the best books of their type today.

For my sins I do have an MA (Masters Degree) in Photography, so taht's a formal qualification but based on my art rather thantechnical background.

Ian

A little bit of an introduction starting in Grade 11 in a high school camera club ,of how to expose, and devlop film, and make rudimentary prints.

Then I found a copy of The Craft of Photography by David Vestal in my smaller city public libray circa 1986, checked out maybe three times before I found it.
This was back in the days when there was a renewal reminder sticker inside the front cover, and rubber stamped dates applied. I think I checked that book out and renewed it or got it out again about 25 times in the next three years.

Then it was reading Popular Photography bought at the news stand for quite a few years. Then uni- no real time and not much money for all but school, but I moved the darkroom to uni with me in third and fourth year, and got back active again. Haven't really stopped in the intervening 23 years.

One workshop four years ago. Really good instructors, excellent learning in 'seeing', great critiques. I hope to do more, but middle age, with work, kids activities, etc, well they will have to wait, so the self taught rules I guess.

In the last two years I have lead a few one night workshop sessiions at a camera club with a communal darkroom. Coating cyanotype, using diffusion and texture screens, combination negative printing and masking, ortholith film etc.

I find a lot of inspiration and learning from interacting with the participants and having questions posed from other than my own point of view.

Also having to school yourself up as a bit of the expert, prepare demonstration expanples and stage the workshop to a fixed schedule makes your brain gear up more than the more relaxed domestic darkroom routine.