Hi, Sherrie, and welcome! I completed the NYIP Professional Photography course in '04 and have never regretted it. I understand the course has been updated significantly since then. They've been around for a very long time (about 1910, I think).

Having said that, have you checked your local community colleges for photography courses? That would be a very good way to get started. But don't wait! Get out there and start shooting now!

Then, of course, there's always the advice of us "experts" (ahem!) here. Of course, you should keep in mind the definition of "expert": An "ex" is a has-been, and a "spert" is just a drip under pressure.

Good luck....

Bill, thank you for the "welcome" greeting and for your feedback regarding the NYI Photography Course.

I was at a festival on Saturday (with my camera in hand), when I ran into a photographer from New Jersey. He had traveled to Baltimore for the festival. After chit-chatting for about 15 minutes, he suggested that I consider joining one of the local camera clubs in my area. He explained that there are plenty of photographers in a camera club who would be willing to provide advice and their "expertise", at no cost or charge. So, I am going to check out the courses being offered at one of the community colleges in my area, check out the local camera clubs, as well as continute to seek advice from the "experts" on this forum...

Hi and welcome. You seem to be on the right track. As mentioned, NYIP and camera club will give you direction. But, don't forget to do some note taking and review your photos and methods. Try different lenses to see what they do and what you like to take. Now with digital - instant results so to speak and no film waste. Get your basics try the Camera RAW and the JPEG -- see the difference. Learn from what you read and give yourself assignments and follow through.
As many say -- the more I shoot the luckier I get.

Happy shooting.

Good to know that I am on the right track. I have been having a lot of fun the last few months trying out different lenses. There is a place in Tennessee called Lensrental.com that rents a variety of lenses, cameras, and accessories. The prices are decent and the customer service has been excellent. I recently shot in the RAW and BASIC JPEG mode for the first time. Normally, I just shoot everything in JPEG mode, so shooting in RAW/BASIC JPEG was a new experience. In a few weeks, I am going to be trying out polarized filters for the first time. I am excited to see what kind of results I can achieve with the filters. Thank you very much for your post and for sharing your thoughts and advice.

Without spending much money on some sort of so called "formal training" you will never learn as much about yourself in a class. You will learn how to make your stuff better. But that is after you have figured out your style and specialty. If you go off trying to photograph every subject on earth, you will most likely suffer a little bit in each category. If landscapes are your thiungs, then pay more attention to that area the most. You need to be the best at some type of topic or style in your field.

One of the best things you can do is to look at every possible photo magazine and web site portfolio you can. If you can look at someones work and think that your works fails in comparison then you are on the right track. You dont get mad and give up... study those wrks that you think are far better than yours. Find what details about them make them better.

It could be sharpness, dynamic range, composition, or many other factors that make a technically perfect image. If for example the images seem so much sharper than yours, then you know where to begin figuring out why yours are not as sharp. It could be shutter speed, or it could be the quality of your lens. One thing in photography that is typically true.. If a lens cost more, then usually its better than that one of the same focal length for less by the same mfg.

If it is a detail like the dynamic range or some other aspect, it may take you a while to figure out that one. One thing that I do in most all my works, is to have all the zones Ansel Adams always wanted. Sometimes that may need to be done in post processing.

If composition seems to be your downfall, well... thats an easy one to fix... Just work on it, and bracket the scene not actually the exposure. But capture the same scene in various ways.

Well thats a ton of stuff to take in for now... keep progressing in your craft