Blizzard at the Boxcar Corral. Marshall Mesa, Colorado, 2013
Every month, I try to pack in as much photography education as I can. How about you? So much to learn, so little time, no? (Big caveat: A little break now and then helps to recharge the Lithium-Ion batts–don’t burn yourself out!)
Maybe if I share my list with you it will give you some ideas on how you might flesh out your own personal artistic education plan:
Monthly Photography Time:
–I average about 12-15 days of shooting per month–each shoot usually amounts to a couple of hours at sunrise or sunset, or a city or rural stroll of a couple of hours…and maybe 100 or so total shutter actuations per shoot.
–I fully process about 50 “keepers” per month which I keep in my e-files. (Of these, I’ll likely only print maybe 3-5%.) This amounts to about 10-12 hours of post-processing and e-filing time each month.
—Six hours of photography club meetings–Two hours each at the Flatirons Photo Club, the Colorado Nature Camera Club, and the Digital Study Group. The first two offer monthly guest presenters and monthly critiques/competitions. The last is a group that tends to focus on post-processing tools and techniques.
—Minimum of one visit a month to an art exhibit, artist’s opening, museum, cafe with photography on the walls, or…anything similar.
–Probably 10-20 hours a month monitoring various photography websites, perusing various books and magazines, and updating this blog.
In sum, this is a significant amount of time dedicated to the art of photography. Even so, I feel only very slow progress.
Throughout the year, here are some additional ways to push through to a new level very quickly:
–Workshops, conferences, photo trip/camp with a professional
–A local college or adult education course in art and/or photography
–Prepare for and successfully enter a juried art and photography show
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