The Best Way to Learn Photography:
YouTube or Structured Courses?

Recently, I stumbled upon a post on Facebook where someone inquired about the best resources to learn photography. To my surprise, many of the responses casually suggested, ‘Just watch a YouTube video.’ While YouTube is an incredible platform with countless resources, I felt compelled to delve deeper into this topic and discuss why structured learning might be a more effective approach.

Imagine walking into a hospital for a minor surgery and finding out your surgeon just finished a “How to Operate in 5 Easy Steps!” tutorial on YouTube. Or boarding a plane and hearing the pilot announce, “Good afternoon folks, just watched a cool YouTube video on how to land this thing, fingers crossed!” Sounds absurd, right? The world of photography might not have stakes as high, but the principle remains: expertise matters!

When you embark on mastering photography, the vast landscape of the internet is tempting. A quick Google search for “how to learn photography” yields millions of results, with YouTube tutorials front and center. It’s easy to wonder, “Why even consider a course when YouTube is free?” But as we’ll see, not all learning paths are created equal.

The Pitfalls of Learning from YouTube:

1. Unstructured Learning: The platform is vast, but the content often jumps from topic to topic. One moment you’re learning about ISO settings, and the next, you’re plunged into drone photography in the Arctic.
2. Varying Quality: While some content creators are professionals, others might just be hobbyists who once took a blurry photo of their cat and deemed it abstract art.
3. Lack of Feedback: Remember, photography isn’t just pointing and shooting. Without feedback, you might keep making the same mistakes, like repeatedly photographing your thumb.
4. Overwhelming Choices: It’s a jungle out there! How do you decide between “Master Photography in 10 minutes” and “Ultimate Pro Photography Guide (5 hours long)”?

The Advantages of a Structured Course:

1. Sequenced Learning: Courses build your knowledge brick by brick. No skipping steps or diving headfirst into advanced concepts without a safety net.
2. Hands-on Guidance: Real experts guiding you, not just someone with a camera and internet access.
3. Tailored Curriculum: Personalized, paced, and without the annoying ads that pop up just when things get interesting.
4. Networking Opportunities: Surround yourself with fellow learners and not just commenters asking, “What song was that at 3:05?”

Conclusion:

While YouTube’s great for a quick laugh or DIY crafts, when it comes to mastering an art as intricate as photography, it’s essential to choose wisely. After all, if you wouldn’t trust a YouTube-trained surgeon with your appendix, why trust a YouTube-trained photographer with your memories? Dive deep into our expert-curated courses and turn that photography passion into a prowess worth every snapshot!