Practice makes perfect. This common cliche is a driving motivation for many people who wish to hone in a certain skill. After interviewing Laurran Dong, a recent SJSU graduate and emerging freelance photographer, I realized she was motivated by the same phrase. As a self-taught photographer it is especially important to practice and understand the details of photography. She identifies her passion for photography emerges from her mother’s own passion. Yet, she has pushed herself to learn and better her ability with a camera. Dong explained how she has established her freelance career by taking photographs of as many people as she can and accepting the feedback of others.
Throughout my life, I have encountered many people who beginning freelance photography on their own. Either as a hobby or a way to make an extra income, freelance photography is a growing field. Individuals like Matt Korinek, a commercial fitness, lifestyle and editorial photographer, have made their careers with no formal training. In his blog he explains he is not simply self-taught but learned through trial and error and the information online. He writes “In terms of photography, knowledge is the first step on a never-ending staircase to perfect the “how” so that a photographer can explore the “why.” It’s only by putting the knowledge to use that real growth occurs.” The first step is to understand the concepts of photography and apply it to ones work. Learning photography is not about being self-taught, but taking the information available in the internet or accepting knowledge from fellow peers to cultivate ones skill.
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