5 levels of Amateur Photographer

Horse Chestnut bud opening

The title of this article made me think about how far I had come on my photographic journey and what I would need to do to become a better photographer. The article is written by Joshua Dunlop and can be found on the website Expert Photography. He suggests the following levels and describes features of each .

Level 1: The Blind Amateur. Very new to photography or bought your camera a few years ago and haven’t used it much since, mostly shoot on full auto mode or pre-sets and aren’t in any hurry to learn.

Level 2: The Confused Amateur. You know not to use full auto mode but aren’t sure how to use the other dials, but you did once try on aperture but can’t remember what shallow or deep depth of field is. You want to learn but aren’t sure where to start.

Level 3: The Promising Amateur. You have just about mastered how exposure works, go out with the intention of taking photographs and carry your camera with you more often. You are beginning to buy the right gear and subscribe to post-processing software.

Level 4: The Wise Amateur. You know everything about your camera, are building a a good portfolio of images and found the niche that you enjoy working in and people know that you produce good photographs.

Level 5: The Obsessive Amateur. You’ve moved on to advanced techniques now and can help those who know less. Additionally you are excelling further in your chosen niche and go out of your way to do more. Your camera has now become attached to you.

I think I would currently describe myself as a promising amateur. What about you?