Other than shooting more, looking at more photography and reading more about photography the first concrete step I took toward becoming a better and more competent photographer was to enroll in a class. The first class I'm taking is appropriately titled Fundamentals of Photography. After each class I like to type my notes up. Since I'm typing them anyway I might as well share them here. Perhaps someone will find them useful.

You should note that these are my personal class notes, anything that looks like an opinion instead of concrete fact belongs either to me or my instructor. Any glaring mistakes or falsehoods are of course accidental so please feel free to point them out.

With out further ado, I present the notes from my first class.

Week One

General Info
- Shoot with Kodak C-41 bw film
- Print assignments on matte paper
- Bring manual to class when cameras are required

Seeing in the photographic sense is to visualize.

Seeing = visualization.
Photography = Near Universal Communication

Light Impressions is a good photographic supplies company.

Archival storage is important both for your prints and your negatives. Keys to this include using acid free mats, glass not resting directly on prints in frames and archival/museum quality storage mediums.

Color prints only last for 50-60 years. BW are archival quality (100 years+) if printed properly.

Visual Literacy
To become a good photographer you have to learn the language and grammar of photography, the visual literacy. Terms that you'll learn soon include:
aperture
asa
iso
bracketing
f stops
list will continue

Look at photographs
It's invaluable to look at the work of other photographers. Even if you don't necessarily like or love it you learn by seeing what you like and don't like in the work of others. Some suggested photographers for closer study:

Ansel Adams
Edward Weston
Imogene Cunningham
Jerry Usman
Paul Stram
Dorthea Lange
Gordon Parks
Charles Moore
Diane Arbus

Look at more photographs
- What do you like
- What don't you like
- Why do you like it or why don't you like it

THINK BEFORE YOU SHOOT
1. Why are you shooting this?

2. What are you trying to say or convey
- Information
- Emotional impact
- Record a memory or event

3. Pre-Visualize
- Look at subject
- Look at lighting
- Perspective
- Composition
- Technical Quality

4. Look for the simple thing in a photograph
- Keep it simple

5. Watch people

Mantras
Think before you shoot

Discover the world around you

And my personal favorite The Art of Paying Attention