Learn Photography - Find Out What It Takes To Be A Photographer

have been on a quest to learn photography for quite some time. But I get too focused on the technical aspects rather than on the creativity involved in photography.
Is a photographer an artist? An even more pressing question: Does owning a digital SLR camera make one a photographer?
I have been pondering these two questions lately with regard to my own photography. I do own a digital SLR camera. It's a Canon 30D. I take literally tons of photos with that camera. Yet, I sometimes have trouble calling myself a photographer.
The reason I have such a problem is because of the work of others. I spend hours viewing the pictures of others who I consider very talented in the field of photography, and, by comparison, I consider my pictures pretty stinky. Yet, someone else looks at my photos and declares their excellence. My problem, I guess, is personal expectation.
I want to take pictures that can stand up to the likes of Moose Peterson or Joe McNally, two of my favorite photographers and teachers. In my eyes, my images just don't rate compared to theirs.
I'm pretty critical about my own work in photography. At times, I am even more critical of the work of others who actually do call themselves photographers. How can someone call himself a photographer is he doesn't know an f-stop from a shutter speed?
But after some deep introspection, I realize that I am being rather cynical. After all, one man's trash is another man's treasure, right? Much to my dismay, I have become a "pixel peeper," meaning that I spend more time on the technical data and sharpness of the image than on the artistic or emotional value.
That's where the art comes in. When someone can press the shutter button and cause others to feel something, then the photographer is an artist, in my humble opinion.
So what if the person behind the camera doesn't know where to set the ISO. Or if the camera menu is like reading a foreign language, why should that even matter? The key is that they are taking pictures that bring joy, or sadness, or wonder to others.
Another thought is that not everyone is trying to get their photos accepted by National Geographic or People Magazine. They only want to save a memory, and in that sense, they are photographers and artists.
So, as I end my muse about photography and art, let me urge you to continue to shoot those pictures. Don't be afraid to let your imagination lead you into your next shot. It may bring a smile to a friend's face, or it may end up in National Geographic in spite of us Pixel Peepers.

I am trying to get past the cynicism, and in doing so, I am trying to help others become better at the craft of picture taking. Would you like to learn photography from someone who has made most of the mistakes? To view some photography learning resources, you can visit my website at http://www.photographyclassesatlanta.org/. Happy Shooting. Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Wayne_Rasku