Rip Bains created this presentation from an article on The Huffington Post based on the ideology that learning photography is a life-long journey, based on the author's experiences. Rip Bains is freelance photographer in New York City. His passion for photography and his zeal to learn drives him towards success.

1. PHOTOGRAPHY CREATES
LIFELONG LEARNERS
BY RIP BAINS

2. PHOTOGRAPHY, WHEN COMPLETED WITH A
PROPER CAMERA, CAN BE A COMPLEX TASK TO
COMPLETE. MANUAL CONTROLS REQUIRE
VAST KNOWLEDGE OF MANIPULATION, IN
ORDER TO GET THE BEST POSSIBLE PICTURE.

3. MANIPULATING THESE CONTROLS CAN CREATE WIDE
VARIATIONS OF THE VERY SAME MOMENT. THEREFORE,
EXCELLENT PHOTOGRAPHERS MUST HAVE A STUDIED
KNOWLEDGE OF THE CAPABILITIES OF THEIR CAMERAS,
IF THEY ARE TO HAVE ANY HOPE OF USING THE PIECE
OF TECHNOLOGY TO ITS BEST CAPACITY.

4. IN THE TERMS OF AN ARTICLE RECENTLY COMPLETED BY THE
HUFFINGTON POST, THIS OFTEN REQUIRES PHOTOGRAPHERS
TO BE LIFELONG LEARNERS.

5. THE AUTHOR OF THE
ARTICLE INDICATES
THAT SHE WAS GIVEN
HER FIRST CAMERA AT
THE AGE OF EIGHT. IT
WAS ESSENTIALLY
NOTHING MORE THAN A
POINT AND SHOOT
DEVICE, REQUIRING
MERE CLICKS TO
PRODUCE PHOTOS.

6. THERE WERE LIMITATIONS,
OF COURSE, ALTHOUGH THE
ONLY ONE THE AUTHOR
COULD REALLY
ACKNOWLEDGE AT THE
TIME—DUE TO IGNORANCE
IN POTENTIAL
POSSIBILITIES WITH MORE
COMPLEX CAMERAS—WAS
A FINITE AMOUNT OF FILM.

7. AS TIME WENT ON, AND THE AUTHOR GREW
UP, PHOTOGRAPHY WAS NO LONGER SEEN AS
A PRIORITY; WITH GROWING UP, CAME OTHER
DEMANDS, SUCH AS UNDERGRADUATE
SCHOOL, GRADUATE PROGRAMS AND,
EVENTUALLY, A CORPORATE JOB.

8. IT WAS ONLY WITHIN THE
LAST FEW YEARS THAT
THE AUTHOR PURCHASED
HER FIRST DIGITAL
CAMERA, AND FOUND A
SOLUTION TO THE
RESTRICTIONS OF HER
POINT AND SHOOT DEVICE;
THIS PIECE OF
TECHNOLOGY COULD
ESSENTIALLY TAKE AND
SAVE AN IMMENSE
AMOUNT OF PHOTOS.

9. HAVING THIS TRIFLING AND FRUSTRATING ISSUE RESOLVED, THE
AUTHOR FOUND HER PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY ONCE MORE.

10. HER NEXT PURCHASE TOOK THE PASSION
A STEP FURTHER, AS SHE INTRODUCED
HERSELF TO A DIGITAL SLR CAMERA.

11. IT TOOK THE AUTHOR QUITE SOME TIME TO
MASTER THE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY; FOR
QUITE A WHILE, SHE USED IT AS A SIMPLE
POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA, AS THAT WAS
WHAT SHE WAS FAMILIAR WITH.

12. SHE SIMPLY ALLOWED THE CAMERA TO MAKE
ALL THE EXECUTIVE DECISIONS. WHILE THIS
DIDN’T PRODUCE BAD PICTURES, IT DIDN’T
EXPLOIT THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE DEVICE.

13. ONE EVENING, THE DARKNESS OF HER
SURROUNDINGS CAUSED THE CAMERA
TO STRUGGLE TO FIND THE PROPER
PLACEMENT OF SETTINGS TO RENDER A
TRULY DECENT PHOTO.

14. AS A RESULT, THE AUTHOR
BEGAN PLAYING WITH
THE MANUAL SETTINGS.

15. WITHOUT EVEN TRULY KNOWING HOW SHE
ACHIEVED IT, SHE MANAGED TO CREATE A
VERY UNIQUE AND BREATH-TAKING PICTURE.
THE AUTHOR SOUGHT TO WORK
BACKWARDS—TO TEACH HERSELF EXACTLY
HOW SHE HAD REACHED THAT PICTURE.

16. THIS SET A NEW
TRADITION IN
TERMS OF HOW
THE AUTHOR
TAUGHT HERSELF
PHOTOGRAPHY.

17. REPEATEDLY, SHE’LL FIDDLE
WITH THE MANUAL SETTINGS,
ONLY TO DISCOVER A NEW
POTENTIAL OF HER CAMERA.

18. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, SHE WORKS
BACKWARD, JUST AS SHE DID ON
THAT VERY FIRST INSTANCE.

19. AS A RESULT, SHE CONSIDERS
HERSELF A LIFE LONG
LEARNER OF PHOTOGRAPHY.

20. “When words become unclear, I shall focus with
photographs. When images become inadequate, I
shall be content with silence.”
–Ansel Adams