Learning to See: A Photographer’s Guide from Zero to Your First Paid Gigs
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-09-17 09:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：David Molnar
- ISBN：B09N8RSTHL
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Whether you want to take better photos in your everyday life or make a full-time income as a photographer， the five-part framework author David Molnar teaches in Learning to See will work for you:
See: have a vision for your shot and execute that vision
Shoot: become technically proficient with your camera
Edit: help re-create the emotion from the day of the shoot
Develop: identify your area of focus for photography
Earn: start getting paid for your art
It’s a proven process every photographer follows but few talk about。 But if you use it， it will shave years off the learning curve he himself went through as an amateur photographer。
This book teaches readers to learn to see， because in the end， that’s what a photographer does: notice what other people often miss and understand how to capture those things in a masterful way。
See: have a vision for your shot and execute that vision
Shoot: become technically proficient with your camera
Edit: help re-create the emotion from the day of the shoot
Develop: identify your area of focus for photography
Earn: start getting paid for your art
It’s a proven process every photographer follows but few talk about。 But if you use it， it will shave years off the learning curve he himself went through as an amateur photographer。
This book teaches readers to learn to see， because in the end， that’s what a photographer does: notice what other people often miss and understand how to capture those things in a masterful way。
Reviews
Reggie Kieffer
，
A great book for anyone wanting to take up photography and those who are already photographers。 David does a great job in explaining the different aspects of photography。 This book has tragedy， life changes， humor， and loads of information。
Christine Loose-Randall
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I have purchased several books on how to perfect your photography。 They sit on my shelf and collect dust。 NOT THIS ONE。 I was fortunate to be able to read this before the book is on the market for purchase。 The first paragraph pulls you in。 The curtains are opened and you get an insight into David Molnar the person and how an accident changed the whole course of his path in life。 David is excellent at explaining the mechanics of your camera。 It doesn't matter if you shoot with a Canon， Sony， or I have purchased several books on how to perfect your photography。 They sit on my shelf and collect dust。 NOT THIS ONE。 I was fortunate to be able to read this before the book is on the market for purchase。 The first paragraph pulls you in。 The curtains are opened and you get an insight into David Molnar the person and how an accident changed the whole course of his path in life。 David is excellent at explaining the mechanics of your camera。 It doesn't matter if you shoot with a Canon， Sony， or Nikon。Theory is explained and followed by practical application。 David makes you SEE yourself as a photographer and the difference it makes to have that mindset。 Following David's 5 step rules will help you fulfill your dream。 This book is a great resource if you are shooting as a hobby or as a full-time professional photographer。 David gives you the tools you need to get your business up and running。 You won't be disappointed purchasing this book。 Invaluable。 。。。more
Machelle Stratton
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WOW！！ I do not even know where to start， so let me begin with a HUGE THANK YOU David Molnar。 Thank you for sharing your life experiences with me the reader and for being a wonderful mentor。 I knew from the first webinar I watched that you would be more than a teacher。 I have learned so much more from TPM than from any other course or books。There are so many informational books out there for photographers to learn more about photography and the industry。 However， I have found most of these books WOW！！ I do not even know where to start， so let me begin with a HUGE THANK YOU David Molnar。 Thank you for sharing your life experiences with me the reader and for being a wonderful mentor。 I knew from the first webinar I watched that you would be more than a teacher。 I have learned so much more from TPM than from any other course or books。There are so many informational books out there for photographers to learn more about photography and the industry。 However， I have found most of these books are filled with difficult terminology， which takes away from the ability to understand the concepts。 The way "Learning to See" is written makes it a fun and enjoyable book。 The reader learns photography techniques in an easy simple straight forward method。 I remember the first time I heard you used the analogy， of how light flowing into your camera is just like water flowing into a glass， it made so much sense to me。 Thank you for sharing your life and knowledge through this book 。。。more
Kimberly
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I absolutely loved this book and I’d give it 10 stars if I could！ It’s a must have for anyone who enjoys photography。 You won’t find fancy， confusing terminology in this book。 David Molnar is a mentor to thousands of photographers and he shares his five-step framework in a way that is easily understood。 He opens up about his life struggles， his successes and his journey to becoming an accomplished photographer and founder of The Photo Mentorship （TPM）。 It’s touching， encouraging， funny and most I absolutely loved this book and I’d give it 10 stars if I could！ It’s a must have for anyone who enjoys photography。 You won’t find fancy， confusing terminology in this book。 David Molnar is a mentor to thousands of photographers and he shares his five-step framework in a way that is easily understood。 He opens up about his life struggles， his successes and his journey to becoming an accomplished photographer and founder of The Photo Mentorship （TPM）。 It’s touching， encouraging， funny and most of all an incredible source to take the photographer to the next level。 。。。more
Laurie Porter
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THIS is the real dream！ David had to learn the hard way how to navigate the world of photography and has made it his mission to mentor others and set them on a simpler path to pursue their passion and achieve their dreams！ In this book you will learn how to take amazing professional photos and， if it is your chosen path， how to make photography a successful career。 David clearly feels every word he wrote in this book and his passion is inspiring and contagious！ He delivers his personal story alo THIS is the real dream！ David had to learn the hard way how to navigate the world of photography and has made it his mission to mentor others and set them on a simpler path to pursue their passion and achieve their dreams！ In this book you will learn how to take amazing professional photos and， if it is your chosen path， how to make photography a successful career。 David clearly feels every word he wrote in this book and his passion is inspiring and contagious！ He delivers his personal story along with clear and easy to understand instruction， advice and counsel with humor and a few not-so-great Dad jokes that you can’t help but chuckle （or roll your eyes）！ You will not “Learn to See” or take pictures like a pro anywhere else for the price of this book。 If you haven’t ordered it yet， what are you waiting for？！？ 。。。more
Janet Williams
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Ah-Mazing！！！ Thank you， David， for the incredible book/resource。 This is a phenomenal book for beginners， for intermediates， and for advanced-ers。 Not only is this a fun read with lovely storytelling （thanks for showing us your heart）， it is inspirational， motivational， and educational！ All will enjoy it and you will be as hooked as I am！ Now。。。 I am a semi-intermediate photographer。 I take photos for my own pleasure - sometimes for sharing with others - but it is my joy in life。 I got this book Ah-Mazing！！！ Thank you， David， for the incredible book/resource。 This is a phenomenal book for beginners， for intermediates， and for advanced-ers。 Not only is this a fun read with lovely storytelling （thanks for showing us your heart）， it is inspirational， motivational， and educational！ All will enjoy it and you will be as hooked as I am！ Now。。。 I am a semi-intermediate photographer。 I take photos for my own pleasure - sometimes for sharing with others - but it is my joy in life。 I got this book so that I can learn more about my camera， "learning to see" as a photographer， and learning from others so that I can have even more joy！ This book absolutely lived up to my expectations of being easy to read， having explanations that are fundamental yet not over my head， and sharing EVERYTHING that David knows - that alone is worth thousands！！！ Again。。。 THANK YOU DAVID！！！ 。。。more
Linda
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It is a very enlightening book about David’s journey of becoming an expert photographer。 It is great to read as a novice as he relates to all the ups & downs of learning。 An inspiration for all！！Taking you through the basics of all the parts of using your camera in manual mode。 He uses his life experiences of failures & wins throughout the book providing details of what to do & what to avoid in taking manual control & getting the photos to look the way you want them too。 A must read for the budd It is a very enlightening book about David’s journey of becoming an expert photographer。 It is great to read as a novice as he relates to all the ups & downs of learning。 An inspiration for all！！Taking you through the basics of all the parts of using your camera in manual mode。 He uses his life experiences of failures & wins throughout the book providing details of what to do & what to avoid in taking manual control & getting the photos to look the way you want them too。 A must read for the budding photographer！ You won’t be disappointed。 。。。more
Colorado Mountain
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Whether you are just pondering the art of photography， or are advanced in your photography skills， this book has something to offer you！ In Learning to See， David Molnar provides a concise， yet， easy to understand explanation of each topic accompanied by several pictures to demonstrate what he envisioned for the shot and the technique（s） he used to achieve it。 Perhaps one of the most useful aspects of this book is that David shows how an ordinary snapshot can be transformed into an amazing photo Whether you are just pondering the art of photography， or are advanced in your photography skills， this book has something to offer you！ In Learning to See， David Molnar provides a concise， yet， easy to understand explanation of each topic accompanied by several pictures to demonstrate what he envisioned for the shot and the technique（s） he used to achieve it。 Perhaps one of the most useful aspects of this book is that David shows how an ordinary snapshot can be transformed into an amazing photograph with simple compositional and technical techniques。 Transitioning from using your DSLR's auto mode to mastering the manual mode is practically effortless with David's instruction。 One of the things that makes this book exceptional is how David gracefully integrates his own story and personal journey to becoming a world-class professional photographer。 Sharing his trials， tribulations， and successes along the way， thus， making this book 100% relatable to anyone who ever wanted to become a photographer。 Thank you， David Molnar， for sharing your extra-ordinary talents and giving aspiring photographers the ability to “See”。 Regardless of your skill level， if you have an interest in photography， you need to read this book！ 。。。more
Kendra Jowers
，
For the would-be photographer: whether you’re looking to take better photos of your family， the hobbyist photographer， or the aspiring professional…。 THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU！It is not often you will find someone in the photography world willing to share “industry secrets” to help other people build in their skill level， confidence， and maybe even into building an eventual business， but David Molnar is literally an open book on the things that work （and those that don’t）。There are moments in thi For the would-be photographer: whether you’re looking to take better photos of your family， the hobbyist photographer， or the aspiring professional…。 THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU！It is not often you will find someone in the photography world willing to share “industry secrets” to help other people build in their skill level， confidence， and maybe even into building an eventual business， but David Molnar is literally an open book on the things that work （and those that don’t）。There are moments in this book that made me laugh （dad jokes are plentiful！）， moments that inspired me， and even moments that made me cry。 It was so easy to fly through the chapters because I felt more like David was having a private conversation with me on how to be successful much more than I felt like I was reading an instruction manual or guide。 That said， this book is THOROUGH。 From skill and confidence building to getting your first paid gig as a professional photographer （if that’s what you want to eventually reach）， there is no stone left unturned。 The way that David breaks down some pretty difficult concepts into easy to understand terms makes the task of moving from auto mode on your camera （aka “devil mode”） to full manual control less daunting and intimidating。I couldn’t put the book down。 I wanted to know ALL THE SECRETS…。 And David Molnar totally delivered， 190%。。。 and while I could go on and on about how amazing this book is， I’ll end this review with this note: I have loved photography my whole life。 I always looked at photographers and thought “man， if I could just have their eye， I could do that too！” and this book has allowed me to do just that， how to SEE like a photographer！ Most of all it has allowed me to believe that I too can pursue a career as a photographer with a little bit of elbow grease and a whole lot of faith。 Thank you David Molnar for this amazing book！ 。。。more
Debbie Karnes
，
"Learn to See" takes you from your first click to your first gig with humor， humility， and honesty， giving you the tools you need to be a successful photographer。 Whether you just want to take better photos on your vacations， or shooting weddings for thousands of dollars， this book gives you the toolkit you need to get where you want to go！ The hardcover book is beautiful and coffee table worthy， and gives you all the photos that illustrate the teachings。 The audio book， in his own voice， is vul "Learn to See" takes you from your first click to your first gig with humor， humility， and honesty， giving you the tools you need to be a successful photographer。 Whether you just want to take better photos on your vacations， or shooting weddings for thousands of dollars， this book gives you the toolkit you need to get where you want to go！ The hardcover book is beautiful and coffee table worthy， and gives you all the photos that illustrate the teachings。 The audio book， in his own voice， is vulnerable and honest， and his heart for teaching shines through。 You're going to want both！ 。。。more
Sandra Dahir
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Learning to see is Amazing！ I got to read an advance copy。 David takes you through mastering your camera leaving no stone unturned in this step by step book。 He takes you through his own personal struggles as a Professional Photographer。 This Author knows first hand the struggles and what no one else will tell you。 The tips and tricks from absolutely knowing nothing to gaining the knowledge and experience to help you be a camera master。 I highly recommend this book。 I couldn’t put it down。
Melissa
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I am so grateful for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book。 I always looked at people’s photos and thought “I wish my photos would look like that”。 I kept trying while thinking that it wasn’t the auto mode fault but some mistake I did to cause the problem。 Turns out that I just didn’t have the information I needed。 Learning to See， with its incredible stories， instructions， and advice has started me on a journey long overdue。 Since reading this book， I am improving and more confid I am so grateful for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book。 I always looked at people’s photos and thought “I wish my photos would look like that”。 I kept trying while thinking that it wasn’t the auto mode fault but some mistake I did to cause the problem。 Turns out that I just didn’t have the information I needed。 Learning to See， with its incredible stories， instructions， and advice has started me on a journey long overdue。 Since reading this book， I am improving and more confident every time I pick up my camera。 。。。more
Alexandra
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I am beginner and spent all my time with camera on auto mode。 Although I enjoying how mesmerizing this tools can make difference， honestly I am feel intimidated to start set it manually。 Learning to See appealing me since the beginning。 Author share his journey from zero until people with friendly narrative。 He is truly have his ways with storytelling because I enjoyed his background stories as much as his tips and tricks。 This book not much provide us to detail technical on camera but it share I am beginner and spent all my time with camera on auto mode。 Although I enjoying how mesmerizing this tools can make difference， honestly I am feel intimidated to start set it manually。 Learning to See appealing me since the beginning。 Author share his journey from zero until people with friendly narrative。 He is truly have his ways with storytelling because I enjoyed his background stories as much as his tips and tricks。 This book not much provide us to detail technical on camera but it share the true essentials as beginner photographer。 I love all chapters in this book from how to see photo objects and give the best effort to elevate the result。 How to use environment surrounding。 Mini tips to know basic camera setting。 And the most important is how the author encourage readers to applies the skills to business level。 Thank you Netgalley and Harper Horizon for provided my copy。 I am learning new skill today and my thoughts are my own。 。。。more
stephanie cox
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When I came across the book Learning to See my heart fluttered。 I am a beginner with a camera so I am looking for any kind of help I can get。 The book gives great references for beginners and helps to get you in the mind set of becoming a professional photographer and what you needed to think around that idea such as， websites， what kind of photographer - weddings， landscapes， portraits， sports。 There are images along with explanations throughout the book， which can come in handy if you learn by When I came across the book Learning to See my heart fluttered。 I am a beginner with a camera so I am looking for any kind of help I can get。 The book gives great references for beginners and helps to get you in the mind set of becoming a professional photographer and what you needed to think around that idea such as， websites， what kind of photographer - weddings， landscapes， portraits， sports。 There are images along with explanations throughout the book， which can come in handy if you learn by seeing。 I did find that the book did not go in to too many details about how to use a camera or take photos， I kind of wish it did。 All the different settings that cameras come with now and over whelming to say the least。 I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is thinking of getting into photography。 Thank you NetGalley for the eARC。 。。。more
Teena in Toronto
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I recently retired and now that I have time， I want to get back into photography。 I do take a lot of pictures but it's more quick point and shoot with my cell phone。 I have three cameras and I want to get back into putting the time into creating photographs。 So that's why this book caught my eye 。。。 to get me into that mindset。I found it was a good reference to get me thinking about charging up the batteries for my cameras and getting out and taking photographs。 I didn't find it overly in depth I recently retired and now that I have time， I want to get back into photography。 I do take a lot of pictures but it's more quick point and shoot with my cell phone。 I have three cameras and I want to get back into putting the time into creating photographs。 So that's why this book caught my eye 。。。 to get me into that mindset。I found it was a good reference to get me thinking about charging up the batteries for my cameras and getting out and taking photographs。 I didn't find it overly in depth about HOW to use a camera or take photographs 。。。 it was more to get you thinking about becoming a professional photographer and what you needed to think about 。。。 like what kind of photographer do you want to be （ie what kind of pictures 。。。 wedding， landscape， portraits， etc。）， setting up a website， getting clients， etc。Blog review post: http://www。teenaintoronto。com/2022/08。。。 。。。more
Vanessa Nodes
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I was gifted my first camera and have spent time taking photos in Auto mode。 The idea of shooting in manual mode is one I have attempted and am very intimidated by。 I looked at all the buttons and quickly became overwhelmed。 I’ve tried to use a few resources but wanted something more detailed。 I found this book on NetGalley and loved it。 What I find different about this book from other resources is the explanations are easy to understand。 There are images between explanations and the author expl I was gifted my first camera and have spent time taking photos in Auto mode。 The idea of shooting in manual mode is one I have attempted and am very intimidated by。 I looked at all the buttons and quickly became overwhelmed。 I’ve tried to use a few resources but wanted something more detailed。 I found this book on NetGalley and loved it。 What I find different about this book from other resources is the explanations are easy to understand。 There are images between explanations and the author explains things in a way that a inexperienced person can understand。 It’s definitely a book I will be purchasing on my own to leave my comfort zone and shoot in manual mode。 I really recommend this book especially for those who are wanting to dip their finger in taking photos for fun or otherwise and those that are new to the world of photography 。 He has really great explanations for shooting in manual mode and the reasons why there are more opportunities for better images。 。。。more
Brandi
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Learning to See by David Molnar was an incredibly helpful resource！ It’s been too long since I pulled out a camera other than my phone and this was the refresher I needed。 I loved how his progression takes you from knowing how to “see” things to how to actually compose and then， if needed， how to edit。 There were many of his quick tips that stuck with me and as I was shooting pics， I felt like his voice was in my head， reminding me of what to do and what not to do。 There is plenty of humor sprin Learning to See by David Molnar was an incredibly helpful resource！ It’s been too long since I pulled out a camera other than my phone and this was the refresher I needed。 I loved how his progression takes you from knowing how to “see” things to how to actually compose and then， if needed， how to edit。 There were many of his quick tips that stuck with me and as I was shooting pics， I felt like his voice was in my head， reminding me of what to do and what not to do。 There is plenty of humor sprinkled throughout that kept it entertaining as well。 I loved the pictures he provided to demonstrate accurate angles and lighting。 Beyond being a gifted photographer， David is a gifted teacher （the water faucets analogy has been the most helpful explanation ever provided to me）。 I was so encouraged and inspired， I grabbed my camera， grabbed my daughter， and headed off into the mountains。 We played from sunrise to sunset。 Thank you for sharing your experience， wisdom， and talents。 I absolutely recommend this others who are learning how to operate their cameras and desire to great pictures。I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are solely my own， freely given。 。。。more
Loretta Runyon
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