I did take photography classes in college that helped me understand basics.
But I learned a lot more by joining a local photography meetup. They would hire models to practice portrait shoots with and the main people were very helpful. They charged $50-$60 per shoot though.
Fair warning, back then I ran into a lot of photographers who did photography for living and were pretty grumpy about dwindling incomes. Don't let their snarky comments discourage you from going to meetups.
But I learned a lot more by joining a local photography meetup. They would hire models to practice portrait shoots with and the main people were very helpful. They charged $50-$60 per shoot though.
Fair warning, back then I ran into a lot of photographers who did photography for living and were pretty grumpy about dwindling incomes. Don't let their snarky comments discourage you from going to meetups.