The short answer is yes!
Photography, like any other art form, is entirely learnable on your own. And I fully mean this for any "style" of photography you are considering. There are trendy black and white fine art photographers that have no formal training in photography. Truthfully, learning photography on your own can be done quickly with just a few steps. Here's my guide.
Step 1 - Master exposure.
In a literal sense, photography is a term coined by John Hershel, meaning "drawing with light." Just as a traditional artist must master their medium (stencils, paint, ink, clay, etc.), the budding photographer must master their medium, light.
For exposure, this image was shot at a shutter speed of 1/500 sec, an aperture of f/2.0, and ISO at 100.
Ultimately, light in photography is effectively measured in stops. The photographer must understand how these stops of light work in all aspects of their photography. It does not matter which camera you use; understanding the why of stops of light will make your images better.
I recommend conducting a search with "photographer's exposure triangle" in your favorite search engine as a good starting point.
As a new photographer learning on your own, one should have an understanding of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Once you understand these things, learn how your specific camera deals with each. Perhaps your camera sets your aperture and Sutter speed for you. Perhaps your camera sets the ISO for you. Maybe your camera is like mine and you set each of these characteristics every time you shoot in manual mode. Either way, your mastery of exposure as it pertains to your particular camera will be paramount to your success. I think Ansel Adam’s book “The camera” (Amazon link) is a great introduction to understanding exposure
Step 2 - Master composition
Composition is a subjective aspect of photography. However, as with any art form, you can learn from previous work. I use photo books as my means of learning from masters. When I open the photo book, I look at how the photographs are composed, why the photographer put themselves in that position, what story was the photographer intending to tell with that specific composition. Then, I think if I can re-create (not copy) that composition in my own style. I would argue that you should do the same.
Once you figure out what your niche in photography is going to be (even if you're not considering one), try and look at what others are doing in that style. Pay attention to how they place their subjects in the frame. What do they include in the frame and why? I am not saying that you should outright copy anyone. This, of course, is wrong. However, all great artists in any form are standing on the shoulders of giants. People who produce music don't have a natural talent for it; they listen and listen and listen to everyone they respect and come up with their own style.
I like the composition in this image, though composition is very much subjective. What compositions do you like?
I offer that you can do something similar once you learn What type of photography you want to show the world. Then, go to other visual artists and learn from them (it doesn't have to only be photographers, this can also be from movies and whatever visual medium you like, even comic books). All that matters is you get something from it and use it to forward your photography.
Step 3 - Master one editing solution.
Of course, photography is exceedingly digital, and as such, you should find a software solution that works for you. I use Adobe Lightroom as my primary editing tool. However, I am not advocating any specific tool; I'm just saying I learned Lightroom in such a way over the last four years that I can use it in almost any scenario and generate an image that I want to show the world. This came from consistently using the platform over and over again in both of the desktop and mobile version.
To learn photography, you have to learn how to edit. Whatever your editing solution is, you should know it forwards and backward. As an example, if you were going to be an analog-only photographer, you should pick up Ansel Adams' books and learn everything you can about dodging and burning in the dark room. If not, whatever platform you choose, go on YouTube and learn as many tutorials as possible to master that part of your craft. For those interested, here are Ansel Adam’s “The negative” and “The print” (amazon links) books where he goes more in depth on understanding photography.
Step 4 - Find and master a niche.
My niche is black and white fine art.
Sometimes I think finding a niche for a photographer is one of the hardest things that they'll do. One of the photo books I was reading said that a new photographer should try every style possible. Go shoot batteries for this company, go shoot a wedding, do some baby photography, do some pet photography, etc. It's only until you've involved yourself in all of these different styles of photography that you can truly say "yes, I want to do that!"
When I first started down the path of photography, I thought I wanted to only be a commercial photographer. I tried to set myself up as someone who would take pictures of families and pets, but that doesn't go along with my personality. This is an important point every photographer must come to. How does this type of photography go along with your personality.
I'm an old soldier, I spent 20 years in the military, and I think about things differently. Perhaps it was the military, but I don't really think emotionally, I spend my thinking time in a fact based world. Therefore, I don't care about family photos. I much rather would be a black-and-white photo journalist style street photographer that goes out finds a scene establishes that scene and tries to get the most artistic value from it.