10 Things Photographers Should NOT do

[inov8ter]

http://blog.epicedits.com/2010/09/1...(Epic+Edits+Weblog)&utm_content=Google+Reader

1. DON’T EXPECT RESULTS OVERNIGHT
Learning photography takes time — and that goes for the artistic and technical aspects. Sure, you might be artistically and/or technically inclined, but you probably won’t have galleries begging for your photos a month after you pick up your first camera. The process of learning photography and developing a personal style can take years (or even a lifetime). Just keep at it and you should start to notice improvements in your work as the months turn to years.

2. DON’T LUST FOR NEW GEAR
New gear is exciting, isn’t it? Bigger better cameras, faster lenses, filters, tripods, flashes, bags, etc. Don’t get me wrong — it’s fine to get excited over this stuff. But don’t make it your life’s goal to constantly buy the next best thing on the market. My advice is to buy new gear when you need it rather than when you want it. You’ll know that you need something when you repeatedly find yourself missing opportunities (or even paying jobs) due to a lack of some feature or piece of equipment.

3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL
This one goes for anything in life — failure leads to success, improvement, and learning. You might screw up one or two shots from time to time, but you’ll remember those mistakes next time you head out (and hopefully you won’t make them again).

4. DON’T GET COCKY
Whether it’s seemingly justified or not, nobody really likes a cocky bastard. So you sold a print, got into a gallery exhibit, got featured on some big website, etc — that’s great, but don’t let it go to your head. Don’t talk down to other photographers or put yourself on a pedestal. If you do, it’s only going to drive people away.

5. DON’T IGNORE THE CRITICS
If you share your photos anywhere on the web, you’ve probably had unsolicited critiques. Of course, you’re more than welcome to ignore them, but it usually doesn’t hurt to read them and think about it. You might just learn something or improve a photo. But, keep in mind that not all advice is good advice.

6. DON’T MAKE IT COMPLICATED
Photography is relatively simple on the technical side. Too many times, I’ve seen new photographers get hung up worrying about modes and settings when they really don’t need to. As you continue to shoot and educate yourself, you’ll pick up the technical stuff quite easily. Besides, if you worry too much about the technical side, you’re more likely to miss shots entirely.

7. DON’T STEAL IDEAS
This goes for any form of creative expression. You see what I did at the top of this article? I gave credit where credit is due because I borrowed an idea and turned it into something of my own. Same thing for photos — if you borrow a concept from another photographer, make sure you give them credit. And look at it this way — if you inspired others to create new things, wouldn’t you like it if they gave you recognition for that?

8. DON’T NEGLECT YOUR GEAR
Cameras and other photographic equipment can be delicate at times. With the cost of cameras and lenses today, it’s worthwhile to take care of them. Try not to bang it around on things, drop it, get it wet, etc. And keep your gear clean if you want it to last — lens elements and sensors in particular.

9. DON’T IGNORE “THE RULES”
The rule of thirds, symmetry, leading lines, perspective, background, depth of field, framing, crop, and so on. You’ve probably come across some of the basic rules of photography either on the web or in a book. Then you also see advice out there saying “break the rules”. So what’s the answer? Follow them? Break them? Here’s the thing… there’s a major difference between breaking the rules on accident and breaking the rules on purpose. It’s called intent, and that’s what separates the good from the bad. So learn the rules, then learn how to break them.

10. DON’T STOP LEARNING
Probably the worse thing a photographer (or any hobbyist/professional) can do is stop learning. There is a ton of stuff to learn about photography and art in general, and the flow of new information only increases as technology advances. So always be open to learning new things — even if you think you know it all!

 

[tirediron]

All good, and, IMO, valid points.

 

[KmH]

#11 Don't infringe someone else's copyright.

Uh, about #7........I guess you missed this part: © 2010 Epic Edits

FYI, from U.S. Copyright Office - Fair Use: (I have added highlighting)

One of the rights accorded to the owner of copyright is the right to reproduce or to authorize others to reproduce the work in copies or phonorecords. This right is subject to certain limitations found in sections 107 through 118 of the copyright law (title 17, U. S. Code). One of the more important limitations is the doctrine of “fair use.” The doctrine of fair use has developed through a substantial number of court decisions over the years and has been codified in section 107 of the copyright law.


Section 107 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered fair, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Section 107 also sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:

• 1. The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes
  2. The nature of the copyrighted work
  3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole
  4. The effect of the use upon the potential market for, or value of, the copyrighted work

The distinction between fair use and infringement may be unclear and not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission.
The 1961 Report of the Register of Copyrights on the General Revision of the U.S. Copyright Law cites examples of activities that courts have regarded as fair use: “quotation of excerpts in a review or criticism for purposes of illustration or comment; quotation of short passages in a scholarly or technical work, for illustration or clarification of the author’s observations; use in a parody of some of the content of the work parodied; summary of an address or article, with brief quotations, in a news report; reproduction by a library of a portion of a work to replace part of a damaged copy; reproduction by a teacher or student of a small part of a work to illustrate a lesson; reproduction of a work in legislative or judicial proceedings or reports; incidental and fortuitous reproduction, in a newsreel or broadcast, of a work located in the scene of an event being reported.”
Copyright protects the particular way an author has expressed himself. It does not extend to any ideas, systems, or factual information conveyed in the work.
The safest course is always to get permission from the copyright owner before using copyrighted material. The Copyright Office cannot give this permission.
When it is impracticable to obtain permission, use of copyrighted material should be avoided unless the doctrine of fair use would clearly apply to the situation. The Copyright Office can neither determine if a certain use may be considered fair nor advise on possible copyright violations. If there is any doubt, it is advisable to consult an attorney.

FL-102, Revised September 2010

 

[FattyMcJ]

7. DON’T STEAL IDEAS
This goes for any form of creative expression. You see what I did at the top of this article? I gave credit where credit is due because I borrowed an idea and turned it into something of my own. Same thing for photos — if you borrow a concept from another photographer, make sure you give them credit. And look at it this way — if you inspired others to create new things, wouldn’t you like it if they gave you recognition for that?

I'm not sure weather I disagree or agree with this part. It's a sort of contradiction in semantics.

I, personally, think sharing ideas...even copying ideas for shots (to a certain degree) is healthy. We learn the technique, and then can apply it to other areas of our work.

I'll probably get flamed for saying that, but oh well.

 

[KmH]

There is little in photography at this point, that is original.

How many ways can people be posed that haven't been done, how many ways can lighting be used that haven't been done?

 

[Rekd]

Almost all good advice.

 

[Christie Photo]

3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL

Umm... I say yes, be afraid. That will motivate you to learn the craft and prevent you from taking on jobs you're not ready to successfully complete.

6. DON’T MAKE IT COMPLICATED
Photography is relatively simple on the technical side.

But GOOD photography often calls for careful attention to details, proper planning and advanced technical knowledge.

7. DON’T STEAL IDEAS

It's all pretty much been done before. Look to others for inspiration, but (of course) don't plagiarize with a blatant, verbatim copy.

9. DON’T IGNORE “THE RULES”
...So what’s the answer? Follow them? Break them?

Learn 'em... AND learn WHY they have been adopted as conventional thinking. It's not enough to be able to recite them. Understand them thoroughly.

-Pete

 

[Christie Photo]

There is little in photography at this point, that is original.

How many ways can people be posed that haven't been done, how many ways can lighting be used that haven't been done?

^^^^^^^^^^^
Words of wisdom.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

If I deleted your text and not replaced it, it just means I basically agree with you.


1. DON’T EXPECT RESULTS OVERNIGHT


2. DON’T LUST FOR NEW GEAR



3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL
Failure only leads to success if one learns from said failure. Too many people don't and never see success.

4. DON’T GET COCKY
I agree but some people see cockiness where there is none. I've been called a snob here and on other forums when all it is is 35+ years of fairly successful experience in photography, art and business.

5. DON’T IGNORE THE CRITICS


6. DON’T MAKE IT COMPLICATED
Although photography is not rocket science, I see way too many would be photographers (and pros too unfortunately) who don't worry enough about the technical side and telling them not to worry about it is a disservice.

7. DON’T STEAL IDEAS
Don't take someone's art work and call it your own but other than that, art is basically stealing.

8. DON’T NEGLECT YOUR GEAR
There are times when you can't worry too much about the gear if you want to get the shot. I see a lot of digital photogs having this reaction because the gear is not cheap but what is the point of a tool if you're not going to use it just to protect it. Fine advice for amateurs but not for pros.

9. DON’T IGNORE “THE RULES”
There are no rules, there are guidelines

10. DON’T STOP LEARNING
Isn't that true about all aspects of life?

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

9. DON’T IGNORE “THE RULES”
The rule of thirds, symmetry, leading lines, perspective, background, depth of field, framing, crop, and so on. You’ve probably come across some of the basic rules of photography either on the web or in a book. Then you also see advice out there saying “break the rules”. So what’s the answer? Follow them? Break them? Here’s the thing… there’s a major difference between breaking the rules on accident and breaking the rules on purpose. It’s called intent, and that’s what separates the good from the bad. So learn the rules, then learn how to break them.

Love it!

It's usually people who don't understand "the rules" that say not to pay much attention to them. yes Cloud, they are guidlines, but they still need to be understood.

 

[12sndsgood]

3. don't be afraid to fail


being afraid to fail has kept allot of people from trying. go out, fail, and learn from your mistakes is way better then never trying at all.



all good things above.

 

[inov8ter]

3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL

Umm... I say yes, be afraid. That will motivate you to learn the craft and prevent you from taking on jobs you're not ready to successfully complete.

6. DON’T MAKE IT COMPLICATED
Photography is relatively simple on the technical side.

But GOOD photography often calls for careful attention to details, proper planning and advanced technical knowledge.

7. DON’T STEAL IDEAS

It's all pretty much been done before. Look to others for inspiration, but (of course) don't plagiarize with a blatant, verbatim copy.

9. DON’T IGNORE “THE RULES”
...So what’s the answer? Follow them? Break them?

Learn 'em... AND learn WHY they have been adopted as conventional thinking. It's not enough to be able to recite them. Understand them thoroughly.

-Pete

I agree to a point. But not about failing. lets take a look at a quote from one of the best basketball players. This should be some motivation.

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." -Michael Jordan

 

[D-B-J]

3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL

Umm... I say yes, be afraid. That will motivate you to learn the craft and prevent you from taking on jobs you're not ready to successfully complete.



But GOOD photography often calls for careful attention to details, proper planning and advanced technical knowledge.



It's all pretty much been done before. Look to others for inspiration, but (of course) don't plagiarize with a blatant, verbatim copy.

9. DON’T IGNORE “THE RULES”
...So what’s the answer? Follow them? Break them?

Learn 'em... AND learn WHY they have been adopted as conventional thinking. It's not enough to be able to recite them. Understand them thoroughly.

-Pete

I agree to a point. But not about failing. lets take a look at a quote from one of the best basketball players. This should be some motivation.

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." -Michael Jordan

I agree with your statement, but i know alot of people who accept failure as failure, and dont learn from it.

Anyways, a good set of points.

 

[crimbfighter]

1. DON’T EXPECT RESULTS OVERNIGHT

2. DON’T LUST FOR NEW GEAR

3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO FAIL

4. DON’T GET COCKY

5. DON’T IGNORE THE CRITICS

6. DON’T MAKE IT COMPLICATED

7. DON’T STEAL IDEAS

8. DON’T NEGLECT YOUR GEAR

9. DON’T IGNORE “THE RULES”

10. DON’T STOP LEARNING

It's kinda funny, I think most new photographers, myself included, go through most, if not all of these "dont's" nearly in this exact numerical order. First, we get the new camera and think the cash spent will yield immediate results. Then we start drooling over the newest, greatest gizmos and gadgets, probably even buying a few and thinking they will make all the difference in capturing the great photo we know is just right around the corner. The afraid to fail part may come later for some. Once we have our new gear, though, and we've taken a couple good photos, we start to get confident, some maybe even cocky. Which leads to the next violation, ignoring the critics... Then, with all of our new gear, and new found sense of perfection, we severely over complicate things by lugging all our new gear to every event, spending countless hours setting up to finally click the shutter and discover we managed to capture nothing but crap... Then, after scratching our heads, we realize we could have made that shot perfect if only we had bought the professional model 900 instead of the lower budget 750... Even convincing ourselves for a brief moment that it would have made all the difference. Then, we don't let that deter us from gathering inspiration from others work, including making the "how to I get this effect?" thread which includes at least one picture re-posted in violation of forum rules. After which, we realize we haven't payed attention to all those gizmos we bought, thinking we would use them all when we bought them and low and behold batteries have died, dust has collected and we were so concerned with setting up our stuff we didn't realize the rain infiltrating our non-weather sealed consumer level DSLR's. Then, with our new model 900, we ignoring the rules and try to take a bunch of "edgy" and "unique" photos, and, after posting them for critique, we chose to ignore the comments of others and assume our snapshots are gallery level work. Some may change, or actually find success with it, but others never learn. The last one, however, is where I think the real improvements are made. I think you can, and should, as a learning experience, violate most of these rules in the beginning, it's human nature. But what sets the lasting photographers apart, are the ones who never stop learning, setting their pride aside, listen to those who are wiser and continually re-evaluating themselves to ensure they aren't falling victim to forgetten past mistakes.

It's remarkably similar to how people go through the five stages of grief. I can admit, even I fell victim to a few of these things. Maybe I'm crazy, but I saw the connection right away!

 

[Christie Photo]

I agree with your statement, but i know alot of people who accept failure as failure, and dont learn from it.

Hmmm... maybe I'm coming off too rigid.

Failure IS failure. Somebody here said:
"being afraid to fail has kept allot of people from trying. go out, fail, and learn from your mistakes is way better then never trying at all."

No thanks. I can guarantee you NO wedding clients would go along with this; and no would-be photographer should ever start thinking like this.

I understand there's a certain amount of risk for any of us when we take on a job. But there's no substitute for preparing yourself as much as possible. We all take "calculated" risks.

Don't numb yourself against fear of failure. DO something about it. Arm yourself. All things in due time. What was that first "don't" on the list... something about expecting results too quickly?

Even after doing this for 40 years, when I set out to do a wedding, my wife knows not to wish me "good luck." I refuse to rely on luck. I will not put myself OR my clients in that position.

Keep the fear alive. It will push you to perform better.

-Pete