dallasimagery
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- Jan 25, 2011
- Messages
- 206
- Reaction score
- 12
- Location
- dallas
- Can others edit my Photos
- Photos NOT OK to edit
Hi, I thought I'd type up a post with some recommendations for beginners.
1. Probably the biggest piece of advice I can give to someone starting out, is to pick up some good photography books. I've seen far, far too many people attempt to "learn via internet photography forum." The issues with this are plentiful, but the main one is, they're filled with people who don't know what they're doing! Lol. Seriously, it's true. I've seen alot of people not improve at all after 3 years of shooting because they keep making the same mistakes over and over again, so they never improve.
2. Always push yourself. When you start charging (if you ever chose to), yes it's nice to have a standard set of things you do that you know work. However, from every shoot, try and take away something new, that you never did before - whether it's a new angle you never thought of, etc.
3. Learn as much as you can about photoshop - don't forget, we're in the digital age and this is digital data here! Learning everything you can about photoshop will not only help your post-processing, but there are all kinds of tips and tricks that can save you tons of time, such as the keyboard shortcuts.
4. Posing - pick up a good book on posing, and learn the basics. If you don't, you could shoot for years and never figure out something that someone else figured out 50 years ago. Honestly, photography hasn't changed much in the last 100 years. Digital is just another medium, that's all. One of my very favorite portraits is one of my grandfather, taken in the 1920's. It's a masterful portrait. You can have the best-lit portrait in the world, but if the posing is horrible, it will truly kill the photo.
5. Pick up a good book on lighting - I'd recommend "Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers" - Amazon.com: Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers (9781584281252): Christopher Grey: Books. You can have the best photo in the world, but if the lighting is horrible, it probably won't be very interesting.
6. Don't worry so much about equipment! That's another one I see alot of new people get "hung up on." Again, see point #4, photography hasn't changed much in decades - did photographers 30 years ago produce crap because they didn't have a 135L? Hardly.
Cheers
1. Probably the biggest piece of advice I can give to someone starting out, is to pick up some good photography books. I've seen far, far too many people attempt to "learn via internet photography forum." The issues with this are plentiful, but the main one is, they're filled with people who don't know what they're doing! Lol. Seriously, it's true. I've seen alot of people not improve at all after 3 years of shooting because they keep making the same mistakes over and over again, so they never improve.
2. Always push yourself. When you start charging (if you ever chose to), yes it's nice to have a standard set of things you do that you know work. However, from every shoot, try and take away something new, that you never did before - whether it's a new angle you never thought of, etc.
3. Learn as much as you can about photoshop - don't forget, we're in the digital age and this is digital data here! Learning everything you can about photoshop will not only help your post-processing, but there are all kinds of tips and tricks that can save you tons of time, such as the keyboard shortcuts.
4. Posing - pick up a good book on posing, and learn the basics. If you don't, you could shoot for years and never figure out something that someone else figured out 50 years ago. Honestly, photography hasn't changed much in the last 100 years. Digital is just another medium, that's all. One of my very favorite portraits is one of my grandfather, taken in the 1920's. It's a masterful portrait. You can have the best-lit portrait in the world, but if the posing is horrible, it will truly kill the photo.
5. Pick up a good book on lighting - I'd recommend "Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers" - Amazon.com: Master Lighting Guide for Portrait Photographers (9781584281252): Christopher Grey: Books. You can have the best photo in the world, but if the lighting is horrible, it probably won't be very interesting.
6. Don't worry so much about equipment! That's another one I see alot of new people get "hung up on." Again, see point #4, photography hasn't changed much in decades - did photographers 30 years ago produce crap because they didn't have a 135L? Hardly.
Cheers
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