Beginners and Experts - What have you learned while on this forum ??

[ottor]

A question from someone who signed up here about a day after I purchased my first DSLR ... What have you learned during your time on this Forum ?? There are tons of experts here that provide some extremely valuable advice, and if you pay attention, there's gold in these hills !!

So far, I've learned:

People are fanatics about HDR ... They either love it, or ... they're just wrong.

My horizon is always crooked.

I know that "M" means it's OK to Mangle a photograph every once in a while.. it's not the end of the world.

No matter how much you love the picture you just posted, you can write a notebook on how it can be improved after reading just the first page of responses...

I know that there isn't a single person out there that knows me - so - it's never personal...

I've been educated in the fact that only about 10% of people read a full post before asking a question that's been asked and answered 10 times before in the same post...

NOBODY searches - even if they said they did...

For every person that hijacks your thread, there's 10 more that are willing to provide extremely helpful information ...

And most importantly .......... Although I have years and years to go to reach "Average" status, .. I'm not a bad picture taker.. :mrgreen:

Thanks to everyone..... Beginners - what have you learned that really impacts your photography experience, and Experts ... what have you learned from some beginners ??

 

[gsgary]

Beginners ask questions before they have read the manual

 

[Overread]

The internet makes some photographers cranky

Never EVER talk about wedding photography (seriously its worse than breaking the first and second rules of fightclub together!)

And now for some more stuff I learnt - pretty sure I learnt some of it here though in all truth its always a collection of sources for me and TPF is one of those sources

Backbutton focusing - how and when to use it

How to take a photo of a bug - settings as well as lighting and composition advice and also going a little into finding good subjects as well.

About the existance of the BWC!

How to use some features of photoshop elements such as levels, curves and layer masks - also picked a very little bit on colour management (but its a subject I honestly have to sit down with and study oneday - when I have a decent enough monitor to take it more seriously)

What gear to choose in various situations - sometimes its needed a whole new recomendation and other times mearly validation of the choice that I have made. That is not (for the "cranky ones") saying that I need TPFs approval, but that before spending it is good to get a few other opinions since sometimes new ideas and suggestions come to light

About Sanyo Enloop batteries - a revolution in AA battery use in flashes!

That Gary really really really does like the Canon 300mm f2.8 IS L and should stop making me jealous

About prefocusing and waiting for the shot - often re dog/horse event jumping but a method with uses outside of this area of scope as well

How to shoot all the way to the moon

Probably loads of other little stuff as well

 

[gsgary]

The internet makes some photographers cranky

Never EVER talk about wedding photography (seriously its worse than breaking the first and second rules of fightclub together!)

And now for some more stuff I learnt - pretty sure I learnt some of it here though in all truth its always a collection of sources for me and TPF is one of those sources

Backbutton focusing - how and when to use it

How to take a photo of a bug - settings as well as lighting and composition advice and also going a little into finding good subjects as well.

About the existance of the BWC!

How to use some features of photoshop elements such as levels, curves and layer masks - also picked a very little bit on colour management (but its a subject I honestly have to sit down with and study oneday - when I have a decent enough monitor to take it more seriously)

What gear to choose in various situations - sometimes its needed a whole new recomendation and other times mearly validation of the choice that I have made. That is not (for the "cranky ones") saying that I need TPFs approval, but that before spending it is good to get a few other opinions since sometimes new ideas and suggestions come to light

About Sanyo Enloop batteries - a revolution in AA battery use in flashes!

That Gary really really really does like the Canon 300mm f2.8 IS L and should stop making me jealous

About prefocusing and waiting for the shot - often re dog/horse event jumping but a method with uses outside of this area of scope as well

How to shoot all the way to the moon

Probably loads of other little stuff as well

Did i mention i have a lovely 300mmF2.8L

 

[Overread]

 

[Dao]

I bought my first DSLR almost 2 years ago (Spring of 2008) and join this forum. At that time, I do not really know much at all and thought joining a photo forum should help me take better pictures.

After that, I learned that .... Photography is not just about taking a good picture.

I learned a lot especially back in 2008 when there were a lot of members here had great technical background. Really sad to see them go ....

 

[skieur]

1. That despite all the monitor calibration in the world, etc., almost everyone sees a slightly different version of the original photo posted. It is due to colour space imbedded in the photo and how and whether it is read by the viewer's system. It is due to the "translation" from Adobe RGB to srgb and even from and to different versions of these colour spaces. It is also due to the fact that most CRTs have more colours and less contrast than LCD screens and the brightness level from the factory on an LCD is set too high in order to impress viewers in a brightly lit store. The angle that you view a LCD also makes a considerable difference when looking at a photo in detail The range of monitors from older laptops with different resolution and contrast to newer units with different specs adds to the complexitiy of looking closely at image detail. The result is that if members are seeing photos differently, it can be difficult to keep general critique "on the same page".

2. The confirmation that both talent in composition and a willingness to learn the technical side are necessary for any beginner to make progress in photography. Photos that do not even attract the eye of the average viewer suggest that perhaps in some cases, the camera equipment should be traded in for another hobby.

3. To look even more carefully at photos for strengths and weaknesses.

4. Confirmation that the range of pro photographers is extremely wide in skills and experience.

5. That the weakness in text communication is that people are quicker to read and misinterpret "attitude", than they are to read exactly what was written.

skieur

 

[Hardrock]

That everyone has an opinion weither good or bad. So dont take anything personal. Someone is always better and has nicer equipment. Most people can't spell especially me . There are 2 different types of lens and Canon models. The lens and the lense and Cannon and Canon. Both seem to work pretty well. Oh and the most important that Canon is far superior to nikon!!

 

[JMack]

To read Understanding Exposure

That Megapixels don't matter as much as I thought.

And most of all, that I have a lot more to learn.

 

[themedicine]

This forum along with a couple others have taught me to be much more careful while composing photos and going through the initial "yes/no" process. Photos that I like from the get go suddenly have lots of obvious flaws, that somehow I didn't see the first go round.

 

[MissKH]

This forum along with a couple others have taught me to be much more careful while composing photos and going through the initial "yes/no" process. Photos that I like from the get go suddenly have lots of obvious flaws, that somehow I didn't see the first go round.

well said....i find myself analyzing a lot more now why photos are composed and are selected just aside from "i like the way it looks" without proper reasoning...

 

[Layspeed]

I've had my camera since last June.
I've learned that photography is MUCH more difficult that it seems on the surface.
I now have a basic understanding of Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO.
I've realized that almost all of the photos I've taken in the past decade are snapshots.
I've learned to put a lot more thought process into the moments prior to taking a photo.
Not all subjects will be interesting to everyone.
I spend more time reading this forum than actually taking pictures (so far).
I think my children will be grown ass adults before I figure out how to take good portraits of them myself
The internet is still great entertainment!

 

[altitude604]

I've had a REAL DSLR since last August... So here's a brief list of stuff I've learned; It's probably missing stuff as my memory isn't exactly airtight either.

- the diagonal method
- i have to keep working on my composition
- nikon and canon fanboys are almost worse than apple fanboys
- great PP tips for photoshop
- back button focusing
- when to shoot RAW or JPG
- exposing to the left / right
- how to read histograms
- DOF and how to play around with it

and more in there somewhere...

 

[iBats]

rule one of fight club you broke it and so did i
its a catch-22 whadya know

 

[erhard]

One thing that I have realised is that some just take it way too serious, not just in this forum by the way.
Photography for the majority of us is a hobby, for some its a passion and for a few its a business.
I feel that no matter what photography means to you, enjoy it, get out and be part of this great world we live in, freeze a point in time, let your creative juices flow, learn from your own experiences as well as others, but really, don't take it too seriously, chill out and capture the world!