is there a book, or thread, like this?

[Bitter Jeweler]

I disagree, with a caveat of "unless it is already present".

... in which case learning the technique and looking at Masters work (and studying it) is necessary. Talent alone is not sufficient.

To get in tune with your "artsy" side, study art.

:greenpbl:

 

[3bayjunkie]

i would recommend to you the same book i recommend to anyone just getting into photography. scot kelbys the digital photography book vol 1.

 

[Derrel]

bitter, that is the exact sort of thing im talking about... a "real world image" and a "photograph". I understand that art comes from within, but it is also true that proper guidence can assist in finding ones artistic side!

I disagree, with a caveat of "unless it is already present".
Talent is a gift. Just like people who are amazing at math. Not everyone can grasp the abstract nature of advanced math. I believe you either got it, or you don't.

I have learned a great deal looking at other peoples "bad" photos, and trying to see what they were shooting for. IDK for some reason, actually seeing the pictures helps me to think differently.

Yes, I believe doing so helps to a degree. But out in the field you are faced with a billion situations, and you rely on your mind to find what is interesting, and what speaks to your view of the world.

There is a myth your parents taught you. They said you can be can be anything you want when you grow up. I believe people are fairly hard wired into certain categories. Not everyone will be good at playing musical instruments, not everyone can be taught to draw well, not eveyone can get a full grasp on physics. Not everyone will be a good photographer.

Learning a simple thing like the Rule of Thirds, is easy to apply and can take a person from snapshots to a decent image. But there is so much beyond that. A lot of it isn't easy to teach. Much of it comes from within, and how you see the world around you.

I am always amused by the number of people who think that buying a camera is a gateway to making money off photography, and the reality is not many make a living (sole income) off of it. Why is that? What variable comes into play?

Here is an article that almost directly refutes everything you've said about "talent". It is called Rethinking Talent.

Rethinking talent

An interesting, opposite point of view...

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Thanks for posting that piece Derrel.
It's good to take in as many different opinions as you can to help form your own.
I still feel there is something, something else involved.
Some people pick up new techniques, ideas, processes, theories, materials, and can run with them right out of the gate. It takes others much more time, effort and focus to achieve at the same level. What makes that so?

My opinion can be taken any way one wants. It is based on my experiences and observations of those around me, just like Alain Briot's

Again, thanks for offering up something else in what I find a deeply fascinating subject.

Off topic humor: Derrel, auto correct likes to change your name to Derail. Glad I caught that.