New guy looking to master his art!

ShadowKingpin · Jul 15, 2013

Hi everyone! My name is Tim and I am 24 years old. I currently reside in Sandusky, OH and spend a lot of my time behind a camera trying to catch unique moments

I was brought here by searching for a Photography forum in hopes to learning new tricks to my art. I have a lot to learn, and what better way than to get help from the pro's themselves? My goal is to travel and photograph those golden moments, but I haven't yet gotten the quality I hope for in my images. I am proud of what I can do, but I know I can do better, but I lack in certain areas (Photoshop for example and lighting) and could really use some tips to help spice up my images

I am excited to learn from you all and I can't wait to look through all of your work for inspiration!

ronlane · Jul 15, 2013

welcome to the site

ShooterJ · Jul 15, 2013

Welcome aboard.. be careful though.. Canadians sail these waters, bringin' false bacon with'em...

smalltowngirl13 · Jul 16, 2013

Welcome to the forum Tim!

KmH · Jul 16, 2013

:thumbup: Welcome to TPF Tim. :camera:

My first suggestions are based on the avatar image you posted.

1. Your camera holding method is very weak and unstable. Put your hand under the lens so your palm is facing up. Get your elbows in against your torso.
Da Grip « Joe McNally's Blog

2. Learn about white balance. Your avatar image has a distinct yellow/orange color cast, likely because the light was from a tungsten/incandescent light but the camera white balance was set to sunlight. White balance tells the camera what kind of light is being used to make a photo. Our brain makes adjustments for us. The camera doesn't have a brain, and it doesn't 'see' like human eyes do.
Understanding White Balance
Cameras vs. The Human Eye

Derrel · Jul 16, 2013

KmH said:
:thumbup: Welcome to TPF Tim. :camera:

My first suggestions are based on the avatar image you posted.

1. Your camera holding method is very weak and unstable. Put your hand under the lens so your palm is facing up. Get your elbows in against your torso.
Da Grip « Joe McNally's Blog

2. Learn about white balance. Your avatar image has a distinct yello/orange color cast, likely because the light was from a tungsten/incandescent light but the camera white balance was set to sunlight. White balanace tell the camera what kind of light is being used to make a photo. Our brain makes adjustments for us. The camera doesn't have a brain, and it doesn't 'see' like human eyes do.
Understanding White Balance
Cameras vs. The Human Eye

Tim, your intro post produced yet another TPF Instant Classic forum post from KmH!!! He's helpful like that. Listen to him.

hirejn · Jul 16, 2013

Not getting the images you want is a common problem with beginners. That's because in short they don't do what pros do (Joel Nisleit Photography | The Differences Between Professional and Amateur Photographers). It also has a lot to do with exposure confusion, which in part comes from using and not understanding average metering. But once you're capable of correct exposure, you then need to include other photographic elements like story, composition, mood, color, tonality, impact. Images are a labor of love. Pros work at them, but it's not work work. It's fun. It just takes time, learning, and practice.

You can never truly learn or understand photography until you submit yourself to it. Make mistakes. Let light humble and teach you. Be honest with yourself. Do what pros do. Learn principles and then use them in your photography. Understand what equipment does, but don't become fascinated with it. It's just a tool for recording light. Become a student of light. There's no one right way to learn, but no matter how you learn the principles are the same. Equipment is irrelevant in pursuit of mastering the fundamentals. It's only after you've mastered them that equipment can play a role in giving your images an additional edge.

ShadowKingpin · Jul 16, 2013

KmH said:
:thumbup: Welcome to TPF Tim. :camera:

My first suggestions are based on the avatar image you posted.

1. Your camera holding method is very weak and unstable. Put your hand under the lens so your palm is facing up. Get your elbows in against your torso.
Da Grip « Joe McNally's Blog

2. Learn about white balance. Your avatar image has a distinct yello/orange color cast, likely because the light was from a tungsten/incandescent light but the camera white balance was set to sunlight. White balanace tell the camera what kind of light is being used to make a photo. Our brain makes adjustments for us. The camera doesn't have a brain, and it doesn't 'see' like human eyes do.
Understanding White Balance
Cameras vs. The Human Eye

Oh!!! My bad. I should have used a newer photo. That photo was taken when I got my camera that very day and knew nothing about angles, post-production and such. I didn't even know about white balance at the time haha. I'll change the photo to one I did today doing the "Dragan Effect".