Newbie questions

[Anisha Kaul]

So till now what I know to look/notice in the photographs is :
1. Depth of field and Composition.

What else is there on which I can/should study more?
Also do tell me if the question is not making any sense.

 

[Redcloud]

Hi Anisha,

I'm not sure how far you are with this? But you should aim to be considering each element of taking a photo, even when looking at one.

So when looking at photos taken by anyone, I try to consider everything that the photographer will have set to get the photo. For example, what ISO did they use? were they using the tripod? what are the lighting and shutter speed conditions? and how would this effect the camera settings? Then you will need to apply this to your photography too. Hope this makes sense.

If you need any help mastering these, perhaps try the tutorials at redclouddays . co .uk
Best Wishes

 

[3bayjunkie]

you should read some books by Scott Kelby and Joe Mcnally.

 

[Light Artisan]

Learn exposure...

ISO, shutter speed and aperture.

Learn how the work with each other and why things happen the way they do (motion blur, stop action, depth of field, what effect ISO has on exposure, etc... How metering works and which method to use, learn about white balance and how it effects your photos.

 

[Anisha Kaul]

Thanks to all, but I have noticed here that the photos posted here for CC mostly focus on depth of field!

 

[KmH]

The single most important thing to control in a photograph is the light.

Look at the light first. :thumbup:

 

[Juanka]

Because with depth of field you can better expose your subject, or whatever is the point of interest in the picture, making it stand out.

 

[Anisha Kaul]

May be you are right, but my teamleader said today, that DOF is not the only thing....you'll soon get bored out it!

 

[Juanka]

Well, I guess you gotta try it for yourself then. Peoples tastes... vary as you know.

 

[Anisha Kaul]

Yes, and I don't even know what to ask!

 

[MohaimenK]

there's a whole different world out there where using a smaller aperture with off camera flash to create very interesting photographs so yes, shallow DOV isn't always the most important part of photography. But it also has to do with your style of photographs you take.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

May be you are right, but my teamleader said today, that DOF is not the only thing....you'll soon get bored out it!

When starting out, shallow DOF is the most common (and easy to understand) visual "tool" that is used. Like the Rule of Thirds, you can get into a rut and rely on it far too much. But as you progrees, you learn when to use all the "tools" at your disposal, and you will be making split second decisions at the time of capture. You will learn to see when applying other rules, or theories, is more effective. Most often, "breaking" a rule, means you are following another, whether you realize it or not.

The most important things in an image, all work together in some way. Lighting, Exposure (sometimes creative), Composition, and Subject matter.
All of these are used in an attempt to get an often emotional response from the viewer.

 

[fsquare]

This book really helped me when I first started off

Amazon.com: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) (9780817463007): Bryan Peterson: Books

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Another bit of advice is to try to avoid just looking and the "big picture" you see in front of you. Many people forget to look for all the smaller scenes inside of the larger one they are trying to capture. Pay attention to details!

 

[fsquare]

Another bit of advice is to try to avoid just looking and the "big picture" you see in front of you. Many people forget to look for all the smaller scenes inside of the larger one they are trying to capture. Pay attention to details!

Awesome advice right there