This should be interesting..

[wyogirl]

My style-- working on that and am nowhere near figuring it out.
My strength is in Photoshop. My BA is in advertising design so me and Photoshop are tight.
My weakness is in just about everything else...lol. I really want to learn more about off camera lighting. I understand composition from my design background, but I need to learn to slow down and really focus on that while my eye is in the viewfinder.
I'm not a great photographer but I'm not a crappy one either.
I'm learning I don't actually like portraiture.... hmmmmm.

 

[oldhippy]

Reincarnation may be a good thing. At the rate I'm going, I may need another life or two. That aside. I love the learning, and will never quit. Ah but I said that about Yoga also.

 

[snowbear]

I know what button to push.

 

[SCraig]

I dunno. I've been shooting forever, but I'm still a beginner. I shoot in RAW, I prefer birds and nature and motorsports. I shoot in manual when the conditions dictate but I'm no masochist and am quite happy to let my camera do most of the work these days. I did my own color and B&W darkroom work for years, but couldn't develop a roll of film if I had to now. I've used Photoshop since it was version 3 and dislike it more now than I did then, so I seldom use it. I detest "Street" photography, I can't stand black-and-white, and I hate selective coloring. I can use a flash when I have to and get decent results from it. I've never had an urge to pursue a career in photography and will never, EVER shoot a wedding again as long as I live.

I guess I'm just a guy who likes to play with cameras. If that doesn't satisfy the selection criteria then you tell me where I fit in.

 

[Dinardy]

Noobist-Poser-Wannabe-Hack with a knack for heavy inhalation of life fuel that powers my rocket boosters of button pressing desires to in which is incorporateses light and picture moments onto sticky paper magic screen...

Dooozizz meat criterion?

 

[ShooterJ]

No selection process in this thread. It's really just about hearing what people think of their own path for a change, rather than C&C on anothers work... and so far it's not disappointing.. the posts in this thread have been great.

 

[snowbear]

I really over-simplified. I like to think I'm a competent hobbyist that knows he has to improve, and wants to.

I am very comfortable with manual exposure settings on the camera. I shot some film & learned basic B&W darkroom in high school (camera club, not a class), in the mid 70s. A few years ago, I decided to get serious about photography. I found a free online class (and have since become a mod at the site), took three classes in college (got my degree right after I retired), and troll around this place a little and it has helped. I still need to learn to get the flash off of TTL/Auto, but I've been playing with the manual settings.

 

[ShooterJ]

I will add to this... that I've seen a lot of talent and a lot of great images posted to this forum, many of which were posted by people participating in this thread.

This is in no way designed to compare anyone to another. It really is just about where we're at in Photography and what we think of ourselves in terms of progress/talent/understanding.

So far, it's been a huge success. So for all who've participated, thank you. Even our experiences and self critique can be educational for others and there have been some very honest, humble and straightforward posts here.

 

[DarkShadow]

I use to think of photography as taking some snap shots in auto mode and then forget about the camera until some event come's along. Now I barley can put the camera down.I am shooting in full manual and seemed to be doing fine with exposures.I am still trying hard for composition,technique,sharpness from the very first click.I am always thinking even fantasizing about what to shoot or something that may happen worthy of a shot.I don't shoot at everything in sight.If It don't catch me eye,I don't lift the camera. I am always look around more then I ever did before for things that could be potential for a nice photograph or i am always scanning for raptors. I am a rookie with motivation to learn and excited to learn.5 months ago I was learning how to read the meter today I am taking picture's some keepers and some not. I still consider my self a rookie but a rookie that has 5 months in of experience of some improvements.

Sent from Darkshadow's macbook Pro.:lmao:

 

[ShooterJ]

I oversimplified in my OP as well. I'm a student .. but not a beginner in it. I'm well into school and I've learned quite a lot thus far.. with plenty more ahead of me. I won my first DSLR in a competition that didn't even involve photography.. lol

For a couple of days it just sat at home in the box, until I couldn't sleep one night. So I got up, pulled the camera out, opened the manual and started playing with it.

I suppose at one point in my life I thought, "A picture is just a picture"... I didn't really understand what went into some of those amazing shots and furthermore, I didn't understand that taking photos could open your eyes to things you pass every day but never really see.

I've come quite a ways from that.. from reading a manual and trying to navigate menus ... to shooting in manual without giving the menus much thought.

I don't know that Photography will ever be something I do for money, no matter what level of skill I can reach. My interest is more personal in nature than financial.. and it always will be. I'd love to achieve a professional skill level.. but don't really care if I'm the only one who ever has one of my prints hanging up.

 

[pic_chick]

Style a lot of street I like black and white as much as color I live in New Orleans and it is home to some great street life.
level... 1 keeper out of lucky I am so not getting my settings right or my framing or I am to slow ect. I also sleep real late live a 3rd shift lifestyle so I miss daylight a lot getting up late afternoon = not a lot of light. should be working on low light but I'm not tripods are so heavy
:0

 

[rexbobcat]

I'm a student as well, but I'm fairly mediocre in a comparative sense. I'm too inconsistent and indecisive. On a scale of 1-10, I've put myself at about a 5-6. I have a really hard time solving complex photographic puzzles, whether it be from a technical aspect or a conceptual one. Even though I feel that photography is my only usable skill, I'm not quite sure my analytical left-sided brain can handle the constant creative pressure. But I do my best.

I don't really have a photographic style. I guess I could say that I have an aesthetic style...somewhat: lots of contrast, relatively clean photos, generically textbook compositions, high saturation. My photos kind of look similar-ish even if they don't really look very cohesive...if that makes sense.

I wish I was more consistent and more set in where I want my photography to go and what I want it to be, but I'm too scatterbrained for that. I keep thinking that if I get comfortable with a certain style then that limits my opportunities, because not every photo looks good with *insert stylistic approach here*.

Meh... :/

 

[pic_chick]

Off topic Shooter Love that horse grew up in Miss. Had family that raised horse mostly paints and for barrel racing I really miss having a horse. My horse was a giant Clydesdale cross had to get on the roof of a truck to get on him slow as hell My little sister's pony could run laps around and under him he was so slow.

 

[ShooterJ]

Off topic Shooter Love that horse grew up in Miss. Had family that raised horse mostly paints and for barrel racing I really miss having a horse. My horse was a giant Clydesdale cross had to get on the roof of a truck to get on him slow as hell My little sister's pony could run laps around and under him he was so slow.

Thank you .. her name is Annie and I have another one, a red and white paint named Amy. Both are stabled at a friends place outside the city. I go out often to ride and love it.

 

[Josh66]

As far as style, I don't know. If I have one, I don't know what it is. I kind of feel like that's for other people to decide.

As far as skill, I'd say that I'm 'competent'. I am sometimes limited in what I can do because of what I have available to me, but I can figure out how to do pretty much anything. Note that knowing how to do something doesn't automatically make you good at it, lol.

Technical things come pretty easily to me, but they also tend to bore me pretty quickly...