Three Bits of Advice

[imagemaker46]

1. Control the situation you are working in.
2. Don't let missed photos set you back. You can't get them all.
3. Learn to really see light, and look past what you are shooting. Bad backgrounds kill photos.

 

[IByte]

1) Use a dlsr simulator to understand the AP, SS, and ISO triangle

2)Shoot, shoot, shoot with your camera, take a break then pratice some more. 8)

3) Don't start a business and wind up on "You Are Not a Photographer's" website, and be booed and heckled unitl my throat is sore.

 

[table1349]

Never play cards with a man called Pops.

Never eat at a place called Moms.

Never take a sharp photograph of a fuzzy concept.

 

[Fred Berg]

Learn all you can about your camera, not only by reading the manual but by using it and finding out for yourself what it does and doesn't like.

Learn all you can about light. For me, this is the single most important aspect of photography. The first thing I ask myself when composing a shot is, where the light is as well as how much and what sort of light there is. This is something I will never stop learning about or get bored with learning.

Be patient, both with yourself and others. Rome wasn't built in a day but there will always be enough people around claiming to have been involved on that particular project.

 

[Derrel]

1) Learn the basics of exposure; the shutter speed and f/stop relationship is absolutely critical. The "exposure triangle" was not a practical concept in the film days, since film speeds were so limited. Today, with a d-slr that can give good photos at ISO ratings from 100 to 3,200 the "ISO part of the triangle" is a reality.

2) Learn some of the science underlying photography. Guide Numbers and how flash exposure varies with distance for example. Learn about the way light falls off in intensity by learning about the Inverse Square Law. Learn about lens angle of view and focal length. Learn about the way the black point needs to be established when post-processing a digital file. Learn the way "curves" function in your image editing program. In short, learn at least some of the SCIENCE part of photography.

3)Get at least ONE textbook on composition and design, or one book on how photographic composition works, or one big photographic TEXT BOOK. Go down to Good Will, or a used book store, and buy a textbook that deals with composition and design, or photographic composition, or something like that. Spend $5.99 and have a real, printed resource to give you ideas, technical reference, and clear, diagrammed illustrations of concepts and principles.

 

[Overread]

1) Welcome everyones input - thank them for their time and then, in your own time, decide who is worth and who isn't worth listening to - try not to base this on if they liked your photo or not, base it more on if you like theirs.

2) Don't fear theory nor view it as a restriction - learn it and let it free your creativity.

3) Don't huddle with the beginners- strike out and socialise with the experts. Like in any environment if you associate with and interact with your betters you've more chance of catching up and reaching their level (and maybe getting higher) than if you only interact with those of equal or lesser footing than yourself.

 

[The_Traveler]

1) If you are just learning, don't take pictures of things that are inherently beautiful - because its too easy to get a reasonable picture that every jerk will coo over and tell you it's fantastic. It isn't. Your camera did most of it and you just pushed the button.

2) If you are just learning, don't take pictures of people you love and put them up for c/c and tell everyone that's your baby, mommy, honey, whatever. No one will tell you the truth and, if they do, you won't want to hear it.

3) If you are just learning, and you take a picture that you really, really, really love, leave it alone for a week or so and come back and look at it with fresh eyes. Yes, it will be crap but you're a week more experienced now and you can learn from it.

4) If you are learning, don't post pictures you took 6 months ago and give some lame excuse why you're posting them. No one cares. What did you shoot recently?

5) if you are learning, don't post 6 to 60 random pictures and ask people what they think of your 'work'.
I can tell you right now what they think.
"It's not 'work. It's a pile of crap. It sucks. You don't know what you're doing. Why don't you show me one picture that you like and really think is good and we can go from there?"

 

[The_Traveler]

5) if you are learning, don't post 6 to 60 random pictures and ask people what they think of your 'work'.
I can tell you right now what they think.
"It's not 'work. It's a pile of crap. It sucks. You don't know what you're doing. Why don't you show me one picture that you like and really think is good and we can go from there?"

Whatever they say, that's really what they're thinking.
Bet on it.

 

[chuasam]

and my next 3.

I) Quit worrying about sharpness and just learn to see the picture.
II) Quit bitching about other people's work and just take pictures that you love.
III) Quit trying to take pictures to please someone else and take pictures to please yourself.