what makes photography hard?

[vintagesnaps]

There's no quick easy answer, it's going to take time learning and practicing. It takes getting good at using a camera and getting proper exposures consistently. It takes learning how to compose images well, how to get good balance in your images, how to use shapes and color and lines, etc.

There isn't just one way of learning, you could take a workshop, or online class, etc. There are videos but many are done to make money from ads and aren't necessarily the best info. Books like The Photographer's Eye by John Szarkowski (not the later books using the same title). Try looking up 'famous photographers' and you should see names like Cartier-Bresson, Kertesz, etc. Try the book 'Stieglitz Steichen Strand'. See which photographers you like.

Usually I'd say to do a search of 'elements of composition in art', not photography because that would bring up good sources, but now many sites are using SEO to bring their crap to the top of a search. Look for sources from places like the Getty museum, artsedge from the Kennedy center, etc. linked below.

Find websites that teach about the elements of composition - line, shape, color, space, texture. Or principles of composition in art - balance, contrast, movement, pattern, proportion. Those are consistent and should be discussed in good articles about composition; if an article tells you something else you can't count on it being reliable.

Here are a couple to start with.
ARTSEDGE: Formal Visual Analysis: The Elements & Principles of Composition

Understanding Formal Analysis

 

[Derrel]

Go to your local
Library

 

[Derrel]

Let me use an analogy. Great cooking. You say you know all about the stove, and the knife, and the measuring cup, and you are familiar with 100 recipes and ingredients needed. But are you able to Actually cook a delicious meal? Cooking is much more than the kitchen tools and the ingredient list: there is a whole host of other things,other skills, which must be incorporated in order to cook at a high level.

Just because you have a frying pan, and a knife, and the stove, and the pantry and the refrigerator full of ingredients, well that does not make you a good chef.

 

[Strodav]

Photography is a blend of art and science. One can take a technically perfect picture, which is totally boring and one can ruin an interesting artistic image with poor camera skills. Many enthusiasts are better at one or the other side, but not both. Figure out what side you are better at, then work on the other side of your equation.

okay. what else is there to learn other than the fundamentals?

I'm not sure what you are meaning to ask, but start with the tutorials at Cambridgeincolour.com . Once you have mastered all the tutorials, ask your question again.

 

[Original katomi]

So, I understand nearly all there is to photography , conceptually that is.

You have listed the technical side of things, but not the artistic side. Photography is both.

Agree with above, in photography competitions I have seen both sorts of image some that are technically perfect and others that are art of so you get the technique down perfect but where is the soul of the photo tech shots are brill for record shots but sometimes you have to see the image in your mind beforehand .

 

[JoeW]

Completely agree with Tirediron here. Two elements: the technical (which is why a brilliant painter or sculptor can't pick up a camera and produce great art right away. And why a great photographer can't pick up a paint brush and be a magnificent painter. You've got to learn the technical skills.) and the artistic.

The artistic is the difference between taking a snapshot versus making picture. Some of the artistic is true regardless of the visual art you engage in (drawing, painting, sculpture, fabric, photography, etc.). It involves using light, perspective, composition, telling stories, grabbing the eye. If you're just technically proficient then you're just taking snapshots. You're "capturing" what you see (man, I hate that term--I don't do "captures." If you're in to "captures" than just use an instamatic or camera phone).

People say that the first rule for art is "break all the rules." I couldn't disagree more--that's the complete opposite of the work of great artists. Actually, there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of rules for art and visual design. And you can't follow all of them simultaneously or even most of them at the same time. So being a great artist is about knowing the "rules" of composition and visual design well enough to then intentionally choose which rules you're going to apply in your work. That's why 10 photographers can look at the same setting and you end up with 10 different photos with 10 different perspectives. It's not just that "they're individuals." It's that one decided to focus on negative space. Another took a shot that emphasized depth of field. Another sought to convey movement so panned and used a slower shutter speed. Another looked for form so went B&W. Another wanted saturated rich colors. Another wanted to convey a emotion and focused in on the expression of the human in the scene. Another wanted to convey the conflict between human activity and peaceful nature so focused in on the lovely background and made the people in the foreground a blur. None of them were "breaking the rules." Instead, they were choosing which rules to apply and use to make that photograph. That is what makes this an art--surveying the possibilities and then choosing the rules you want to use with that setting to make art.

So it starts with learning about visual design and composition. And while you can find books specific to photography (particularly about why particular photos "work" and what it is that makes those photos so powerful--other than it being a historical event or important person), almost any book about visual design or visual art will work. You read about the difference between horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines. Or negative space. Or contrast. Or color wheels and complimentary colors. Or white balance and tones and the emotions they convey. Or telling stories with photos. Or the power of cropping as a way to eliminate distractions and change focus. The basic version is the rule of thirds but far more useful is the Golden Ratio.

And before it sounds like I'm saying "don't pick up your camera, just go submerge yourself in books for the next year or two or maybe get a degree in art and only then pick up your camera"--BS. As Henri Cartier-Bresson said: "Your first 10,000 photos are your worst." Truer words have never been spoken. So start taking pictures. But not snapshots--PICTURES. So as you look at something and go "cool, I'll pull out my camera" you want to survey it and start to make conscious choices about how you compose the photo. Get in closer or further back? DoF--narrow or wide and if it's narrow, what's the focal point? What's the story in this composition? What's the dynamic range and how do I manipulate it? And then learn from those first 10,000 photos. Post stuff here (on TPF) and ask for critiques. Not just "so what do you think?" but explain what you were trying to achieve with that photo and you'll get some outstanding tips on what you could have done differently. And even if you don't agree with that, you'll learn.

Here's a tip for you (and it's a basic composition and creativity challenge I've used with photography students): chose a common household item. A broom. A pencil. An ordinary terra cotta pot. A fork. Those are examples--just chose one. Now--take 30 different photos of that object. Not 30 photos where you manipulate with photoshop to get different looks. 30 different compositions of the fork or pencil or pot. You can light it differently (ambient light, 1 light, 2 lights, soft or hard light, near or far away, gels). You can throw it in the air and pan as you shoot it (better have extra pots then). Shoot it at high speed as it drops in to a tank of water. Place it in different settings. Change the angles you shoot it from. You can't decorate or color or break the object in order to get a different look. You're using composition and setting to create different pictures. This will teach you a ton about the practical ways to use your camera for composition.

 

[Soocom1]

My two cents worth.

Photography is about capturing a moment in time useing light.

LIGHT.

Remember only the first word.

Light is a waveform produced by radiation. (non ionizing) and follows one primary rule that governs much of photography.
Inverse square law.

The further from the light the lower the intensity.

This governs flash, it governs volume and how the apature works in relation to luminocity levels in the camera etc.

The core of the question is what makes one photograph and/or photographer stand out from the rest.

Answer: Practice.

 

[Derrel]

JoeW wrote a fabulous reply. I felt that it deserved the winner badge.

 

[ph0toe]

Let me use an analogy. Great cooking. You say you know all about the stove, and the knife, and the measuring cup, and you are familiar with 100 recipes and ingredients needed. But are you able to Actually cook a delicious meal? Cooking is much more than the kitchen tools and the ingredient list: there is a whole host of other things,other skills, which must be incorporated in order to cook at a high level.

Just because you have a frying pan, and a knife, and the stove, and the pantry and the refrigerator full of ingredients, well that does not make you a good chef.

so that poses how I can become a good chef in that scenerio.

 

[DanOstergren]

So, I understand nearly all there is to photography , conceptually that is.

-how aperture , iso and shutter speed work together to create a proper exposure
- exposure- knowing how much light or less light we need to compensate a good image.
-Knowing that the lower the iso the better to prevent grainy images
- knowing that shutter speed can create an effect to freeze an object or, alternatively make it blurry (sports)
-knowing that aperture can effect depth of field, either shallow or not.

knowing that lens can effect how close up (macro), telephoto (far away) , wide, fisheye, etc
that is we look at focal point (eg. 35mm or 50mm) & every lense have different f stops range. (f 1.4) or f 4.0

half pressing the shutter before pressing it full way to get the shot you want.

focus. autofocus will focus on the points in your viewfinder. you can either press the af-on, use the viewfinder lcd or just half press the shutter to focus before you shoot in any of the 3 autofocus modes. af servo, af single, etc


now if done correctly, all the images will come out great depending on the lighting conditions and composition. everything else is done in post processing. so, what makes one photographer stands out from another before post processing? why do people claim photography is hard when understanding the fundamental are all there to it?

I am still very much new to the craft, so feel free to enlighten me thanks

You mentioned nothing about vision, inspiration, and passion, so I am going to assume you haven't found them yet. This is why photography is hard for you. When you find your passion for it and start seeing and capturing what you see as beautiful while applying technical skill to it, it may get easier.

 

[JonFZ300]

You're overthinking it. It's not hard. Figure out what you want to do and how you want to do it. It's all subjective anyway so it doesn't really matter as long as you like your images.

 

[SquarePeg]

Let me use an analogy. Great cooking. You say you know all about the stove, and the knife, and the measuring cup, and you are familiar with 100 recipes and ingredients needed. But are you able to Actually cook a delicious meal? Cooking is much more than the kitchen tools and the ingredient list: there is a whole host of other things,other skills, which must be incorporated in order to cook at a high level.

Just because you have a frying pan, and a knife, and the stove, and the pantry and the refrigerator full of ingredients, well that does not make you a good chef.

so that poses how I can become a good chef in that scenerio.

Same as with photography - Be inspired, experiment, practice, request critique, repeat.

 

[photoflyer]

There is an interesting image in almost every moment. The key is to separate the static and find that image. Once you "see" it technical skills, technique, and equipment enable you to "take" it. I think a lot of us practice the "taking" when we should practice the "seeing".

 

[AlanKlein]

People said a lot of good stuff above. In addition, join a photo club in your area if there is one. If they regularly do "show your stuff" and then critique, you can learn a lot. Plus being with other photographers will help you gain a perspective of better photography and learn tricks of the trade as well. . You can also post your pictures for critiques on various photo forums. But ask for honest critiques from people who will provide negative comments as well as the usual, "nice shot".

 

[Original katomi]

For this weeks yellow chalange, I saw the dogs tennis balls and a mouldy pepper in the kitchen.
Add some imageanation.
I have a set of fictional characters that I photographed all inspired by someone leaving a lost t shirt on a street bollard