What to do with photography at 14

[helloyo53]

Hi everyone.

So, I'm kind of falling into a slump with photography. I know that sounds silly, but I'm starting to get less interested in it.

I was trying to sign up for a photo stock thing, but when I told my mom that I had to provide government ID, like a birth certificate, she didn't want me doing it. I don't blame her, she wants me to stay safe.

So that kind of put me down.

So, I'm 14 years old. There's really nothing I can do with photography at my age. Parents are only good to a certain extent for viewing your photographs. After a while, everytime you show them a photo you took, it's the same reaction: very nice!

I'm getting really bored with photography. I'm finding it really boring to take really really good pictures only to have them collect cyber dust on my computer. Is there anything that I can do with photography at 14 years old, or am I screwed for a while?

Thanks.

 

[PhotoXopher]

Make prints, experiment with post processing, find new subjects, try new techniques... endless really.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

I understand your parents' concern with the internet considering your age but they should be able to look at the stock sites and figure out which ones are safe. The ID thing, I'm pretty sure, is for tax purposes.

That said, stock sites are mostly not going to do much for you, financially or otherwise. True stock agencies are another story altogether but at your age, I doubt you have the amount of photography required to join one.

In the meantime, keep learning. No matter how good you think you are I do not believe for one second you have nothing more to learn. Do this and by the time you can get around on your own and actually consider taking photo work, you could be way ahead of other photogs in your age group.

Shoot and post here. Or, if you are truly good, there are forums that have way more advanced members. The best one don't just let you join though. They look at your photos and decide if you have something to contribute.

 

[IgsEMT]

So, I'm 14 years old. There's really nothing I can do with photography at my age.

WRONG.
My first real job was assisting a videographer. I just turned 15then. It was later that I switched to photo side of the industry. Look around, maybe video/photographer looking for an assistant.

 

[Nikkor]

You have a huge advantage over us older folk. You have so much time to learn the digital world of photography and editing. You have LITERALLY years to perfect your work.

And yeah the parentals are always going to say your work is 'real nice' but that's what we're here for. Post your stuff so it doesn't collect 'dust' and you get the c/c you really need!

Don't give up!

 

[Atlas77]

im 15 and from ontario too!

Theres a lot you can do with photos other than putting them up on the internet, theres even so many possibilities on this forum as far as posting photos.

I agree with weddingphotographer, you and I have years to perfect our stuff and try new teqniques, gear, processing, and even a lot of free time on our hands compared to the older people that work.

When I first got interested in photography I almost gave up because I didnt have money to pay for it, that would of been a big mistake.

If your looking for somewhere to use your photos try your school newspaper, or try shooting school events. And if you want to sign up for other sites to share your photos try flickr, smugmug or photobucket, but you wont get more than a Very Nice!

Don't give up, enjoy the moment, enjoy photography for fun, enjoy learning new things.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

You know, one thing I didn't think about because school was a long time ago for me, lol, is yearbook work. Do you guys in Canada do yearbooks like us here in the US? Great opportunity to learn as you work even if it's not paid.

 

[taskoni]

Start shooting film... Less pictures, more precise shots. You'll be surprised how different the photography look when you can press the shutter only 36 times per roll
I am bored personally with digital because I am not good photo guy. I am not good because I am impatient. Going out with a film camera and no additional rolls in the pocket makes me think more of the composition, exposure, focus etc. Make me work before I press the shutter. And I see my results after the lab.

And of course the photography doesn't have to be as a full time job for you... Do some teen age stuff as well

 

[bigtwinky]

Sorry to say but I looked at your last few submissions here and your images are not what I would consider "really really good", even for a 14 year old.

Keep on practicing is what you need to do. If walking around the yard taking pictures of butterflies and flowers is boring, head to a skate park, soccer game, whatever. Try something different.

Look into developping some post processing techniques.

Find an image you really like and imitate it to a tee!

 

[Atlas77]

You know, one thing I didn't think about because school was a long time ago for me, lol, is yearbook work. Do you guys in Canada do yearbooks like us here in the US? Great opportunity to learn as you work even if it's not paid.

we do it, theres a whole bunch of senior girls walking around with D40's/D60's taking pictures of people and putting them in the yearbook.

 

[helloyo53]

Sorry to say but I looked at your last few submissions here and your images are not what I would consider "really really good", even for a 14 year old.

Oh, thanks for the words of encouragement.

 

[Derrel]

Well, after reading Big Twinkie's comment, I went through and looked at your last few submissions as well, in light of your statement about how boring it is to take, "really, really good pictures only to have them collect cyber dust."

You know, photography is more than one thing; photography has art, craft, and science underlying it. Many people today are very,very weak on the science part, many are weak on the art part, many are weak on the craft part, and many are weak on all three areas. You, as a young person of 14, have not had the time it takes to study and learn many of the photographic principles that underly successful photography.

I too,was involved in photography at age 14. Digital cameras and the web did not exist then, but there were a lot of very serious, dedicated photographers who wrote things called books back then. Books took effort, and had to be approved by editors, who lived in fear for their jobs, so only the BEST information and the best photographers or technicians or craftsmen were allowed to write books. Now, on the web,and with digital cameras and digital image processing both a reality, there is absolutely no selection process, and the barriers to entry have largely been removed. Except at the stock photography level, where there are still selection criteria, and honestly, you need to work much more on the art, craft, and the science of photography if you hope to be accepted as a microstock photographer. Your technical proficiency does not yet qualify your work as really,really good--you have a long ways to go.

I'm not trying to bash you or your work, but there are hundreds of thousands of people who have dedicated their lives to photography,and those are the types of people who are successfully shooting stock and microstock. Like the posters above mentioned, you have literally years to learn your craft, develop technical skills, and learn what makes a nice image. You could start your own web site, or your own photo blog. You could create on-line galleries. You could join pBase or Flickr, and develop a following and an audience there if you want to. You CAN do it, if you want to. I think you'd be well-served by reading some books about photography. Not web-based stuff about recipes and processing steps and "workflow", but some actual books--something that had to go through a vetting and selection process. You're 14 years old now; if you apply yourself, in 10 years you could become the next ________ __________.

 

[bigtwinky]

Sorry to say but I looked at your last few submissions here and your images are not what I would consider "really really good", even for a 14 year old.

Oh, thanks for the words of encouragement.

If you were looking for a pat on the back for your really really good photography, then I'm not the one to give it.

You show good promise with your pictures, but nothing that is really really good. But you even stated that there is only so much a family member can give other than "thats nice".

You can skip over my comments if you find them too bothersome and just keep reading the "good job!" ones.

 

[helloyo53]

Sorry to say but I looked at your last few submissions here and your images are not what I would consider "really really good", even for a 14 year old.

Oh, thanks for the words of encouragement.

If you were looking for a pat on the back for your really really good photography, then I'm not the one to give it.

You show good promise with your pictures, but nothing that is really really good. But you even stated that there is only so much a family member can give other than "thats nice".

You can skip over my comments if you find them too bothersome and just keep reading the "good job!" ones.

Yeah, I'm really sorry for that remark yesterday. I was in a bad mood, so I hope I didn't offend you. I feel bad for making it.

Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[Skaperen]

I looked at some of your posts, and the common problem seems to be sharp focus. So I think what we need to do is help you figure out what is causing that, whether that is your technique, or your equipment. Remember that critique is part of learning. My first question is if you are using autofocus.

Shooting film was suggested. If you can't afford to do that (new equipment to buy, but a lot of used film equipment is now available because so many are switching to digital), at least try doing things as manual as possible, including the focus.

You list Fujifilm FinePix S1000fd as your camera. I don't know much about it, but it appears to have an integrated 12X lens. That much zoom range at the cost range this is in is likely to be a softer lens. But you could try some tests to see just what it can do.

Got a computer printer? Make up a graphical image with a few black lines in parallel and vertical, and print that on paper. Make sure there is some white space between the lines, but try to get them no further than a millimeter apart as printed. Lay the paper in front of you on a table so the lines run towards and away from you. Aim down at it from an angle that's maybe about 30 degrees from the paper. Aim at the center. If you can do manual focus, do that. Take the shot at the extremes of the zoom, and a few points in the middle. This will let us see if the lens is soft since it should be in focus somewhere along those lines. maybe it's just soft at some focal lengths. If you can do manual exposure and aperture settings, set it for widest aperture (smallest number, f/2.8 to f/5.0 according to what I found online about this camera), and faster shutter to get the exposure right. Don't worry if the shots come out gray, but if you can do manual, try to "over" expose by 2 stops to get the paper to be whiter. Otherwise check your instruction manual to see if you have a white balance capability (try it if you do). You might also try this at different distances from the paper to see if maybe it's macro mode that's softest.

Don't rescale the picture down. Instead, crop it to the point of best focus. That way we see the pixels as good or bad as they are.

I just switched from film to digital (and switched from Nikon to Canon). I got the kit lens that comes with the camera (Canon Rebel XSi with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6) and I found it to be rather soft. It also focuses well past infinity when I manually go all the way, so it turns out to be lousy for astro photography purpose (too little light for auto or visually manual focusing unless it's something bright like the moon). If we find that your lens is the culprit, then you can just skip focusing technique for now and work on composition and such.

And all this takes time. Be patient. Don't try to over do it, either. Do a little bit of photography when you can. And look over the pictures you see in the galleries here and elsewhere and look around (spend some time looking ... don't react too fast) for something similar in your area. Look for patterns in things, too, and compose tight on it. Look for old worn out stuff. It often makes for interesting photos. One man's trash is another man's prized photo.