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As a beginner photographer...what is the best advice?
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I am a beginner photographer and find that I struggle in many areas. My portraits are just mediocre, why? I know lighting is part of the problem and so is composition. But really, what is composition? Any other bits of advice on taking great portraits would be appreciated.
Posted at 1:56PM, 2 September 2007 PDT
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But really, what is composition?
Composition is what often makes the difference between good photographs and great ones.
Any other bits of advice on taking great portraits would be appreciated.
I'll give you three: (1) Practice. (2) Practice. (3) Practice.
But when you're not practicing, spend time looking at portraits. Understand what sets apart the ones you really like from the ones that either don't grab your attention or that you really don't like. Work the things you do like into your own style and also learn how to avoid the things you don't like.
Posted 58 months ago.
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and I would add to Mike's advise:
know everything there is to know about your equipment. Read the manuals, know what every button, switch, slider, setting and dohicky does. Only then will you be able to make full use of your camera.
Posted 58 months ago.
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Dont think a new gadget will solve your problems. (Upgrading to the fastest latest camera doesnt gain you anything but "better bad photos much faster" as one pro said)
Know Sunny 16
Know guide numbers.
Learn the math behind fstops. (who ever thought you would need to use trig again)
Know that composition "Types" are just because thats how the eyes work. The viewers eyes can be controlled by your photo. You need to learn to look at photos and see where your eyes go first, and second, and if they are held in place anywhere. Once you study enough photos and realize how your eye is captured, youll be able to see it in the viewfinder, and shoot in a way to capture the audience.
Posted 58 months ago.
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Hey,
I don't know how most people teach themselves photography, but I learned the most from looking at and reading books. When I first started to get into it, I would go to the library and check out stacks of photography books all the time and then go home and pore over them.
Even when I wouldn't really read the text, I would look at the photos and often ask myself why they were or weren't capturing. What made one better than another? This was also a good way to figure out the general style of photography I liked. I exposed myself to thousands of photographers pictures so that my mind could start grasping "good" photography.
Reading the text of beginner's photography books also helped a lot.
Meanwhile, as I was reading tons of books, I would shoot tons of photos. Really bad photos. In fact, I have a whole bin of not so great photos under my bed right now from when I was learning. But all of my bad photos helped me to understand what good photography is.
Well, that was part of my learning experience, maybe something in it will relate to you.
Good luck. :)
By the way, my biggest advice is PRACTICE a ton!
Posted 56 months ago.
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The best advice? Take tons of pictures, AND evaluate them critically. A lot of people I know are very good at the first and never bother with the second -- and they never get better.
In addition, I would advise jumping into the deep end and shooting in manual mode from the get-go -- you learn so much more -- and echo the sentiment above to KNOW your equipment. KNOW how to use your tools. Learn them forward and backward, and understand why they do what they do.
Then critically examine as many photos as you can get your hands on. Train yourself to look critically at every image you see. Learn to figure out how things were accomplished. Read as much as you can about the processes -- both creative and technical -- that go into the making of a photograph.
In other words, immerse yourself. I still do it, all the time, and I hope I never come up for air (I've been seriously shooting for over five years now, and never taken so much as a workshop).
Much of the learning of photography is accomplished behind the camera -- but just as much is accomplished after the camera has been put down.
Just my opinion.
Posted 56 months ago.
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I personally still struggle with the technical areas of my camera. Started off with a fully manual pentax, moved up to a digital after 10 yrs. , then a "better" digital, thinking I'd have an upper hand on tech stuff. Well, I don't. Now ducky says something about f-stops having to do with trig?! I'm screwed! Never got past balancing my checkbook sad to say. I find my best advice is to take lots of pictures, vary your settings, play with the light, sometimes wrong is right! My family and friends think I take fabulous photos....I think I get lucky. I do agree with practicing alot...besides it's usually fun!
Posted 56 months ago.
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I do photography for a living and I still read and re-read books all the time. I feel that I live and breath photography. But one will always find someone better at photography than yourself!!
Posted 56 months ago.
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Oh and I forgot to say buy a spirit level to slide onto your hot shoe as this will help to get your horizons level. This is the best bit of kit I have ever bought...
Posted 56 months ago.
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What I love about sites like Flickr is that you can look at a photo you like and for many of them look at the EXIF data. This stores many settings used when taking a picture, eg: shutter speed, aperture, ISO, ext...
If you see a picture you like, figure out what you like about it. Try and see if you can replicate the look. When you learn it, don't just try to do the same thing, play with a look, mix and match, try different things.
I look back all the time at old photos and think, oh man, if i knew what I know now. But hey, we all have to start somewhere. Just keep at it.
Posted 54 months ago.
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Portraits ?
Who knows !
I always just " point and shoot " ... sometime`s it work`s and other times it does not. When and where` are the best point`s to work on .. and getting the lighting just right may help too, however` sometimes if you capture a person in bad lighting .. it can work in your favour.
As they say " practice makes perfect " and we ALL could do with plenty of practice, because just when you think you are happy with a picture .. you will find something about it that you know you could do better.
Originally posted 54 months ago.
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CARLOS62 edited this topic 54 months ago.
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Good idea on the spirit level ... I'm going to see if I can get one for less than the $25 BHP wants though. My tripod has a level on it but it's worthless for the camera, it's only for the legs.
DUMB QUESTION: When you're not using a cable release (I've seen reference to using this kind of level on handheld shots) how do you see it when your eye is pressed to the viewfinder? I would think you could level it and then put the camera to your face but does that guarantee you're not going to move the camera before you get it to your eye?
I'm clueless!
Originally posted 54 months ago.
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nebraskama edited this topic 54 months ago.
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Mike Costolo is right:
Practise
Practise
Practise.
Posted 54 months ago.
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A good starting point in my opinion would be a little yellow Kodak book called "How to Take Good Pictures". It covers basic subjects such as f stops, shutter speeds, lighting and composition.
Posted 53 months ago.
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h2okatcher [deleted] says:
I must say all of your advice here is AWESOME! Thanks guys!
Posted 53 months ago.
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Spirit Level ? .... Tripod`s !
hell Folks .... just take the picture .... lol
Perfect level ... that would be you resting on a wall or leaning against a post ... it works for me.
and the perfect Tripod is the Human Knee !
Posted 53 months ago.
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Just joined so let me say off the bat, I was self taught about 30+ years ago and since then have had many classes, attended numerous seminars, paid for 100's of books on differnt subjects, spent $1000+ of doallars on gear and had a wonderful career as a commerical photographer and now enjoying retirement and shooting what I want to shoot.
Ok, on the subject at hand, my advice is to 1) practice practice practice, using different lighting technique. 2) Check out the book titled "Lighting by David Prakel" and others, then 3) learn some of the basis rules (rules of thirds to begin) and then break those rules.
4) most importantly be open to new ideas, other folks suggestions and last but not least 5) write and draw diagrams of setups.
I use a hand held light meter for all my work and record it and the time of day, etc in a book I carry with me everywhere.
Good luck and enjoy.
Jon
Posted 53 months ago.
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Experiment!
Read books and stuff online like strobist.com
Practice
Did I mention experiment:
Apparently the first 10k photos you take are your worst.. so keep shooting :p
Originally posted 53 months ago.
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G.Russell edited this topic 53 months ago.
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Great idea`s G.Russell
Posted 53 months ago.
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hi guys yes i agree i think practice is really important myself i cant stand reading i like to get stuck in and learn i started off by using my camera in auto to see what different settings done and what the settings the camera chose in the 4 months i have noticed a difference thanks to trial and error i still got bad habits of breaking the rules i even turned on my grid on the camera i think i been bit lucky on few of them and got away with it:)
so keep practising and good luck
steve
p.s forgot another important part enjoy:)
Originally posted 53 months ago.
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stevekeat images best viewed large edited this topic 53 months ago.
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Go back and look at your work. -Look at material that you shot 6 months ago and analyze what works and what doesn't. You'll see your mistakes more clearly now that you are no longer emotionally attached to those images.
Read
Practice
Teach -when you teach what you know you reinforce the concept and in turn it becomes easier to understand.
Posted 52 months ago.
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I bet I have 10 photography books and I read from them all the time. I also suggest joining forums. Tons of questions asked and answered.
I'm a nikon guy so Im at nikoncafe.com and DP review all the time. Its a great way to share and learn.
Posted 52 months ago.
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My advice as a fellow beginner is to read the manual, master the keys and the buttons and take lots of shots.
This link might be of help... digital-photography-school.com/blog/digital-photography-t...
Posted 52 months ago.
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Shoot as often as you can. Look at the photos you like and figure out what it is about them that you're drawn to. Composition, color, etc. If you have questions about specific techniques, ask the photographer who took them (if possible). In most cases, we're a helpful bunch who love to pass along what we've learned.
Posted 51 months ago.
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Just get out of here and take pictures, reading sucks, honestly, just to hell with theory, there's no point to it, it's not fun, all you need to know are the basics, f-stop, shutter speeds, not even that if you're not using a DSLR.
Look at pictures, talk about pictures, but after you know the basics, just stop reading, it inhibits your creativity, you will start THINKING about composition instead of feeling it, i don't have a damn clue about what the Golden Ratio is and i don't plan to find out.
We once had an assignment for a Photography Class at school
(Where I haven't learned a thing, that's while I'm in self-taught photographers, I'm just there to be able to photograph and evolve my photography by myself and to be around other photographers, not to learn from my teacher, he's a pretty boring photographer anyway, back to the point)
where we had to take images according to a couple of ways to compose an image (diagonal, circular, negative diagonal and so on). And that was the sorriest bunch of images that our class has ever produced.
Reading and thinking too much about how to photograph sucks. If you're going to read about it, just read about the photographs, get inspiration, screw composition rules, screw excessive thinking.
Just photograph, and you'll get the feeling, it's like riding a bike, you don't read books about that either.
Too much theoretical knowledge inhibits yourself.
That's my five cents, you might think it's nonsense though.
Originally posted 48 months ago.
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HampusBovbjerg (.se) edited this topic 48 months ago.
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secretfashioncollective [deleted] says:
I am a beginner photographer and find that I struggle in many areas. My portraits are just mediocre, why? I know lighting is part of the problem and so is composition. But really, what is composition? Any other bits of advice on taking great portraits would be appreciated.
1) admit that you suck and that all the imges you take while you're learning are going to suck.
2) keep at it, work hard, and try to do better.
3) look at people just a little better than you.
3)a) I say just a little better because you're going to get frustrated if you look at vogue or something really good, where as with baby steps you will eventually find that kind of work/quality in reach - it takes work though.
4) don't worry about the following - these won't help you until you know they are holding you back.
- shooting jpegs
- "always shoot in raw"
- calibrating your monitor (I still haven't)
- adobe rgb (most don't know what it does)
- editing/retouching in 16 bit
- any equipment that costs more than $1000 (most have all these 70-200 lenses, and don't do shit with them)
- noise
worry about croping, framing, composition, light, and posing. Those will get you more than anything technical.
Posted 48 months ago.
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Yeah and just minimize the time you spend on post-processing, I would "buy" Adobe Lightroom if I were you, it does everything I need 90% of my pictures I don't spend more than 5 minutes editing, and those are my favourite ones.
Posted 48 months ago.
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I have to agree with secretfashioncollective on most of this with exception of the calibrated monitor.
there are pros and cons to this digital age we're in and the camera companies want you to believe all you need it to buy on of their DSLR cameras and you'll take great photos, NOT TRUE!
when I started shooting 25+ yrs ago everyone I knew was shooting kodachrome 25 or 64. I must have thrown away 1000+ slides . . . learning on you're own cost money!
I wish I had read the Adams books The Camera, The Negative and The Print way back then, would have saved me a lot of $$$ and I'd be a better photog now.
go slow learn the basics and look for the light, then practice, practice, practice . . . .
Posted 48 months ago.
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Beg borrow or steal a copy of Understanding Exposure!!!
Posted 48 months ago.
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Tacit Requiems 2nd [deleted] says:
I got this one in my other pool... this could help
www.betterphototips.com/phototip01.htm
fmphotocourses.blogspot.com/2006/10/advanced-composition-...
Posted 48 months ago.
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I have had problems shooting portraits myself. I've found that by looking at what others have done has helped me immensely. To do this more effectively I have made it a practice to "favorite" portraits shot by others. By observing these photos I have learned a great deal about both composition and the effects of good lighting. I have over a thousand to date. If you would like to see what I collected so far then follow this link:
www.flickr.com/photos/raddad/favorites/
There are some amazing photographers on flickr and I find observing their work to be both educational and inspiring.
Originally posted 48 months ago.
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raddad! edited this topic 48 months ago.
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As a newbie myself, I took tons and tons of pictures yet they all ended up in my hard drive - I do not know how to critically evaluate them. Except for some, they all look fine to me, with today's excellent digital cameras. Until I a read a book at Barnes & Noble, by a professional photographer - Bryan Peterson to be specific - and now I am learning, finally! I don't have to do it anymore by trial and error or reinventing the wheel the hard way - just read a good book and it tells me everything - and by the time I tried it myself, what a good feeling - got it!
So my best advise - select a good book that suit best to your liking!
Posted 48 months ago.
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secretfashioncollective [deleted] says:
"when I started shooting 25+ yrs ago everyone I knew was shooting kodachrome 25 or 64. I must have thrown away 1000+ slides . . ."
These guys make me want to give up my digital crap and get an old medium format or nikon f2 and shoot slides!
www.shorpy.com/4x5-large-format-kodachromes
That was 60+ years ago!
Depending on what you shoot though there may not be a site online that has a good deal of information or good members. Flickr sucks for the most part, (I shoot people) and modelmayhem is ok, not great, dpreview is depressing, retouchpro is ok (some swear by it, I don't really)...
I'd just say take what's said online with a grain of salt, and really be critical of what you see. More info can be found faster with books, and I'd suggest reading more than looking though forums on here.
Posted 47 months ago.
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mchapdelaine [deleted] says:
take many captures. you won't find your own way of photography if you don't press on experiance. learn your equiptment, and always be curious. : )
Posted 47 months ago.
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Justin Prettyman [deleted] says:
The best advice? Take pictures to please yourself, don't get hung up on what other people think, it's a personal art form. Set out only to impress one person... yourself.
Originally posted 47 months ago.
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Justin Prettyman edited this topic 47 months ago.
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Lorri - Lake Country Photo [deleted] says:
I agree with Justin. Art and Photography are all in the eye of the beholder and you as the person behind the camera behold it first.
Its art. Not all will like it, some will hate it, others will wonder at it but you will know the the 'it' of it.
Good luck!
Posted 47 months ago.
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You can approach the art of photography (not the business side) in one of two ways - as a salesman or as a carpenter. You laugh? I know it sounds kind of hokey.
Salesman approach: To get one good photo, you will need to take 1000 shots and have some luck. To take one great photo, you will need to take 100,000 shots and have lots of luck.
Carpenter approach: Study the blueprints. Use the right tools for the job. Measure. Measure. Measure again. Cut.
Simplistic? Yes. Here's the point. You can get out and just shoot and depend on luck or you can prepare yourself with knowledge then shoot. No matter which approach you take, you will still need to Practice, Practice, Practice. The carpenter didn't measure and cut the right way the first time and the salesman doesn't make a sale on every phone call or visit.
The most important thing? Don't lose your love for what you do just because you didn't get the results you hoped for. Love it enough to try and do better.
Posted 47 months ago.
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Some of the best advice that I could offer....from personal experience-of course- is to read Understanding Exposure......and Understanding Composition.
After that.......start checking out the Strobist Blog and read through Lighting 101 on there.
Meanwhile........start a 365 Project. I can say that this project is one of the best things I have forced myself to do. I can look through my past images and see where i was and how far i've come..............and on the days i don't want to take pictures.......i have to.
practice.....practice..........practice......
Posted 47 months ago.
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So there seems to be a theme developing...
Exploring Flickr, I always find, is a humbling experience as well as refreshingly inspiring. Surf around, make contacts, ask questions. Look at what you enjoy shooting, and concentrate on that for the time being.
Posted 47 months ago.
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Rule of thirds. Best composition rule ever.
Posted 47 months ago.
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Use your imagination.
Posted 47 months ago.
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Get out and just shoot everything and anything that gets your attention....practice makes perfect.....and I will be practicing a long,long,time
Posted 46 months ago.
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Gather and collect a bunch of images you like and figure out what makes them so great. Shoot what you love to shoot. And practice, practice, practice. Know your subject and know your gear like the back of your hand. And practice, practice, practice some more.
Posted 46 months ago.
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1) Portraits are tricky because lighting is tricky. So, don't sweat it if the lighting isn't perfect. It almost never is.
2) Composition is the full elemental arrangement of the frame. Explore the viewfinder / scene before you take a shot, and even look for interesting ways to crop it afterward. Like others have said, pay attention to the main subject and how your photo attracts attention. Its position, color, lighting, etc. can make all the difference. If you want a good example, think of a pink flower on top of a bed of green and brown lily pads. Also, think of a person standing on a hill silhouetted by the evening sun. The outstanding color and lighting (in the most literal sense of the word) command the eye's attention immediately. The most important thing to understand about composition is that good composition (relative to the photographer of course) is fundamentally no different on any picture, ever.
3) I don't want to beat a dead horse, but practice is vital. My advice is that you take multiple pictures of whatever you're trying to shoot, using different techniques and different settings to see which gives you the best results. Look through your pictures carefully on the computer and see what you like and dislike about each one, compare shots, and learn from it.
I hope that was helpful : )
Posted 46 months ago.
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Go out at night with a tripod, it makes you think a lot more when you have to spend 30 seconds exposing every picture, + you get amazing lighting. I don't really believe in the "go out and shoot everything all the time", you need to think about what you're doing too, and this is a great and interesting way to start doing that.
Think about how to crop images before you take them, I do a lot of square pictures, and i think about it before, it's not as if I take the picture first and then go "Hey... you know what, this could be square", think about it while composing.
Originally posted 46 months ago.
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HampusBovbjerg (.se) edited this topic 46 months ago.
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seattlescott [deleted] says:
I think you should just take pictures of what you think is interesting, cool, beautiful, whatever....Don't get too hung up on the technical stuff....It's all about creativity, don't be afraid to try different things and make your own style....
Posted 46 months ago.
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ENJOY! Following lots of (relevant) advice must never get in the way of the sheer joy of pressing the shutter release button.
Posted 46 months ago.
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dun think, just shoot.
Posted 46 months ago.
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Hi,
I have been doing photography for less than a month, and I just love it. Having a digital camera allows me to delete shots I don't like. Thanks for all the great advice, I'm just shooting by gut instinct now, but I intend to read up and as you say, practice, practice, practise.
My best compliment has been that my daughters, who are artists, say that they got the gene from me. Not sure if that is true, but I'll take the compliment.
Posted 46 months ago.
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Did anyone mention, just plain enjoying it? Having fun... if you're having fun, and the model's having fun, and nobody's making a chore of it, then you're increasingly more likely to take the shot that you really wanted... or maybe one that you didn't but that just works out perfectly :o)
I don't know that there are any hard set rules for photography... but certain things sometimes work better than others depending on what you set out to achieve and the equipment you can afford (a good photographer will take awesome pics with a point and shoot, whereas a bad one with an SLR won't do nearly as well, so no point letting the hobby render you broke!), however these you can identify as you go, with practice as was already mentioned (I think).
The pics have to appeal to you before they do to anyone else ;o)
Theory on composition (not that I know it too well!) just basically says that the arrangement of the elements on the frame defines the pics power, balance and appeal.
Originally posted 45 months ago.
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WaveCult (luis.m.justino) edited this topic 45 months ago.
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Keep the sun to your back, don't shoot midday. The best light is in the morning or evening hours. take several shots changing f/stops, exposures, shutter speeds, and most of all, experiment.
take pictures of what appeals to you no matter how strange to others. Experiment with angles and get involved with others that you can go around and shoot with. They can give you tips and maybe you can give them some as well.
Don't be afraid of the camera or taking a bad shot, it's part of the learning curve.
Good luck and happy capturing.
Posted 45 months ago.
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Read your camera manual and play with the controls. Shoot, shoot, shoot. Study the results. Read your camera manual again. Look at your shot and make sure there's not a tree sticking out of someone's head, that you've framed the image or composed using the rule of thirds, and other composition "rules", record your exposure settings, time of day, lighting conditions, ISO, flash or no flash, tripod or no tripod in a small notebook that you now carry with you everywhere. Bracket the shot by setting your camera to a lower stop than auto exposure suggest and setting your camera to a higher stop than auto exposure suggests. Repeat over and over again. Study the results. Repeat the process until you're comfortable with it. Break out of your mold. Start shooting different subject matter and "breaking" the composition rules.
Above all - don't forget to have fun (and set a budget because your wish list is going to get awfully long:-)
Posted 45 months ago.
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Forgot to mention that when you're ready to break out of your "mold" start playing games such as the twenty-five step game. Grab your camera and start in a location (it can be your living room, your back yard, a city street or park, you get the idea). From your starting point, pick a subject and compose the very best image that you can possibly create and then take 25 steps, locate a new subject from this point and compose the very best image that you can possibly create. Repeat the process until you've created 5 images no more than 25 steps between each image.
Another game to expand your creativity is to pick a subject - be it an egg or a telephone or a water pitcher or whatever. A typical roll of film (I'm still in the dark ages) will give you 36 exposures. Shoot that entire roll of film on that one subject making sure that each image is from a different perspective, different composition, etc. - no two images the same. It may take you weeks to complete this but you will learn tons. No fair moving the subject although you can replace the egg when it gets stinky:-)
Another game is to go out in your neighborhood each and every day for a year and record images at different times of day, different weather conditions, different seasons to learn about the color of light. Do this without playing with filters. The color of light is different in the morning than at noon than at evening plus the color of light also changes with the seasons. The time of day can make a difference on the length of shadows. The weather conditions can make a difference in shadows or the flatness. None of these is a bad thing depending on the effect that you wish to create.
Take a walk through a fair ground or shopping center, etc and just capture what catches your eye. Sometimes our sub-conscious realizes that perfect image but our mind is too busy worrying about rules to realize it. Just relax and go out and do it and see what you come back with. Don't invade other people's privacy. Respect is always required.
Don't be afraid to turn your camera from horizontal to vertical. In fact, try composing the same shot both ways.
Don't be afraid to climb up on something or to lay down on the ground to get a different perspective. Move. The first location isn't always the best location to capture an image. Try it from the rear and from the sides and from above and below. Try it under different lighting conditions, times of day, and different seasons.
From below
from above
from the rear and below with her looking over her shoulder
different seasons
different seasons
horizontal
vertical
Don't be afraid of bright, outstanding color or the lack of color.
black and white film
Look at other peoples images and magazine ads and websites, etc.
Join a local photography club and network. You can play with other peoples equipment, learn from them, and share your newly developed passion with someone whom truly understands. You'll get tons of great suggestions. Go on their photo excursions and you'll find yourself exploring new subject matter.
Read, read, read.
Don't be afraid to "make mistakes". Don't get frustrated. Someone once said that they were happy if they had one really super shot on a single 36-exposure roll of film.
Edited to add some examples
Originally posted 45 months ago.
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janwalkerimages edited this topic 45 months ago.
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I love your advice, janwalkerimages, I'll certainly try the 25 steps and different vantage points games.
This hobby is so fascinating, I have introduced a 67 year old woman to Flickr (although she is having trouble to activate my Pro gift to her). She took many pictures of children at daycare, and I look forward to swapping findings with her.
Thanks Judy
Posted 45 months ago.
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seattlescott [deleted] says:
Shoot what you want, don't be afraid to experiment and don't get too hung-up on the "rules" of photography....Trust your eye, there are no "rules"....
Originally posted 45 months ago.
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seattlescott edited this topic 45 months ago.
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take 3 photos a day. go home and look at them, memorize how, why and when you took them, memorize everything that was taking place the moment you took them.
then go home and look at them and meditate on whether you likethem or not. why do or dont you like the picture?
obviously this is a hard one, but it's different from just saying practice,(which you really have to do) you also have to know the limitations of your own equipment.
and once you are familiar with those, you can go out and take photos and use the technical to get to your artistic view of things.
know thy equipment, and self :p
Posted 45 months ago.
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Thanks much Trinimusic. Since I've spent the last several years with my husband battling one type of cancer or another prior to passing away recently, I haven't been able to complete all of the excersises but they're on the list for the future:-)
I've already noticed the difference in the color of light although I haven't had the luxury of going out every day to photograph. I noticed that once I started to accumulate prime lenses, it was much easier to remember to move:-) I found that zoom lenses tend to make me, personally, lazy! It's important not to trespass.
Be prepared to be laughed at when you lay down on the ground or climb up on something! I find myself laughing along with them.
Also, it helps to carry a large sheet of plastic with you to lay upon, especially if the ground is damp - not only to protect yourself but also your equipment. A simple lawn & leaf trash back slit down the sides makes an inexpensive sheet of plastic that is easily replaced. A can of "OFF" also helps keep the chiggers at bay!
While I am brand new to "portraiture", I found it helped to relax my subject by having her jump up in the air, and twirl a scarf, and referring to it as a play session. She is wanting to develop a portfolio and I wanted to learn to do portraiture so it wasn't like it was a paid session or a formal sitting.
Posted 45 months ago.
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I'm by far no pro, but I have found that you need to go alone (you won't feel like you're holding anybody up), don't rush taking the pics (sometimes I'm taking pics for hours), don't be afraid if you look goofy, don't feel you always have to take traditional photos. Take positions that you think would never work and see what you get. If photography isn't fun, why do it? You're not going to stick to it either. Don't feel pressured by other people's photos. Everybody has their own opinions and they may differ from yours. Go out after a rain. You'll love what you see in the drops. It's a whole new world in those tiny drops.
Just enjoy. NOBODY picked up a camera and was a pro. Everybody that takes photos was in your shoes at the beginning.
Posted 45 months ago.
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Well, it is one year later from when I originally posted this question. I don't know if I have learned or grown much. I feel a little more confident with all aspects of photography...but still feel insecure about the income sometimes. I would imagine that we all do at times.
That being said, I took alot of advice from this thread. I read tonnes of books, researched, practiced, got new equipment, read some more and one of the things that I found most helpful was to view others photos. Find aspects of the image that I liked and tried to "copy" it in my own style or taste....
That being said, is it a good thing or bad thing to try and "copy" a person's photography style or image on your own?
Posted 44 months ago.
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I guess we all have to start from somewhere and most of us get into photography after seeing someone else's image, even if we don't remember the picture that got us started any more.
'Copying' is a good way to get started but I think but sooner or later we should develop our own styles to progress from emulation to creation.
I also think it is much more satisfying to create something than to copy somebody.
Posted 44 months ago.
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keep clicking
Posted 44 months ago.
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look at other people images that you like and try to focus on what it is you like about them like prehaps the lighting causes a shadow and you like that and then try it out for yourself.
talk to people about photography and get to terms with the lingo and also it helps you learn and get inspiration or techniques and tips from them.
and always keep your eyes open and your camera handy.
ooooh an if you have a friend who liked photography a photo day good be fun
just like walking round your local area and shooting what you see.
im abit of a beginner myself so im not a fountain of knowledge but these things have helped me out.
Posted 44 months ago.
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the simple answer to this is
shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot.
then shoot some more.
reading up also helps, for the technical bits. but as for the creative bit, that's the best advice i believe i can give.
Posted 44 months ago.
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Aubrey_Williams [deleted] says:
1. Shoot
2. Never use Auto
3. Keep camera with you - shoot
4. Shoot some more
5. Use EXIF data as a learning tool
6. Shoot some more
Posted 44 months ago.
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I say,
Have fun. If you're not having fun you can get easily frustrated and give up on trying to get the good shot.
Practice, press buttons you don't know. That's when you go, "OH! that can come in handy!"
Manuals ALWAYS confuse the heck out of me so I just randomly changed a setting to see what it actually does and it really helped me learn.
Don't be afraid to ask for criticism, and take it well and take it to heart but don't ever let it discourage you.
Forget what you learned about "how a photo should be/look" and go with your gut to tell you what will look best in the situation.
Posted 44 months ago.
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Practice...
Play around...
Practice... these are the 3P's am learning... (am sailing in the same ship as you :) )
for this you need to be in sync with
yourself...
your subject
the background and the surrounding
your camera...
express yourself and yourself alone... yeah, do take advice from others.. sometimes you get to know the things which you missed... or overlooked... but practice and work out what's best for you, coz no one can tell u tht...
analyze (both your work and anyone else's you happen to come around) and practice again...
make your own rules
Posted 44 months ago.
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i am no pro but i think the best to do in self taught potog is to
shoot and shoot a lot.
then analyze what u shot
observe the gaps between what u shot and what u was in ur mind (or how u wanted the shot to be)
DO, i repeat, DO look for related topics, blogs and galleries. u learn by observing too
then repeat the process.
Posted 44 months ago.
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I would say practice, like a lot of the guys have said. The camera needs to feel so natural that you don't even think about it. Shoot all the time, just messing with everything. I shoot Pro, but I will fill up card after card on nothing, the reformat, fill up reformat. I learn so much just getting a feel for the camera, what its gonna do in any given light, situation, or shoot.
Also, I would probably say the best thing to learn is asking your self why? Why am I using this setting? why am I framing this way? if you can't answer, then you most likely shouldn't be doing it. Everything in you image needs a reason, like a painter, every brush stroke is working toward the final result.
Good Luck:)
Posted 44 months ago.
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hi, there's a really good site about composition here..
www.morguefile.com/archive/classroom.php?lesson=1
i learnt a lot off it..
Originally posted 44 months ago.
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Benny Smith edited this topic 44 months ago.
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Go out and purchase "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson...
If you can't find it locally, get it on Amazon...
Easy to understand and will teach you all the basics you'll need to shoot great images...
Posted 44 months ago.
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Learn from your adversities through production and understand the important goal in your portfolio. What is it you want to learn out from your work and how much you invest on your work. That would be my advice.
Posted 43 months ago.
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xothegingeroneox [deleted] says:
I learn by looking at what other photographers have done and by reading about how they achieved a certain effect, then putting these ideas into practice, but it is also a lot of just going out there and trying to take something, but rather than just pointing and clicking, being aware of what you are photographing and what you want from the end result. :)
Posted 43 months ago.
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i believe composition is the ability to tell a story within a photo...
to create a feeling...
to enable identification...
and to please the eyes, with overloading them...
but what do i know... im just a noob as well...
:)
Posted 43 months ago.
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Practice!
read, trial and error, and working with other people.
you will become great after time.
Posted 43 months ago.
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The way I look at composition is almost like how a song is written. To me it's not so much technical with the right exposure or the right saturation and contrast, but more of the connection that a photographer can make with an audience. When I listen to music, I don't dissect a song analyzing a scale a musician is playing over what chord in what rhythm and what pattern, kinda like what iso with what aperture with what shutter speed and what power flash with what camera and what lens.
Deciding what kind of mood or emotion you want to bring out of your photos or what you want to capture with help in your composition. But like everyone said... learning technical skills will be your tools, but it's your vision that will make you take a great photo.
Just remember, perfect practice makes perfect.
(reaching for oxygen mask)
Originally posted 43 months ago.
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flipteezy edited this topic 43 months ago.
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Find a camera club in your area.,Look @ a local Technical College to see if they have any short corses in your area of interest.. read, take pictures, read ,take prictures, read, take pictures... Go to a local Photo studio ask question. I hope this is a good start.
Posted 43 months ago.
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When you see something you want to take pictures of look at it from every conceivable angle.....top, bottom, this side, that side, far, near. It's amazing how many people see "the perfect shot" right away and never look to see if there might be an even better shot of the same subject.
Posted 43 months ago.
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1. Keep the sun behind you.
2. Take 20 steps around your subject and take shots.
3. Shoot in morning or afternoon light to get the golden tones.
4. Use a fill flash with a diffuser.
5. Bring plenty of extra batteries
6. Bring plenty of memory cards
7. Experiment with angles, subjects and lighting.
8. Read you camera's owner's manual - know your camera.
9. Join a walk around group - good way to learn from others.
10. HAVE FUN
11. Take your shot.
12. Allow time for set up
Posted 43 months ago.
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look at photographers photos who you like, get some creative shizz buzzing, go out and shoot, take pictures of everything you like, the mosst important thing is the thing your shooting, so dont blow tuns of money on gear, which you think you need, make sure its the right thing to do, i was stupid and spend lots of money on crap, now i only use a #10 camera!
So just make sure before you splash on all your lighting gear you know what you want, and create your own style around it
Posted 43 months ago.
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Practice!
You don't get good, or even decent right away. It takes a long time to really get to know your style & how to stop "pointing & shooting." Go out & take a picture of anything & I mean ANYTHING. Even if the subject or area isn't too interesting, MAKE it look like something. Test out different angles, distances, exposures, etc.
Look at how the light is hitting the subject/area & practice shooting it until you get it in the best light.
Read your cameras manual, even if it's a $10 camera. Know your tools to the best of your ability. That way, you can make them work for you & will use them to their full potential.
You will get frustrated, fed up, disappointed & want to give up. But push through that. Everyone has to start somewhere. Look at your pictures & pick out what's good about it & what you would want to change. Without knowing it, you'll be planning how to get it "right" the next time. It starts being second nature, literally.
Look at other peoples pictures & admire what you like. If you don't like it, think of ways how YOU could of taken that picture to make it look good to you.
Experiment as much as you can with your camera. Screw with shutter speeds, flash, aperture, manual, focus, etc. then you'll know how each of them works & find out what settings would work best in what conditions.
Practice your timing with moving objects. Try to predict where/what the subject will do next. Timing is very, very hard. but with everything else, after a while, you'll figure it out automatically. You won't even have to think about it, you'll just know what to do.
Buying a very high end camera will not make you take good photos, or make you good at anything. So don't buy into the hype or crap. Don't listen to people who brag about their $3000 camera & how it enables them to be so much better than everyone else. More often than not, they photoshop the hell out of everything & probably know less than you. A camera will not think for you. It will do whatever you tell it to do. If you know what you're doing, that ten dollar camera will take better pictures than that $3000 camera.
Buy a camera that will fit your needs now. When you outgrow it, then you can upgrade. Try to upgrade to something that has the things you want/need in a camera. The functions that will allow you to do more with the knowledge you gained & grow.
Posted 43 months ago.
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The best advice....
LOOK...
look to other picture, figure out what you like or dislike about it.
Shoot
Try to shoot as much as possible. Don't be afraid to experiment. You come up with your own style. Try different things and ask some feedback on your pics.
Posted 43 months ago.
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Just shoot. Don't stop shooting. Even if you don't think it will turn out, shoot it again.
If it doesn't turn out, keep it. Then shoot it again.
Posted 43 months ago.
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Get a book titled Composition by David Prakel, Lighting by David Prakel and Lighting Photo Workshop by Bucher. Even though I've been shooting over 30+ years I always find new information from reading. Also look in the Strobist forum and sign up for their newsletter.
Everyone else has already given you good advice, print the page, make a list and try each of them. Have patience this is not going to happen over night.
It's not about equipment, it's about developing your eye and you ability to see images both in your head and through your eyes.
Posted 43 months ago.
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Thank you everyone for all your helpful tips. I will practice, practice,practice constantly and read more , and look at others work, and practice some more. I take my camera everywhere I go now and stop and "smell the roses" as they say much more often.
Posted 42 months ago.
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