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07/18/2014 04:46:58 PM · #26 |
It's not the camera or all its bells and whistles,
years ago there wasn't photoshop
Cartier Bresson used a basic Leica,
Bert Hardy used a Box Brownie to capture some of his famous shots
Karsh used 10 x 8 studio camera.
All where Masters of there Genre
.
It's between the ears that count
Message edited by author 2014-07-19 00:59:26. |
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07/18/2014 04:47:13 PM · #27 |
Originally posted by kiwinick:
Originally posted by MarkB:
The value of a halfway decent tripod. |
2nd that |
3rd it. Early on, I bought a cheap tripod at Walmart before a trip. The first time I pulled a leg out, I pulled the leg out. All the way out, like off of the tripod. When I got home, I bought a Bogen (Manfrotto). |
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07/18/2014 05:50:33 PM · #28 |
Originally posted by kiwinick:
It's not the camera or all its bells and whistles,
years ago there wasn't photoshop
Cartier Bresson used a basic Leica,
Bert Hardy used a Box Brownie to capture some of his famous shots
Karsh used 18 x 8 studio camera.
All where Masters of there Genre
.
It's between the ears that count |
And Ansel Adams worked closely with Polaroid Corporation for many years and greatly admired their media... |
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07/18/2014 09:03:48 PM · #29 |
Originally posted by jgirl57:
Originally posted by RyanW:
The way that aperature was explained to me for detail after a number of years changed the way i saw things in terms of composition.
"If you picture the opening of your blades as hole to paint a picture with, and your sensor as the canvas, having your aperature wide open means that it won't take long to fully cover the canvas with paint using a big brush, but very little will be focused (this is great for a bokeh'd portrait, not for a scenic vista); but if you have a very narrow aperature then it will take you much longer to expose the image because you need to use such a small brush to get in and paint, but as a result your picture will have much more detail throughout the entire scene".
Honestly, this may seem rather simple and intuitive to most people, but having had no formal training before going to a workshop with a professional photographer who talked about this in the first bit of the seminar made things click in a way that they never did, and now it's something that i take for granted while composing, but it wasn't intuitive (to me at least). |
I so love this! Best explanation of aperture I have heard yet.. totally makes sense now |
happy to share and help. this is what i repeat to people who ask me "how did you learn to shoot without the camera setting things for you?" |
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07/18/2014 09:34:01 PM · #30 |
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07/18/2014 09:35:47 PM · #31 |
Originally posted by vawendy:
The funny thing is: I don't think I'd change a thing. I started out with the cheaper equipment, and when I upgraded, it was wonderful to see the difference. If I'd started out with the best, I don't know that I'd appreciate it as much.
Everything that I've learned has been like building with blocks. You could buy the prefab barbie castle -- have it and play with it for a week and get bored -- or you can build piece by piece, block by block. Adding rooms, destroying things you get bored with, and in the end you have the ultimate castle that you know inside out. All because you built it piece by piece. |
Wendy is SO RIGHT!!
All the world's accomplishments can be boiled down to Barbie's castle.
Brilliant! BRILLIANT, I say!!
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07/18/2014 11:00:34 PM · #32 |
| I would have spent less time looking at images on social media, and more time looking at art. |
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07/18/2014 11:05:35 PM · #33 |
| I would've bought the good lenses to start! |
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07/19/2014 12:09:08 AM · #34 |
I'd never have entered a challenge. :)
Oh, and the tripod bit. Bear made sure I got that part right. |
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07/19/2014 08:44:17 AM · #35 |
| If you want to shoot beautiful existing light images earn to "look for the light" instead of thinking you can "fix it later". |
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07/19/2014 09:22:19 AM · #36 |
| A camera repair technician was quoted as saying more than half his repair business was courtesy of cheap tripods. And a third came from people who take their camera to the beach. |
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07/19/2014 10:57:38 AM · #37 |
Originally posted by Melethia:
I'd never have entered a challenge. :)
Oh, and the tripod bit. Bear made sure I got that part right. |
+1 on many of the hints/tips already put forth, but definitely a good tripod will help you tremendously. No tripods from Wallyworld! Get a Manfrotto. Learn exposure. Not for nothin were most of my pre-2010 comments terse comments like 'oof', 'blurry' and 'too dark'. Understanding Exposure is a fantastic book, not overly technical, easy to learn from.
Then get weaned off of AUTO and learn how to shoot manual. Be able to adjust your settings in the dark. DO NOT rely on PS to 'rescue' your images; a crappy photo is a crappy photo. Learn to recognize one when you see one - then delete it, change your settings, re-shoot. Photoshop and its ilk should be used only to help enhance the qualities already there in the image. Of course, play with PS and have fun moving all the sliders around and having a giggle at turning people's hair pink and whiting out their faces in PS...and do check out YouAreNotAPhotographer.com for primo images by fauxtogs whose PS licenses should be revoked.
All the PS in the world will not make a crappy image any better, if anything it will make it look much worse! Just like makeup on a woman - just enough, carefully applied, can make a woman look fantastic, without being obvious, and too much is garish and draws attention to itself, not the person underneath it.
Eventually, when you're ready, invest in a flash. Meantime consider getting a 5-in-1 reflector. And if you have a good tripod and know how to adjust your settings so you don't need to use a flash in the first place, all the better!
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07/19/2014 11:16:46 AM · #38 |
Don't pursue certain genres or aspects of photography just because you think you need to in order to be "a photographer".
When I started here I felt I had to learn to do expertly lit shots of gorgeous models and/or setup scenes in order to qualify as a photographer. So I bought strobes, umbrellas, reflectors, etc. They sit mostly unused now.
What I found out is I didn't enjoy creating scenes. I discovered my interest in photography could be summed up in one word: exploring. My best days are spent exploring new areas with both my camera and my bicycle.
I've also learned the 12" behind the viewfinder is more important than the gear. Nice gear removes some limitations, but it won't help much if you don't have a good eye behind it. I've actually downgraded some of my gear recently for reasons that make sense for me.
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07/19/2014 12:17:43 PM · #39 |
Originally posted by snaffles:
Just like makeup on a woman - just enough, carefully applied, can make a woman look fantastic, without being obvious, and too much is garish and draws attention to itself, not the person underneath it. |
I never thought of it like this before, but it is so true! This is something that I have learned. Also, right now the concept of flashes scare me. I am just now trying to experiment with lighting techniques but refuse to spend the money on a flash. |
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07/19/2014 07:21:54 PM · #40 |
Work with what you've got first - get used to what you have, now, and be comfortable with it. I'm not saying a flash is obligatory, not by any means. But every so often I do studio stuff, and though I don't have all the fancy light umbrellas, AlienBees etc and probably won't, I do have a very good SB-910 flash (and having to learn how to use it has taught me even more about photography) and a reflector...I'm good!
ETA: Meaning that I'm good in terms of gear, not in terms of being an amazing photog...at least not yet ;-)
Message edited by author 2014-07-19 19:50:11. |
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