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08/24/2004 05:23:11 PM · #1 |
Greetings....
There is often a lot of discussion here at DPChallenge about 'getting better' as a photographer. We tend to depend on things such as useful feedback from others and better equipment as part of achieving this goal.
Questions for you:
1. Do you want to be better at photography? Some people don't... Some do...
2. In what area(s) do you think you need the MOST improvement? Look for the low-hanging fruit first... tackle some of the easier issues.
3. What have you done to help improve your photograpy in the past?
Note: Please do not post photos with critique/comment requests to this thread.
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08/24/2004 05:26:08 PM · #2 |
Very good points, Jim, and questions I have to keep focusing on every day. It is so easy to get overwhelmed at the beginning and I just have to keep taking steps as I can. Thank you. I will look forward to this threads development.
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08/24/2004 05:29:48 PM · #3 |
Answers for you.
1. I definitely want to become better at photography.. and #2 will explain why.
2. I need the most improvement in technical areas.. especially in lighting. I've been told by a great many people that I have a natural eye, but many times my shots fall flat because I don't understand aperatures/metering/et al enough to get the best shot I can. I've tried learning this stuff from books, but I'm more a hands-on learner. I think DPChallenge can help in this way by providing me with examples and the technical details used to achieve certain shots, and from the occasional tutorial. Still, it would be nice to join a few good photography courses, but unfortunately, my local area is pretty devoid of such things.
3. I've bought books on technical aspects of photography, and on composition, etc., but most of all, I've just practiced, practiced, practiced. I'm not afraid to take 30 pictures of the same subject with different settings to find out which one works the best for me.
I'd have to say that while I agree that a certain level of natural ability is key in photography, I *do* believe that it is one of the areas of artistic expression that *most* people, with enough heart, determination, and time spent.. can become quite skillful at.
*EDIT* Oops.. I forgot to say *why* I want to become better at photography.. It's simple, because it's something I love. Capturing a moment and being able to reflect on it in the future, and have that moment be something more pleasing than your general snapshot is extremely gratifying to me. Also, I just simply like to impress people, and better photographs do better jobs at that :)
Message edited by author 2004-08-24 17:31:51. |
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08/24/2004 05:36:21 PM · #4 |
Originally posted by Artyste:
Answers for you.
1. I definitely want to become better at photography.. and #2 will explain why.
2. I need the most improvement in technical areas.. especially in lighting. I've been told by a great many people that I have a natural eye, but many times my shots fall flat because I don't understand aperatures/metering/et al enough to get the best shot I can. I've tried learning this stuff from books, but I'm more a hands-on learner. I think DPChallenge can help in this way by providing me with examples and the technical details used to achieve certain shots, and from the occasional tutorial. Still, it would be nice to join a few good photography courses, but unfortunately, my local area is pretty devoid of such things.
3. I've bought books on technical aspects of photography, and on composition, etc., but most of all, I've just practiced, practiced, practiced. I'm not afraid to take 30 pictures of the same subject with different settings to find out which one works the best for me.
I'd have to say that while I agree that a certain level of natural ability is key in photography, I *do* believe that it is one of the areas of artistic expression that *most* people, with enough heart, determination, and time spent.. can become quite skillful at.
*EDIT* Oops.. I forgot to say *why* I want to become better at photography.. It's simple, because it's something I love. Capturing a moment and being able to reflect on it in the future, and have that moment be something more pleasing than your general snapshot is extremely gratifying to me. Also, I just simply like to impress people, and better photographs do better jobs at that :) |
yeah what he said |
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08/24/2004 05:36:56 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by Kylie:
Very good points, Jim.... |
John :) |
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08/24/2004 05:43:13 PM · #6 |
Originally posted by faidoi:
Originally posted by Kylie:
Very good points, Jim.... |
John :) |
DOH! Thank you . . . .had too many things going through my head. Hopefully he will forgive me!
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08/24/2004 05:45:44 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Questions for you:
1. Do you want to be better at photography? Some people don't... Some do... |
Yes!
[quote]2. In what area(s) do you think you need the MOST improvement? Look for the low-hanging fruit first... tackle some of the easier issues.[/quote]
For me its the very basics! I need to understand what my camera will do when I turn this up, or speed this up etc
[quote]3. What have you done to help improve your photograpy in the past?[/quote]
I read some books, magazines etc but that does not really do it for me. I need to do the things to learn them or confirm them! I'd love to have a mentor who could give me a weekly task or trial or something like that.
I have learn't a lot from here but still have a long ways to go. Bob
PS: Anyone interested in being my mentor?
Message edited by author 2004-08-24 17:56:43.
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08/24/2004 05:49:26 PM · #8 |
Questions for you:
1. Do you want to be better at photography? Some people don't... Some do...
Absolutely. At some point I aspire to be able to "work" part time in nature/landscape photography. In the short run I'm trying to build a portfolio for local exhibitions.
2. In what area(s) do you think you need the MOST improvement? Look for the low-hanging fruit first... tackle some of the easier issues.
Developing a photographic eye. I can envision what I think is an excellent image, but I don't always make the translation to what my camera captures. I'm getting better at this since committing my self to shooting in manual mode by paying more attention to lighting and exposure.
3. What have you done to help improve your photograpy in the past?
As I mentioned above, I'm working hard at keeping my camera set to "M" and also using the spot meter to read multiple areas of the scene and actively choose where I expose instead of letting multi-zone exposure auto-pilots handle it. This has been a huge aid to me. Getting off auto was a big deal for my technique.
On the software side I'm working more at using raw conversion to work in 24 bit for more of the workflow rather than the 8 bit jpegs. I still shoot JPEG for some things, but for landscape work I'm almost exclusively in RAW now.
I'm making an active and painful effort to recondition my body clock for morning light, and paying a lot more attention to what time of day I'm shooting a particular location. This has opened my eyes up considerably to new techniques.
Finally, I've been studying the work of professionals. John Shaw's books have "clicked" for me, and I've enjoyed assimilating some of his suggestions into my technique.
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08/24/2004 05:50:04 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by faidoi:
Originally posted by Kylie:
Very good points, Jim.... |
John :) |
lol, I just rushed to edit an earlier post when I saw that.
1. Yes Yes yes
2. I (think) I have a decent eye for composition but often (as Artyste and lazy mrsamsa says) fall down on the 'basics'. I often see something and shoot it rather than take a bit of time to survey the shot and create a better image in camera. My rush to be No1 (the thread q not fotog) sometimes leads me to run before I can walk.
3. Joined DPC, the best way :) oh, and spent too much money (running before walking again). I said it on another thread tonight, better equipment will help you to take pictures in a wider range but will not make you a better fotog. I'm learning (on a steep curve here) and will always be learning as I'm sure we all will be.
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08/24/2004 05:59:30 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Greetings....
There is often a lot of discussion here at DPChallenge about 'getting better' as a photographer. We tend to depend on things such as useful feedback from others and better equipment as part of achieving this goal.
Questions for you:
1. Do you want to be better at photography? Some people don't... Some do...
2. In what area(s) do you think you need the MOST improvement? Look for the low-hanging fruit first... tackle some of the easier issues.
3. What have you done to help improve your photograpy in the past?
Note: Please do not post photos with critique/comment requests to this thread. |
Thank you for starting this thread.
Question 1: YES
Question 2: IMO, lighting, DOF uses, when to use aperture or Shutter priority, and more.
Question 3: I try to take my camera with me all the time and shoot, shoot, shoot.
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08/24/2004 06:05:09 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by Kylie:
DOH!. . . .had too many things going through my head. |
Guess that means you're not a real blond huh?
sorry Kylie, I just had to!
Not to waste space in this thread, I do want to reply to Jim's John's post.
Do I want to be a better photographer?
With a passion like few other things in my life have.
When I jumped into DPC, I thought I had something, and quickly learned
that I had a LOT to learn. My eye for composition had gone to sleep
after so many years without a decent camera to use. It's coming back
and is now a driving force in everywhere I look in my daily life.
Yes, it has become an obsession.
I guess that's what passion is all about.
Lighting probably presents my biggest personal challenge besides the
obvious "I wish I had better..." scenario. That will come in time.
I am learning to be humble by listening and learning from comments and
critiques. Jump in with the best and survive by skill (and some luck).
I am pushing myself to compete with some of the best around, head to
head with much older equipment, making me challenge myself, rather than
being able to rely on better equipment to do the wow factor.
Why do all this? It's a way of life for me now.
My automotive & engineering background is what I have been doing for a
very long time and frankly I am finding less and less challenge doing it
as it once did for me. It's what happens when there is no more room at
the top. Yes, I am blowing my own horn here, but have earned it.
I opened a repair shop (my first) 4 1/2 years ago, and turned it into a
thriving business. I help write the national certification tests (ASE)
that all automotive technicians take to get certification.
The viewfinder is where I want to be now and in the future.
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08/24/2004 06:05:12 PM · #12 |
Great thread, Jim. I mean, John. ;-) j/k
1. Do you want to be better at photography? Some people don't... Some do...
Yes, of course. I think most people here want to improve. I think, perhaps, another/better question might be, how much do you want to improve? Or, do you only want to become better? Do you just want to be a "good" photographer, or do you want to be a great, possibly memorable photographer? Some people might be satisfied improving their snapshots - not cutting off legs or heads, etc. Others (I think many of us) are striving to get it all right; the lighting, the composition, the subject, and to convey a feeling or an emotion. I'm not saying I'm at that point, but I am trying! :-)
2. In what area(s) do you think you need the MOST improvement?
The most improvement? Hmm...there are so many. I'm going to go with lighting also. I think lighting (or lack of) is the key to great photos. I would also like to "know my camera" better. I want to learn how and when to manually set the color settings (tone, saturation, sharpness...) to get the best results out-of-camera to reduce the need to edit in PS.
3. What have you done to help improve your photograpy in the past?
Honestly? Read forums like this one, get critiques, GIVE critiques, and shoot, shoot, shoot. Yes, GIVE critiques. I think giving critiques is a great way to learn. It teaches you what to look for. Asking yourself why you like or dislike a photo helps you recognize what works and what doesn't. Once you get going, it's easy to know what to look for and it will eventually help you to avoid the same errors in your own shots.
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08/24/2004 06:13:00 PM · #13 |
1. yes ofcourse.
2. I think there is always place to improove your vision. I recently discovered that I am much better with candid photography, surprizing the decisive moment out there on the streets, but that I suck bigtime at seting up shots and scenes. I'd like to improove that for now.
3. Several things, besides purchasing a better camera, I studied indepth alot of images of others that I like. If I really like an image, something I stare at it for minutes trying to find answers to the question why I like it. In moments like this I don't accept any "I like it but I don't know why". I do the same with photographers I like, I analize all theyr work piece by piece trying to find answers like why is this such a great image, and most of all how did they do it. I also sometimes go back and browse my own images trying to see and analize older work through the knowledge I have now, and most of the times I can sense the evolution in my work. I think besides things that has been said over and over again about photography one of the main things about it is that you learn to be honest with your own self. You learn to admit that some of your images are crap or that they only mean something to you because you have some aditional information about what's going on in them, and you learn to see those images you thatke that are not even interesting for the masses, regardless of how interesting they may be to you. A good thing is not to trash those but to put them in a personal album just for yourself. Besides studying my own and other's work, I often read photography books, online tutorials anything I can, also it's useful to syudy a bit of arts history. I think studying arts history books is verry important for learning compositions. One of the best gifts I recived lately is a Larousse history of visual arts. I love it!
Message edited by author 2004-08-24 18:14:10.
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08/24/2004 06:18:41 PM · #14 |
Not really. Or at least, not only.
I'd quite like to be a better artist though. Photography is more of a means to an end than an end in itself these days.
That manifests itself in a few ways - studying engaging art, not just photography. Exploring artistic techniques, not just photographic techniques. Visiting art galleries, not just photographic galleries. Trying to transcend all of the technical stuff that so many people appear to adore or get mired in, or both. Trying to make good pictures of things that interest me, not taking good photographs for the sake of photographs.
Could be I just read this essay though.
Message edited by author 2004-08-24 18:22:39.
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08/24/2004 06:27:03 PM · #15 |
1. Do you want to be better at photography? Some people don't... Some do...
Yes, of course I do. But I also want to be better at a lot of things. With photography, though, being better is becoming an obsession. I can't not try to improve myself.
2. In what area(s) do you think you need the MOST improvement? Look for the low-hanging fruit first... tackle some of the easier issues.
I need to get better at recognizing scenes and reading the story that could be told in the composition. Most of my contrived shots lack the wow factor that I sometimes stumble onto elsewhere.
I also seek to be more creative in my choices of what to shoot. I tire very easily of the same ol' sunset, rose, and beach footstep pictures. The artistic side of my brain needs a workout, but too often I really on my pragmatic sensibilities.
3. What have you done to help improve your photograpy in the past?
When I have an idea for a photograph, I try to write everything about the idea down (i.e. list out the objects in the scene, mood(s) I want to create, etc.). I will then sketch a concept onto a notepad/napkin/whatever. The use of a pencil on white paper has always told me immediately whether an idea has potential. If the concept is not working, I'll change it until it does or I'll inevitably forget about it and discard the idea.
This method has helped me a lot in the past. Ultimately, it's helped me plan for photos in my head a lot better when I don't have the time or desire to be formal for a shoot. I just imagine the scene in my head, about 4000 times, and try to match what I'm seeing to what is in my head. |
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08/24/2004 06:32:06 PM · #16 |
Nice, I recently read a verry good book "Towards a Philosophy of Photography" by Vilem Flusser, a really good one, food for alot of thoughts. Found it in english here.
I recomand it to anyone trying to think about photography and arts in general from a different angle than the tehnical one.
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08/24/2004 06:36:17 PM · #17 |
i'm not a master of the technical aspects of photography so i would probably like to learn a bit more of that.
i shoot what i feel...i shoot with my heart. my emotions are always just bubbling under the surface. when i find a subject that i like, i will shoot it over and over again...different times of day, different seasons, different kinds of weather. it's the only way i know to better my photography.
i would love to be a better photographer...well, maybe that's not true. i would love to be able to move people's heart and emotions with my photography. not sure if that requires me being a better photographer or just to continue to shoot what i feel is right and hope that someone sees it and feels something.
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08/24/2004 06:38:41 PM · #18 |
Originally posted by BradP:
[quote=Kylie]DOH!. . . .had too many things going through my head. |
Guess that means you're not a real blond huh?
sorry Kylie, I just had to!
It's the red in my hair that keep all the brain cells from leaking out!! lol
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08/24/2004 06:40:23 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
1. Do you want to be better at photography? Some people don't... Some do... |
Yes.
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
2. In what area(s) do you think you need the MOST improvement? Look for the low-hanging fruit first... tackle some of the easier issues. |
Use of lighting/aperture/shutter to get the best available result in the given circumstances.
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
3. What have you done to help improve your photograpy in the past? |
I've read you're papers on exposure. I play with the shutter and aperture settings and experiment with different settings to see what gives me the best results in a given situation.
I have also fully read and understand the manual that came with my camera. I now know what all the buttons do and why you would use them, I'm now working on when to use them.
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08/24/2004 06:45:55 PM · #20 |
Great read. Thank you for sharing.
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08/24/2004 06:46:50 PM · #21 |
| Great Thread! Seems alot of people feel the way I do...th avoid alot of typing and repitition EVERYTHING Artyste said applies here. Better Photography is akin to better communication skills, I want people to see and feel what I do from my pictures, articulatly, eloquently and artistically. Does that make sense...I'm rambling. |
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08/24/2004 06:47:05 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
1. Do you want to be better at photography? Some people don't... Some do... |
No, I do not want to be any better at photography. I̢۪m already so good that it scares me. I̢۪m afraid that if I were able to improve on perfection it might actually unravel the very fabric of space\time itself.
What I would like to improve is everyone else̢۪s appreciation of my perfection. So far, that has proven to be quite difficult.
Originally posted by jmsetzler12:
2. In what area(s) do you think you need the MOST improvement? Look for the low-hanging fruit first... tackle some of the easier issues. |
I do have hanging fruit, but I have no low-hanging fruit.
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
3. What have you done to help improve your photograpy in the past? |
At first, I took photos. Then later, I took more photos. This continued until I reached my current state of perfection. Now, instead of improving, I just take photos.
(Don̢۪t hate me because I̢۪m perfect. Hate me because I̢۪m perfect AND better looking.)
Message edited by author 2004-08-24 18:49:44.
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08/24/2004 08:23:10 PM · #23 |
What about you John? Your thoughts have been conspicuously absent from this thread...
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Greetings....
There is often a lot of discussion here at DPChallenge about 'getting better' as a photographer. We tend to depend on things such as useful feedback from others and better equipment as part of achieving this goal.
Questions for you:
1. Do you want to be better at photography? Some people don't... Some do...
2. In what area(s) do you think you need the MOST improvement? Look for the low-hanging fruit first... tackle some of the easier issues.
3. What have you done to help improve your photograpy in the past?
Note: Please do not post photos with critique/comment requests to this thread. |
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08/24/2004 08:51:55 PM · #24 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Greetings....
There is often a lot of discussion here at DPChallenge about 'getting better' as a photographer. We tend to depend on things such as useful feedback from others and better equipment as part of achieving this goal.
Questions for you:
1. Do you want to be better at photography? Some people don't... Some do...
2. In what area(s) do you think you need the MOST improvement? Look for the low-hanging fruit first... tackle some of the easier issues.
3. What have you done to help improve your photograpy in the past?
Note: Please do not post photos with critique/comment requests to this thread. |
1. I love photography, I want to become better and grow.
2. I fall victim to the lighting gods. I don't think I ever can quite get it right. I hope it clicks very soon though lol.
3. I study photographs, also do a lot of reading from books, magazines, online articles, etc. I try and ask questions also.
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08/24/2004 09:00:56 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by cghubbell:
What about you John? Your thoughts have been conspicuously absent from this thread...
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My thoughts are irrelevant. People do what they think they need to do. Each photographer's answer to these three questions will define what they need to do :)
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