| Author | Thread |
|
|
10/03/2005 10:33:57 AM · #1 |
So I've been here for a few months, I've participated in a handful of challenges and I'm disappointed with the quality of my shots. My scores have improved, I've gotten a ton of quality feedback, and I've learned a lot about shot selection, subject, cropping, etc... So far this site has been a great experience but I'm running into a problem.
When I compare my shots to everyone else in the challenge, mine all look like snapshots and not "real" photography. What am I missing here? Is this all in my mind's eye? What do you look for to create a good photograph? How many are planned out and how many do you just happen to be in the right place at the right time? Does the look of real photography not develop until post processing? How much does lighting have to do with it? Do you rely on natural light or do you usually light the scene yourself?
How do you avoid the snapshot look and take your game to the next level?
Message edited by author 2005-10-03 10:52:32. |
|
|
|
10/03/2005 10:40:23 AM · #2 |
Here's my short & sweet take on avoiding the snapshot. Allow me to qualify my statement beforehand: 1) I'm not a real photographer; 2) My IQ is possibly in the teens; 3) I'm a scientist.
OK, here's my solution, simply:
Never put your subject at the centre of the shot.
There's my solution, please refer back to my qualifying statement. Note that on a minority of occasions a centred composition is coolio.
Message edited by author 2005-10-03 10:40:56.
|
|
|
|
10/03/2005 10:53:40 AM · #3 |
For what it's worth good photography starts before the photo is taken in the eye of the photographer whether it's being in the right place at the right time or a planned or set up shot.
The book, "Learning to See Creatively" by Bryan Peterson would be a good one to read to expand on the above statement. There are other books out there too, this just happens to be the one I'm most familiar with. |
|
|
|
10/03/2005 11:05:12 AM · #4 |
Originally posted by Kathyc:
The book, "Learning to See Creatively" by Bryan Peterson would be a good one to read to expand on the above statement. |
What a coincidence. I just borrowed this book from the library last week and am currently reading it!
It actually is a good book, with the author/photographer giving advice on how to change your perspective of the photos you take. It makes me think about new ways to shoot my subjects, using different angles and different lenses (if that applies). Recommended reading for a beginning photograher like myself. |
|
|
|
10/03/2005 11:09:32 AM · #5 |
A couple of things I'm trying to do to avoid the snapshot look...whatever I see that I want to photograph, I immediately try to look at it from a different perspective...trying to shoot it while kneeling down, lying on the ground, looming above it, behind it, from underneath...that kind of thing. The other thing I'm trying to get in the habit of doing is tilting the camera...an unusual angle to the left or the right puts a whole new spin on things. :)
|
|
|
|
10/03/2005 11:10:00 AM · #6 |
well.. i know what you mean..
its just like having sex when your 16 and you dont really know what you doing but its still feels good.. (and too fast sometimes..haha)
it will come with the experience..
now for being serious..
iv visit your portofolio.. and please correct me if i wrong.. but it seems like your now really understood the inside of the camera..
again.. im just saying from what i saw in your setting of the camera..
("sticky situation" was Auto , "foam" has f/5 and iso 800?!?!? and the keyboard was Aperture: 10 -
ISO: 1600 ?!?!?
Shutter: 1/800 ?!?! y do you need so fast here?
for me the big jump was when i learned the phisics of the camera and i understood completly about all the main three things;
ISO , Shutter , Apereture..
from there.. i never shot again in Auto mode ever!!! i dont need to coz you learn controll your light and metering and what you want to achive...
then comes the equipment.. using filters and stuff.. and composition..
basicly iv learned the "rules" , Like (rules of the third ,leading lines , focus)
and then iv learned to ignore them on purpose!!!
after that... i think my next step was just relaxing before a shot.. paying attention to the setting of my camera and what i want to achive... and try to pay attention for every detail i see in the box..
later.. just get a lot of critics... here on Dpc... bring me the bad comments not the good i say!!!
the last step of course is photoshop!!! well this takes time.. sex or no sex...
take it with a smile and you can visit my portofolio and kill me with critics.... i like that...
hope i helped...
p.s
put some more photoes on your portofolio.. so we can see more of your work
|
|
|
|
10/03/2005 11:29:43 AM · #7 |
Try to make sure your shots look more like the following:
  
or maybe like this:
 
Once you've got that mastered, you'll be fine.
Seriously, study the work of photographers you admire. Just sticking with this site, that could take you months. When you find a "wow" shot like one of the above...
1. study it seriously. Critique it on composition, technique, and emotional impact. WHAT makes it great?
2. Also, as you spend time looking at great photos, read the comments. Pay particular attention to the commenters you find who seem to be able to put their finger on the elements that make it great.
3. Look up the profiles of those commenters and read more of their comments, etc.
Also, spend some time looking at "average" photos and repeat the above procedure. |
|
|
|
10/03/2005 11:53:51 AM · #8 |
My 2 cents:
Look at other photographs on the dpc website taken with your camera, //www.dpchallenge.com/camera.php?CAMERA_ID=1135. Check the aperature and shutter speed used. What are the lighting conditions? Were these taken outdoors/indoors? Were these taken in natural or studio settings? Sometimes there is a description of what was involved in taking or post-processing the photograph.
If you are outdoors, try early morning and early evening for shooting instead of mid-day.
99% of the time use a tripod.
Have fun on the DPC website but do not take your scores that seriously. Do you like the photograph? This is what matters.
If you want to pursue photography, look for introductory photograph and photoshop courses. Face-to-face feedback from a photographer and classmates is invaluable. |
|
|
|
10/03/2005 12:10:35 PM · #9 |
Thanks for the replies - it helps. I will be getting that book tonight and doing more site reseach. I've uploaded more images to my portfolio if anyone is interested.
Thanks for all the info!
|
|
|
|
10/03/2005 12:18:51 PM · #10 |
Anybody that can push a button can make a photograph, just as anybody that can slop paint on a canvas can make a painting, but it takes an artist to make a photograph or painting into a work of art. If you give a child a brush and some paint and ask him\her to paint you a picture, are you going to get a Mona Lisa? Not very often, I think. The same thing would happen if you give a child a camera and ask for a photograph. So, what̢۪s the difference between the child and the artist? The artist knows the elements that make an artistic photograph (subject, composition, tonality, etc.) and has the skills required to make that happen. The child does not. Learning the attributes that make an image artistic is half the battle. The other half is learning the techniques required to get those attributes into your photographs. Study art to learn the first part, and study photographic techniques to learn how to bring it all together.
|
|
|
|
10/03/2005 01:02:59 PM · #11 |
Mattmo, I've been struggling with the same thing. I see the top three from the challenges and my shots don't compare. Not even close! But sometimes, I think that with all the practice I'm getting, I'm moving closer. IMO, some of it is luck. There are a few shots where all the elements you need are just there: the lighting is perfect, the subject frames nicely and has WOW-effect, and all the setup just pays off perfectly. I imagine that the longer you work at it, the more lucky shots you find, but at my stage, I keep my eyes open and try to seek them out.
Hope this helps a bit!
Brent
|
|
|
|
10/03/2005 01:05:01 PM · #12 |
You've gotten some great suggestions about how to make better pictures. I'll add my thoughts.
Control the scene.
The critical difference between a snapshot and "art" is the control. Control of the light, the background, foreground, clutter, color, shadow, and so on. Many of these things are controlled by use of the camera. DOF, Apature, Shutter speed. You are limited here by the tool you use.
Control of the foreground and background is in the hands of the photographer. Look for clutter, distracting lines, things that take the focus away from your subject. Moving yourself to a different location can change a snapshot to a "photograph".
Clara
|
|
|
|
10/03/2005 01:10:29 PM · #13 |
You've gotten some great suggestions about how to make better pictures. I'll add my thoughts.
Control the scene.
The critical difference between a snapshot and "art" is the control. Control of the light, the background, foreground, clutter, color, shadow, and so on. Many of these things are controlled by use of the camera. DOF, Apature, Shutter speed. You are limited here by the tool you use.
Control of the foreground and background is in the hands of the photographer. Look for clutter, distracting lines, things that take the focus away from your subject. Moving yourself to a different location can change a snapshot to a "photograph".
Clara
|
|
|
|
10/03/2005 01:56:04 PM · #14 |
I'm in the same boat. As has already been pointed out, look at your subject from a different perspective/point of view. Take several shots of the same thing with different settings, focus lengths, and perspectives.
Lighting is one of the most important things in your pictures. After all, with no light, we wouldn't see the subject. We're photographing the light reflecting off the subject.
Post processing is also very important. Every now and then the photographer of one of the high scoring shots from a challenge will post the un-edited version. It can be an amazing transformation.
Work on those 3 things, and you'll see definite improvement. At least that's what I'm hoping for. :-)
|
|
|
|
10/03/2005 02:06:27 PM · #15 |
There are different photographic techniques. Rule of thirds, DOF, lines, color, composition, subject. There are certian rules to each of the techniques. Learn the rules and you will take great pictures, learn how and when to brake them and take great Photographs.
Travis
|
|
|
|
10/03/2005 02:13:02 PM · #16 |
There is some great advice alread, but I might have some insight to the discussion.
Snap-Shots are just that. Pictures taken quickly without much thought. I take them all the time and even print them to add to the photo album.
However, challenges take thought and planning (of course, I have missed a few challenges trying to get it before the Tuesday 12pm EST deadline). If you add more thought and planning, your pictures will greatly improve.
What do I mean? Start with a blank slate. Remove everything from the background that will detract from the subject. In your Color Portrait, we can see the fence and trees in the background. Same thing in your Shoes entry.
The only other advise is you need a little more in post production to get the colors in your images to pop. This is hard to explain more and just needs practicing. There are numerious guides out on the internet to fix this.
Also, as others have said, changing the perspective and using the rule of thirds helps. One more thing, you keep blowing the hightlights. Stop doing that too.
I hope this helps. |
|
|
|
10/03/2005 02:17:02 PM · #17 |
When I was teaching photography at UCSD, one of our first assignments was always "Pictures Without a Camera". I had my students plan an outing to a place they wanted to photograph at, and then go there armed only with a notebook and a pencil. The assignment was to DESCRIBE the pictures they were "taking"; to visualize them in their mind's eye and describe them with words and possibly a primitive sketch.
Just this simple act of "looking and seeing" was revelatory to many of my students. SEE the light! SEE the relationships between things! SEE more than the "subject", SEE it all! SEE and make decisions based on what you're SEEING, not on what the camera happens to be framing.
For many people the camera actively inhibits creativity. The camera becomes like a box, which you put things inside to preserve them, and the particular camera/lens combination defines what will "fit" inside that box.
Ideally, of course, the camera is a tool to "realize" what the mind's eye sees, be it obvious or subliminal, powerful or muted, whatever the vision is, whatever is SEEN, the camera is the tool to store the SEEING for future use. It's almost always a good idea to SEE first and shoot second. Even for "street photographers", "catch the fleeting moment in its stark reality" photographers, SEEING is paramount. The better they are able to SEE, to sort things visually in a fleeting instant, the better they can react to the world they are SEEING and capture that instant for all time.
Robt.
|
|
|
|
10/03/2005 02:46:16 PM · #18 |
Rules of good photography that I have heard (but have yet to master by any means) are to:
1) Consider the "theme" of the picture - what message are you trying to convey with the picture.
2) Position the "subjects" in the picture to better convey the theme (using things like Rules of Thirds, DOF, focus, etc.)
3) Simplify - remove any detracting items in the picture, items that detract from the theme (and I am not talking about using PS) - things like making sure a branch in the background doesn't appear to be sticking out of someone's head)
4) learn to see what the lens sees - master the tools of the trade.
All easier said then done. Most of my shots are of kids, so for me, I am trying to anticipate the moment and make sure that I am in the right position, with the right lens, to press the button when that moment comes. |
|
|
|
10/03/2005 03:08:47 PM · #19 |
| Bear, I love your "pictures without a camera" activity. I think me and Andrea will go out for a "non-shoot" this weekend! |
|
Home -
Challenges -
Community -
League -
Photos -
Cameras -
Lenses -
Learn -
Help -
Terms of Use -
Privacy -
Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 09/11/2025 05:37:47 PM EDT.
