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Archive 2013 · Taking your photography to the next level?

  
 
scot1
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Taking your photography to the next level?


Please share your thoughts and experiences of "taking your photography to the next level". Have you achieved that and if so how did you? What was key for you? I see many many photographers waaaay better than myself and I know most of it comes down to raw talent, but I want to be better, MUCH BETTER. I am sure most of us on this forum are in this boat. There is always someone better than us. Always someone to aspire to. How did YOU get better?


Aug 09, 2013 at 06:15 PM
tobicus
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Taking your photography to the next level?


Zoom with your feet. The switch to primes was an epiphany for me...


Aug 09, 2013 at 06:38 PM
Scott Mosher
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Taking your photography to the next level?


I surround myself with people who are successful and who are better than me. Then I watch, ask, try, fail, try again, succeed, repeat.


Aug 09, 2013 at 06:50 PM
morby
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Taking your photography to the next level?


Question... What do you hope to get better at? Often times I will target areas where I want to improve and do everything I can to get better in those specific areas. Trying to learn everything at once can be overwhelming and discouraging. There is so much to learn and for me it's best to do it one step at a time. Workshops and online study have been really helpful as well. I'll usually take workshops based on the areas where I want to see improvements. This year I wanted to improve with lighting and getting natural expression from my clients, so I took Hoffer's workshop.


Aug 09, 2013 at 07:19 PM
D. Diggler
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Taking your photography to the next level?


Do you have any holes or really weak areas in your gear lineup?


Aug 09, 2013 at 08:29 PM
tonyhart
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Taking your photography to the next level?


I used not to have any idea how to do my creative sessions. It's the one part of the day that is much more about 'making' an image than observational reportage and I struggled with it. I started drawing pictures (crap ones) but they have seriously helped me in terms of pre-envisaging an image.


Aug 09, 2013 at 08:40 PM
Tony Hoffer
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Taking your photography to the next level?


I slowed down.


Aug 09, 2013 at 09:04 PM
jcolman
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Taking your photography to the next level?


Tony Hoffer wrote:
I slowed down.


I think that this is the best advice. I have to force myself to slow down during the wedding day and try to really look at a scene. I tend to get in too much of a hurry and don't take time to see the alternate possibilities.



Aug 09, 2013 at 09:46 PM
Chris Fawkes
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Taking your photography to the next level?


I think taking things I already know but don't regularly use then try and make them a consistent habit.

It's easy to think I know something just because I have heard it explained or seen someone else do it but until it becomes acquired behavior I don't really know it.

Truth is many of us cannot recall 50% of the things we think we know when under the pump. So moving to the next level can simply be about identifying the skills and information that exist somewhere on our radar but not yet second nature and making sure it becomes that.



Aug 10, 2013 at 01:14 AM
SloPhoto
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Taking your photography to the next level?


tonyhart wrote:
I used not to have any idea how to do my creative sessions. It's the one part of the day that is much more about 'making' an image than observational reportage and I struggled with it. I started drawing pictures (crap ones) but they have seriously helped me in terms of pre-envisaging an image.



I need to start doing this.



Aug 10, 2013 at 03:45 AM
ai3x
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Taking your photography to the next level?


Walk into a room, take a picture. Look at the picture and think c**p, I'm rubbish. Then as Tony said, slow down, look at again and think, "How can I make this different, how can I make something unique?". Spend the next 5 mins in said room playing with different ideas and elements to make a better picture.


Aug 10, 2013 at 05:04 AM
canerino
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Taking your photography to the next level?


I stopped chasing the action and started predicting what was going to happen next.


Aug 10, 2013 at 06:55 AM
DONIV
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Taking your photography to the next level?


plan


Aug 10, 2013 at 08:09 AM
DannyBostwick
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Taking your photography to the next level?


canerino wrote:
I stopped chasing the action and started predicting what was going to happen next.


Best advice ever.



Aug 10, 2013 at 08:42 AM
dhb820
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Taking your photography to the next level?


Tony Hoffer wrote:
I slowed down.

Agreed!



Aug 10, 2013 at 08:45 AM
eNoBlog
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Taking your photography to the next level?


Primes. Take fewer pictures, the ones that count.


Aug 10, 2013 at 09:52 AM
canerino
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Taking your photography to the next level?


eNoBlog wrote:
Primes. Take fewer pictures, the ones that count.



lol. i went the opposite direction and saw an improvement in my photography



Aug 10, 2013 at 10:53 AM
Mark_L
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Taking your photography to the next level?


I started shooting more non-wedding work.

Fashion means having control over just about everything location, light (mostly!), hair, makeup, model, clothes etc. and this level of control and building a picture from nothing forced me to really consider every element of a picture and how it worked together.

Street photography has improved my anticipation and reactions as well as seeing what I am drawn to when my concious mind doesn't have time to interfere so much.



Aug 10, 2013 at 12:14 PM
MazeRunner
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Taking your photography to the next level?


It was the following order for me:
- Started shooting prime only, with the 24/1.4G for about several months. That helped with
composition. Spammed shots and saw what worked, what didn't.
- Then shot with only the 85/1.4G for different perspective, helped a lot.

Was reading a lot from Neil van Niekerk, thestrobist, photographylife (formerly The Mansurovs), watching Jerry Ghionis videos, some RevTV (with Kai) videos (entertaining more than useful most of the time, haha), etc.

I do think that shooting with the 24/1.4G has made me really not care for the 24-70/2.8G (I got the latter about 2-3 months ago, really not a fan of it, especially at the 24-28 range). I learned how to move my feet already shooting a while with the 24, so the 24-70 I just skip and switch over to a 70-200 VR II. The 24-50 range is pretty much covered easily by feet. The 50-70 range is covered mostly by cropping or moving a bit further away with the 70-200.

Fewer lenses or limitations = helped me learn a lot about perspective and being creative.



Aug 10, 2013 at 12:53 PM
morby
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Taking your photography to the next level?


canerino wrote:
lol. i went the opposite direction and saw an improvement in my photography


The opposite by switching to zooms and/or taking more photos? I did both. I switched to the 24-70 and take more photos during the moments that count. I hated going through my pictures and saying, "I should have taken one more." I'd rather overshoot and cull, than undershoot and wish I took one more. As far as primes I like them more, but hate messing around with switching lenses. I always have the two most needed lenses on for that section of the day and don't worry about wasting time putting on the focal length that I want. I still use the 85 a ton though.



Aug 10, 2013 at 12:58 PM
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