Hi All,
I think I need to learn a lot more about photography.
All my pictures (no matter how good and expensive camera I get) are really crappy.
I got some books like (digital photography etc.) that talks more about how digital camera works
than things like "Composition, light, portraits photography for both adults and children etc.
Anyone has any advice where to go (possibly on line and for free ) to learn about
PHOTOGRAPHY?
Scott Kelby has a training site: http://www.kelbytraining.com/ He has a lot of good people with training on cameras, composition, post processing, lighting, etc. I believe you can take a look at some of the training videos for free. I looked at a few and they seem pretty good. Cost about 179 a year.
Watch for local workshops. Join a camera club. Many top photographers conduct workshops, though these can be expensive. Study the work of great photographers. If you shoot Nikon, there are many Nikon shooters that have blogs such as Tony Sweet, Moose Peterson, Joe McNally, Chase Jarvis, Zack Arais, etc. Most of these photogs also use Tweeter.
Gregg B. wrote:
Hi All,
I think I need to learn a lot more about photography.
All my pictures (no matter how good and expensive camera I get) are really crappy.
You're well on your way. Recognizing that the camera is not the problem is something a lot of people never seem to learn. Being self-critical is good as long as it doesn't become debilitating.
I got some books like (digital photography etc.) that talks more about how digital camera works than things like Composition, light, portraits photography for both adults and children etc.
Anyone has any advice where to go (possibly on line and for free ) to learn about
PHOTOGRAPHY?
Yeah, well you do have an expensive camera, so you should consider spending some money on learning how to use it. Anyway, practice a lot and give yourself assignments would be a good start. With digital you get quick feedback, so study your shots and decide what you consider crappy about them and return to the same places and subjects and try and try again.
Below is advice I gave to someone recently. Bottom line is that shoots lots of pictures, get some feedback, observe what others do that worked, and go back and try and replicate what appeared to be successful. Reading will only get you so far if you don't get the hands on experience.
****
1. Shoot lots and lots of pictures.
2. Learn the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
2.5 Shoot lots and lots of pictures by experimenting with aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.
3. Shoot lots and lots of pictures.
4. Look at the presentation galleries here and photo.net
5. Get a 50/1.8 and use it for a while before you buy anything else.
6. Shoot lots and lots of pictures.
7. Look at the presentation galleries here and photo.net.
8. Go back out and shoot lots and lots of pictures.
9. Learn how to post process NEF files.
I'm perfectly serious. The 9-step program may be as long as it needs to be.
I've been shooting for 30 years now, and frankly, it seems like my photos get better year after year. I think that's what keeps me coming back - it's impossible to get the "perfect" image - you can always do better. So, be patient, it will come.
I also agree that shooting more helps, but only to a point. If you just go and and blaze away, chances are you're not going to get much better. I always enjoy the forums here at FM and looking at the really great photos that pop up. I try to ask myself what is it about a particular shot that grabs me and how can I incorporate that into my own shooting. Learning from others successes I guess. When you look at lots of great work, you get a feel for what it takes to make a good opportunity great. (or at least try to, )
Finally - some practical advice. I used to work in a photo lab years ago and the number one reason people had crappy photos was crappy light. Shoot in light that's GOOD and you'll stand a much better chance at some amazing images. an hours after sunrise and an hour before sunset are prime times (and a half hour withing sunrise / set is even better).
Hope this helps - I think we're all still learning
To learn the basics, I'd go back to these classics (although they're based on film photography, they are still highly useful and there's little that won't apply):
There are three books from Ansel Adams: (The Camera, The Negative and The Print). Those get into all the basic concepts of photography.
And there are two books from Joe McNally who is a great commercial photographer. In these, he demonstrates particular digitally shot photos and describes how they were made:
The Moment It Clicks
The Hot-Shoe Diaries (obviously about flash photography).
If you don't want to purchase these books, McNally also has a great website.
Go to a local museum or gallery when they have photography exhibits, especially if it contains classic photography. Sometimes you'll see garbage and wonder why it's even being shown and other times you'll see remarkable images. It will also show you how important the print is. There's nothing like seeing an original silver gelatin or chromogenic print. And seeing great work will give you some inspiration.
Aside from the technical aspects of photography, you have to develop an "eye". I live in New York City and when I walk around with my camera, I don't always find much I want to shoot. But that's because I'm here every day and I'm "blinded" to what's special because everything seems ordinary to me. There's a photographer who posts on another site by the name of "Dez" and what I find ordinary, he finds a way to make extraordinary because his eye sees what my eye doesn't. So he shoots something that happens to be down the block from my office and I think to myself, "how come I never looked at that from that perspective before." That's what makes great photography.
You can't expect great results directly out of the camera. Just as printing in the darkroom was an art, so is post-processing of photographs. A few years ago, I went to the museum to see an Annie Leibowitz exhibition. One part of the exhibition featured a wall of marked-up contact sheets. When you looked at the contact sheets, nothing seemed all that special. But when you saw the same shots professionally printed, it made all the difference in the world.
And for those who would like a great book about all printed media processes, there's a book that was published in conjunction with a Museum of Modern Art exhibition: The Printed Picture by Richard Benson, which provides an exciting history and examples of all printing processes - photography, lithography, screen printing, etc. Here's part of the Amazon description: The Printed Picture traces the changing technology of picture-making from the Renaissance to the present, focusing on the vital role of images in multiple copies. The book surveys printing techniques before the invention of photography; the photographic processes that began to appear in the early nineteenth century; the marriage of printing and photography; and the rapidly evolving digital inventions of our time. From woodblocks to chromolithographs, from engravings to bar codes, from daguerreotypes to contemporary color photographs, the book succinctly examines the full range of pictorial processes. Exploring how pictures look by describing how they are made, author Richard Benson reaches fascinating and original conclusions about what pictures can mean. ...Show more →
Taking awesome photos is like being a Jedi. You feel the force. I'd know on a certain day that I would be able to take great shots. I'm a self taught Jedi .
From hanging around here, my shots are getting better, with the help of constructive criticism. Post a few shots that still have the EXIF values available and see what you get.
The old adage, "Perfect practice makes perfect" applies here. Just shooting without purpose and structure isn't going to help much. Your shooting sessions should represent what you've learned or twists on that knowledge.
For a starter I enjoyed the National Geographics Field Guide to Photography... or it's called something along those lines. Relatively small yellow book. It has a lot of topics that it goes somewhat shallowly into but sufficiently to think about the implications of the shot (fireworks, candid, weddings, landscapes, animals, etc etc etc). But the important part to me was it had bios of various NG photographers who described how they shot. All the pretty pictures also helped me consider what I liked in a 'good' photograph.
Past that, as everyone else has said, shoot shoot shoot. Don't delete in camera unless it's truly bad. When you sit down to go over them, consider which photographs you liked the best and which ones you hated then figure out why. When going out to shoot again, go back to those shots (all of them) and remember what kinds of shots you liked then try to both take those again and to extend them by trying new things (look up, look down, crouch, get high, get to the side.. move with your body and feet, not with the lens) and see if you like what you did.
Every now and then when I have time I just take a mundane object i'm walking by and I try to take an interesting photograph of it. I talked to an excellent photographer here in Albuquerque who said (paraphrased) 'Look for the energy of what's in front of you', in other words (yes a paraphrase of a paraphrase), what made you look at that object/scene in the first place? Then consider how to capture that. And if your equipment doesn't let you capture it from where you're at, pick those feet up and move to where you can capture the essence of the picture.
Technically: Understand the relationship between ISO, shutter speed, and aperature and the pros and cons of increasing or decreasing each. When possible, shoot in manual to help understand how your sensor measures the amount of light in the scene and recommends a setting (although as a note i've moved back to A-priority or S-priority depending on what i'm shooting and I adjust exposure compensation accordingly). Learn the histogram and make it your best buddy for judging exposure.
Couple rambling Monday morning thoughts, hope they help!
Edit: Last thing. Fight the NAS (Nikon Acquisition Syndrome). Get equipment because you need it, not necessarily because everyone says it's awesome.
Way back when, our instructor had us go everywhere with a light meter. You were to meter every odd light situation. That exercise taught us a lot about exposure.
Thank You all!
These are excellent tips/advices....
I found this great website: digital-photography-school.com
that talks about things I was looking for.
For example, the composition rules:
1. Diagonal Lines
2. Geometric Shapes
3. The Rule of Thirds
4. Framing Images
5. Perspective shot
6. Space
7. Balance
8. Color
(is there anything else to the above?)
I guess this is what I have to learn and understand first before I go and shoot, shoot , shoot. I'm shooting a lot but without any knowledge that such rules exist.
And this is only Composition for Nature Photography.
Lighting and portraits are another story.....
I'll try to post some pics to show you what I'm talking about.
Your input is appreciated.
Thank You
There's several good books on portrait shooting. I'd hit the local large bookstore and see what they have for both modelling/portrait and wedding photography. The better books tend to cover all of the rules above and I would say that they're applicable to nature/landscapes at least as far as describing the composition rules, particularily the books that talk about outdoor portraits and how to place your subject in an outdoor setting.
And I think something else to keep in mind is that you should break the rules whenever you see fit. They're guidance more than rules really.
I am glad you started this thread. Unfortunately, many photographers still believe that if they have a great, modern, expensive camera with a professional lens attached to it their pictures will be superb. We all know that is not true.
I would start by learning the basics of photography. You need to understand what shutter speeds and lens openings do and how they do it. You need to understand how exposure meters work and why matrix (evaluative metering) is not always the best choice.
Composition is something you will learn improves your photography and you will learn how to use light to your benefit. Once all this comes into place, any camera with a good lens will do the job.
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