p.2 #1 · What would most improve your phiotography?
1bwana1 wrote:
You only need those things if you want to produce a cohesive and visually effective body of work for a project. That is a valid thing to do. Of course these still leaves plenty of room for freestyle outside the projects.
Oh, I wasn’t talking about projects. I think those can be worthwhile endeavors. I was talking overall.
p.2 #2 · What would most improve your phiotography?
Personally, the biggest thing that would improve my photography is having more time for photography.
I would mainly like to spend more time taking photos and editing photos. Currently, I have plenty of ideas for projects, and I feel I have a solid technical foundation and the gear required for most of them.
Once I have a nice backlog of finished photos, I would also like to reestablish my online presence and eventually do more with prints again.
p.2 #4 · What would most improve your phiotography?
Admittedly, if you're just starting in photography, buying gear is a big part of the equation. But I think most of us hanging out around this site have the gear part covered
p.2 #5 · What would most improve your phiotography?
gdanmitchell wrote:
I’d like to see a survey question where there were only two response options:
1. Buying more and/or better gear.
2. Something other than buying more and/or better gear.
;-)
Agreed, and I would choose the later.
But gear matters heaps in a bunch of obvious circumstances such as to achieve shallow dof, overpowering the sun with strobes (HSS or just massive power), architecture (shift lenses or adaptors), sport (long, fast AF lenses), the list is endless.
You generally need the right gear for the task at hand but what happens once you have the gear is another matter. In my case I usually get bored and then move on to something else, requiring more gear...
p.2 #6 · What would most improve your phiotography?
chiron wrote:
What would most improve your photography? If you wanted to make a decision to work on improving your photography, which of the above choices do you think would have the most impact?
It would also be very interesting to hear some details of how you have advanced in photography, how you have acquired skills that are important to you, and especially to hear about specifically what you would like to improve in your photography and how you might do it.
Mostly time and health, both of which are in limited quantity. Secondarily it is money.
I voted for #1, which seems to be the overwhelming choice.
p.2 #9 · What would most improve your phiotography?
mcbroomf wrote:
I think you missed an import option; to take photo workshops which (should) include getting critiques by others of your own photos, This is the one I would have picked.
In my view, photo workshops are especially valuable for beginners. Once you reach a certain level of expertise, they often feel like a waste of money—unless the workshop takes you to a location that's difficult to access on your own, in which case joining a group may be the only practical option.
p.2 #10 · What would most improve your phiotography?
cambyses wrote:
In my view, photo workshops are especially valuable for beginners. Once you reach a certain level of expertise, they often feel like a waste of money—unless the workshop takes you to a location that's difficult to access on your own, in which case joining a group may be the only practical option.
There are photo workshops and photo tours. Sounds like you are talking about tours that get you to specific places that would be hard on your own. You really don’t learn on a tour…at least that is not the primary goal of the tour. A workshop is different and the sole purpose of a workshop is to learn something new. When I was starting to print my own photos, I took a workshop dedicated to post processing and printing. It was a very valuable learning experience and put me years ahead with my printing compared to if I just muddled my way through.
If you want to learn a certain skill, look for a workshop dedicated to teaching that skill. If you want to go and shoot some cool locations with a group of fellow photographers, look into a photo tour.
p.2 #11 · What would most improve your phiotography?
chez wrote:
There are photo workshops and photo tours. Sounds like you are talking about tours that get you to specific places that would be hard on your own. You really don’t learn on a tour…at least that is not the primary goal of the tour. A workshop is different and the sole purpose of a workshop is to learn something new. When I was starting to print my own photos, I took a workshop dedicated to post processing and printing. It was a very valuable learning experience and put me years ahead with my printing compared to if I just muddled my way through.
If you want to learn a certain skill, look for a workshop dedicated to teaching that skill. If you want to go and shoot some cool locations with a group of fellow photographers, look into a photo tour....Show more →
Well, I understand the distinction you're making, and it's a valid one in theory. However, in practice, unless you are talking about workshops specifically in a class setting, the line between photo tours and workshops is often blurred. Most photo tours often market themselves as workshops too, even when their primary appeal is access to locations rather than intensive instruction. They're typically not geared exclusively toward advanced photographers or focused on highly specific skills. Instead, they tend to offer general thematic categories like landscape, wildlife, cityscape, etc., and include image reviews and photography technique sessions to position themselves as educational experiences. These inclusions often help them justify the premium pricing, even though many of the locations are places one could visit independently with a bit of planning.
p.2 #12 · What would most improve your phiotography?
+1 Most of the photo tours/workshops I take are a combination with leaders willing to give some instruction and extra help to those who want it and let the others do their own thing. I'm less interested in instruction than access to remote locations in various countries that would not be feasible or even possible for an individual traveler. Boats, 4WD vehicles, and lodging are often limited to small groups and booked years in advance. The repeat group leaders sometimes have standing dibs on the prime dates.
p.2 #13 · What would most improve your phiotography?
cambyses wrote:
Well, I understand the distinction you're making, and it's a valid one in theory. However, in practice, unless you are talking about workshops specifically in a class setting, the line between photo tours and workshops is often blurred. Most photo tours often market themselves as workshops too, even when their primary appeal is access to locations rather than intensive instruction. They're typically not geared exclusively toward advanced photographers or focused on highly specific skills. Instead, they tend to offer general thematic categories like landscape, wildlife, cityscape, etc., and include image reviews and photography technique sessions to position themselves as educational experiences. These inclusions often help them justify the premium pricing, even though many of the locations are places one could visit independently with a bit of planning.
Like anything in life, there are many options. You definitely need to do research on the workshop and pick ones you can benefit from. The workshops I’ve attended all had me send in a portfolio of my work before accepting me into the workshop. They wanted to be sure the attendees had a good grasp of the basics so they could focus on the advanced skills.
Seems to me you have been looking for a combination tour and workshop and these never work.
p.2 #14 · What would most improve your phiotography?
Photographer friends of mine have taught classes on some of those location workshop/tours — for example in Antarctica and Greenland, the Grand Canyon, and more.
The distinctions are far from black and white.
If one's goal is to seek out training on a particular subject — say printing for example — then a workshop on that subject could be ideal and no tour is likely going to be part of it. On the other hand, especially for those somewhat new to the finer points of photography in the field, the workshops that include travel to and photography of interesting places can be quite worthwhile.
Of course, it always depends on the quality of the workshop and its instructors. Some are really good and can alter the course of your photography in positive ways. Others are not so great — poorly planned, instructors who aren't focuses on their clients, and so forth. (And the name of the photographer isn't always a clear indicator of the quality of the workshop — some great instructors are less known as photographers and some excellent photographers are poor teachers. The ideal — great photographer and great teacher — can be more difficult to find!)
p.2 #17 · What would most improve your phiotography?
I think it's a mix of all the factors you mentioned but they should be a factor at different stages of your photography journey.
It's unfair to expect someone who's just starting their photography to extract something meaningful by looking at work of great photographers.
It's unfair to isolate photographers Gear Acquisition Syndrome in today's FOMO and must have greatest and latest gadget world. One can argue we are living in easiest, safest, most convenient time in history of mankind. Ask yourself is it just the camera GAS or you also upgraded your phone every 2 years, have latest specced PC/Mac, OLED TV and what not at home. Gear matters, switching gear broadens your perspective and appreciation. Just don't do it at the very beginning.
It takes obsession, persistence and open mindedness. Catch yourself when you find that last 100k photos of yours are kind of same in terms of technique and post processing. Once you reach that level of mastery over your camera body, post processing and it's all muscle memory. Mix things up, switch gear, evolve.
p.2 #18 · What would most improve your phiotography?
Outstanding wrote:
It's unfair to expect someone who's just starting their photography to extract something meaningful by looking at work of great photographers..
Wow, I really disagree with you there. If an interest in photographs isn’t the primary thing, why are we here? ;-)
My photographic journey began with two things;
1. My dad shared photography with me, getting me a simply starter camera as a very young child and offering some practical advice. (My favorite: “Move three steps closer.”) He took me into his darkroom, where I learned to make prints.
2. He left photography books around the house. I don’t know that he did that for me (and my siblings) specifically — I am certain that he actually owed the books. But I found them and spent hours looking at them and dreaming of the subjects/ locations and how to make photographs that looked like those.
In other words, I was interested in photographic images from the get-go.
Perhaps the difference is our idea of what “meaningful” means. It may well be that a beginner isn’t yet ready to be a serious art critique or even to articulate their response to the photographs. But seeing them, and becoming engaged with with them, and even pondering how to make such images is very much “meaningful,” I think.
p.2 #19 · What would most improve your phiotography?
gdanmitchell wrote:
Wow, I really disagree with you there. If an interest in photographs isn’t the primary thing, why are we here? ;-)
I'm interested in my photographs, not random photographs by important or famous people.
Of course I read books with examples to learn about photography back in the 20th century.
From a purely artistic perspective, If I'm looking at someone else's work I'd much rather look at a painting, drawing or sculpture.
My photographic journey began with two things;
1. My dad shared photography with me, getting me a simply starter camera as a very young child and offering some practical advice. (My favorite: “Move three steps closer.”) He took me into his darkroom, where I learned to make prints.
2. He left photography books around the house. I don’t know that he did that for me (and my siblings) specifically — I am certain that he actually owed the books. But I found them and spent hours looking at them and dreaming of the subjects/ locations and how to make photographs that looked like those.
In other words, I was interested in photographic images from the get-go.
Perhaps the difference is our idea of what “meaningful” means. It may well be that a beginner isn’t yet ready to be a serious art critique or even to articulate their response to the photographs. But seeing them, and becoming engaged with with them, and even pondering how to make such images is very much “meaningful,” I think....Show more →
My family is very artistic for hundreds of years, so I grew up with their paintings, drawings, sculptures around.
I cannot say I share your views at all, other than to point out that there are many viewpoints and routes.
