Advice for all future and aspiring photographers

[Dark-Hawk]

A handy piece of advice for those of you out there looking to get into photography which might save you thousands.

I know people see some of my shots (or even other photographers shots) at times and say "Wow man I need to get a good camera so I can take some good shots too!" but people never understand, even if you have great gear it doesn't mean your photos are going to come out well. A great camera cannot take care of composition and proper thought of lighting (even if it can help somewhat fix poor lighting).

So suffice it to say, with little to no photography experience they go out, drop several thousand on a 40D, 5D, 1D, etc (Can you tell I shoot Canon? ) and yet their picture quality is no better than what could be found from a point and shoot - and it's all due to a lack of knowledge in composing the shots.

Take the time to start off simple, spend a couple hundred or so on a nice and simple point and shoot, it's what MANY of us currently using SLR's began with. I know I personally started shooting with a 4 megapixel Sony camera. Even I can remember times thinking "If only I had a nicer camera..." But I'm glad I waited and held out on getting my SLR, because even though the quality of those pictures was horrible, it still taught me a ton about proper composition, metering, ISO levels, etc.

So what does this thread sum up? Begin with a nice cheap camera first, get the SLR later. Over time you will outgrow that point and shoot and be ready for the nicer one. Think of it when you began driving, you didn't go out and buy an F430, you most likely got a piece of shit to learn on.

[AudibleSilence]

You mean...having high dollar equipment and basic knowledge doesn't automatically mean that EVERY picture taken will be awesome? You mean that taking C&C from better/more experienced photogs is a requisit to becoming better myself?

LIES!!!

[Dark-Hawk]

Originally Posted by AudibleSilence

You mean...having high dollar equipment and basic knowledge doesn't automatically mean that EVERY picture taken will be awesome? You mean that taking C&C from better/ more experienced photogs is a requisit to becoming better myself?

LIES!!!

That is another thing I probably should've doted upon.

I know C&C has been one of the most helpful things in my photography, and yet still I have TONS to learn. I shoot links over to Patrick and others at times to simply tear my photos apart, tell me what sucks with them, what is good and what needs improvement.

If a person cannot take criticism, then photography is NOT the industry or hobby they should be in.

[AudibleSilence]

You mean photography is a skill as much as an art, and like any skill it must be practiced/cultivated so that I can become better at it? Come on Devon stop lying to me! I read a lot online, I have equipment that is full of win..I should be excellent. No I am excellent. You're all just jealous!

No wait..it's me. I don't know everything, I have to realize that. I know the basics, I have great gear, but I need more time "In" the business before I can actually stand behind my work with the honest pride of a seasoned pro.

[Dark-Hawk]

It is indeed a skill and an art and sometimes one proceeds the other. One can have the "vision" to be a good photographer, but yet lack the skill to actually be one.

Top of the line gear wont help compensate for that lack of knowledge when it comes down to taking the pictures though.

Photography is all about properly composing the picture, rather than spraying and praying and maybe SOMETIMES ending up with a good/mediocre/great picture. It all comes down to the photographer, and their luck.

As Macky has said, catch a moment that seems real, rather than forced, fake and posed. I know I personally am more into the landscape aspect of photography and prefer showing natural beauty, so my goal is to simply bring out what the eye sees and show the beauty of that given situation.

[lawdogg]

It's like saving yourself much heartache and possibly your life by riding a 500 before you go get that liter bike.

[bstewart87]

I went from a K1000 to a K10d. I love the old lenses. I actually have more fun shooting with the old Pentax K1000 than I got for free more than the new digital K10d that I paid for.

[Macky]

Originally Posted by Dark-Hawk

A handy piece of advice for those of you out there looking to get into photography which might save you thousands.

I know people see some of my shots (or even other photographers shots) at times and say "Wow man I need to get a good camera so I can take some good shots too!" but people never understand, even if you have great gear it doesn't mean your photos are going to come out well. A great camera cannot take care of composition and proper thought of lighting (even if it can help somewhat fix poor lighting).

So suffice it to say, with little to no photography experience they go out, drop several thousand on a 40D, 5D, 1D, etc (Can you tell I shoot Canon? ) and yet their picture quality is no better than what could be found from a point and shoot - and it's all due to a lack of knowledge in composing the shots.

Take the time to start off simple, spend a couple hundred or so on a nice and simple point and shoot, it's what MANY of us currently using SLR's began with. I know I personally started shooting with a 4 megapixel Sony camera. Even I can remember times thinking "If only I had a nicer camera..." But I'm glad I waited and held out on getting my SLR, because even though the quality of those pictures was horrible, it still taught me a ton about proper composition, metering, ISO levels, etc.

So what does this thread sum up? Begin with a nice cheap camera first, get the SLR later. Over time you will outgrow that point and shoot and be ready for the nicer one. Think of it when you began driving, you didn't go out and buy an F430, you most likely got a piece of shit to learn on.

I could not agree more.

I myself started with a 2MP Olympus C700 in 2002. I didnt outgrow that until late 2004. thats when I jumped into a Canon S1IS (3MP) and pretty much ran that thing to the ground before getting a DSLR. all the while, I had 2 film SLRs (Olympus IS and Canon Elan 7e) where I honed down my skills and composition. after all, in film, either you get it right or you dont get it at all. a lot of people take digital for granted, and spend thousands on gear without the necessary skills and knowledge, thinking they can take awesome pictures.

they cant. they wont. and anyone who thinks otherwise is just lying to themselves.

after getting your ducks in a row (by honing your basic skills), the next thing one must do is find a niche. what subject interests YOU most, not what makes the most profit. after all, money isnt a good teacher - the LACK thereof is. I concentrated on cars, and I am confident enough to say I have racked up enough shutter counts on both film and digital to be firmly aware on how exposure works by nailing the 18% rule, what to do in changing lighting situations, how to shoot difficult subjects (white is by far the most difficult as many people DO NOT know white is seen as GRAY by an optical sensor) enough that I can hold my own.

the next would be gear. if your current gear is a barrier keeping you from progessing (unlikely with the way most new cameras are), you get the next best model - but not to say you have the next best one, but because you need it.

but i often see a lot of pictures where the limitation was not the gear, nor the situation, but the user. its like using a knife to cut bread. no matter how sharp the knife, if you cut the bread wrong, the bread will be cut wrong. same as with pictures - your 100-zone, multimeter, DiGiC V supershooter wont save a flawed photograph.

you cant fake a good photograph. a camera thats designed to counter blown highlights cant fix an improperly exposed white object taken with too slow a shutter speed. the sharpest lens in the world cant remove a floating arm or torso taken in with a once-in-a-lifetime shot. capturing light in itself is a diffult process, whether in the studio or in the field. the principles are the same. without the necessary skill and experience to adapt, there is no way one can properly capture the light they want, when they want.

ultimately, it comes down to a combination of skill(A), criticism(B), experience(C), gear(D) and luck(E). you ned the skill to fluidly operate your gear, know when to adapt and change its settings accordingly. you need criticism to point out what you may have missed, wht you can improve upon, and what you can avoid the next time. experience is the culmination of how many times your skill is criticized to get the desired results. without criticism, you dont grow. then there is the gear. only when you have hit that point where your gear is no longer allowing you to explore new things, do you buy the latest and greatest. and lastly is luck. luck (E) is essentially what makes a timeless photograph. its when your skill (A), after getting honed by criticism (B), finally (C) gets the right exposure to properly (D) capture a photograph.

[Alan92RTTT]

I know that my abilities have not surpassed what my IS S2 can do.

I'd probably still be using my old c2100 had it not started having issues.

Someday I'll reach the limits of the highend Point and Shoots then and only then will I seriously look into SLR's.

[bstewart87]

On a local forum that I am on we have a "picture of the day" thread where people can post up pictures that we have taken to share with each other. I think that will be a pretty good idea to do here also.