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Thread: Getting better at photography...
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08-11-2010, 12:19 PM #1who guards the guardians?
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Getting better at photography...
All these threads asking for critique, advice, blah blah...
The real deal is when you can be equipped with a pinhole camera made of paper and come back with good stuff (no happy snaps or lucky accidents) you will be good. You must practice, you must put in the work just like any other endeavor, but it seems most of you don't know how.
This is bootcamp for your visual arts acuity.
1. Shoot 36 every day. 36 images with a distinct purpose. Be mindful. Think. No just random shots to fill the counter. Pick one or two subjects max. Look from multiple angles, different light, different settings. Review them with a critical eye. No more than 36 either - 500 clicks of the shutter and you will get something, but you are probably not thinking about each one enough, nor will you be able to analyze them all. Learn from it, get to know your exif data or the qualities of the film you chose.
2. Additionally, shoot 10 with the shittiest camera you own. Cell phone cam, that old point and shoot sitting in your personal electronics graveyard. Yes. Resurrect that 2.1 megapixel one. Take 10 interesting photos that you would want to view more than once on it. No post processing, no lightroom/ photoshop etc. This is about composition and getting it right, the first time, in camera.
3. Spend 1/2 hour a day learning something about your hobby/aspiring profession. The internet is great for this. Study a different technique, study composition, art theory - just 1/2 hour, just skim topics and get a basic understanding that you can later put into practice under 1 and 2.
6 weeks. You will be better at it and it will weed out those that don't have a passion for it.I'm just a simple girl trying to make my way in the universe...
I come up hard, baby but now I'm cool I didn't make it, sugar playin' by the rules
If you know your history, then you would know where you coming from, then you wouldn't have to ask me, who the heck do I think I am.
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08-11-2010, 12:29 PM #2
Dammit! I've only been shooting thirtyFOUR shots a day.
No wonder I suck!Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp
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08-11-2010, 12:31 PM #3who guards the guardians?
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I'm just a simple girl trying to make my way in the universe...
I come up hard, baby but now I'm cool I didn't make it, sugar playin' by the rules
If you know your history, then you would know where you coming from, then you wouldn't have to ask me, who the heck do I think I am.
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08-11-2010, 12:46 PM #4
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08-11-2010, 01:43 PM #5
T - thx for putting this up. That's a great way to practise. I've been trying to challenge myself by taking shots with a 50mm 1.8 only = time to downgrade to the old Canon S60
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08-11-2010, 02:18 PM #6
Focus lee!
We're talking about my junk here!Besides the comet that killed the dinosaurs nothing has destroyed a species faster than entitled white people.-ajp
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08-11-2010, 02:34 PM #7
I am so not focusing on your junk
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08-11-2010, 03:35 PM #8click click boom
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I think there's an App for this Bklyn.
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08-11-2010, 04:18 PM #9
Reminds me of this:
I found that hilarious, and so true. I must take more pictures.
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08-11-2010, 06:37 PM #10
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08-11-2010, 09:34 PM #11
I disagree with this whole thing. You shouldnt have to take a certain amount of photos everyday. Take them whenever you want. I did the whole 365 thing for like 2 weeks and ended up with a bunch of boring, uninspired photos.
BKLYN, have you ever posted anything up on here? I'd like to see your stuff.
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08-11-2010, 09:38 PM #12
i keep reading the thread title as "getting better at pornography" and keep opening the thread.
may as well "contribute", then. behold this statistical masterpiece: "don't be ugly by accident" which says that the most attractive photos of people are taken with a panasonic micro-4/3 camera.Last edited by f2f; 08-11-2010 at 10:00 PM. Reason: putting the bunny ears on "contribute".
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08-11-2010, 09:42 PM #13Hugh Conway Guest
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08-11-2010, 10:06 PM #14Registered User
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...are incredibly valuable. In my opinion, critique is one of the most important parts of the photographic process, and the internet facilitates that. No one is ever so good of a photographer that they can forego a good harsh critique. Doesn't matter if it's joe's critiquing pro's, it takes balls to put your work out there for people to judge, and often times it can be incredibly discouraging. BUT you always learn something new and come away with a new perspective. Being able to take a critique well and apply it to your future endeavors, that is the quickest way to becoming a better photographer.
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08-11-2010, 10:33 PM #15who guards the guardians?
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I'm just a simple girl trying to make my way in the universe...
I come up hard, baby but now I'm cool I didn't make it, sugar playin' by the rules
If you know your history, then you would know where you coming from, then you wouldn't have to ask me, who the heck do I think I am.
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08-11-2010, 11:05 PM #16
My guess is you've never gotten really good at a particular skill. From photography to golf to biking to playing music to skiing to drinking, if you don't practice you don't get any better. B was just pointing out a particularly productive way to practice. And, to gain a better eye on what shots you like better or worse.
What's a bunch of boring uninspired photos say about the shooter?Something about the wrinkle in your forehead tells me there's a fit about to get thrown
And I never hear a single word you say when you tell me not to have my fun
It's the same old shit that I ain't gonna take off anyone.
and I never had a shortage of people tryin' to warn me about the dangers I pose to myself.
Patterson Hood of the DBT's
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08-12-2010, 04:56 AM #17click click boom
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08-12-2010, 05:08 AM #18
thanks mang. i actually really like your tips, especially the one about using the old camera. It's funny because I find myself shooting with my gen 1 iphone camera alot just to practice making it look good via composition only. Good to hear it coming from someone else.
That said, I do think the tone of judge and jury was a bit harsh... but whatever. it's the internet and you can be, do and say who/whatever you want"Whenever I get a massage, I ALWAYS request a dude." -lionelhutz
"You can't shave off stupid." -lionelhutz
"I was hoping for ice." -lionelhutz
"It's simple science." -lionelhutz
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08-12-2010, 06:43 AM #19
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08-12-2010, 07:57 AM #20Registered User
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I think singles point was that going out and shooting 36/frames a day just for the sake of it is not always beneficial. The 365 project is an example of that - he was shooting just to be shooting, and the results were meh. Yeah, practice makes perfect, duh, but you can't be creative everyday.
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08-12-2010, 08:23 AM #21click click boom
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08-12-2010, 08:50 AM #22
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08-12-2010, 08:59 AM #23
dude not all of us are pro photogs or artists. most of us don't even want to be. the vast majority are just trying to get a little something more out of the pictures we do decide to take.
also, a lot of photogs don't even go through the 36/day or 1/day for a month or whatever the "make yourself be creative trend" du jour is until they've been pro photogs for a while and find themselves needing a "boot camp" to get their creativity back. The reason most people shoot is because we have moments when something catches our eye or we want to share something we think is interesting, and decide to learn a bit of technique to try and capture what we see. I would argue that for a budding photog it's more important to shoot 20 frames of the same thing (something you actually want to take a picture of) one or two times a week and really think about your settings, composition, etc and see if you can get one or two of them to come out right. Also photography might not lose its enjoyment if you don't act like you have to be the best at it or you're a failure
but WTF do I know, I haven't taken a good picture on purpose in a decadeThe killer awoke before dawn.
He put his boots on.
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08-12-2010, 09:13 AM #24click click boom
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This has nothing to do with being a "pro", whatever that is. This has to do with making an effort to learn vs. snapping away and thinking your images are rad when they fail on almost every level, then getting butthurt when someone tells you they fail after you post them online. For every "pro" there's a 1000 photographers producing imagery as good, if not better, that no one will ever know or see. The point that Bklyn is making is that unless you go forth with a focused and concerted effort to learn the craft you will not get better. You may get lucky, but you might as well save you $ and buy an Elph then. Your odds are just as good. If you invested in a dSLR I think it's safe to say that on some level you fancy yourself a photographer. Blkyn is simply trying to point out a mindset that is required to actually be that photographer. There is no formula to sucksessful image making, but one thing that all great images share is that there were a shit ton of really crappy ones that came before it.
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08-12-2010, 09:23 AM #25
yeah but I think that you are projecting an inaccurate set of values upon someone by saying that they are an epic failure if they don't force themself to "practice being creative" (?!) every day
I know a lot of people who bought a dslr because they thought it would automatically take incredible pictures of their child, not because they want to learn something. Isn't that why the "interchangeable lens p&s" like the d5000 are so popularThe killer awoke before dawn.
He put his boots on.
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