Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Things I Learned About Photography List

So, as you can see so far, I’m not as creative in writing as I am behind the lens, so I’d like to borrow some words of inspiration that I found on another blog written by a former groom whose wedding I photographed, turned photographer. I have added a lot of my own to the list. This list is a list of things that really touch me personally. It has been selectively edited to include the things I believe. Please feel free to use it as a guide list for yourself. So here goes, the (my) list of things I learned and feel about photography:

-Get the basics, then go crazy!
- LOVE what you are shooting.
-Get inspiration from everything you see!
- Share what you know, there’s no such thing as competition in photography, nobody else sees the way you see
-Don’t scout locations the day before, get inspired when you are ready to shoot
-there is no such thing as a bad location to shoot
-people hate to be bossed around, but love to be guided
- Prepare well for your shooting, realizing that your battery isn’t charged when you’re setting up for that shoot is too late!
-Always have backup equipment, because once the moment is gone, it is lost if your equipment fails.
- Pay attention to your thoughts and emotions while you are shooting
- Watch the people and places you want to shoot first with your heart then with the camera
- Always stay calm and have fun
- Keep your equipment clean and working well
- Never compare yourself to others in a better or worse context, photography is SUBJECTIVE!
- Find your own style of photography, and grow with it
- Try to compose more and to hit the shutter less
- Get inspiration from the work of other photographers
- Criticize honestly but respectfully
- Get feedback from your lady
- Don’t copy other photographer’s style
- Be bold
- Take selfportraits
- Read books about photography
- Every shooting situation is different than you expect
- Pay attention to s-curves and lines
-Get closer
- Be prepared to brave the elements
- The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it (Ansel Adams)
- Look up
- Look down
- Look behind you
- Walk around before setting up
- Wear comfortable shoes
- Pay attention to what your eyes see and what your heart feels, then shoot
- Don't be afraid to get dirty
- Don't go cheap on a lenses
- Always keep your gear clean
- Composition is everything
- If you're going to break the rules, break them with intention
- Much of what you might do in Photoshop isn't much different than what you might do in a darkroom
-NEVER rely on photoshop to fix mistakes!, just to improve!
- Bad weather makes good photos
- Constructive criticism can be hard to take, but is more useful than all the "ooh's" and "aah's" and "wow's!"
- Find a way to shoot popular subjects differently than others already have
- Practice on seemingly ordinary things
- Respect your subjects to get the most out of them
- Read the manuals that come with your gear...with your gear in hand.
- Creativity is a habit
- Pay attention to the interactions between lines, patterns, textures, and colours
- Carry extra batteries and memory cards
- Check all of your settings before you start shooting
- Turn the camera around on yourself once in a while
- Find beauty in ordinary things
- There's a part of you in every one of your photographs
- Keep and archive your unaltered negatives (digital and otherwise)
- Know your camera
- Try to be unobtrusive
- Autofocus can be your friend and your enemy
- Love f/2.8 lenses!
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Master the fundamentals
- Mind your backgrounds
- Photoshop will not save a fundamentally bad shot
- Get it right in the camera
- Don't be afraid to crop
- You don't always have to look in the viewfinder - try shooting off the hip or laying on your back
- Tell a story
- You are always improving
-respect that some things shouldn't be shot
- Don't always try to get the whole thing. Shoot parts that suggest the whole
- You are not always the best judge of your work
- Nikon vs. Canon (vs. Pentax vs. Sony vs. etc.) is irrelevant
- Your camera is just a tool
- Pay attention to how things are lit even when you don't have your camera
-'Creatively correct' is more important than 'technically correct', but strive for both!
- Shoot children at their eye level
- People will look at you funny while you're shooting - let them
- Use the zoom function on your LCD screen
- Focus on the eyes
- If all you've ever shoot is digital, learn by shooting film
- Use your lens hood all the time- even indoors
- Read photography blogs
-look at all your entire frame all the time
-compose in camera, not in photoshop or by cropping after
- Indulge your curiosity
- Never do photography to become a rock-star
-absolutely love what you are doing
- Write and read an inspirational list

P.S. Thanks Mike

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