Photography Is Easy!

I've been at it since I got my first Brownie. I'll let you know if I ever figure it out, LOL!

Seriously, I think it's all about lighting. Without great lighting it's tough to do justice to any scene or subject. Edits in post can improve shots that are on the cusp but "garbage in, garbage out" is never more true than with cruddy shots. If I had a dime for every hour I've wasted trying to salvage bad shots, I'd be rich.

I wonder - aren´t secrets just that ... secret? LOL
Besides that i can tell that it was a long, rocky and expensive road to get where i am now (still far from perfect).

Initially, decent shots happened once and awhile. Now, if I do not get a keeper image when I go out, it is disappointing, but it still happens.

Secrets -
Read the camera instruction manual - know what your camera can and cannot do.
Practice and then practice more - know your camera, that way you are ready when that special lighting or scene happens and you are not fumbling around and miss the shot.

In the film days it used to take 5 - 6 years if you applied yourself and studied what accomplished photographers were doing.

Now with digital, probably a year or two, once again, if you apply yourself and study.

However, I know people who have been shooting for 20 or 30 years and never improve because their ego gets in the way

Good lighting and Good composition.

I think it's important to set your camera to Manual when you are beginning, to learn which combinations of speed, aperture, and ISO give the best results in different lighting and for different types of subjects. You may end up with a high percentage of rejects at first, but that's how you learn what works and what does not. In film days, we'd bracket shots to get at least one with the correct exposure. Same principle applies with digital. Try different combinations of settings to get what you aim for then look at the results. After a while, you'll be able to choose the correct combination right off the bat.

When I began with digital, I was afraid of blown highlights so purposely underexposed. Big mistake! Ended up with horrible noise. Now I expose correctly according to the histogram. And that brings up another point - don't rely on the LCD screen for correct exposure when you review a shot in your camera. It is not a true representation of exposure. Always check the histogram after you shoot so you'll have an opportunity to tweak the settings and try again.

No different than a painting. Plan out the finished product in your head before touching the camera.

Other than that it is a matter of knowing your tools. I'd say it took me 25 years or so to develop my eye. Probably three years of intense work to get digital photography capture and post-processing to the point of what I wanted.

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As a painter with a long history of producing a certain style of work. I'd think the most challenging aspect is trying to continue the same themes in a different medium.

Fine art photography often has little to do with craftsmanship if you seen any modern photography shows.

Kathleen, such a great response. I can totally picture you teaching workshops.

I'm sure serious photographers have heard this more times than they care to count but technological innovation has put powerful cameras in many hand. More people taking photos means a flood of cheap images available.

"More people taking photos means a flood of cheap images available."

Yeah, because that for sure has never happened with painters.

Have you seen what is hanging on the walls of most of the "local" galleries in the country?

Photographers hardly have an exclusive on "a flood of cheap images".

Can you say silkscreen?
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Even with the best camera in the world, you have to point it at something interesting.

I'll admit, if it weren't for digital cameras with good auto functions and editing software I wouldn't be able to produce a photograph that was worth two cents. Come to think of it though, I have yet to sell a photograph so maybe that is all they are worth anyway. lol

David, just supported one of your images (l/F éd) :o)

Remember that the camera is capturing a two dimensional representation of your three dimensional view. Up to the photographer to add back the illusion of 3D.

Can't remember the NatGeo photographer who said, "If you want to take better pictures, stand in front of more interesting stuff."

Fine Art Nature Photography

Yep, photography is easy, that's why I do it. Just snap the shudder, and BAM...another masterpiece. Although painting is easy also, anyone can fling around paint on a canvas. Actually, at the high-end, photography comes close to rocket science in complexity. The ultimate digital senor is in a satellite that can read the date on a dime from space.

Its all about the light.... but its not, its also about understanding the impact of light on your exposure and having an artistic vision. Visualizing what you want in the final product and using the right settings to make that happen. You also need to understand the relationship to your aperture and shutter speed and how that can effect what you are trying to do with a particular image. Mostly though its the mind of the photographer, I could give my 2000 dollar camera and 1500 dollar lens to my 9 year old son and I would take a 150 point and shoot and I am sure I would come back with better images.

Brian MacLean
... I could give my 2000 dollar camera and 1500 dollar lens to my 9 year old son and I would take a 150 point and shoot and I am sure I would come back with better images.

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Did you try? ;o) LOL No offence! Just kidding - couldn´t resist :o))

Still standing, not winning........am an expert.......on correcting mistakes..........but.....never say die,dye,bye

1. The secret is there are no secrets!
2. The other secret is to allow others to teach you what you don't know!

It's easy to shoot a picture, but, bear in mind that on nearly any given day there are more photographs taken than all of the oil paintings since the beginning of time and in one week there are more digital photos than during the first 100 years of chemical photos. Given numbers like that, in a competitive environment, you need something that makes them jump off the screen. If I ever figure out what that is, I will let you know.

Dang are those statistics real Doug? That is incredible if they are!

Photography is easy - buy a camera and point it at something - push the button. you are now a photographer.

IF however you want to take "fine art photographs" you have to know your camera and what it will and will not do - it cannot make a silk purse out of a sows ear.

Photography is all about light. the photograph is about composition and using that light.

And as someone said - you have to have 'something' to take a photograph of.

A good camera and good glass - will work wonders.

Today's DSLR's will almost do everything but print your photograph on paper. and you don't need to be bullied by those who only take "RAW" files - they like to post process more than they really like to take photographs. In my very humble opinion, if they knew their camera and set it up, and had a good subject and composition - they wouldn't need to post process a RAW image. Often as not they cannot compete with the automatic working of the camera and don't come out with any better photograph. I've taken photographs in RAW and in jpeg - I can seldom tell the difference between the two before processing.

Post processing should be hardly ever more than perhaps cropping for composition and maybe tweeking the level or contrast. After that you should have very little to do with any photograph - to make it good.

Over that hump - you can 'sometimes' get a better photograph IF you are good at manual settings and get them right - but if you are off - your photograph will be off and perhaps you should shoot in RAW and be able to fix it with you photo editing program. And if you cannot set up your shot - nature waits for no person and while you are getting into position, your camera set up and into position - the object of your work has moved or left. You have more time with objects that don't move - but if you are slow - the light will change.

So - someone explain to me what is a good photograph, a fine art photograph, and what makes a particular image a fine art photograph?

To me,

As with all the visual arts it's the EYE and only the EYE......an Unfettered EYE

An unfettered EYE, that creates images, causing others to react

I've been taking photographs for 32 years, but seriously for the last 7, and I am continually learning to get better. Lighting is key, having a great composition, a good subject, a great foreground element, knowing your camera settings to get the right exposure, and editing to bring out mood and emotion help make a powerful photo. Keep shooting and learning. The more you know about your camera and how to edit the more creative you can get. And always shoot RAW so you have more data to work with in editing and you can change the white balance.

If there are 1 or 2 "secrets" they are "learn the principles of photography", and work hard to apply them.

The rest is all detail that enhances your work but isn't essential to shooting good photos.

Trying not to have this thread derail, just wanted to say there has been some great advice given! Thanks to everyone who has contributed snippets of their knowledge to the thread, keep them coming!

Thank you to Ron for opening this thread! I have learned a lot! I'm in the market for a good camera in the $1K range and I can't wait to photograph some old master paintings, sculptures and old world architecture.

I am learning as well, this summer we are headed to Alaska, I suck as far as photography goes and would like to improve. There has been some very useful pointers given!

also be mindful of what is in your reflections and backgrounds... unless your shooting some stranger that asked to be photographed because you look like a pro. then its ok to line them up with antlers.

i shot a really nice livingroom on a tour, it was hdr, it came out, it was potentially doable, but the cast of extras were reflected in a large mirror or two, and it wasn't worth fixing.

on that topic, don't assume your going to fix it in post. shoot without the distractions, take the time to find a good spot, wait for the guy in the stroller to pass (yes in the stroller not pushing it)... and get your shot. if you must clone something, make sure you give yourself enough material in the scene where you can easily clone it. often i'm cloning things in my mind as i shoot seeing where i can get the background from. if you have to have a sign there, don't line it up with a corner of a building or a window edge unless you want a terrible time fixing it.

shoot panorama's just be mindful of your overlap and don't twist the camera or change the nodal point too often. or they won't align or they will turn into a smiley face if they aren't straight. and on that topic sweep the camera the whole way, and make sure everything is frame. you often have to trim off a lot, so pull back when you shoot these.


camera wise you can get a good camera for around $500 that has a 1" cmos, as long as you don't mind a short zoom, i think that's the price, its a pocket camera.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

always have a camera with you, good enough to replace your current one, should the main camera break. the one i just got is good, it won't replace the slr, but it could be used in a pinch if i need it. and of course, carry lots of media.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Ron, I used "good" Nikon point-and-shoots when I first began with digital but it was early days in digital, and each RAW shot took nearly a minute to write to the card. Try getting wildlife shots with that!

When I was finally able to buy my first Canon DSLR and lenses, I thought I was all set to go out and get amazing shots, so I took my new (mainly untested) gear and headed out on a 8 week road trip to Glacier, Canadian Rockies, west through the mountains of B.C to Vancouver Island/Tofino, then down the coast all the way home.

Took many thousands of shots in some of the most spectacular settings in western North America and was thrilled to death. So imagine my surprise when nearly every shot was garbage. It was not my technique, nor was it poor lighting or uninteresting subjects. It was the cheap Canon DSLR with its noisy sensor, and the cheap Canon lenses.

I thought that since Canon is a brand name, all their gear had to be good, right? Wrong!!! I had a whole bag full of lenses covering every possible situation, but they were very poor quality. For the same money, I could have bought 2 high-end lenses and a body with a way better sensor.

Since you are going to Alaska on a shoot, I highly recommend that you buy the best body and glass you can possibly afford even if it means breaking the piggy bank. You won't get the same opportunities twice. And before you go, practice, practice, practice!!!

@Tony
Personal insults shows a lack of professional acuity.

I'm only personally insulting someone with what I have said if they decide that they resemble my remarks (that's their choice). Otherwise, I have tried to make my comments as general as possible. Where did I personally insult..? By re-posting a comment.

@Abbie You are very rude. Just so you know (in my personal opinion)

Yes, I can be on occasion (so can anybody)...especially when I'm feeling snarky.

I'm sorry you're taking my comments to heart (you're short responses tell me that much), but if you will notice, my initial comment was not directed at anyone in particular...just to the conversation at hand. Which you simply thought was harsh...but offered no real rebuttal...so.
You're really the only one (that I'm aware of) that has had a problem with the WAY that I said it...and not even with WHAT I said...just the implied tone I guess. You decide what to take from what I have said, and what to leave (none, some, or all)

With that, I will bail from this conversation, so it doesn't run off the rails Ron.

"I thought that since Canon is a brand name, all their gear had to be good, right? Wrong!!! I had a whole bag full of lenses covering every possible situation, but they were very poor quality. '

Yup, branding is way overemphasized here, IMHO. There is really very little in the way of actual branding going on here in the same sense of the term when it applies to Nike or Coke or Ford. What is going on here is more like building a following of loyal buyers and some level of name recognition.

Branding suggests that you have or are going to achieve some kind of top of the mind awareness in the overall marketplace. That is very, very unlikely to happen for the average and even significantly above average seller on FAA.

The other thing that is overemphasized is the idea of having to qualify every FB friend and Twitter follower, often referred to or stated as target marketing. Target marketing is extremely important when you are paying for advertising to reach your market. Especially if you are doing direct mail, traditional or email, and have to pay for each email or mailing piece.

But on SM there is no cost unless you are paying for ads and then you are limited as to what you can choose for your target market.

If you build a list of 2000 or even 5000 qualified buyers, it is my opinion that if you really want to make significant sales and significant money, that is simply too small of a market.

As I have said many times in the past, if I had to choose between 5000 of my hand-picked followers and 2 million people that chose to follow/friend me, I will take the 2 million. I have no doubt that in that 2 million there are going to be a lot more than 5000 qualified art buyers.

But the good news is, you do not have to make that choice. You can and should do both.

Tim W, thanks for your input!

there are different levels of quality. entry level canon brand kit lenses will be cheap in price and clarity. as you move up to L and DO lenses you get your money's worth in quality, but they are also much heavier.

same with the censor, cheaper camera, more noise usually. i have very little noise on mine, but it was also pretty expensive. i prefer tamron lenses though, they are pretty high quality if you don't mind the slower speeds the larger zooms have.

when buying a camera you have to check the reviews - how well does it focus? what does the noise look like overall? and so on.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

I use good Canon gear now too, I just wish I'd known how cruddy their cheaper stuff is.

its really not ideal. many people wouldn't know the difference, and if you shoot outdoors you wouldn't see it either. the current full frame stuff has noise, but its not rainbow so its pretty easy to remove later on.

if they had my lens i wanted, i would have gotten a pentax k1, or whatever the new one is - that's worth the money.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Through trial and error and many errors.

There is an art to it and technical mastery, awareness of the world, and a learning curve with lots of trial and error to get the hands on learning, endless practice shooting has a role to play at first...

another important thing:

know how to use your camera BEFORE you go on vacation. don't try to learn how to use it in the hotel room, in your car, on the plane - it doesn't work that way. know the settings, know how to use it.

same with your bag, walk around your block, can you find everything? go on a day trip and try out your gear, you might need to adjust stuff. if your shoulder hurts after an hour of use - then your bag isn't ready yet, because it will hurt a lot more wearing it all day on a trip.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

I use a backpack to haul gear. Distributes the weight evenly. Backpack is old and beat up, and I sure don't look wealthy (look more like a homeless person), so less chance of getting mugged. I keep 2.5 gallon Hefty sliders in the pack so if it rains when I'm hiking, the bodies and lenses go in the bags.

I had a spendy Lowepro camera backpack that had compartments for everything but the pack itself was too heavy and it was a pain having to stuff lenses in each compartment. Sold it on Craigslist for more than I paid for it, and it went to a good home.

The pack I use now has no padding, so no extra weight. It has a large pouch inside that accommodates a body with a long lens, and zippered pouches on the outside hold other lenses. Easy to get to stuff and it doesn't advertise that I'm carrying 8k worth of gear.

i use a sling bag, for easy access. but all the weight is on one shoulder. and if there is anything at all rough on the strap, you'll know it as your head is slowly sawed off. i used to have photo based bags. but since learning how to make my own padding or boxes for the camera i can do it myself. it looks pretty much like a normal bag, the rain cover came from my very expensive heavy duty backpack kata bag, which now just holds stuff.

i need some padding, mostly on the back. knowing where everything is in the bag is tough, and every year i go through it making sure i only have the stuff i need and not a bit more. that weight adds up... though ironically i did remove like 4 ounces of weight and have a lighter camera now, but then got a large battery for my phone as a back up. we walked like 10-13 miles in boston, and my phone was at like 13% i never saw it that low before. i charge it way before then. so now if i'm away from the car or hotel, and i'm eating lunch, i'm also going to charge my phone.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

The bottom of my backpack has a bit of padding so when I set it down, there's a bit of protection but it really isn't needed since none of the bodies or lenses are loose in the pack or lying on the bottom.

What does add extra weight is the extra batteries and the hard case that holds CF cards, plus a bottle of lens cleaner. Every tiny ounce adds up. And I'm a stickler for carrying enough water for the day, so lots of extra weight from that. But I also try to remember to carry water in me, not on me. Schlepping 3 bottles of water around doesn't do much good if I don't actually drink it!

the water is always important, stay hydrated, but not too hydrated unless you know where the next bathroom or bush is. always have a spot for water, and pamphlets, i always take them, scan them for later. i also only carry one bottle and fill it whenever there is a fountain, replacing it fully if the water is clean and cold.

and if ANYONE says, you can't bring that bag into here, i will hold - punch them right in the face... in your mind. i tell them with a dead look,. the bag stays with me. if i have to i will just wait for everyone outside. so far i win. or it tell them i have medical supplies in here. otherwise i have to wear the bag on my front, so i can go through. - i do tend to knock people over with the bag.

i have a hard case for the cards, still deciding if the weight is worth it.

also each day you go out - like on a trip, always take a good look at the lens, and do a cmos cleaning in the camera, just to shake the bits off. i often check the back of the lens as well, as its easy to overlook that, and it can be pretty filmy. i do the eye piece, but almost never the screen because it will be marked up in seconds.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

I have to bring my own water. No potable water anywhere. And where I go, there are no bathrooms and usually no people, so bushes aren't mandatory. But I've learned where not to squat, especially on the coast, otherwise I'll be picking off embedded wood ticks the rest of the day. They are especially thick on native Ceanothus and huckleberry, and in the tall grass of coastal prairies. But I digress...

Having just cleaned out and burned stacks upon stacks of old prints and negatives from my beginnings as a photographer, I was quite amazed to see so many horribly blurry, uninteresting images. I'm talking hundreds or even thousands, of terrible pictures...they're nothing but ashes now.

So as with any other skill, you need to practice. You may have a natural talent/inclination/passion which helps to keep you going, but honing that skill is necessary.

The secret of landscape photography - get up earlier and stay out later than everyone else. And of course stand in front of something interesting.

Ron this is a great discussion. So many great tips!

I do have one thing to add... When you are going to a place thinking you are going to photograph stuff, check the website, call whatever to find out if photography is permitted. Twice this has happened to me. Really stinks when it is a long drive.

Photographs are light. You want to take great photographs...you have to be able to put great light before your lens....either by making it or being there when it happens.

That is the most important thing I have learned about photography. NOTHING is great without great light.

Of course, great light can mean different things depending on what you are trying to achieve. Might be an amazing colorful sunset or it might be soft diffused light on an overcast day, strong side light on a dramatic portrait or strong back-light on a silhouette.

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And keep in mind, it's is always cheaper in the long run to simply buy the postcards.

Crop in your viewfinder and fill the frame.

Create an image that does not replicate what a casual shooter can easily create.
Buyers purchase images they usually cannot create themselves.

Photograph at unorthodox time of day and light conditions no one else would usually attempt.

Know your camera and lenses so you can create predictable results.

..........................then,.........................just shoot.

"That is the most important thing I have learned about photography. NOTHING is great without great light." - That's half of the equation...the other half is pointing at the great light.

"Crop in your viewfinder and fill the frame. " - That's similar to my other maxim, which is to NOT throw away pixels if you can possibly avoid it. Get it right in the camera first.