Can you make a photographer out of me ????

[Tampon]

Not sure the format I should write this in or if others will read it but I thought I would set up some sort of log to see my progress and maybe garner some feedback or advise.

I decided after a recent trip to Africa with a pro photographer to give it a bash. So I figured I will try and learn some different aspects one at a time and hopefully become a rounded snapper ! The actual things I am shooting might not be the prettiest but to start with it will be about the techniques.

SO I think I will just start of with some I took this weekend.

These first three were taken with trying to make a HDR shot, to find out what it was about, programme says they are too close to each other in exposure and it makes just a black image.












Finally figured it out how to link flickr but seems a massive faff, I click on share, the bb code then details pretty much 2/3 of it.

Edited by Tampon on Thursday 10th May 14:09

[anonymous-user]

The others in here will be far better for advice than me as I'm a relative amateur, but all I can say is good on you for getting stuck in and learning.

I bought my first DSLR about 5 years ago and spent the first 3 snapping away like it was a compact camera on 'Auto' and wondered why my pictures were never very good.

I've spent the last 2 years learning, reading, and trying to get better and over the last year it's really paid off to the point that I'm really beginning to feel my photos are good enough to put on the wall. I've even been asked to shoot events for people recently and they've been really pleased with my work, which is really satisfying.

I wouldn't have improved if I hadn't just got on a forum and started asking, plus watching a few tutorials and doing a bit of reading.

If a numpty like me can improve greatly in a year or so then I'm sure you will be fine!

Hope to see more of your photos

[Gemm]

Ok, what I see here is that I don't see any creative effort in these images, i.e. in the subject choices, exposure, composition, etc. Don't worry, this is something that will come eventually. You'll have to start thinking well before pressing that shutter button. You'll exactly know that it's going to be a good shot when you press the shutter, rather than hoping for the best. I think this is where snapshots become photography. Hope this helps.

[Tampon]

Cheers guys. Remember I am looking at techniques, focus, sharpness, exposure etc. Nothing but the last one with the girl has been touched (badly !), I am trying to make them work in the camera first.

Gemm, what would you recommend ? I tried working with the thirds rule (except for the flowers) and "thought" there was a leading line in the one with the girl, the first three were boring house shots with a eye to try and use the bracketing function and work on exposure at night, with a eye to seeing what HDR was about later.

The fire one took about 45 minutes to get, 10 minutes trying to figure out the settings, then 10 minutes of running around shooting everything, everywhere, then I wanted to catch some of the sparks when I threw some wood on, cue me throwing large rocks at the base then trying to snap the ensueing sparks for 20 minutes, getting the fire on one side of the picture and the sparks to the other with the wind changing meant repeated shots and tonnes of duffs.

The flower ones are sickly sweet but I want to see how macro worked and trying to blur the pic (bokeh I think I have seen it called ? )

Hope that doesn't come across defensive, it isn't meant to, I would really appreciate some advise as I will try again in the same area to see if I can get something different.

Thanks again for taking the time
Ben

[Simpo Two]

I like the last one best.

Composition is ideally instinctive and ye famous rule of thirds is an old chestnut that's not wrong, but can often be beaten IMHO.

I like your thought processes; it's all there but just a bit jumbled up. If you PM your e-mail address I'll send you a copy of my 'idiots guide' - actually not for idiots but for those with the determination to learn.

[andy-xr]

I don't have any kids, so I don't have many photos of them

What I do have is nephews though, and it always helps to get somewhere down to their level when taking photos of them. Too far becomes unnatural (because they're smaller, right) but too high makes it wonky on an average sensor

[GetCarter]

IMHO forget HDR, concentrate on composition.

I like the last one best, too.

Oh...and grab Simpo's Idiots guide.

[itsnotarace]

Photography is all about the manipulation of light. You can become technically proficient with your equipment and post-processing software tools but that will not help if you don't have the eye for what makes a good photograph. The latter is not something that can be easily taught.

By the way, this may assist you on your journey (tongue firmly in cheek)

[Tampon]

andy-xr said:

I don't have any kids, so I don't have many photos of them

What I do have is nephews though, and it always helps to get somewhere down to their level when taking photos of them. Too far becomes unnatural (because they're smaller, right) but too high makes it wonky on an average sensor

Same here they are my Niece and nephew, and that was me kneeling down ( I am 6ft 6in though ! )

Going to devour the guide when he send sit over tonight.

[ChipsAndCheese]

I think I am in a similar position to the OP. Simpo, would you mind if I PM'd you and got a copy of your guide?

[zcacogp]

Same here - I'd quite like a look at that guide if you were happy to share, SimpoTwo.


Oli.

[LordHaveMurci]

Another one here would much appreciate an Idiots Guide

[Shaw Tarse]

I'd also be interested in Mr Two's guide, is it worth posting it up here?
I'm guessing that it's possible to learn to take good photos, but some people just have "an eye" for them?

[GetCarter]

Name up in lights Simpo

[itsnotarace]

Shaw Tarse said:

I'm guessing that it's possible to learn to take good photos, but some people just have "an eye" for them?

Pretty much. As I said above you can be technically proficient with all your camera equipment and a master with Adobe Photoshop but you can't really polish a turd. It still looks like a turd, but in HDR

In much the same way as I have a reasonable grasp of English language and literature and I could attend university and study endlessly - but I could never write a poem like Wordsworth or Milton

Technical proficiency will get you ~90% of the way, it's that last few percentage that stems from natural talent that is so hard to attain.

[itsnotarace]

Actually this reminds me of a documentary I watched on National Geographic a few years back about a whole bunch of photographers and astronomers that got together and worked out the exact timing for the moon to be in the right position to recreate Ansel Adams Moon and Half Dome photograph.



They spent ages setting it all up and getting in precisely the right position opposite the half dome and everything down to the minute detail

http://yosemiteblog.com/2009/11/30/photographers-b...
http://www.supertopo.com/climbing/thread.php?topic...

Not a single one of them took a photo that was anything near as good as the original

[Hooli]

ChipsAndCheese said:

I think I am in a similar position to the OP. Simpo, would you mind if I PM'd you and got a copy of your guide?

Same here, this guide sounds good.

[Simpo Two]

Chaps in queue will need to PM me their e-mail addresses please.

I first wrote this guide over 10 years ago for a girlfriend and whilst it has evolved to encompass digital it was never really finished. In hindsight perhaps I should have completed it and sold it on Amazon!

itsnotarace said:

you can't really polish a turd

No but you can roll it in glitter

[tenohfive]

I'm in a fairly similar position myself. I've got good enough kit that I can take some sharp photo's (granted, within a limited focal range) so I've only got myself to blame for bad photo's. Reading up on here, internet guides and a landscape photography book have given me a grasp of exposure and depth of field - fairly easy things to get to grips with. PP is a nightmare I'm struggling with but again, a basic grasp isn't too difficult to achieve.

What I've found to be most difficult is composition. It doesn't come naturally to me and there aren't any real rules for what works and what doesn't. Personally I'm just trying to look for good shots constantly (especially when I don't have a camera) and looking at plenty of good shots so that I can 'borrow' the idea later. As time goes on I find myself seeing more opportunities and I've actually taken a couple of shots I'm quite proud of now. Each time I take the camera out I find the shots slightly better but I still find myself having to do the groundwork - the only shot's I'm proud of were taken at 5.30am and having got cold wet and muddy to find that right spot.

Oh, and I'm sure the Tokina 11-16mm wide angle I'm shopping for won't do my photography any harm

[Hooli]

Simpo Two said:

itsnotarace said:

you can't really polish a turd

No but you can roll it in glitter

I suggest




As for the guide, PM sent & thanks in advance.