where to start/ how to improve??

[malks222]

right this is maybe a bit vague, but i'm starting to feel like i have 'all the gear/ no idea'. I have a canon 700d, 18-55mm lens, 70-300mm lens, lightroom 5 and photoshop elements, i'm now at a point where i want to make more/better use of the kit i have and dont really know where to start.

i've taken my camera out and about with me, few decent shots from skiing and have an interest in canoe slalom. i've done some basic processing in lightroom, merged some panorama's in photoshop and layered some action shots of friends jumping off decent kickers when skiing.

what is the best way for me to progress? would some photogrpahy classes be useful? join a photography club? spend more time practising editing? i dont have any aspirations to make this a profession, but as a hobby i just enjoy taking nice photos and stuff. i just dont really know where to go?

[The_Jackal]

Youtube has more info than you can probably take in. Watch loads and you will find certain ones that you like the style of.
Then just get out there and try what you learn.
You will develop your own style over time.

[Pixelpeep7r]

in a similar position to the OP except i haven't actually bought the dSLR yet lol.

OP - I've learnt one thing and its this.

You need to go out, on your own, to somewhere interesting with the sole purpose of taking photos.

All the time you are out at events and take the camera along you won't really learn anything because you'll be too busy trying to enjoy the event also.

I have friends who travel into london at night every weekend JUST to take pictures of the sights.

get a nice big memory card, pack the camera up, go out for the day/night, try and make a note of what you do for each photo, practice different angles for the same image, don't be afraid to get on the floor once in a while too

Get home, get a cup of tea and put the pictures on a big screen and be proud of the good shots and learn what not to do next time on the bad ones

[Pixelpeep7r]

just to add - the YouTube suggestion is a good one, practice what you've seen whilst out too. The photos are so much better when they are of 'something' if that makes sense.

[GetCarter]

I keep mentioning that cameras are stupid, so you often don't get something 'straight out of the camera' that looks like you saw it with your eyes, no matter how clever you are with the buttons.

So you need to find some software you can use to get the file you downloaded that will get it back to how you saw it (or arse about with it if that's your bag). Using curves (highlight, midtone, shadow) will get you most of the way there.

This (todays 'photo a day' - I've been doing it for five years) is what it looked like when I looked at it, but the camera made a pretty pathetic attempt at capturing it, despite various exposure settings - it was tricky mind - so it took 10 minutes to get it back in post processing.

Edited by GetCarter on Tuesday 17th March 16:26

[Simpo Two]

I think the start is to take a long hard look at your photos and think 'What is wrong with this? What don't I like about this?' When you can define the problem, then you can start figuring out how to address it.

Or are you just bored with what you take and want to try something new?

[Elderly]

What a great shot Steve, so VERY nice to see a landscape that's shot on
a lens that is longer than 'normal'.

[steveatesh]

malks222 said:

right this is maybe a bit vague, but i'm starting to feel like i have 'all the gear/ no idea'. I have a canon 700d, 18-55mm lens, 70-300mm lens, lightroom 5 and photoshop elements, i'm now at a point where i want to make more/better use of the kit i have and dont really know where to start.

i've taken my camera out and about with me, few decent shots from skiing and have an interest in canoe slalom. i've done some basic processing in lightroom, merged some panorama's in photoshop and layered some action shots of friends jumping off decent kickers when skiing.

what is the best way for me to progress? would some photogrpahy classes be useful? join a photography club? spend more time practising editing? i dont have any aspirations to make this a profession, but as a hobby i just enjoy taking nice photos and stuff. i just dont really know where to go?

For me I invested in the Karl Taylor DVD set (all four of them) which really opened my eyes and accelerated my standard from "ste" to "some good shots" very quickly. I can't recommend them enough. Have a look at his site, loads of info there.
http://www.karltaylorphotography.co.uk

[covmutley]

Lots of good stuff on YouTube. Karl Taylor has free stuff on there. Jared polin is a little annoying, but I find his videos quite easy to watch and I like his overall approach to photography.

[The_Jackal]

When you have a spare weekend, sign up for a KelbyOne free 24hr trial and try cramming in as many of their excellent tutorials.
Also, this selection of YouTube channels should keep any quest for knowledge satisfied for a while.
https://www.youtube.com/user/onOneUniversity/video...
https://www.youtube.com/user/cmoeu/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/SLRlounge/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/PhlearnLLC/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/NikSoftwareLessons/pl...

Bottom line is you have to expose yourself to alot of different techniques and ideas and then shoot alot to work out which ones appeal and click with you. There is no short cut, enjoy the learning journey.

[K12beano]

First rule of gettng "better": take more photos.





Secone rule of gettng "better": take more photos.

How to process to get the output and style you want is easy, different people find various "courses" of differing value, but whether by physical or online course or tutorial you'll find out how to do things. Try and work out what your style is and it'll fall into place if you're just a bit patient and keep trying stuff!

[malks222]

Thanks for all the replies, I did think one of main answers would be- get out and shoot more. Although I do agree that I also need to get out with the sole purpose of taking photos and not just taking photos when at events or doing things.

[DavidY]

My advice would be to shoot with a fixed lens for a period of time. Now you don't have one but you could tape one of your zooms to a fixed focal length (so it can't be zoomed). Then slow down...you will have to think a lot more about composition, whats in the shot and whats not. Anyone can machine gun off a series of shots, but careful composition is what makes a good photo. It will force you to move to get the shot you want, and not be lazy with the zoom. You will also start to learn the functions of the camera but concentrate on the Exposure Triangle to start with - Aperture, Shutter Speed, ISO. Get used to the camera so everything becomes second nature.

I'd tape the 18-55 to about 23mm giving you approx a 35mm focal length equivalent on a FF sensor, and work from that.

Get more right in camera and you will have less processing to do.

[andy-xr]

malks222 said:

Thanks for all the replies, I did think one of main answers would be- get out and shoot more. Although I do agree that I also need to get out with the sole purpose of taking photos and not just taking photos when at events or doing things.

The second bit is what makes more sense. Sometimes taking a record of events is fine, but they're not always something you want to go back to looking at, shots to nothing I call them.

Shooting something with consideration will get you better results, and you'll have to work harder to get them which hopefully would mean they're more rewarding.

For example, the canoe or ski people. Could you get them launching off something? Would you be able to get a flash on them to control light better? Would you be able to get the flash off the camera to give a different feel to the light? Can you get the sort of exposure together that creates drama, but still has a 'thats a great photo of John' feel to it, where his expression isnt like he's chewing on a wasp or has a paddle over his face?

I'll pick a google image at random for skateboarding



Pretty cool scene. If you translate that to canoes or the ski slope, it's not a lot different. Obviously there's water and things like people and canoes will move in a different direction, but there's a shot in there that's actually quite easy to capture. Whether you want to capture it I guess is a different story.

I think going out for the day to catch something is just fishing without bait, you'll come home tired, hungry and frustrated unless you know what you set out to catch and take time to figure out how to do it.

Edited by andy-xr on Wednesday 18th March 09:48

[Berz]

If you want to improve your technical side you just need to immerse yourself in it. One of most useful things I found was to read the answers to questions that other people ask. The weekly Question thread and How To thread here (http://www.reddit.com/r/photography/, links are in the official threads menu at the top) are a great source of information because they open your eyes to things you don't know and therefore wouldn't have thought to ask. On the immersion front, this is the query I use for casually reading about photography (http://www.reddit.com/r/photography+askphotography+weddingphotography+weddingphotogs) - picked up lots of useful information, tips, and techniques through there.

Also on the technical side, read the manual. Seriously. It sounds daft but the manual for your camera will give you loads of valuable information. You don't have to commit it all to memory, just be aware of what your camera is capable of so you know to look it up when you need it.

As for the creative side of things, I don't know. I can't do it. I am continually unimpressed with my work. While I can technically produce a good piece of work given enough time (to remember the techniques and fiddle and adjust) I can't say I find much of it very moving. I've never been good at art or creative writing or anything like that so I assume I just lack the ability to 'spot' a good photo.

[Disastrous]

I'd echo all the advice about going out specifically to shoot.

It makes a huge difference. I think your mindset changes and rather than trying to be reactive and catch something as it happens, you make a more concerted effort to find the scene, landscape, action and set the shot up in your head before hand.

Also, if you're shooting people, it's worth remembering that people who do cool things like skiing and canoeing tend to quite like receiving awesome photos of themselves doing said cool things and as such are usually pretty amenable to taking a bit of direction.

Ask them to head out somewhere for the day that you've scouted in advance that you think will make a superb shot. Set it all up and get them to run multiple passes whilst you try out things and see what works.

I find (with music, film, anything at all creative) that having a vision in mind before you start and then working through it systematically is the most instructive in terms of teaching me what works and what doesn't. 15 failed attempts on the way teach me what didn't work so by the time I arrive at the right result, I know how I've achieved it pretty well.

That said, sometimes (like last night) you're on your way back from a shoot and are driving over Drumochter summit in Golden Hour and it all just comes together and looks amazing. And then between you, a runner, a camera AND a car full of cameras, nobody has anything handy and the driver overshoots the lay-by with the perfect view and you get absolutely nothing! Or you're a bit faster than us and get a great shot

[Simpo Two]

Disastrous said:

And then between you, a runner, a camera AND a car full of cameras, nobody has anything handy and the driver overshoots the lay-by with the perfect view and you get absolutely nothing! Or you're a bit faster than us and get a great shot

My passenger in NZ got quite tired of his head striking the dashboard as the driver jammed on the brakes and reversed back for a suddenly-glimpsed photo opportunity!