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Photography F.A.Q (Last Updated: 2024 Dec 31 10:42 am)



Subject: Newbie's Guide...


KimberlyC ( ) posted Fri, 31 July 2015 at 5:07 PM · edited Wed, 25 December 2024 at 8:33 AM

Hello all!!

Everyone is a newbie at one point.. what you feel newbie photographers should know?

What lenses do you use?
What do you use them for?
What shutter speed do you use for night or bright light?
My photos keep turning out blurry, what am I doing wrong?

Those are just a few questions many new photographers ask. Please feel free to chime in and give us your knowledge! :)

Thanks!



_____________________
.::That which does not kill us makes us stronger::.
-- Friedrich Nietzsche


BlackStarr42 ( ) posted Sat, 01 August 2015 at 3:18 AM

A newbie should know what kind if picture they want to take and the equipment needed to take those kind of pictures. Then they need to know how to use said equipment to get the results they want. Some of this can be taught or researched online but most will come from trial and error. The most important thing is to develop an eye for the type of images you want to produce. When you have an eye for your craft they sky is the limit you will see shots when others only see children playing, a flower in a field or a leaking faucet. Last but not least is every shot will not be wall worthy, but every shot is a lesson learned if you look closely. 


auntietk ( ) posted Sun, 02 August 2015 at 8:27 PM

As a newbie photographer, I think the most important thing is to take a lot of pictures!  You don't have to know what you're doing.  Just start shooting.  Use your phone, use a little pocket camera, use whatever you have. 

Look, look, and look some more at other people's photography.  What do you like about your favorite pictures?  Which photographers do you like consistently more than others?  Is it their composition that makes the picture satisfying?  The way they use color?  Their subject matter?  

Pay attention to what excites you, but don't try to duplicate someone else's work.  You will ALWAYS have your own slant on whatever you're shooting ... your own vision.  I can't tell you how many times I've tried to make a picture that is "like" someone else's, and it never looks like theirs ... it always looks like mine!  LOL!  Let your own taste govern what you're doing.

Get yourself a decent photo editing program.  Whether that's Gimp, Picassa, Photoshop, or some other editing software, I think it's essential in making a good piece of art.  Nobody I know gets a perfect picture straight from their camera.  Everybody crops for composition, fiddles with settings for color, enhances sharpness.  Once you get proficient with the software, you can learn to go farther than the basics and get into creating your own effects.  Don't expect the pictures you take to look like you want them to straight out of the camera.  Every shot has potential, but that potential needs to be brought out.  I've got hundreds and hundreds of photographs in my gallery, and maybe three or four of them came straight out the camera looking like they do on the screen. 

Above all, have fun!!  This is a hobby, not a life-or-death pursuit.  If you're thinking you'd like to be a professional photographer, go take a class and get serious, don't try to pick it up on your own via advice on an art site from amateur photographers.  :P

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough."  ...  Robert Capa


KimberlyC ( ) posted Tue, 04 August 2015 at 3:46 AM

Thank you to both.

I agree autiek regarding your last statement. Hobby or professional, it should always be fun. Don't make it feel like it is a job. :)



_____________________
.::That which does not kill us makes us stronger::.
-- Friedrich Nietzsche


kokabeel ( ) posted Mon, 31 August 2015 at 9:40 AM

I wrote these both for Military.com for MilSpouses who may want to work as a photographer. I think some, if not all can be applied to newer photographers. The biggest suggestion from me, as a working professional, is to learn your equipment. Take photos, and take them often. Learn from your mistakes, and try to figure out a different way to do things. Education is the greatest thing, and there are so many of us professionals that love helping newer photographers.

http://www.military.com/spouse/career-advancement/can-you-make-it-as-a-military-spouse-photographer.html
http://www.military.com/spouse/career-advancement/should-military-spouse-photographers-work-for-free.html


aksirp ( ) posted Mon, 31 August 2015 at 1:00 PM · edited Mon, 31 August 2015 at 1:01 PM

I am a hobbyist and autodidact, after first hundreds of try and with more or less fun I needed to read the Camera Manual Instructions - first not fun but at the end it helps so much!
And then participate to a photo community, (Renderosity) so I can learn from other photographers, what do they better... ? (learned even english for this!!)
at last its training of the eye and knowledge of hardware and software, the more I know the insufficient I feel ...;-)


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