I am a geek, I make no apologies for that. It does mean though I fixate on technical/gear related issues a lot more than “art” aspects of photography quite a bit. Sometimes it takes someone from outside to slap me back into line, as did this gem of wisdom from Photodoto
Then (and here’s the tough part) shoot about 10,000 photographs. You want digital because it’s the only way most of us can afford to shoot that many photographs. That’s about 28 photographs per day for a year. In film terms, that’s a roll per day. But don’t just shoot randomly to burn exposures. Think about what you are doing. Look at the results of your work and think of ways to improve your composition and exposure. Try to do it a little better next time. Learn from your results.
It really is the best way to learn photography. Tutorials and tips can get you some way to understanding good photographic technique but you have to put in the time to improve your own abilities. Taking lots of pictures in a considered way gets you way further than reading books and spending time in the forums. The picture a day challenge really helped me. Of course to get one good result a day I had to take way more than that.
After taking pictures though I think a big contribution to my own photography improvement is to daily look at good photographs, whether they be on Flickr, galleries or in photography books, really looking and thinking about what you like and how the photographer achieved it carries over into next time you are looking through the viewfinder.
Technorati Tags: photography, tips
One Comment
Good tips from Chris Garrett.
If there’s one thing that has sharpened my skills over the years it’s taking many many photos. Also, taking many many shots of the same subject. Remember, if you’re shooting in digital, it’s only memory that your burning. Don’t like what you see? Delete it! The Golden Rule: You can never take too many pictures.