I bought a book titled "Understanding Exposure" and have been sitting that to my right and a huge book on understanding my canon rebel XTI to my left. I've spent almost two weeks back and forth on the porch trying to learn everything I possibly can about exposure.
So I finally took my camera off of "automatic" setting and started shooting pics for the first time in a RAW setting. It's been great and as soon as I get some of my pictures of our sunset sat. evening Im gonna post them on here!
If anyone has a tip or anything else I should know at this early in the game please feel free to inform me! I can assure you I'll rush out to the porch when I get home from work and test it out!
David, you've made the first big move by taking your camera off automatic! Congratulations. Now shoot, shoot, shoot, and learn from your mistakes. Books are great for rough guidance, but nothing tops experience and time in the field IMO. Also, use NPN to your fullest advantage by critiquing others' work. This will force you to develop a more critical eye and you will find that critical eye creeping into your own viewfinder.
I always feel goofy trying to critique someone else's work. It would mostly be me saying "nice picture" since I really have yet to learn much on picture taking. However the critiques I've been receiving has certainly helped me out alot on stuff that I did not know previously.
Posted by Kent Staubus on June 2, 2008 at 11:29 AM
David--
Even if you don't yet recognize technical details, that's not so big a deal. Concentrate on analyzing photos noting what you like and what you don't like. A good photo will either tell you a story or suggest an emotion. Think about that, and then put your thoughts into words. Doing this on others' photos will help you make better photos yourself.
David, feeling goofy is just part of the learning curve. Don't worry about it. As Kent mentioned, tear apart an image in your brain, examine it to see what works and what doesn't work for you. Study the composition and perspective, study the exposure and see what filters they may have used and why. Don't be shy about asking them questions about technical aspects if they're not listed. When you post, also list your technicals so others can learn from you. Once you break the ice and start commenting you will find yourself feeling more and more comfortable giving critiques. Nothing wrong with starting with "nice image" and working up from there. Remember, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that includes you. Share it. You will find that NPN is a very friendly and understanding audience.
I just want to take a moment and back up Kent and Bill as a relative newbie myself. I just hit my first anniversary (and renewed!) as a member and the membership fee and time spent on this site is some of the most educational and productive available. My only complaint is the fairly restricted amount of time available to me to spend here. Critiqueing is not always easy, but start with the elements you *do* understand and or like/dislike. As long as you are fair and respectful, the comments will be welcome. Most photographers - and artists in general - really like the feedback from their audience, and most of the audience are decidely not experts. It really is amazing how much you can learn from this seemingly simple process.
Bill really hits the most important thing, though: field time. Get out there and take pictures. One of the great things about digital is the low cost of experimentation and the immediacy of the feedback from the camera. I've been taking digital pics for about 4 years now and bought my first dslr about a year and a half ago (Canon 5D). I've skimmed a couple of books but gotten tons of field time and experimented like crazy. I can remember one of my earlier responses to a critique question about why I used a particular aperture. My response was along the lines of "What's an aperture?"
I started selling my work a year ago and word of mouth is spreading, won and placed in a couple of local contests, took 2nd place in the National Geographic Adventure/Wild Angle Photo Contest last month and was published last fall in Nature Photographer. I've put in a pretty focused effort, though, because I LOVE photography and digital technology has made it accessible to me.
So get out there, get serious but, most of all, HAVE FUN!
David: Another benefit of critiquing other images is that you'll get more feedback on your own work if you put forth the effort to critique others. I found I became a much more proficient photographer when I started really looking at other's images. And even a in a post is OK for me. >=))>
I couldn't agree more with those emphasizing the link between critiquing images and one's own photographic evolution.
Nothing has been more instrumental in my growth as a photographer than critiquing the images of others. It's had a far, far more significant impact than having my own images critiqued, for instance. When I critique an image I initially allow myself to react to it; no analysis, just a visceral reaction. Then I begin the process of understanding that reaction. I love it, I hate it, I'm indifferent towards it...why? Why did I react the way I did? That's the meat of the critique. By understanding why I feel the way I do about an image--particularly after going through this process many times--I find myself far better able to recognize good would-be images in the field. Recognizing the shot is 95% of the battle; the remaining 5% is knowing, and being able to successfully implement, the technical steps necessary to carry it off.
Hi David,
an old photographer years ago gave me a great tip. Use all possibilities to study photographs from other photographers. It helps you to develop a "photographic memory". It helps you to learn "seeing".
Start reading monthly photographic magazines. That helps you to increase your technical skills and you see photos, photos, photos ......
Believe me, this is not a process of two weeks, not of two years, keep staying hungry for photography the rest of your life.
best wishes and greetings,
Bertl
There is an old article about exposing on the right at luminous-landscape. It is something of a classic by now. I trust you have read it, but it is worth mentioning just in case. It is not the whole story, and exposure is an art, not a science for a couple of reasons, but it raises some of the issues you need to be aware of. I basically fill the right quadrant of my histogram unless I know I am dealing with chroma issues. Red can be tricky.
Hooray! Getting off of automatic is first big step on the road to a world of excitement and creativity. All good advice from everyone about looking at photos, critiquing them, and shooting 'til you drop! On the critique part, we are all learning from each other here. But if you don't want to speak up yet, try mentally choosing the Editor's Pick images in each category, or study them and think about why/how the image won that week.
And may the good light be with you.
Discussion
10 repliesSo I finally took my camera off of "automatic" setting and started shooting pics for the first time in a RAW setting. It's been great and as soon as I get some of my pictures of our sunset sat. evening Im gonna post them on here!
If anyone has a tip or anything else I should know at this early in the game please feel free to inform me! I can assure you I'll rush out to the porch when I get home from work and test it out!
--David Holt
Even if you don't yet recognize technical details, that's not so big a deal. Concentrate on analyzing photos noting what you like and what you don't like. A good photo will either tell you a story or suggest an emotion. Think about that, and then put your thoughts into words. Doing this on others' photos will help you make better photos yourself.
Kent in SD
I just want to take a moment and back up Kent and Bill as a relative newbie myself. I just hit my first anniversary (and renewed!) as a member and the membership fee and time spent on this site is some of the most educational and productive available. My only complaint is the fairly restricted amount of time available to me to spend here. Critiqueing is not always easy, but start with the elements you *do* understand and or like/dislike. As long as you are fair and respectful, the comments will be welcome. Most photographers - and artists in general - really like the feedback from their audience, and most of the audience are decidely not experts. It really is amazing how much you can learn from this seemingly simple process.
Bill really hits the most important thing, though: field time. Get out there and take pictures. One of the great things about digital is the low cost of experimentation and the immediacy of the feedback from the camera. I've been taking digital pics for about 4 years now and bought my first dslr about a year and a half ago (Canon 5D). I've skimmed a couple of books but gotten tons of field time and experimented like crazy. I can remember one of my earlier responses to a critique question about why I used a particular aperture. My response was along the lines of "What's an aperture?"
I started selling my work a year ago and word of mouth is spreading, won and placed in a couple of local contests, took 2nd place in the National Geographic Adventure/Wild Angle Photo Contest last month and was published last fall in Nature Photographer. I've put in a pretty focused effort, though, because I LOVE photography and digital technology has made it accessible to me.
So get out there, get serious but, most of all, HAVE FUN!
Nothing has been more instrumental in my growth as a photographer than critiquing the images of others. It's had a far, far more significant impact than having my own images critiqued, for instance. When I critique an image I initially allow myself to react to it; no analysis, just a visceral reaction. Then I begin the process of understanding that reaction. I love it, I hate it, I'm indifferent towards it...why? Why did I react the way I did? That's the meat of the critique. By understanding why I feel the way I do about an image--particularly after going through this process many times--I find myself far better able to recognize good would-be images in the field. Recognizing the shot is 95% of the battle; the remaining 5% is knowing, and being able to successfully implement, the technical steps necessary to carry it off.
an old photographer years ago gave me a great tip. Use all possibilities to study photographs from other photographers. It helps you to develop a "photographic memory". It helps you to learn "seeing".
Start reading monthly photographic magazines. That helps you to increase your technical skills and you see photos, photos, photos ......
Believe me, this is not a process of two weeks, not of two years, keep staying hungry for photography the rest of your life.
best wishes and greetings,
Bertl
And may the good light be with you.