 David A. Wilson |
How to become a good photographer? Im 20 years old , I think photography is awsome. I dont want it to be my profession but I would love to have it be a life long hobby. How do I get good. How did all you really good photographers get to that point.
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Christopher A. Vedros |
I hesitate to respond, because it will look like I'm assuming I fit into your description of "really good photographers". But since photography has been a life long hobby of mine, I'll share the secret with you: just keep doing it. I took a few photography classes when I was in college, and I've read quite a few photography books. Those taught me the techniques and the technical fundamentals. But to really enjoy photography as a hobby, I think all you need to do is to take pictures of things that interest you. Take pictures of things that make you happy. Your skills will improve with practice. It's refreshing to hear someone say that they'd love for photography to be their life long hobby. I think too many people think that they're not a "good" photographer or a "real" photographer until someone pays them for their work. A paid shoot here and there is nice, but I'd never want to have to depend on it to feed my family. In order to even come close to the salary of my "day job", I'd have to shoot weddings every weekend, and then some. I'm pretty sure at some point, it wouldn't be fun for me anymore. Good luck with your hobby. It's a good one.
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David A. Wilson |
Well Just Look at the The new contest enteries every second, there are tons of very good photographers so hopefully people aren't scared to respond.
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David A. Wilson |
It would be tight if someone critiqued my gallery. (Tight means cool)
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Irene Troy |
Hi David, I am hardly a "great" photographer - I am probably in the middling category! But, I can share some ideas on how to (A) learn about making good pictures and (B) getting fired up about photography. Like Chris stated (and he is definitely in the really, really good category) the best thing to do is to make as many images, under as many different conditions as possible. The more you shoot, the more you learn. I also have found the classes at BP very good. It is not simply the instructors, although the ones I have experienced have been excellent, it is sharing your work with fellow students and getting insightful feedback that is so great. You are given weekly lessons with assignments. The assignments are critiqued by the instructor, but fellow students are also free to comment and, at least in the classes I have taken, they usually comment in ways that are very helpful to the learning process. If you are like me, you will find yourself pushing your own limits and reaching for greater shots as you develop both enthusiasm for photography and a burning desire to improve your skills. Discover what type photography you are really passionate about and then focus on developing your skills in that area. I would also urge you to continue adding pictures to your gallery and to critique other people’s work. In this way you will start getting valuable feedback on your own work. The people here are great and, for the most part, very willing to offer intelligent guidance. Happy image making!
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doug Nelson |
If I want to write a novel, I read novels, the same for poetry. Look at photographs done by others. The truly greats are a good place to start, Cartier-Bresson being just one. Ask yourself why you like or dislike an image, and try to figure out how the photographer did it.
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Kerry L. Walker |
Well, Chris and Irene may not admit they are but I must say I am a grate photographer. (Guess that means I take pictures of grates?) Seriously, they are good photographers and have given you some good advice. You have to watch out though. Some folks like Chris will try to push you to the dark side (digital) while some like me will try to push you to the dark slide (MF). (If you read a lot of threads, you will find that Chris and I love to banter back and forth about film vs digital, all in fun.) The best thing to do is take a few classes, read all you can, and, above all, practice. You can also ask for a critique of your gallery and the people here will give you some good advice. Also, please check out Doug's website (just click on it under his name). He has some beautiful pictures and some great articles to read. You can learn a lot there. Keep checking back here at BetterPhoto and you can learn a lot. I have been shooting for over 40 years and I still learn something new almost every day.
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Kerry L. Walker |
I really like Make Waves. It made a good B&W image and conveys the mood well. You have captured the action of the waves and isolated the surfer well. Good, tight composition and good exposure. Keep it up.
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Samuel Smith |
welcome david, your doing fine.your limited with your camera,but you're still taking good pictures.there's good help here,use it. a grate photographer,i'll write that down,but i'll need to take a picture of a grate first,thanks kerry. sam
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Bob Cammarata |
You will learn more by doing than by reading, studying, or emulating others. Empirical knowledge is our greatest teacher...regardless of the endeavor.
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Ford |
I want to become a great tennis player, but its not in the cards. There really has to be a spark for photography like anything else. Anyway, you'll know its for you real quick. Its in you and you'll know if its right
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Jay Soldner |
Study and practice. Read/look at/study photo books from all eras. Go to Borders (or any bookstore with a good photography section). Sit for a while and look at a book or two. Some great books (in my opinion) are:THE AMERICANS (Robert Frank is a genius, you can see what he's saying with his pictures - like hearing him tell story). Look at good stuff on this site and at sportsshooter.com analyze each picture you think is 'good'. Ask yourself WHY it's good (lighting, composition, emotion, timely . . .) Also, to get 'good' you must practice. There's an old adage "practice makes . . ." (You know the rest, live it). Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world and he got there by relentless PRACTICE. He still practices his craft everyday.
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