Best tip ever
 

Hello,
I've had my camera for a few months but now want to move on from taking just standard family and holiday snaps. I would like to take photography a bit more seriously but am not sure how.

What is the one, most valuable piece of advice that you would pass on to an enthusiastic beginner so that they can improve? Or, was there one thing that you learnt that made a tremendous difference?

The best advice I was ever given was to keep things as simple as possible. When out and about I keep my camera in the fail safe P mode so I am ready to grab a shot if the opportunity arises. Once I have bagged some shots I will then start to take more control and set the camera how I wanted it for the given shot. As I shoot wildlife being able to grab a shot without worrying about camera settings means that I am more likely to get the shot and also more likely to get the composite right. Some people wouldn't agree with my approach but it works for me so that's what I do.

I'd definitely recommend finding your way rather than thinking that you have to shoot how the 'experts' do. I know plenty of wildlife photographers who use back button focusing and always use manual exposure, but it's just not for me. Does it make me less of a photographer? To be honest I don't care if it does so long as I can get results that I am happy with.

The other thing that I would suggest is always having a camera with you. I am a bit obsessive with this (sometimes to the annoyance of my wife and kids) as I do not leave the house without a camera. It can become a slight hassle but when you bag a good photo that you might have missed it seems worth it.

I shoot mostly landscape, so unlike Peter, quick reactions are less critical for me. My routine is to return the camera to my prefered settings before I switch it off, even in the middle of a shoot, so I dont get caught out if I forget to check before I make an exposure. On the whole it isnt a major problem if I get it wrong and have to reshoot, but even with landscapes, sometimes there are unrepeatable shots, so knowing where you are starting from helps.
Other than that - the most useful advice I was given was to take a spare battery and memory card, and not to rush. Above all though, have fun with it!

Study composition.

Look at other peoples photos and try to analyse what you do or do not like about them. Do the same with your own shots.
Also having composed the shot take time to look round the whole frame so you spot distractions and other mistakes before pressing the shutter button. It is all to easy for our eyes to only see the subject when looking through the viewfinder and not notice things that are wrong until later. When you view the shots on the computer later these mistakes are all too obvious. We have all done things like the classic lamppost or tree growing out of someone's head.

I am too a beginner.I appreciate you guys for ur valuable advice becuse if you become creative photographer you'll have to think like a photographer each and every moment.it will help you for ur skills improvement

Best advice I can give is have a go and try the different settings and see what happens with the image ,if you want to have more control over your camera .
Also Youtube is a great way to learn also .

If you don't already know then I would recommend reading and understanding the role of aperture, shutter speed and iso and how the 3 interact with each other. Once you have got these it opens up a world of freedom to start experimenting for yourself.

THere are 3 very good "Stickies" at the top the General Photography Technique forum which are a great place to start.

Practice, practice, practice and then practice more!

Experiment. Take risks. Develop a personal style and vision: it's what will set you apart as a photographer.

I have two:

Get involved in critiquing - let others review your images and you review those of others. It will really help to develop your eye when you are not out with your camera...

And when you do have your camera, run your eye around the image in your viewfinder before taking the shot and ask yourself what is wrong with it. Do it again on the LCD screen after you have taken the shot....

As was stated earlier - Composition - you will not have people studying your images - if your cojmposition is weak. My suggestion - study the Masters - photog or painters - as composition is the same for both. Painting Masters' work has been around for a few hundred years - and still draw crowds to the galleries showing them. They must have had some idea on what makes or does make a Master Image.

looking at other works (especially whose work I like the best) and try to analyses their thought process , thinking hard what all he/she must have done to achieve such effect... then of course "practice and patience" always pays off in long run.

Go back to basics to understand that first magical moment that enticed many of us to pursue a lifetime of photography.
Find a book that was a basic text book when you had to obtain a photographic qualification to have a hope of getting a job in a photographic organization. The Ilford Manual of Photography is a starter. Then buy a cheap 35mm camera and some processing equipment and 'have a go'. In the past I have built a wooden camera as the first photographers did, they were the 'owners' of photography. Now photography is owned by the camera manufacturers and the technology you need to see the image.
So, get back to the basics and understand how photography has been changed into what it is today. This will give you a greater clarity on where you want to go.

My best tip is type photography techniques and tips into Youtube and watch away. Best way to learn short of doing a course. There is nothing you can't learn on there!

I have to agree with our Scottish friend - As with any skill practice is key - probably the most important thing you can do is keep shooting. But utilize the critique forum here and elsewhere because you need feedback to make adjustments as you learn and practice. Outside of that I would say spend as much time looking at "the classics" as possible. Learn the visual vocabularly of photography. Let me start you with the names of some of my favorites: Henri Cartier-Bresson, Edward Weston, and Sally Mann.

Good luck!

Matt
http://www.pittsburghfilmphotographer.com/

Many of the comments here, including mine, have concentrated on the camera whereas the most important part of photography is in fact, the subject.
You firstly have to determine what your preferred subject might be and concentrate on that –
architecture - sport – wildlfe – portraiture? You can then evolve your camera technique to suit
your particular subject. Lighting, exposure, camera angle, composition, are the basics but also consider lateral thinking and welcoming difficult situations because they will give you a greater intensity of thought. It can also be useful to have a second subject interest that involves a different approach in observation, techical requirements and thinking on your feet, both sport and wildlife meet these criteria.
My professional subjects were historic buildings for which I used a large format camera. The satisfaction was in the technical problems I had to overcome to record the very different
subjects. Many of those images were for publication and many thousands of my negatives are
securely held in a national archive.
My secondary subject is street photography, which requires a completely different piece of equipment which is basic and simple to use. The technique is also completely different,
including using observation to predict the right moment to make the exposure. Many of the street photographs have been used for publication, advertising and exhibition. On the website they have been viewed by more than 27,000 people. And so the tip is, initially leave your camera at home and start studying the subject you want to photograph.

Take a class at a local trade school or community college. If you're like a lot of visually inclined people you will learn best by doing. Then as our Scottish friend said, practice your arse off. And then, prepare for a lot more bad work than good, and don't lose hope. It takes a long time to realize the images you want to make, and it has much more to do with your mind than your photo skills. That said, the skills need to be cemented first so you can free your mind to make it do what you want it to. Good luck!

Matt
www.pittsburghfilmphotographer.com

Learn to walk first, before you try to run..until you understand the basics of ISO. Aperture, shutter speed, then you are really working blind. That's the mistake I made..tried too take photos without understanding what the camera settings were for. And aim to use manual settings rather than a pre-set program, as you will learn much more.

i am newbie in this forum, but you guys great work. Thanks for sharing this excellent piece of information.

creativity + imagination + patience + heart/love = talent