What does photographer need to be a good one?

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jurgita

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jurgita
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Hello, people;)
i have got nikon d5000 camera and thinking maybe i need to get another better than this one.. Bt tell me what do you think if you want to be a good photographer you need a superb photocamera or the good idea how to take a pic?:bang: :thinking:
 
Hi,

Ask yourself why you think you need a better camera?
Is the D5000 limiting you in any way? I used to use one and it is a very good camera. What type of photography are you into?

Paul
 
I think the most important thing is a good 'eye', without one it doesn't really matter what equipment you have.

Unfortunately mine is nowhere near 20/20 yet, but I'm working on it
 
People have been taking fantastic images since the start of photography, well before digital cameras, image stability and auto focus.

A good photographer can take a good image with any camera.

Learning how to use the features that a camera has will help you to take a better photo.

Not wanting to brag (too much), but one of my images came second in the voting for the image to be used in the TalkPhotography calendar for January. It was shot on a bridge camera, that you can pick up 2nd hand for around £100. If you go through the Film and conventional thread there are plenty of amazing shots that are taken on film with older cameras that do no have all the bells and whistles.

If you are struggling, then take some time to read some of the tutorials on here, get some books, spend time learning, and then put what you learn into practice.

Spending money on a more expensive camera will just make your wallet lighter.
 
An OK photographer can take OK photo's with £5k worth of kit. A great photographer can take great photo's with a point and shoot.

If you're not happy with the results you're getting, re-think your technique and possibly your subject matter to something that excites you.
 
Agree with all of the above.
If you're just starting out it's far more likely that it's your own ability that's the limiting factor and not your kit.

A "better" camera may remove some of the limitations of your current set up, but it won't make you a better photographer. And until you start learning how to really use the kit you have and find its boundaries you won't know what those limitations are.
 
What does photographer need to be a good one?

IMO - A sound understanding of photography plus an understanding of whatever kit you happen to have.
 
Plus a good forum to ask all the questions that you need to ask!! :thumbs:
 
funky_monkies said:
an artistic eye, and the ability to be creative and different to compete with everyone else!
Click to expand...

That about sums it up.

Oh and don't forget to actually take the photo.
Better to take it than spend nights worrying about the ones you could/should have taken...
 
I think that a good photographer becomes 'good' through experience. Through taking a lot of photos, looking at a lot of photos (there are zillions of them on flickr so you don't even have to leave your home), and having the ability to reflect on what you've shot, or on the pictures that you've seen that you've enjoyed, and think about what makes the picture work. We don't stop learning.
Heck - just get out there with your camera and enjoy yourself.
 
I can't judge if my photography is any 'good'. It could certainly be better. But I'm using a second hand camera that cost me £50, and most of the time an old manual focus 50mm prime that cost £25. All of my software is free and open source. I often see people using vastly more expensive gear take really boring and flat photos. In every hobby or past-time there is a pressure to buy better, newer, flashier tools and gadgets. Advertisements tell us daily that if we only spend more of our money, our desire to improve will be satiated.

I've had plenty of fun with my cheap kit, and a series of bridge cameras that I wore out previously. Being cheap, I don't mind carting it around with me everywhere - even over my shoulder while cycling.

Here is a set taken using my £75 kit.
 
hellogreg said:
a wee bit of luck does no harm either ...
Click to expand...

Perhaps the most important thing evan for pro's.

The germ of an idea, an eye to see it with, and some equipment to capture it.
Success usually comes with practise and application, but even the best in the world needs some "Good Luck" occasionally. They just don't need it as often or as strongly as most of us do!
 
I'd also like a definition of 'good'? Do you mean technically good, artistically good, commercially good? etc.
The terms are not mutually exclusive but can be contrary. A fantastically amazing artistic shot can be technically poor and a commercial failure. A lacklustre technical shot can be a best seller.
I suppose it's how you judge 'good': if an artist, or even an accomplished amateur, how your peers judge it. (cos us commoners have no idea about art :p lol). If a commercial photographer, how your paying customers judge it :)
 
A good landscape/fine art/portrait artist needs an artistic ability, this is a creative mind and the skill to mimic what is in his head and duplicate it on a particular medium, paper or other.

If refering to a "good photographer" in this way, then you need the same.

Having the latest gear means nothing at all.

Having an understanding of photography is no different to how an artist thinks using pen/brush/whatever, the difference is the camera is the tool and the memory card is the paper.

Ask a non artistic person to tell you what good composition is!!...
 
a wee bit of luck does no harm either ...
Click to expand...
you make your own luck.

Yes, life throws you the occasional curveball, positive or negative, but it's how you handle everything that's thrown at you, and how you seek out to get in the way of even more stuff being thrown that is what luck is.

In photography, I'm rooted to the opinion that luck is largely by working to put as much cool stuff in front of your lens, as often as possible. That's how my entire portfolio was built and will continue to be built...

Equipment.... a professional needs to be completely and utterly familiar with all of their equipment, and able to seamlessly cope with changes in situation, lighting, and other restrictions. Rather than splashing the cash on an 'upgrade' to your existing, very good camera, learn how to use it intimately... You're shooting at 1/60th, how many times to you need to spin the rear wheel with your thumb to get a 2 stops less light? What do you do when CLS communication just fails for some reason, and your flash just stops firing? How do you pull those two items in the frame 'closer together'?

What's going to get you some nicer pictures to hang on your wall, and a happier life? A D7000, or a weekend in Paris? I need to spend money on equipment to deliver a reliable service to my clients, but in general in life I try to have the philosophy that it's better to spend money on experiences rather than things, and it seems to work out well :)

It's this kind of stuff that is what you need to just -know- : however you think of it, you need to NOT be thinking 'oh well so it needs to be darker so I need to change that iso thing or change the aperture or I could decrease-no, increase- the shutter speed, but then I won't get the motion blur' - you need to just be seamlessly doing all of that without even thinking about it. Know your limits, know what you can shoot at, and learn to trust your camera to just take good pictures once you're set up. No chimping every shot - settings don't magically change every shot.

Then, you can think about composition and interacting with your subject...you learn that by doing, studying other photographers, art and other photos.

</zen>


oh yeah, and don't tell anyone, but several of the photos in my portfolio were taken with a d40 and kit lens... ;)
 
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lawrie29 said:
People have been taking fantastic images since the start of photography, well before digital cameras, image stability and auto focus.

A good photographer can take a good image with any camera.

Learning how to use the features that a camera has will help you to take a better photo.

Not wanting to brag (too much), but one of my images came second in the voting for the image to be used in the TalkPhotography calendar for January. It was shot on a bridge camera, that you can pick up 2nd hand for around £100. If you go through the Film and conventional thread there are plenty of amazing shots that are taken on film with older cameras that do no have all the bells and whistles.

If you are struggling, then take some time to read some of the tutorials on here, get some books, spend time learning, and then put what you learn into practice.

Spending money on a more expensive camera will just make your wallet lighter.
Click to expand...

Spot on couldn't agree more.
 
To start off with , a good helping of talent is almost a must. Decent kit can help make the most of whatever talent the photographer may have but the best kit in the world can't really help a complete duffer!

A healthy dollop of luck is always handy too - though,to a large extent, as a sportsman once pointed out , the more he practised, the luckier he got!
 
What is wrong with the pictures you are taking, how will changing the body effect this?

I changed up to a different body as it was a little physically bigger and shot a faster frame rate, I have never looked back it was the right decision for me, still can't stop buying lens though!
 
Talent
 
This is a subject that comes up reasonably frequently on various forums, usually with the answers given above - IE No, kit is secondary, the photographers skill is what matters.

Any in many ways that is true - but it is also true that 'better' gear makes taking photos easier. More expensive cameras handle noise better, so in lower light can have higher shutter speeds, or smaller apertures, more expensive lenses might have have longer focal lengths so less cropping is required, or have less (or no) CA, distortion, etc.

The 'trick' is to figure out what you can reasonably afford, and to get the 'best' combination of gear for you for that money - and learn how to use it to it's fullest extent.
 
just a word : experience!
you will learn how to improve your skillz with time, just start with the basic knowledge and then try to get your own style :)
 
Be nice if the OP came back...
 
.......Designer/Makeup artist/Stylist/location manager/models/subject matter/Lighting assistant....

Once they have done all the work.... walk in and click. Then say 'That's a wrap everyone!!!!!' Walk off rubbing forehead muttering 'That was a tough assignment!'

Simples!!!!!!!!! Thought everyone knew that.
 
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A bad workman always blames his tools and all that rubbish, all the talk of spangly new camers etc i learned using a Nikon F80 film camera and to this date some of the best photos i have taken were with this camera.

However i do find a nice new camera boosts the ego abit and gives the motivation to get out and take photos.
 
A good photographer? Doesn't matter what tools they use, but they will always, ALWAYS be able to get a good shot, even if it's a polaroid.

I suppose, being a good photographer isn't about seeing good things and snapping them, it's about manipulating EVERYTHING to create a good shot, even the most uninteresting thing can be a subject for a shot.

And nope, I'm not there yet, but I'm learning!
 
I think unique or interesting composition counts a lot more than a technically perfect shot.
 
Good equipment will enable the photographer to take TECHNICALLY better photographs, but without talent, imagination, an artistic eye etc, that is all they will be - TECHNICALLY better. They may still be dull and unimaginative.

An exception might be where burst rate, low noise, longer focal lengths might allow subjects to be tackled which would have been impossible with cheaper equipment - birds in flight, for example.
 
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