What's the best photography lesson you have received?

fabphoto

fabphoto

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Fabien
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What's the best lesson/advice you have received?
Best Lesson you taught yourself?
 
That photography doesn't have to be all about 'eye candy'.
 
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Don't confuse good photographic technique with what's required to make an image that people find pleasing to look at.

Inspiration is everywhere, but rarely in photography magazines.
 
Make sure there is a card / battery in the camera before leaving the house ! and set you camera not to shoot if theres no card !! ( I once went to a big cats experience day and neglected this detail - it was only after an hour that i discovered i'd been happily shooting with no card in :( - fortunately another atendee was kind enough to lend me a spare CF for the rest of the day . )
 
Don't take online critique too seriously and believe in yourself.
 
Always have a camera of some sort handy, even if it's only a camera phone.
 
Neil B said:
Don't ask for advise on forums :ty:
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Maybe..... spell "advice" instead of "advise"?

Seriously, some of these suggestions are either daft or very tongue-in-cheek. You actually CAN find inspiration in magazines and you CAN also find a lot of good information on the forum, either by just lurking or by asking for advice. Just consider the advice carefully to see if it is helpful to you -- or not, as the case may be. The best lesson I've had is to LOOK at what you're doing, LISTEN to others who have been successful (books, magazines, YouTube videos, whatever), and LEARN by doing. If you don't DO it, you won't learn it. You learn by your mistakes as well as by successes.
 
JaneH said:
You actually CAN find inspiration in magazines
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I agree - you can find inspiration in magazines, I just disagree that the best inspiration will be found in photography magazines.
 
Listen to critique, it's made me a much more thoughtful photographer, actually looking for improvements before I actually shoot...but most of all have fun...
 
I watched a Scott Kelby video online, in it he explained about working a scene.
If something has caught your eye in a scene, there is a photograph there. Its then down to you to realise that photograph, work through it, wide angle, close crop, down low, from above etc, find the photograph.

Also, sit a while, there is no harm in sitting, taking in your surroundings and soaking it all in, then getting your shot or not as the case may be.
 
You don't need the latest or most expensive equipment to take great pictures
 
Understanding that the camera thinks every scene should average out as 18% grey, and how, why and when we should use exposure compensation to override this.

Also, that good photography is 90% subject and 10% technique.
 
Take lots of pictures of the same thing, whilst trying different things
 
HCB's quote

Your first ten thousand photos are you worst

Also a local photographer told me to take control of the camera - you tell it where you want it to focus and how you want it to read the light (once you've seen it!)
 
When you first start out in photography listen to what people have to say & that way you will learn and improve.
Once you have become fairly accomplished stop listening to people and instead concentrate on developing your own unique vision/style of photography
James
 
Why you want to photograph something is more important than how to photograph it. Include everything that matters and exclude everything that detracts. Think carefully before releasing the shutter, and examine all the outlines of every object in the photograph; look carefully at the edges and corners; and consider how the mind of the viewer of the photograph will interpret the shadows. Pay careful attention to the relationships of objects, and make sure that you're in the very best (sometimes the only) position for the image to work. Tripods are essential.

And for subjects differing from mine - modify the advice I've just given accordingly.

Or more succintly - there's often only one position from which you can make the best possible image; you can take a load of photos and hope you accidentally hit it, or you can think carefully and make one exposure.
 
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droj said:
That's a relief. Are you sure?
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Reasonably, although I think that most of the principles can be transferred. But some subjects require a hasty approach - I don't touch these.
 
Rule 1: There are no rules.


...plus the one in my signature.
 
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