I just started my second year here. I learned a lot during the first! How about you? I know there are quite a few 365'ers out there who have been around for a while. How about sharing a few things that you've learned during your time here? I'll start by mentioning a couple of my favorite "discoveries"... maybe we can get a list of gems going...
1- Never underestimate the power of color in a photograph... even a splash of it!
2 - Always keep an unsharpened copy of your final edit. There are different ways to sharpen for different outputs!
1: For astro photography use a wide-angle lens, it'll let you make longer exposures without the problem of star trails.
2: Get more space into the photos. A photo's a 3d space and usually needs a good foreground, middle and background. My old landscape photos were too background-centric.
3: Noise ninja is amazing
4: Aperture is fun!
5: An opaque curtain on an overcast day is in fact an enormous soft-box
@lindag those are my 1 and 2, though I would reverse the order :)
3 - always watch your edges, and avoid anything that draws your eye to the edge of an image (e.g. bright areas or sharp details)
4 - when you are happy with a shot, don't walk away. Think how you could improve it and take another... and another...
I've learned that
-organising your photos on your computer makes things MUCH easier
-don't write off a shot until you've had a really good look at it. Creative crops have been some of my best shots
Great thread Amy...glad to see that you're back!
I'm not one to normally pick up on spelling/grammar mistakes. Mosty of my comments are littered with typos but it's "learnt" not "learned."
Learned is an adjective as in "my learned (scholarly) friend once said..." "learnt" is the past tense of to learn.
Sorry, it just really grated me *backs out of thread*
@emmar84@karens68@dieter LOL I think we could have a whole thread discussing how wrong the US version of english is ;) wink wink, open a can of worms and RUN!!!
color vs colour is another widely used word on the site
I havn't been here very long but so far I have learnt to not be afraid to try new things and to look at things from every angle, not just the most obvious.
1.Try and see things form a different point of view.
2.Always take your camera. This is now easier now that I have an iPhone. I don't have to lug my big camera everywhere.
3. Try to make a picture out of something you would never think could make a picture.
$. Have fun with your shoots. I really learned this with the Hipsta app.
@emmar84 Thanks Emma... having gone to school in both the US and England I understand. I see you are well into your second year. Please don't back out of the thread without leaving us a gem of photographIc wisdom. What have you learnt?
I have learnt to keep learning. Resist pigeonholing yourself into a single stereotype (i.e. that's the HDR guy, or that's the bird guy, or that's the water lady). Keep pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone and the world will be your oyster. This site has been excellent for that, as I get a couple of new ideas every day looking at all of the different shots out there.
And based on that, I have become learned in the art of writing EVERYTHING down! I have lost more ideas into the ether than I care to think about because I failed to write down an idea. Keep that notebook handy!
I'm a new 365er, so some beginner thoughts -
1. Back alleys can be just as beautiful as manicured yards
2. Walk back the same way you came - you'll see things you missed and things you saw will look different (similar to @peterdegraaff point of looking behind you)
3. Take the time time "see" the picture before you take it.
4. Don't be too hard on a picture when you first look at it. Let it marinade and don't underestimate the power of a well placed crop,
I have learned many things, especially with macro work! So my learning curve & advice really applies to close-up work:
1. Focus has to be exact, use a tripod if possible & a shutter-release or self-timer
2. Get closer, fill the frame
3. Lighting is so important, don't be scared to use the flash but use it with care & attention
4. Colour, colour, colour!
5. Shoot one angle, then try the same shot from another 10 angles
6. Compose through the view-finder, not afterwards in PS or other!
7. Post-production work is important, almost every image will benefit from a boost in areas like contrast, vibrance or curves
1. All kinds of crap often looks beautiful in photos
2. Think opposites and extremes when shooting, especially when the subject is something shot a million times.
3. Shoot the best picture you can, and then edit it to perfection.
4. Go crazy, it often leads to creative results :)
5. Try out all kinds of stuff
6. Shoot selfies and post them too. I think people will pay much more attention to all the details in their selfies, which only helps in developing the photographic eye.
7. When in doubt, keep it simple.
1. Simplify
2. Black and White. I never think to do B&W. I am constantly reminded by Amy and others here how fantastic B&W can be, especially with strong shapes and patterns.
3. Everything @janmaki and @zferrie said
a lot was already said but:
1) know your camera back and forth, enough to operate it in the dark
2) try all of its settings, even if it leads to dull photos, all lead to learning.
3) photograph a lot. A LOT.
4) Copy the style of good photos to see what they did if necessary.
5) study. watch instructional dvds, books and classes.
6) keep track of what you like in photography and try answering why do you think they are so good.
7) keep a track of what you don't like, often leads to you knowing your work better too.
8) learn different processing styles. do not rely on actions, learn your way through photoshop.
9) ever now and then break the goddam rules.
10) photograph a lot, filter later.
11) but compose a picture before shooting goddamit. and try several things.
12) the LCD of the camera tricks you.
13) lighting a picture the way you imagine it is difficult as hell. (this is my current filed of study, haha)
Don't delete a shot that you think stinks out in the field. That little 3 inch screen on the back of your camera doesn't always show your work to best effect. Wait until you go home and start editing. Things always look better/different on a bigger screen!
@dieter Very true about improving a shot and shooting it over and over... even the time of day, the kind of light (reflected, direct, the angle, etc.) gives you even more ways of exploiting one object or scene later on. Oh, and thanks for defending me! :)
@shutterbugger Organization of your files is so important... I'm still trying to perfect my archival system... one day, one day!
@emjay8 Trying new things was very important to me during my first months. Not doing the same old thing or the same old type of shot. Got to get back into that frame of mind!
@michaelelliott Especially true for your NYC shots! Makes 'em or breaks 'em! You do a terrific job at it!
@catwhiskers I can't wait to get an iPhone for that reason! Forget about talking to people... lol! I'm holding out for the 5! And your last point is very true! A great learning method!
@hown LOL... Howard and Bubba... thank you both! What would 365 be without you two around ;)
@peterdegraaff@beachradish "Remember to look behind" and "Walk back the same way you came" is another BIG lesson learned/learnt!!! Doubles the beauty around you!
@zferrie All super points from a pro! No one comes near you in the macro field! Do you use a macro light ring or a regular flash?
@janmaki 1. No kidding! 2. God yes! 3. Try, try, try! 7. Oh so very true.
@mikew I used to shoot B&W film... it was my favorite. It's been fascinating to get back into it with digital photography during the last year. Much harder!
@swilde I have been re-editing stuff even from this year's work while compiling a book! Funny how your eye and taste changes over time... it's a great process. Yay for RAW files!
@aspada I use my Speedlite 430EXII but hardly ever full power, usually -1, and always with a diffuser ... I do eye up the Canon macro light ring every now and then, but definitely still out of my budget!
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3 - Get closer! True most of the time
4- Chase the best light
1: For astro photography use a wide-angle lens, it'll let you make longer exposures without the problem of star trails.
2: Get more space into the photos. A photo's a 3d space and usually needs a good foreground, middle and background. My old landscape photos were too background-centric.
3: Noise ninja is amazing
4: Aperture is fun!
5: An opaque curtain on an overcast day is in fact an enormous soft-box
6: Water spreads on glass and beads on plastic
3 - always watch your edges, and avoid anything that draws your eye to the edge of an image (e.g. bright areas or sharp details)
4 - when you are happy with a shot, don't walk away. Think how you could improve it and take another... and another...
-organising your photos on your computer makes things MUCH easier
-don't write off a shot until you've had a really good look at it. Creative crops have been some of my best shots
Great thread Amy...glad to see that you're back!
Learned is an adjective as in "my learned (scholarly) friend once said..." "learnt" is the past tense of to learn.
Sorry, it just really grated me *backs out of thread*
I've learned to look at things from as many different angles as possible.
I think there's plenty of dictionaries that include learned as an alternative to learnt, e.g. thefreedictionary.com:
learn (lûrn)
v. learned also learnt (lûrnt), learn·ing, learns
v.tr.
1. To gain knowledge, comprehension, or mastery of through experience or study.
color vs colour is another widely used word on the site
1.Try and see things form a different point of view.
2.Always take your camera. This is now easier now that I have an iPhone. I don't have to lug my big camera everywhere.
3. Try to make a picture out of something you would never think could make a picture.
$. Have fun with your shoots. I really learned this with the Hipsta app.
Experiment. Remember to look behind to see what is happening, and expect the unexpected. Go to new places and revisit a few times.
Sometimes a shot improves with a little editing and cropping, but don't be afraid of what you think looks good.
And based on that, I have become learned in the art of writing EVERYTHING down! I have lost more ideas into the ether than I care to think about because I failed to write down an idea. Keep that notebook handy!
1. Back alleys can be just as beautiful as manicured yards
2. Walk back the same way you came - you'll see things you missed and things you saw will look different (similar to @peterdegraaff point of looking behind you)
3. Take the time time "see" the picture before you take it.
4. Don't be too hard on a picture when you first look at it. Let it marinade and don't underestimate the power of a well placed crop,
1. Focus has to be exact, use a tripod if possible & a shutter-release or self-timer
2. Get closer, fill the frame
3. Lighting is so important, don't be scared to use the flash but use it with care & attention
4. Colour, colour, colour!
5. Shoot one angle, then try the same shot from another 10 angles
6. Compose through the view-finder, not afterwards in PS or other!
7. Post-production work is important, almost every image will benefit from a boost in areas like contrast, vibrance or curves
2. Think opposites and extremes when shooting, especially when the subject is something shot a million times.
3. Shoot the best picture you can, and then edit it to perfection.
4. Go crazy, it often leads to creative results :)
5. Try out all kinds of stuff
6. Shoot selfies and post them too. I think people will pay much more attention to all the details in their selfies, which only helps in developing the photographic eye.
7. When in doubt, keep it simple.
2. Have a light box.
These two are my 2nd best friends, besides my camera! : )
2. Black and White. I never think to do B&W. I am constantly reminded by Amy and others here how fantastic B&W can be, especially with strong shapes and patterns.
3. Everything @janmaki and @zferrie said
1) know your camera back and forth, enough to operate it in the dark
2) try all of its settings, even if it leads to dull photos, all lead to learning.
3) photograph a lot. A LOT.
4) Copy the style of good photos to see what they did if necessary.
5) study. watch instructional dvds, books and classes.
6) keep track of what you like in photography and try answering why do you think they are so good.
7) keep a track of what you don't like, often leads to you knowing your work better too.
8) learn different processing styles. do not rely on actions, learn your way through photoshop.
9) ever now and then break the goddam rules.
10) photograph a lot, filter later.
11) but compose a picture before shooting goddamit. and try several things.
12) the LCD of the camera tricks you.
13) lighting a picture the way you imagine it is difficult as hell. (this is my current filed of study, haha)
@shutterbugger Organization of your files is so important... I'm still trying to perfect my archival system... one day, one day!
@emjay8 Trying new things was very important to me during my first months. Not doing the same old thing or the same old type of shot. Got to get back into that frame of mind!
@michaelelliott Especially true for your NYC shots! Makes 'em or breaks 'em! You do a terrific job at it!
@lisjam1 Haha... that's a good beginning point!
@catwhiskers I can't wait to get an iPhone for that reason! Forget about talking to people... lol! I'm holding out for the 5! And your last point is very true! A great learning method!
@hown LOL... Howard and Bubba... thank you both! What would 365 be without you two around ;)
@peterdegraaff @beachradish "Remember to look behind" and "Walk back the same way you came" is another BIG lesson learned/learnt!!! Doubles the beauty around you!
@zferrie All super points from a pro! No one comes near you in the macro field! Do you use a macro light ring or a regular flash?
@janmaki 1. No kidding! 2. God yes! 3. Try, try, try! 7. Oh so very true.
@lorraineb Must get the light box!
@mikew I used to shoot B&W film... it was my favorite. It's been fascinating to get back into it with digital photography during the last year. Much harder!
@swilde I have been re-editing stuff even from this year's work while compiling a book! Funny how your eye and taste changes over time... it's a great process. Yay for RAW files!