Since we're closing out 2012 and I think a lot of us are finishing our projects today, I thought it might be fun to share some of the things we've learned over the past year. I'll go first:
Thanks to the 365 Project, I now know that manual mode is not something to be feared but rather embraced. My rule for myself was to shoot everything in manual mode this year to force myself to learn and now I can't imagine shooting any other way!
I learnt so much it's hard to know where to begin! Here are a few stand-outs for me:
1) Manual mode - before 365 the "M" on the camera terrified me! I now shoot in hardly anything else.
2) High-key and Low-key - I never even knew these terms before 365, now I use them as great techniques. High-key is especially my favourite.
3) ANYTHING can make a good photo! Last year I certainly never used to save strawberries for dunking, get excited over droplets on flowers, arrange washing pegs in a colourful pattern, play with smoke and pour oil and water in a pan over a colourful cloth!
4) Dragonflies and butterflies are the best things in the world to shoot... I just love spending a summer afternoon out in the fields with my macro lens, shooting insects.
5) How to photograph the moon and a sunset! Before 365 I could never get it right!
This list could get very long, but these are stand-out things for me. Thank you to everyone on 365 - I learnt all of this from you guys!
I've also learned that I have Photographer ADD, as in, I can be doing something completely unrelated to photography and suddenly think, "WOW, that would make a gerat picture!"
I've learned to see the beauty and potential in the seemingly mundane things in the world around me. I see pictures in the making everywhere I go now!
The difference between a point and shoot and an SLR...and that I should learn to use manual more often...and that if you take a picture every day your photography will improve greatly.
The biggest thing that I learned was how to take my camera off of Auto mode. Like others before me, I would have never used the M mode - ever! Now, it's all I use. I look forward to challenging myself in 2013 to go further.
I love the camera settings challenges. I've learned about slow shutter speeds and light painting.
Like many others I have enjoyed using the different settings on my camera, but I don't have a problem using auto as well, and still use it sometimes, especially for candids, and I'm more than OK with that!
I have gone from semi auto to almost fully manual in less than two months!
I can photograph the moon
I now know what POV and DOF mean
I have managed to capture bokeh
I have taken a low light shot .... fully manual
I have managed to capture a frost crystal
I have even managed to do my first photo manipulation!
Wow! bring on next year!
a clean sensor is crucial for night shooting. That a tripod can protect you from the boogie man while night shooting. Sometimes you have to go out on a limb and vacation with strangers from 365.
I've learned too much to list it all, but like many I've grown more comfortable using the manual mode and can see a difference in my photos. I've also learned more about my macro and 50mm and am thinking my inexpensive 300 mm zoom isn't as good as I thought it was. I replaced my cheap filters with more expensive ones. I really appreciate the information and opinions shared on this site, as well as the opportunity to exchange comments with fellow 365-ers. Happy new year, everyone -- may 2013 bring great photos to us all!
I'm not quite finished so am not ready to make many additions to this list, but one very different one from those I already see posted is that I have absolutely and totally fallen in love with my home and my city. We were transplanted to Cincinnati 17 years ago now, but it took 365 to get me OUT and learning to love where I am!
@sabaa I agree! I have noticed so many things around me... all the different plant bud shapes in the spring, the steps by which leaves turn color in the fall, how the light falls across my kitchen table in the afternoon...
It has been a magical year!
Now I know the value of bringing a camera with me everywhere I go. I hate being out somewhere without it and stumbling across the perfect shot and having no way to take it.
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1) Manual mode - before 365 the "M" on the camera terrified me! I now shoot in hardly anything else.
2) High-key and Low-key - I never even knew these terms before 365, now I use them as great techniques. High-key is especially my favourite.
3) ANYTHING can make a good photo! Last year I certainly never used to save strawberries for dunking, get excited over droplets on flowers, arrange washing pegs in a colourful pattern, play with smoke and pour oil and water in a pan over a colourful cloth!
4) Dragonflies and butterflies are the best things in the world to shoot... I just love spending a summer afternoon out in the fields with my macro lens, shooting insects.
5) How to photograph the moon and a sunset! Before 365 I could never get it right!
This list could get very long, but these are stand-out things for me. Thank you to everyone on 365 - I learnt all of this from you guys!
I've learned to see the beauty and potential in the seemingly mundane things in the world around me. I see pictures in the making everywhere I go now!
Also how refreshing to be on a site devoid of trolls and general Internet nastiness.
Like many others I have enjoyed using the different settings on my camera, but I don't have a problem using auto as well, and still use it sometimes, especially for candids, and I'm more than OK with that!
I can photograph the moon
I now know what POV and DOF mean
I have managed to capture bokeh
I have taken a low light shot .... fully manual
I have managed to capture a frost crystal
I have even managed to do my first photo manipulation!
Wow! bring on next year!
It has been a magical year!
The main new thing I learned this year was about the Wavelet Decompose plugin for GIMP editing. Thank you Mick @pizzaboy!!
mouse over the pics, especially the third one!
I am still learning how to use the camera and may start to use the M setting more often in 2013