I was just thinking today about what makes a good successful "professional". Weather it may be a carpenter, a businessman/woman, or professional athlete. What makes them so good at what they do? Skill? Knowledge? Experience? Passion?
Then that lead me to think about what makes a "good" photographer, and how photography is so different from any other job. All the same principals apply but one difference stood out to me. Age.
I've looked over thousands of photos from photographers who are 10, to those who are 80+ It dawned on me that no matter how old you are, you can still take "good" pictures. The average age of a carpenter is mid 40's. I've worked in construction and I can say that my boss who is much older than me knows more, and is a lot "better" at the job.
Photography is different though! Anyone of any age can take a great photo - even id you are young. I'm 19 - so far I've taken 20000+ pictures in little over a year with my Canon 450D. I love photography and I cannot wait to continue until one day I can make a career in the field.
So I'm sending this out to everyone who is under 20 and loves photography - keep at it, because you CAN take great photos.
Thank you for posting this! A lot of times while browsing 365, I feel very young. I'm a sophomore in high school, and most of the high schoolers on 365 are older than that, i believe.
I think that age has nothing to do with talent, or ability to learn. Anyone can take 'good' pictures!
:D
Justin, this is excellent! I'm 57, and I've been taking photos since I was about 10, but without any encouragement or inspiration. I've only become aware of photography as an expression of myself in the past few years. If only I had had 365 or something like it when I was your age! You have the time to develop your skills until you might become another Ansel Adams, David Doubilet, or Dorothea Lange. But even if you don't become famous, if you keep the passion going, you can be taking incredible photos for the rest of your life. The great thing is, I can work on that goal too, and hopefully achieve it!
Great post, I agree that photography make take time to develop but age is not a deciding factor. I'm 19 and have been shooting from 15-18 with a point and shoot and then the past 2 years upgraded to an SLR, I can see improvement almost month to month now, especially because I'm doing the 365 project.
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I think that age has nothing to do with talent, or ability to learn. Anyone can take 'good' pictures!
:D
PS You have a real knack for nature photography.
But, on the other hand, some of my favourite 365ers are also young, and take a lot of fantastic pictures... I guess it's just a natural flair...?