How to become a better photographer

[mfogiel]

This is how to do it according to Mike Johnston:

http://theonlinephotographer.typepad.com/the_online_photographer/blog_index.html

Would you agree?

I do.

 

[projectbluebird]

No need to be just a leica, any good camera will do.

This is remarkably close to how I learned photography, missing one crucial step. Feedback.
Otherwise you're just wasting film.

 

[st3ph3nm]

Well, it ain't rocket science. In a nutshell, he's just saying "GET OUT AND SHOOT MORE!". The rest of it is just subjective opinion of the best way to do it. It certainly wouldn't make a difference whether you used an SLR or a rangefinder, I don't believe, let alone whether or not it's a Leica. Though, as a short term investment in self training, his comment about the Leica holding it's value is right.

I do believe that discipline is important. My periods of best improvement in photography are when I shot for regular photo projects (like the newsgroup "shoot ins" or the weekly projects here). And Bluebird is right, a good part of the improvement came via decent, thoughtfull feedback. Still, self evaluation is always important. "Damn, why didn't I notice that pole behind the subject before I shot!" 🙂

Cheers,
Steve

 

[mfogiel]

The pole behind the subject is more easily seen through a rangefinder than through an SLR which only shows the selected focus plane. This is why it is easier to learn composing your images with an RF, I can confirm that.

 

[yanidel]

I agree with the general point. Now will it make everybody a better photographer ?
I think that reading, looking at other photographers work, listening to the radio, learning about composition and perspective (geometry 101 😉 ) among other things also speeds up things in improving your photography. More than a focus on gear. So daily practice is not enough IMO.

 

[Mattikk]

I have recently thought about this a lot. I think the viewfinder with RF is very key-thing here compared to the one of SLR. In SLR you don't see the whole scene, you just see what you have focused to, but with RF you see the whole scene and probably will take more of the background in consideration to get the subject stand out, not only by the rest of the scene being out of focus, but by how the rest of the scene is composed with the subject.

What he talks about light too, is very spot on. You need to shoot on every weather and learn how the light works in different situations, shooting BW helps this a lot, since it makes it simply a difference between light and dark in the picture.

 

[Krosya]

While I agree with that idea, I'd have hard time doing it. What lens to chose? I usually dont have all that much time to take pictures. The whole task - while it would probably work, for people that have full time jobs, families, etc. is nearly impossible.

 

[ruben]

I am tempted to say, but not so sure: start previewing images before you raise the camera, and shoot afterwards.

Leica ? The greatest film camera and glass perhaps, flesh and blood of the art of photography during the 20th Century. My nominee for a fast yearly day in honour of our craft. But Leica making you a better photographer ? Are we nuts ?

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[Pickett Wilson]

The more photos you take, the better photographer you will become. If you shoot photos every day, you will become a better photographer. If you practice the guitar every day, you will become a better guitar player. If you cook every day, you will become a better cook. The specific tools aren't as important as consistent practice. But...

Very few people have that level of commitment to anything. Just reality.

And very few people are going to commit to one camera, one lens, one film for a year because, it's easier and more fun to buy stuff and play with it, then to make a commitment to it. For most, the end really isn't the images, they are just the justification for buying the toys. 🙂

 

[Avotius]

When I started I had my Canon AE1 and a horde of Era 100 bw film at my disposal. I would shoot one or two rolls a day for about a year and it helped a lot. I can understand why a Leica or a rangefinder type camera would be useful here too, seeing outside of the frame is the reason I use rangefinders and it really helps you to see better. Now when I use any SLR I feel like its so....limited

 

[maddoc]

Spot-on, IMHO. Also often proved, when the portfolio of a really good and interesting but so far not very famous photographer is introduced here and it turns out that he / she had no photographic education, picked up a camera + one lens + one BW film and started photographing subjects really being interested in.

Personally, I find it hard to do. To many lenses, I like to play with, to many films that I want to experiment with ... 😀

 

[jonmanjiro]

Personally, I find it hard to do. To many lenses, I like to play with, to many films that I want to experiment with ... 😀

I resemble that remark 😀

 

[mfogiel]

Mike Johnston is a very good photography writer, and quite witty too.

 

[35mmdelux]

What Gabor said. Too often I read about published shooters who picked up a camera, one lens and one film, and produce technically great fotos in a few years. Often they say they dont care about the gears.

I would like to do this but I find too many glass I want to try out.

My portraits (my forte, at least in my mind) have gotten much better over the years as a result of studying tons of monographs. TKS for the link.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

The Online Photographer is a blog I read everyday. Useful information there. But it probably helps your hit rate if you have a "Joyful Nudes" link, too.

 

[Spider67]

I realized that taking the photographs is just part of the whole thing. It helped me a lot when during a 3 week stay on Rhodes I had my films developed and scanned ther so that I could have a look at them and learn. So his recommendations about not only taking but also reviweing ones own photos continously are worth remebering.

 

[feenej]

I went to a photography talk he gave at his little shop a few years ago. I agree that he is a good magazine type writer.

 

[Al Patterson]

A lot of folks learned photography with a Pentax K1000 and a 50mm lens. I also started the hobby with just an AE-1 and a 50mm 1.8, and would find that awfully limited these days.

 

[edodo]

I must add to this nice and redondant thread that I really progressed in the craft of photography when I stydied the life and work of Diane Arbus. She is a genius and for me the best photographer of the century. More than studying her pictures which is essential, you should also understand and listen to what she has to say about life and what means photography to her. The same goes for every single already recognized great photographers. It is like painting, you can only become better by learning others achievements.

 

[ZeissFan]

As I accumulate more and more cameras, I've decided to shift to a simpler approach and sometimes go out with just one camera and one lens. Limiting? Yes. Challenging? Definitely.

I think that I'm a better photographer than I was when I was young. But that's only because I'm more patient, more selecting and more thoughtful.

Even so, I think there are many with superior artistic ability, and some people will shoot great and interesting photos from the first time they touch a camera.