Improving your photography

[Leifer]

Hey guys. I find myself always wanting to improve my photography. Both technically and artistically. My question for you, is what steps do you take to improve your craft. Do you put yourself out side your comfort zone? Do you set goals for yourself etc? Thanks for your time, Leifer.

 

[lynnb]

this might help: http://www.photographyblackwhite.com/finding-vision/
Note, April 2020: the link is no longer active. This is probably what I linked.. at least, I know I've read it before and I'm fairly sure this is it:
“Finding Your Own Vision” by Arno Rafael Minkkinen

look at lots of pictures
take lots of pictures
work out what you're really interested in, and keep working at it
think about why some pictures work and others don't
keep at it every day
It's a never-ending journey, because art is a conversation (even if that conversation is only one you have with yourself).

- that's what works for me.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I always face two choices.
Improve my photography to meet requirements for general public or improve it for my internal environment.
For first I look what others like. For second I look deeply into myself.

 

[benji77]

this might help: http://www.photographyblackwhite.com/finding-vision/

look at lots of pictures
take lots of pictures
work out what you're really interested in, and keep working at it
think about why some pictures work and others don't
keep at it every day
It's a never-ending journey, because art is a conversation (even if that conversation is only one you have with yourself).

- that's what works for me.

Thank you for the superb link. It was a great read that gave me quite a bit to think about!

 

[thegman]

I started getting a little happier with my photography when I started making more of an effort.

For me, just having a camera with me and taking photos was not working. So I started bothering to hump about larger cameras and tripods etc. Getting out at the right time for the right light etc.

I don't pretend I'm taking great (or even good) photos, but I'm happier with them than I was.

Lynn is right, in my opinion, to find something that interests you, not everyone wants to be a street photographer taking B&W pictures, it might not be for you. I mean does the human condition fascinate you?

Again, I agree with Lynn, look at why some photos work and some don't. I was looking at a couple of mine a few days ago, and found them pleasant enough but sort of boring. I realised because simply, there was no foreground interest, and not much background. A pleasant enough scene, but interesting? Not really. So now I'll work on getting in foreground interest and more variety in the background.

Fundamentally, what do you want to hang on your wall? Take those sorts of photos.

 

[michaelwj]

I might try to expand on a few of Lynn's points as they work for me;

Look at lots of pictures - excellent advice, but be critical. Why does it work? I find Eric Kim does this sometimes, worth the read. For example, I don't particularly like Alex Webbs work, but I love how he uses harsh light and deep blacks.

Take lots of pictures - but make sure you're critical of why some work and some don't. Take it on yourself to be a harsh editor of your own work.

And of course, it has to interest you. But bear in mind that its okay for your interests to change, you will carry all your experience with you. I used to do mostly straight landscape, now I find myself doing a lot more environmental portraiture, but I carry all my landscape experience into a portrait.

The technical part is easy.

Most of all, enjoy the journey.

Michael

 

[pressureworld]

this might help: http://www.photographyblackwhite.com/finding-vision/

look at lots of pictures
take lots of pictures
work out what you're really interested in, and keep working at it
think about why some pictures work and others don't
keep at it every day
It's a never-ending journey, because art is a conversation (even if that conversation is only one you have with yourself).

- that's what works for me.

Thank you for the link Lynn. It is a powerful testimony that can be applied to life. I needed to read that!

 

[shadowfox]

This may help also:
http://www.zuikography.com/?p=175

I wrote that a couple years ago when I struggled with what kind of photographer I am (wanted to be).

 

[mfogiel]

Leifer.
Learning photography is like forming a character. You have to try things and learn from successes and mistakes - above all from mistakes. Try taking photographs the way you want them to look, not the way you think people expect them to look.
On the technical side, simplify to the extreme before you will really be able to say that gear and technique are limiting you. Start with B&W, one camera, one lens. If you want to be a reporter or do landscape, take a 35mm, if you want to shoot people, take the 50mm. If you use film, take one ISO 400 film ( Tri X, HP5) and one developer (D76 1+1 , HC110 dil H) for a couple of years. Have fun!

 

[Bill Clark]

I'm always wanting to improve my photography. I have found no one to help me after my mentors passing.

 

[pete hogan]

After 60+ years of this, I don't take a picture unless there's something interesting to see. I don't worry a lot about composition, but I always shoot a couple of frames. Mostly, I use an old Zorki 1c. I satisfy the technical variables by metering and using Tri-X and commercial processing and scanning to keep the reliability up.

Some pictures stand up well when I look at them over a few months, some don't. If someone else likes them, I'm pleased but not too proud. It's a hobby. Others in our family are much better photographers.

 

[f16sunshine]

A few things..

Read the War of Art by Stephen Presfield
It's a series of "Mantras" on how to avoid procrastination and distractions so one can get down to getting some work done.
I have it on Audiobook and enjoy listening once a year during a long drive.

Beyond that consume everything you can possibly find interesting to seek out gems of inspiration.

Share the work you are most unsure of in order to find what others see and also what you may or may not see.
I find the RFF gallery and flickr good for this. It's easier to get subjective opinions when you are sharing images with people who likely have no other place in your life than photography.
In other words. Your GF, wife,son, or workmate is not likely to see the image as purely an image without considering what they know of you.
Especially if they are in it 😉

 

[jwc57]

this might help: http://www.photographyblackwhite.com/finding-vision/

look at lots of pictures
take lots of pictures
work out what you're really interested in, and keep working at it
think about why some pictures work and others don't
keep at it every day
It's a never-ending journey, because art is a conversation (even if that conversation is only one you have with yourself).

- that's what works for me.

Thanks for the link. That reflects the struggle I've gone through the past two years. After looking back through years of slides and negatives, I realized that I have always had a style and vision, I just never really realized it. I hear so many photographers say they are doing weddings and portraits with their "unique vision/eye", and have concluded they don't really have a unique vision/eye--their websites looks like every other wedding photographer and portrait photographer.

It was at this forum that I found styles and vision I liked and could relate to. The images I find here are about the only ones that inspire me.

 

[pvdhaar]

In 2005, I started doing a 1 photo a week, and kept it going all the time. It's amazing what setting myself the challenge of creating at least one good image every week has done for me. And that's not limited to the purely technical improvements. It's great to see myself evolve in what, how and why I shoot what I shoot..

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Improve your photography?

That's everyone's dream.

There's only a problem: what's the standard? Who sets it? Who will come and decide whether you made it?

You

Hence, photograph whatever there is you like. There'll be a print later for you to judge (and don't be lenient). Get used to the fact that a LOT of your shots won't be good, not even passable, but heck, it's a hobby, you don't have to excel. All you need is be satisfied with your work and cultivate that little editor we all have in our head, so that you can set your own standards. As KoFer said, there's two audiences, the public out there, and you.

I was struggling with this for a long time until I realized that there's a huge number of good photographers out there (and by that, I mean people whose photographs I'd like to buy, not just copy), and then decided to shoot things I like and that I find similar to what they do. Then, I found some kind of inner peace and now I just don't care: I shoot what I want and then throw it all away if I don't like it.

Take care! 🙂

 

[bence8810]

In 2005, I started doing a 1 photo a week, and kept it going all the time. It's amazing what setting myself the challenge of creating at least one good image every week has done for me. And that's not limited to the purely technical improvements. It's great to see myself evolve in what, how and why I shoot what I shoot..

I do something very similar. If you guys care to look, here's the site I set up to challenge myself:

http://www.newdaynewface.com

I set out the same goal as the above quote and went with it. Unfortunately I am failing to meet my own deadline, not with taking photos but posting them. I am far from comfortable with Wordpress and posting them eats up a lot of time.

Still the struggle keeps me going, as bizarre as it may sound.


Good luck!
Ben

 

[Lauffray]

As others have said, you have to set concrete goals as to what kind of work you will be happy with, and only you are the judge of whether or not you're there yet or not. So you have to be honest with yourself and more critical

 

[Lauffray]

I do something very similar. If you guys care to look, here's the site I set up to challenge myself:

http://www.newdaynewface.com

I set out the same goal as the above quote and went with it. Unfortunately I am failing to meet my own deadline, not with taking photos but posting them. I am far from comfortable with Wordpress and posting them eats up a lot of time.

Still the struggle keeps me going, as bizarre as it may sound.


Good luck!
Ben

How many are you posting a day, one ? Wordpress can be a bit complicated to navigate at first, have you given Tumblr (hipster alert) a try ? Their upload process is super simple

 

[bence8810]

How many are you posting a day, one ? Wordpress can be a bit complicated to navigate at first, have you given Tumblr (hipster alert) a try ? Their upload process is super simple

One a week. The problem is that I want to tag the location as well so it shows on the map. I need to prepare the coordinates and then link the location to the post. It's not that bad but still time consuming.

Haven't yet tried Tumblr, I run my own site off of a hosted server I rent out of the U.S.

Ben

 

[Lauffray]

One a week. The problem is that I want to tag the location as well so it shows on the map. I need to prepare the coordinates and then link the location to the post. It's not that bad but still time consuming.

Haven't yet tried Tumblr, I run my own site off of a hosted server I rent out of the U.S.

Ben

By hosted you mean you're with the free Wordpress.com service or you're running your own ?
There's a couple of plugins you can install that make it easier to geo tag, you can type a location instead of looking for lat/lon yourself

https://wordpress.org/plugins/geo-my-wp/
https://wordpress.org/plugins/mygeopositioncom-geotags-geometatags/
https://wordpress.org/plugins/geo-tag/