My personal April photo challenge

[Creagerj]

I have no problem taking a lot of pictures. Maybe not as much as some of you out there, but I take as many as my part time job will allow me to afford. This is not a good thing. I've got to break myself of the habbit of taking a picture but not seeing it, and composing it the way I would like to see it. Also I have a hard time with just getting in someone's face a snapping a photo, so I'm always trying to be sneeky. I've realized that this makes for some pictures that were nothing like what you expected. So my cahllenge is to not take any pictures, not unless I absolutly think it will be good. So far I haven't taken anything, so I'm doing well. Its hard to do. Maybe it's something that we should all do. Take a step back and look at all the pictures that you have taken and ask yourself, is it your style or are you just taking pictures for the sake of taking them? As a beginer, I think the worst advice that I have read is "film is cheap, take lots of pictures". Sure its true that taking pictures to practice technique is good, but at some point you've got to start composing and really thinking about the picture. Granted there are some times when thinking is not an option because you just have to take the shot or it will be gone, but for a lot of pictures that you take, there should be some thought going into the moment that you are trying to capture. Also I think I got too caught up in the HCB photo concept. I was just hoping that the picture I was looking for would happen if I took enough pictures. Which it could of, but it didn't. Of all the pictures that I took like that it was a one in one hundred chance that the picture was even decent. Here is my advice to beginers like me...don't just take pictures to take pictures, take pictures to capture an idea, moment, or thought. Take a picture to capture the picture that you see when you close your eyes, not just to capture the first ten feet in front of your lens. I can't wait to get back out there and find a picture, just as soon as I think of something.

 

[remrf]

Although all might not agree I think you are on the right track . I have never been of the "Throw lots of mud on the wall and hope some of sticks" school of photography.

There is a technique I learned as a photographer for the Army 30 plus years ago that I still practice to this day. When I take a camera with me (other than a view camera) I set the focus at infinity and stop the lens down to f-16 or smaller . In Arizona in daylight even with asa 100 film this still means that in most situations I can be shooting at a 125th so there will be no motion blur. At this setting (ON EVERY CAMERA) this means that everything from the near focus point of the lens to infinity will be in sharp focus. So if something happens around me I can quickly raise the camera,frame and shoot without thinking about anything else.

When I see something that I like. Some view, a building, whatever the subject might be I can look it over and decide on what exposure setting and focus setting will achieve the effect I desire and make the changes at that time. For that shot. And then I reset the camera to the above mentioned setting.

As to subject matter. What floats yer' boat? What images have you seen that you thought were excellent photographs? Look at them and decide what elements of the image affected you positively. Try to incorporate those elements into your shooting. Look at those results. Let your desire for shooting well be your teacher. You know what you want. Go get it.

And good luck .

 

[RML]

My April challenge is to get my drive back!