One Thing

In a landscape, the sky is the main organ of sentiment.

This is paraphrased from a quote by an Engish painter (Tarbox?) and has been helpful to me, despite the archaic language. I think I read it in an article by Ansel Adams.
 
Sounds Like My Old Man

Sounds Like My Old Man

Don't hesitate to talk to people.
My old man would add, 'if a man with skill is willing to teach you, wear out his door mat'.
And I would add, 'When shooting people, don't hesitate to talk to them, and then listen.'
 
Look at lots of photos, decide if YOU think they are good or not, if so why and how can you avoid the problems or take advantage of the good things. Then shoot things that you like and are passionate about...over and over.
 
Content and framing are the most important aspects of photography (after you've learned the technical basics). A technically perfect photo with bad framing and no content is still a bad photo.

Post processing (whether in the darkroom or on the computer), is necessary if you take your work serious and want optimum results.
 
Don't lose sight of the '(__blank__)' while focusing on the '(__blank__)'

Fill in the blanks above using the following: 'big picture' / 'details'
 
After 30+ years in the News business... it would be... PRESENT yourself.

Dress better, stick up for yourself, EARN respect, and (firmly, not loudly or nastily, much better with a smile) don't take any poop from subject or client.

Even if you're making pix of the kids, in the backyard... you are a PLAYER in the process, and you ought to look and behave like one. That's what it means to Present Yourself.

Greg.
 
"f/8 and be there." Quit thinking/reading/talking/obsessing about gear and technique. Get out there and take/make photos. Good photos result from something like 30% subject/action, 20% light, 25% photographer's ability to recognize/anticipate/exploit good subject/action/light, 15% post processing technique (digital or analog), 10% gear and 0% on whether you use film or digital.
 
The advice it helped me the most was to plan pictures instead of just "going out" hoping that something
will happen. If you shot sport think what kind of images you would like to produce and can be planned, don't hope that your 11fps camera will magically allow you to stop the split second the ball hits the bat just before that run, think at what definitively will happen just before and after which will guarantee you end 99% with a decent picture if a run happens. If you want to shot homeless people don't hope you will find some by walking in some area of your town, plan to contact someone to work with, take time, talk to them, gain their trust. It worked for me.

GLF
 
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