Photography-101 – My Lessons Learned - 3

in #photofeed6 years ago

EXPERIMENT WITH DIFFERENT STYLES OF PHOTOGRAPHY


What I so enjoyed about attending Southeaster Center For The Arts (Now The Creative Circus) in Atlanta, back in the early nineties, was the fact that I was able to experiment with every kind of photography.


My classes included:

  • Fine art black and white 35mm shooting and darkroom printing.
  • Fine art color 35mm shooting and darkroom printing.
  • Color transparency and print 35mm shooting for art and events.
  • Studio product and food photography and lighting techniques using a 4x5 camera and transparency film.
  • Architectural photography using a 4x5 camera and transparency film.
  • Landscape and nature photograph using all camera formats.
  • Studio and location portrait photography using studio lighting and natural lighting, medium format and 35mm cameras, and black and white and color print film.
  • Wedding photography techniques and lighting using medium format and 35mm print film.
  • Street photography using 35mm black and white and color print film.
  • Creating art images using only the darkroom enlarger and the subject matter (photograms)
  • Art theory.
  • The business of photography.
  • History of photography.
  • A photography internship. (Mine was with CNN in Atlanta, going on assignment with the staff photographers to photograph famous wrestlers and boxers, and also photographing them in the studio!)

All classes were taught by working professionals in their fields, so what we learned was immediately transferable to real-life photography careers. My classmates went on to be portrait and wedding photographers, food photographers, architectural photographers, corporate photographers and sports photographers. Each seemed to be able to focus on one area of photography that they loved to shoot. I alone became a generalist stock photographer, which suited me well, because I could shoot everything from lifestyle to studio or travel photography, and enjoy it all!

During my first semester at college, I was introduced to black and white photography, the ideal place to start because it was easier to learn about composition and lighting without the added complication of color which makes our images more complex!


boardwalk over marsh.jpg
Image ©Diane Macdonald. All Rights Reserved.
Click on the image to view full screen!


CameraCanon EOS 5D Mark II
LensEF50mm f/1.4 USM
Exposure1/320 sec; f/20; ISO 320
LocationSt. Augustine, Florida
Post-processingAdobe Photoshop® CC 2017, Adobe Camera Raw, Nik Silver Efex Pro

I don’t think there’s any such thing as teaching people photography, other than influencing them a little. People have to be their own learners. They have to have a certain talent.
– Imogen Cunningham


There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.
– Ernst Haas


If I have any ‘message’ worth giving to a beginner it is that there are no shortcuts in photography.
– Edward Weston


So, if you are just starting out, you may want to concentrate on black and white for a while. You can set your smartphone or point-and-shoot camera to black and white and forget about it. If you have a DSLR camera, you may want to shoot in raw + black and white jpeg (and let the camera make some decisions for you.) I would not advise this for someone who is quite advanced in photography, because part of the thrill of black and white photography is having control over the output. You become like Ansel Adams, deciding which shadows and highlights need to be darkened and which need to be lightened. When you shoot with the camera's black and white setting, you have not participated in the artistic output, and the camera has made all the decisions for you.

Also:

  • Experiment with portraiture and portraiture lighting both in a formal setting, and in an environmental setting.
  • Experiment with high key lighting; Experiment with low key lighting.
  • Experiment with setting up objects to shoot in a “studio” setting. You don't need to have an actual studio or fancy studio lights. There are countless lessons on the web explaining how you can achieve this. Use GOOGLE!
  • Experiment with landscape and city photography. Shoot close up, then step back a few feet. Look up, look down, crouch down. Don't shoot everything at your normal eye level.
  • Experiment shooting nature and other objects with a macro lens or the macro setting on your smartphone.
  • Experiment with a wide angle lens for more than landscapes
  • Experiment with the panorama setting on your smartphone, or use a tripod with your DSLR and stitch images together in Adobe Photoshop.
  • Experiment being almost invisible and catching people in interesting street scenes.

Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst. Henri Cartier-Bresson


Experiment, experiment, experiment until you discover what it is you love to shoot. Don't worry if you can't decide on one thing. It doesn't matter! But in the process, you will have learned a few techniques along the way. No one says you have to shoot only landscape, or only people etc.

In fact, if you do concentrate on only one area of photography, you will be defined by it, and it will be hard for you to step outside of those constraints because of the expectations of others. Just think about actors who have been cast in a particular role. It's difficult for me to see Jack Nicholson as anything other than a bad guy. LOL!

Whatever you choose to do, remember:

What matters most is not what others feel about your photography, but about what photography makes you feel! - Diane Macdonald


My list in this series, including links to the subject matter already covered.

  • Don't compare yourself with other photographers.
  • Love what you do.
  • Experiment with different styles of photography.
  • Your photographs tell more about you than about the scene.
  • Don't be an equipment snob.
  • Focus more at first on good composition than on technical skills.
  • Think of post-processing as the digital darkroom.
  • Shoot what is in your own neighborhood.
  • Flip the camera and take vertical shots.
  • Even great photographers are remembered for only 1 or two GREAT shots in a lifetime.
  • Avoid the SVS (Standard Vacation Shots) as much as possible.
  • Use cloudy and rainy days to your advantage.
  • Get up early.
  • Capture city shots just after sundown.
  • Travel light with camera gear.
  • Don't be afraid to include people in travel shots.
  • Photograph architecture with the full sun on the building front.
  • Experiment with all kinds of software.
  • Use on-camera flash on sunny days.
  • Take many photos of one thing that excites you, and edit.
  • Submit images with strong concepts to stock agencies.
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I feel like the variety of contests on Steemit offers a mini photography school, especially with your helpful lessons.

Yes, you can experiment with just about everything!!

Good to know my first 10,000 photos are my worst. I'm on to better ones. lol

I compare myself all the time and therefore believe I suck. Best word to describe it.

I love photography. I want to be really good at it and think about it all the time. I asked my husband if he thought about what or where to photograph. No, he does not. He thinks stories and characters, I don't.

I love to look at photos and analyse them, how it was set up, what was the main focus, color, lighting., composition. Was it over edited and why the photographer did that - some like it. I'm not a fan but each to his own, right? I look for an emotion or meaning. etc etc etc.

I've never heard of using a flash on a sunny day. Why would that be necessary?

These tips are very helpful Diane. Thank you.

Aha! coming up in a future lesson! I seldom use camera flash except on a sunny day.! :-)

I just read this post and thot of you - you'll be happy to learn this if you haven't already. https://steemit.com/steemit/@donkeypong/using-google-image-search-after-the-recent-change

Thanks for thinking of me!! I didn't know it had happened yet, but we Getty contributors have been asking Getty to do something about Google for ages. It’s our work that was being stolen, and of course Getty was losing money too because of it. The news will be on my Contributor site, but I haven’t been up there in a few days. I think the damage has been done, but it would be great for my business if it could be reversed! Prople are already screaming that it’s inconvenient because they see it as their right to take copyright material.

It makes it easier to find plagiarized photos. I helped someone tonight and so much easier - it takes me right to the website. So that's good news .... baby steps.

That’s what we asked Getty to make Google do! It has taken a while, but Yay for them!

I just read my Contributor Email which has been sitting in my inbox since the 9th. Lol! There was no lawsuit. That post does not have it quite right. I’m going to write about it tomorrow based on the info I got from Getty.

I’ve had 2 images that I know of swiped and used here on Steemit, and by high earners too - not newbies with a 25 score! It has been very frustrating!

Of course, this is not going to stop people from linking to some website where an image is being used and claiming it as the source. But it is a step in the right direction to protect copyright holders.

Just did a search and found some of my own images linked to various agencies. Yay!

I don't get it. 😳

LOL! What don't you get? I'm a stock photgrapher, so my images should show up on the agency sites, because that's where they are waiting to be licensed. :-)

You hit the mail on the head with "Love what you do"! I preach that all the time... If you are not enjoying, no matter how good you are, whats the point? Well done.

Glad we are of the same mind! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!

This is very helpful this information because i wont to learn as much as i can about photography, and the only way to do this is to listen to the advise and direction of experienced people. Thank you.
I have to say i am adicted to macro at the moment.
The other thing i love and i can see by your pictures is that we can all look through the lenses together but see something different.
I guess that's why its a passion that only grows with endurance and along the way there is so many euphoria's to experience. Because every day, every moment, every light presents an opportunity. ( To catch that very special shot)
Thank you for your article and i look forward to seeing your artistic expressions.

I am glad you like it. I am trying to keep it as simple as possible, and hopefully motivational too! thanks for stopping by!

I came so close to going to school for photography when I was 20. Then I learned I was pregnant. He was worth the trade off. :D

Although, if I had of went, I could see myself being a generalist stock photographer. I tend to enjoy variety in just about all of my interests.

Of course he was. :-)I graduated from college for the third time when I was in my forties. That's when I finally studied photography, so it is never too late! LOL!

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Great advise Diane. Nice list. I'll try to keep several of these suggestions top of mind.

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