One of the problems with being an internet junkie is you spend a lot of time reading. Mix that with a bit of obsessive-compulsive and you read even more. I treat the internet like a college course sometimes, reading and reading and soaking up as much as I can. This is the same for my lofe of photography, where I read blogs, forums, browse flickr tags, etc., and try to learn as much as I can, getting inspiration from other photographers. On the plus side, there’s a lot to learn and plenty of places to learn it, along with plenty of people to write about it and teach you. The hindside is that most of these folks are good. Darn good. So what happens when your photos don’t turn out as cool as theirs did? This can lead to frustration, which appears to be quite common. The trick is to hang in there, stick with it, and keep trying.
Shoot as much as possible. Shoot different subjects in different lighting situations, and even the same subjects in different situations. The great thing about digital photography is digital film is free! In the old days you’d shoot countless rolls of film and wait for them to be developed, only to discover you didn’t quite get the shot you wanted. Having an LCD with an info-filled histogram right on the back of the camera is the key to getting a great shot since you can tweak what you need to in order to get it.
A few weeks ago I hit a point where I needed to stop reading, stop comparing myself, and just shoot. Since that point I’ve felt better about my photography, and the bit of reading I still do, gives me some ideas for the next shoot. I’m still as short on time as ever, but I’ve got some ideas to change that. I also found a few blog posts that really made things *click* for me, pardon the pun. They are:
- Did You Judge Your First Flight? – by Me Ra Koh
- Transform – by Zack Arias
Enjoy!
Pingback: robert e. klimkiewicz, jr. photography » Joe McNally: Location Lighting Techniques