Improving as a photographer

Anton,

I would just like to add that, based on your first post, I expected all of your photos to be, frankly, really horrible. Now that I have seen them, I realize that that's not at all the case. My point isn't to compliment you (though there's nothing wrong with doing that). My point is that you can learn as much from the aspects of your photos that worked well as from the parts that don't.

So, don't beat yourself up too much. Otherwise, you'll get so frustrated that you won't enjoy either the process or the results of photography. You'll probably also not improve very much.

You are off to a great start. I too was expecting horrid stuff but these are quite good. You have a good eye, something you can refine quite easily and it is the aspect of photography hardest to teach. By "eye" I mean the ability to see a good opportunity.

An important step, and this has already been mentioned, is to simplify and force the viewer to see the most important element in the image.

In the bridge it is the arch,the repeating poles and the reflection. The height gauge is just a distraction. I suspect you would have to be in the canal to avoid it. So a bit of a problem.

The blackbird just needs less background, try cropping so you have the bird, the mossy stones and just the overarching branch as a framing member. See if you like it better that way.

The cathedral (?) may be a job for another day. The lines of the building with the convergence to the centre and then the upsweep of the tower is very good in leading the viewers eye. The sky is the problem. So another day or move to the a new country


The two with the leaves at the fore. Defocus and blur (use a larger aperture/smaller f/stop) the background if that is the thing you want the viewer to see.

The sky is the problem with the stairway. Otherwise it is very good.

And the last image. Get rid of the large white object in the background. It is distracting from the ripples on the water. And avoid the out of focus leaves in the immediate foreground altogether as they add nothing. {More seriously; the only problem is the foreground leaves}

Thanks Trevor,
As i said in the post with the pictures, they were just the L-JPG's SOOC with no cropping or PP, so i can easily apply what you suggest to the RAW files.
I also liked your comment about shooting the Cathedral again or moving to another Country :lol:

The 2 foliage pictures i was going for the blurred bokeh effect but they are poor!
Finally, the stair picture i agree was probably the best of the ones posted, unfortunately i had to compose it that way because there was a nasty grey junction box on the left which looked horrible in shot so i had to sacrifice the composition.

Thanks again to everyone who offered and posted excellent advice, It has rekindled my motivation and i have certainly learned some valuable knowledge :)

Hi Anton,
I think I'm around the same level as you on the learning curve. Let's go forward together! I take many photos and I chuck out almost as many but I'm slowly learning what's good or not. Patience and practice and you will develop a feel for what you like and develop your own style. At the end of the day if you're happy with the result then that is all that matters. We'll get there.

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Originally Posted by Mito

At the end of the day if you're happy with the result then that is all that matters. We'll get there.

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Thanks Brian,
That comment is so true.
I tried to check out your images on Flickr (in your signature) but the link takes you to the Flickr homepage :(

Anton;

One thing I have learned is not to look at your pictures right away; it sounds silly but with a little time you get a different perspective on what you like and what you don't. Remember if it was film rather than digital you would probably have to wait a day or two for the results, unless youhad your own darkroom. The other thing I believe is that your best photo is always going to be the next one you take!

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Originally Posted by DEWS1717

Anton;

One thing I have learned is not to look at your pictures right away; it sounds silly but with a little time you get a different perspective on what you like and what you don't. Remember if it was film rather than digital you would probably have to wait a day or two for the results, unless youhad your own darkroom. The other thing I believe is that your best photo is always going to be the next one you take!

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That is good advice :)
I looked back through some of the very first images i took when i got my camera and i found this:
http://i47.tinypic.com/2dubfc2.jpg

My very first long exposure, (3rd time using of the camera)
I know composition wise it is poor but i do actually think it is better than i originally thought.

Anton

You are on the right track. My 2 bob's worth.
Firstly undestand exposure (aperture,shutterspeed, ISO)
Secondly get to know how your gear works. It must be second nature.
Thirdly - Just take plenty of shots and don't be too hard on yourself.
Finally - try to develop a style/genre so that if you are really good, people will know you took the shot. I've set myself a goal of improving and I've tried to master too many genres and I've got stuck at times. I'm slowly starting to find my niche and this has made it easier.

The nice thing about photography is that there is always something new to learn, so its a lifelong learning experience. At the end of the day it is really only your opinion that counts. Just get out there and go for it.

All of us have heard: Practice Makes perfect. But, the truth is perfect practice makes perfect. Practicing crappy habits will not make perfect.

What this means to me is: When you get ready to go shoot something, consciously pick one or two aspects of picture making and then go shoot to see how to accomplish certain goals in those aspects of picture making. Example: Say one day, for a couple of hours, you will pay extra attention to composing the image in the frame while shooting. Another time, perhaps, playing with depth of field and another backlit subjects etc.

One good exercise in composition is to learn to simplify! Before you even put the camera to your face, think and see a clear mental image of what you want to include and what you want to exclude from the scene in front of you. As you pay more and more attention to this way of thinking, the clutter in images will slowly disappear.

Simply put, for each shooting session set SPECIFIC GOALS to experiment with. Do not just go shoot shoot shoot randomly without any goal in mind hoping for happy accidents.

1. Have a goal
2. Slow down your pace of working while shooting
3. Always, share your results with people whom you value as good critics
4. Take the given advice and go shoot again to see if you SEE things differently from that point

Best wishes and enjoy yourself.

Hi Anton, I had a play with some of your pics, hope thats ok. Gives you another perspective of what others might see in your images.

http://i48.tinypic.com/16kopyh.jpg

http://i50.tinypic.com/23k6j9d.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/fu0x87.jpg

Hi Anton,

You've put my mind to work. I have so often looked at the work of others and asked myself, what makes that shot appealing? What is it that differentiate a good photographer from the rest?

Shooting as many shots as possible hoping a couple will be good is not the answer. Shooting to make every shot count is aiming in the right direction. Photographers do not take pictures, photographers capture images.

Look at an image trough your viewfinder evaluating it and decide if you are going to take the shot or not. Avoid snapping just for the sake of taking pictures. The only time you should snap is to test the settings you are trying to perfect, aiming to capture the essence of the mood of the moment. Put your heart into the camera, make the camera see what you feel.

If it does not tell a story it is not worth capturing.

Thanks for all continued advice, rest assured i am taking it all on board :)
I was going through some pics i took a while back, this image was shot badly, (underexposed because of the sun coming through the trees)
but i spent some time in CR playing around and think i have managed to get a useable picture from it lol

http://i48.tinypic.com/awoqdd.jpg

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Originally Posted by Downunder

Hi Anton, I had a play with some of your pics, hope thats ok. Gives you another perspective of what others might see in your images.

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I wont quote the pics, but i like what you have done, especially the B&W bridge with a crop :)