Ok, skillz and drillz....

[rzozaya1969]

I was thinking on what I needed to focus on to improve my photos. Actually, there are a lot, but since there is a lot I don't know, it's hard to ask the right questions.

I was thinking on a bike analogy, where there were different pointers that you should focus on when learning, and after handling those you focus on something more, and on and on until you feel you can ride a lot better that when starting.

Now, how about photos, what would be the first tips to focus on? For example, maybe starting by focusing on lighting? or on framing? or light metering? or white balance?

Which would be like begginer drills? Maybe even something as basic as take some objects, put them on a flat surface and try to shoot this or that? or try shooting something with different settings? or something like that.

I don't know if I'm explaining myself in what I would like to know, but a few pointers here and there would be helpfull.

Thanks...

[another view]

I'd say that technique is a good thing to work on. Knowing what you need to do to get the results you want will always be important, and really knowing how to do it will mean less thinking about technique and more on the image you're capturing. Great photographic opportunities don't present themselves every day, and when you have one it's nice not to have to think about how to set the camera. It becomes automatic; you see what you want to shoot and know the result you want, think about what camera mode will be the best choice and if the shutter speed or aperture is the more important of these two choices, etc.

Say you have a brilliant sunset - the light won't last long. I'd see it, grab the tripod, put the camera on spot metering mode and manual, measure a fairly bright area of the sky and have it at +1 with my meter (can't explain it more than that and it's a matter of personal preference anyway), pick about f11, ISO100 and wouldn't care what the shutter speed is unless there's something else in the frame (something moving that might need a specific shutter speed). It gets to the point that it's almost a reflex and you don't even think about it.

This isn't to say that composition and seeing how light works with a photograph are any less important - in fact I'd argue otherwise but not having to really think too much about the technical stuff is a lot of freedom...

[WesternGuy]

If you are interested in the creative side of photography, then just about anything goes. Go crazy with Google and use key words such as photography, technique, method, etc.

One book that I really like is Learning to see Creatively (Revised Edition)by Bryan Peterson. Anything by Freeman Patterson is also good from the creative perspective.

You might want to go to some of the websites of established photographers like John Shaw, George Lepp, Frans Lanting, Dewitt Jones to name a few. Not so much to copy their things, but to get ideas and see how other photographers have approached various types of situations.

You might also look at the Photo Critique section of this forum to see the types of comments that people get from other people on their submissions.

Another idea would be to go to your local library, and look at issues of National Geographic and some of their other publications. In my humble opinion, some of the best examples of good photography can be found in these magazines and books.

Hope this gives you some additional ideas.

Cheers!

WesternGuy

[another view]

Not so much to copy their things, but to get ideas and see how other photographers have approached various types of situations.

Copying can be a great way to learn. Find a shot you like and sort of "reverse engineer" it to try to figure out what settings they used. You won't know exactly, but can guess the aperture based on the lens focal length, how much depth of field and the focusing distance. You can guess the shutter speed based on any movement. You can base you should meter exposure based on how much brighter or darker the shot would look versus what it might look like in program mode, etc. Did they use flash? Where is the light coming from - and most importantly, what is it about that shot that got your attention?

[WesternGuy]

another view - I agree with what you are saying, particularly your point - "what is it about the shot that got your attention". What I meant was that if you find a picture of a water falls or a tree in a field on a professional website, don't go out and try to take a similar "tree-in-a-field" picture. If you find a "tree-in-a-field", try and take a different picture, different angles, different perspective, more sky, less sky,no sky, more tree, less tree, no tree, etc.

HTH

WesternGuy

[Glen A Ford]

if i were learning all over again, i'd focus on:

understanding light and how this affects the picture
understanding lens settings (focal length, lens type, aperture, shutter speed) and how this affects the picture
understanding composition - what makes a good and bad composition
advanced - understanding flash

agree with all the comments above.

[ddkphotos]

Read everything you can get your hands on! I agree Bryan Peterson's and Freeman Paterson's are great books! Check out your local library's photography section.
But you can also search the net for tips and techniques. There is so much info out there... Then go out and try something new... Don't be afraid to mess up - that's the joy of digital - doesn't cost a penny and you can try again right away!
Go look at winning photos... Search online for photo contests... Betterphoto is a great place - go to contest - winners - there is lots of visual eye candy there!
Don't be afraid to ask someone how they did something. 90% of people are more than willing to share!
I don't know how much you know - but I would probably start off with at least a basic understanding of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, exposure and composition. There are great places on the web to get a decent undertanding of the basics...
Good luck and feel free to ask questions!!

[Old Timer]

Very good advice, especially about asking question. Most photographers that I have meet are more than willing to pass on advice when ask.

Diane I just visited your web site and to say that I was impressed would be an understatement. Beautiful images. I love your eye for composition. I hope you stick around PR for a long, long time. You have a lot to offer this community of eager to learn photographers.

[ddkphotos]

WOW! Thanks so much for the lovely feedback! I truly appreciate it!
Considering I'm a newbie to dslr - I'm afraid I won't have that much to share about that - unless you want tips on taking half decent shots with a Fuji S5200... That I sure know a lot about!!
Thanks again!

[rzozaya1969]

Read everything you can get your hands on! I agree Bryan Peterson's and Freeman Paterson's are great books! Check out your local library's photography section.
But you can also search the net for tips and techniques. There is so much info out there... Then go out and try something new... Don't be afraid to mess up - that's the joy of digital - doesn't cost a penny and you can try again right away!
Go look at winning photos... Search online for photo contests... Betterphoto is a great place - go to contest - winners - there is lots of visual eye candy there!
Don't be afraid to ask someone how they did something. 90% of people are more than willing to share!
I don't know how much you know - but I would probably start off with at least a basic understanding of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, white balance, exposure and composition. There are great places on the web to get a decent undertanding of the basics...
Good luck and feel free to ask questions!!

I'm trying to really learn everything. But I'm trying to focus on which steps I need to take, I know I can't just try to learn and practice everything at once.

I think that maybe I can divide a good picture in 4 mayor areas that have to interact to take a great photo, but that's what I think and I can be wrong on this:

1. Composition (I'm including the subject, background, etc. here)
2. Lighting (position of available light sources, flashes, reflectors)
3. Camera settings (how to use the camera, exposure, using a right lens for the job, etc.)
4. Accesories (tripod, flashes, umbrellas or discs or whatever they're called, sorry)

I'm trying to learn pretty much about how to really turn out properly lighted pics now. I know that to get that it's part composition, lighting, exposure and some settings.

I think that taking okay pictures is kinda easier using P&S cameras vs DSLR, since P&S do most of the guess work on the camera settings, while a DSLR is a lot more manual. But by the same token, since a DSLR camera allows to have more control over the photos, it's a better option to turn out better pictures.

I ordered this books last week, but they might arrive by the end of january (I hate waiting, btw):

-Teach Yourself Photography
-Digital Photography For Dummies (Digital Photography for Dummies)
-Learning to See Creatively: Design, Color & Composition in Photography (Updated Edition)

[ddkphotos]

I'm not very patient either!
And I learned how to shoot completely manual over a year ago with my P&S. Once you understand the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO - you'll want to have full control...
Practice practice practice!

[ddkphotos]

Oh and you can go completely auto on a dslr also... Not that I'd ever want to - but in theory you can shoot auto on a point and shoot and dslr and wind up with very similar results... But what's the point??

[another view]

Totally agree with your last two posts... Manual is the only way to guarantee consistent results. Even the best automated matrix metering etc stuff isn't perfect, and even if it was it doesn't know the results that you want. Learning how to shoot manually and also with a spot meter are great investments in your time.

"Seeing" how light works is equally as important, and also takes some time to really understand. This isn't something that you can read too much about; you have to shoot pictures knowing what the light looked like at the time, then review your work to see how it compares. Given some time, you'll learn what light works best for a certain look or effect and what light doesn't.

[rzozaya1969]

Maybe it's dumb, but I finally understood what metering does, and it's how you want to have the combination of camera aperture and shutter speed, and I can adjust it to be overall, center based or spot. neat....

Edit: and this is why it can't be used on full manual settings, right?

[ddkphotos]

What can't be used on full manual settings??

[rzozaya1969]

What can't be used on full manual settings??

Er... metering mode, where you say if you want evaluative, center focused or spot.

[another view]

Two different things. Center Weighted, Matrix and Spot are metering modes (or patterns actually). You would choose one over the other based on what you're trying to meter. I had one camera (Nikon F100) that underexposed in low light with Matrix so I used CW. Matrix also didn't work very well with a lot of highlights, but CW would actually be worse in that situation.

Which one can you always count on? Spot. It measures a small "spot" in the viewfinder, and this way you can base your metering on one small and important area of the shot (person's face for example). You can also meter off something that's pretty much a constant, like a blue sky (that can be tricky) or green grass. Spot really is only a good choice with manual exposure though, and you may not always have the time to use it with fast moving subjects or changing lighting conditions. You'll burn a lot of film (or mb's ) learning it, but it's a great skill to have. And by learning it, you'll know when is a good time to use it, and when it won't make much difference because Matrix will give you the results you want.

[rzozaya1969]

So, metering mode does not only affect the apperture and exposure time? I thought that if you entered manually the aperture and speed, the metering mode didn't apply.