Are you sitting in front of your computer now thinking how will I improve my photography?
I know I was but I am not about to start telling you as I don't think I am qualified to do so. The only advice I can give you is get out there with the camera and shoot as often as you can (I know you are probably sat there thinking this is all photographers say but its the only way) this makes you aware of the world around you and makes you start taking notice of every little detail, a shooting bud, a tiny insect, a moody sky, a perfect candid moment etc etc. Once you have learnt to view the world through a photographers eyes (and you will know when that happens when you start noticing things on your travels you wouldn't have paid attention to before) then you will be ready to sit down and start to learn the science behind the settings (and let me warn you this is a science and not something I have fully mastered yet).
Will I learn fast? (sounds silly but I know the frustration of "I just don't get it")
Well this is down to the time you put into it. For me shooting nearly everyday has made me aware of the settings and where to apply them for each situation. And in the space of 11 months my photography has improved tremendously and that's thanks to Practical Photography and Flickr
Should I join a course?
For me this is something I strongly think is a must. Not just to learn about settings but to give you focus as I am sure like me you were taking photos not of things that are not interesting but not in an interesting sort of way. Any one can take a picture but its how it is viewed that makes that picture and to hold that attention you must create a master piece and this will all be down to its framing, composition, depth of field, point of view and so on. I am not saying go out and spend hundreds of pounds on sitting courses but find something like I did with Practical Photography join your local camera club, go to college or simply just open an account with flickr. Just by joining in with one of these courses, clubs or internet groups gives you plenty of things to focus on and gives you a direction and motivation to shoot more often. Flickr for me has been a godsend as there is plenty of groups to join and fun things to join in with and in time you will find out what sort of photography it is you enjoy most. For me at the moment still life and macro has kind of become my thing which shocked me when it happened but I just love the way things look close up and I love experimenting with water drops, smoke, fire anything really that can create some great finishes.
Do I Need All The Expensive Kit?
In an ideal world we would all love the expensive kit but that is simply not possible unless you are one of the fortunate. But I will touch on this in another post as there are many ways of getting "similar" looking shots to the pros with things lying around your home (no I don't compare my shots with pros with the best kit but I do try and get the look just on a budget because sooner or later you will want kit you simply can't afford and with these items it will get you closer to the shot you want)
What if my shots are not up to standards?
Let me tell you we are our own worse critiques you will never know how good/bad your shots are unless you put them in front of like minded people then you will find out shots you think are great others don't get yet images you think are bad for some reason other people love them. Its nice to love your own shots but as Ansel Adams once said "there are two people involved in a photograph the photographer and the viewer" and in every shot you need to try and please the viewer and the only way to find that out is to get viewers hence flickr is a great resource.
In The Space Of 11 Months I Have Gone From The Fungi Above To The Beautiful Blue Flower Below
So don't forget the main tip I can give you is get out there take photos and join some sort of group or course to gain direction and motivation
Thank you again for viewing my blog
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