Photos:
how drftwood duz it?
This is not about how to become a professional photographer or photojournalist. I am neither, though I suspect to be them, you need a real good business sense on top of fine skills, or be so utterly naturally genius that others are willing to do the work for you.
This is about the drftwood way to take pics, which is all I know, which is not much. I will say that the photography world is guilty as any of making people think they and their equipment are inadequate and need more stuff and more schooling and all that. So be real suspicious of that message "you need more study and better equipment." Might be true, in which case by all means go for it, but might very well set you off in the wrong direction as well.
Sez I: taking is about three things. Creativity, enjoyment, and letting loose. Creativity and your eye balls are the equipment that matters, and usually what needs the most work. Shoots, there are even award winning photographers out there whose eyeballs don't work anymore. Shows what can happen with creativity and pure enjoyment in taking pics. More than enough very established pro's will say it is much more a case of needing "crazy in the brainy" (creativity and unique personality and perspective) rather than classroom teaching.
My approach is certainly not for all, but hopefully worth an ounce of meaning for someone out there!
Teachers and inspire'ers
Big credit where credit is due: thanks to Erik Liongoren from the Philippines for showing me how it is done, in 2003. Till then, everyone kept saying I should give photography a serious go, but problem was, I'd look around and see all these serious-ernie-goon "pro" photographers, who were always so super serious, about it. Cool if that is for you, but no inspiration in that for me! Erik and his mohawk would be dancing and jumping and shimmying and laughing while taking the pics. Makes people smile right there on the spot, gives pointers, makes a good time. All the worry and focus on equipment and skill mean nothing if taking the pic was not fun in the first place!
Another big influence has been www.kenrockwell.com: a site run by a guy who puts all things photo in the clear and simple. I first read about "measurebation" on his site. This is when people (primarily men I suspect!) way over-focus on tech specs, newest gear, debates about minute differences in sharpness only visible in a lab, and the megapixel myth: that utter useless and blatant sales ploy that 10mp will make your better than a 6mp job. Hey, I dig the techno-mania as much as anyone - like appreciating the art and specs of cars without ever driving them - but don't confuse it with taking pics. You want good pics, take what you gots, get out there and find what you like - loud colors, bizarre facial expressions, water drops, abstraction, shadows, animals, whatever - and have fun with it! If you are worried about what equipment to buy, get real familiar with his advice. Take to get better. Spend all day online reading debates on this or that if you are looking for entertainment, avoiding work or whatever. Maybe the greatest influence though has been the people around me, friends who dig the and have been tireless in encouragement and promoting my and making it so easy for taking to be so much fun. Without this, I'd still be the old me, though with a lot more cash instead of very cumbersome camera gear :) Thank you!
Now for the pointers:
1. Look for a different perspective
No eye-level pics, cuz that is where we already see everything from. Pics from a different perspective - high, low, hither, yonder, these are more interesting because people usually have not seen the subject from that perspective.
2. Avoid the obvious!
When everyone is taking the same pic of the same subject, you will not get far taking the same pic as everyone else! Yes, I am using lots of exclamation marks "!" because this really needs to be emphasized! Pop a couple snaps for your memories, and then have a good look around to find a perspective or subject that everyone is missing because they are so blindly focused on whatever glorious thing is in front of their faces.
3. Don't be shy about your creativity
This is, for better or worse, what I might be good at. You spot a good shot, which requires rolling around in the dirt. Of course, the normal human has a natural/social aversion to doing such things, especially when other humans are around. But when I get a camera in hand, not me! You gots to jump around, climb on something, get upside-down, roll in the dirt to get that pic, don't be shy, that just makes it all more fun! I am quite used to people laughing at me, or looking at me real suspicious, until I show them the pic, then they understand (if I'm lucky)!
4. Be prepared
Especially when traveling around, is quite often that the window of opportunity for the shot of a lifetime is anywhere from 5-10 seconds. That's it. So if your machine is not on the ready then and there, adios amigo to what would have been a favorite!
5. Natural light
Work out how to use your camera to utilize natural light (which often means low light) the best, and avoid using a flash. Or, if you have to use the flash, bounce it or defuse it, which looks better than harsh, head-on light. If low light, jack up the ISO, lower the exposure compensation (the little + - which makes lighter or darker - make yours darker) hold the camera on a rock, table or anything solid, or bring your elbows in , stand stable and hold your breath which you take the slow-shutter pic.
6. Take heaps
In the digital age, why take one when you can take 10? Take lots, and use the instant feedback to make a better shot. Buddy Erik said that I was able to learn in a year with digital what took him around seven years to learn with film, because of the instant feedback and ability to continually take and adjust and take more. But, there is a dark side...
7. Think!
Downside of digital is that rather than think about a shot, you can just take 50 and pic the best. Each shot of film cost money, and what better way to get people to really think about how to make a pic worth the cost. This is where real development of skill comes in, and with digital, if you are not careful, its quite easy for forget this!
8. Are you shopping for a camera?
What would I recommend? The easiest to use, and not the flashiest fashion accessory. The camera that gets out of your way, and does what you want it to do with least fuss is a good camera. It's a balance between convenience and function. Big cameras with giant lenses are high on function but very low on convenience. If you want a fashion accessory, that's fine, but you likely won't get the best camera. In general though, wide-angle lenses seem to be the most useful, even more than big zoom for many people. Fashion accessory cameras go down to about 35-38mm at the wide end. Go for something at 28mm, or lower. Or, get a camera you like, with good zoom, and if it is narrow (35mm or higher) at the wide end, then get one of those conversion lens attachments that screw on to the front, and give you anywhere from .8x to .4x magnification. In other words, you can see a lot more! It might be distorted, and not as sharp, but so what if the pic looks good! Great for group shots and panoramas. To say it again, biggest is not best. That big camera with the loooooong lens might be impressive, but dag does it hurt the shoulder and back, and get in your way like nothing. It takes a real good reason to lug that thing out for me now. Small, easy camera, that I can take anywhere. And what good is that big fancy machine to take the shot of a life time if I've left it at home because it's too much hassle? Smaller is very often better. But if you do go big, know that it's the lenses you attach which make the camera, not the megapixels. And if a salesperson ever tries to tell you otherwise, smack'im! :) (figuratively, of course)
So, that is about it. For the time being, I've no plans to make a living from this, so if that is your goal, you might want a pro's advice. Just making folks happy with a pic I took is, for now, more than enough, and zero stress :)
ps - a tip on group photos: do something weird with your camera (such as not looking through the finder / at the screen, hold it up and aim down), or take the pic about two seconds before people think you will take it, to get the good / natural / interesting facial expressions.
pss - for cats & dogs: hold the camera like it is a tasty treat, and when they come up for a sniff, get a good snap of their nose close up.
psss - recently, marketers are advertising ridiculously high ISO's like 3200 or 6400 for compact cameras. Idiots! It's nasty and useless, unless you like that "more grain than image" effect. Super-high ISO's are only for big D-SLR cameras with large sensors. Don't be duped.
Thanks for reading!