I have very rarely been a fan of books that teach photography. This is not because I believe the art of photography should be a trade secret. Rather, in my experience of exploring and reading many photography books over the years, I have found that the vast majority of them are either too technical for most people, give poor examples, are confusing, or simply leave the reader wanting. A lot of these short comings a due to the fact that is difficult to teach someone to the same level of depth and ease via the written word as it is to learn directly from a teacher with hands on examples and demonstrations. However, it is still possible to achieve. There are a select few that I admire and respect for their photographic skills and their ability to share their knowledge and insight, Scott Kelby, Joe McNally, John Hedgecoe, and Strobist to name a few of my favorites. It is my belief that, the best ways to improve your own art is through the teaching of that art to others. By sharing your knowledge you better solidify and can explore that which you already know. So without further delay. My first tip on how to take a better photo.
#1 STOP SHOWING PEOPLE YOUR BAD PHOTOS!!!!!
When I used to sell cameras at a major retail camera chain, I used to give my customers a funny little speech about photography and the REAL differences between professionals and amateurs. Which, would go very much like the following:
"You want know what the REAL difference between pros and amateurs is? It has nothing to do with what you know and what you don't know. It has nothing to do with where you went to school and what classes you've taken. It has nothing to do with how much you get paid or don't get paid for your photos. It has nothing to do with what camera you use. It has nothing to do with if you've been published or not. It has nothing to do with how much you know or don't know about Photoshop. The REAL difference between pros and amateurs comes down to this... .STOP SHOWING PEOPLE YOUR BAD PHOTOS!!!"
That's it, all the rest of it is either an extra bonus or just helps give you a better batting average. It is not required by any means for someone to have all sorts of training or fancy equipment to take an amazing photo, although it can definitely make it easier if you do have those things. I no issue with getting lucky with a good photo. Every photographer can and will take bad photographs. However, a true pro photographer will never show off these photos.
Simply not showing people your bad photos is a deceptively simple statement that may seem like a rather obvious statement to casual observer. However, this can be much more difficult to do than it may initially appear. Pros have the regular task of sift through hundreds and even thousands of photos one by one, may of which are nearly identical, to find the absolutely best photos. It should be no surprise that really great photographers are very critical about what is and is not a good photo, and for good reason. Too often amateurs will post a dozen or so photos of essentially the same thing on their social networking page of choice. Where as, a pro will sometimes post only a single image from an entire photo session which may have taken many hours and hundreds of images to achieve. It all comes down to quality is better than quantity.
So, how does one stop showing off their bad pictures? Raise your standards about what a "good" image is for you. By spending some time being really critical about your photos and only showing off a very small percentage of images that you take you will already be a better photographer. This can be very difficult sometimes, even for a professional. It can be all too easy to fall in love with several images that are very similar, not wanting to let go of any one of them. The temptation then becomes to show them all off. To improve your photography you must learn to control this urge. This is not to say you can not have multiple images of a single subject or do a photo series. Instead I would recommend using the "Magazine, Wall, or Gallery" rule as a general guideline when sorting through photos to show off. The idea behind this rule being that if you could see you photo being realistically published in a magazine, or being hung on your wall as a huge 5ft print, or could be displayed in an art gallery, then it's probably worth showing off to the world. Even if you only have 1 photo that meets or comes close to meeting this standard you will instantly become a better photographer. You might even get asked to do a professional photography gig from showing off your 1 amazing photo. Although, if you are offered a profession photography gig from your ONE good photos, you might want to take some more classes and get some nicer gear before you do the gig so you won't have to rely on simple luck. The "I swear I know what I'm doing" philosophy can only take you so far.
More to come,
-Cheers
Brian
Monday, March 15, 2010
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