How I Will Become a Better Photographer

May 21st, 2009 in Art & Design, Inspiration | 0 Comments | Leave a response

Most people don’t feel comfortable when being photographed. At least until they trust that you will make them look good. Suddenly, everyone stops complaining and starts posing. Coincidentally, posing could also be a bad thing. You want people to continue to act naturally. The first sign that your subjects are posing is the silent mouthing of the word “prune”.

That being said, the first trait of a good photographer is social skills. You must be very likable and friendly, you want your subjects to relax and trust you.

The second is the passion for taking lots of pictures. When you think you’ve taken enough pictures, take some more. Set the camera to continuous shooting mode. This way you can make sure to always get the right shot. You don’t want to miss out on a good picture because the subject blinked or because it went out of focus. Its one thing to read and know all the technical information on lights, lenses and cameras and how they all work. However, the key is practice and experience.

The third is to be inspired and learn as much as you can from the pros. Find some good photographers and learn how they work their magic.

Get Inspired

Aknecer’s photostream on Flickr (amazing self portraits). His blog is also a good source of information on his methods.
Garry’s photostream on Flickr (beautiful landscape photography)
Creative Photo Manipulation by LSD (The site isn’t very easy to navigate, so here is a link to a gallery for easier viewing.)

Watching the video bellow will teach you a lot in less then 2min. Find out how one man turns his room into a studio and the secrets behind his photography projects.

Find the Information

DPReview (Digital Photography Review)
DIY Photography (Do it yourself – photography and studio lighting resources)
Strobist (Learn How to Light)
DP Challenge (Every photo has information on how it was taken. You can also search for photos based on equipment used. For example, you can select a lens and see what type of photographs it was used for.)
Digital SLR Guide (I found this site useful when I first started)