I was chatting to a friend of mine the other day who has recently got in to photography. After looking through some of each other’s photos my friend started asking me questions, how did you get that colour right and how did you get such nice background blur etc. It dawned on me that I could go ahead and explain the relationship between aperture and shutter speeds and when to use what metering mode or adjust your ISO but remembered how I felt in my early days of photography. Too much info just confuses you, it’s better to learn from a friend and books and go out and try things for yourself. I decided to write a number of articles based on the basics of photography with images to illustrate the results. These will be found very soon under the ‘Technique Time’ section on this website.
The thing you have to realise is that no matter how talented you are or how much kit you have or how many hours you spend looking through that view finder there will always be photographers out there that produce stunning images that you wish you had created. It doesn’t mean that they are any better than you but if you study the images of fellow (good) photographers it will be clear that they have spent a great deal of time looking through the viewfinder. Knowing how to correctly expose and frame an image is no secret, it just takes experience in knowing what to do in each situation, the more time you spend with the camera the closer you will be to the never ending perfection you seek.
To give you an idea of time....well everyone learns at different rates but a guestimate that has been suggested a lot recently is 10,000 hours. This is said to be true in any field, whether its Tiger woods playing golf or Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) playing his guitar , you can guarantee that they have put in a minimum of 10,000 hours in to their field of expertise making them professional grade at what they do.
It sounds a lot doesn’t it? Well think about it realistically, lets say you are an aspiring landscape photographer. It may take many years to get to where you want to be, then again it may take a lifetime! Here is an example of how your first three years as a beginner might look :
Year1 – 0-1000 images
Firstly you have to work out the basics of your camera and lenses, you take lots of photos and can’t work out why some are good and some are not. You do some reading and take on some advice about the auto settings. Then realise you need a tripod to keep images still, you take more photos and are pleased with them but can’t quite get the effects you see in those cool photography mags. So you invest in some software to adjust levels, first you have to learn how to use it, later on you will learn how to use it properly! You play around with manual mode and on camera flash.
Year 2 – 1001-3500 images
You take more photos and wonder how a particular effect is produced in a photo you see, you discover basic filters, you then discover the disadvantages of filters that rotate as your lens focuses. You read up on metering modes and discover that aperture can affect what is in focus in you images. You take more images and get some good results but are still not happy. You decide to upgrade to a good wide angle lens and a proper external filter kit. Your images are better but you still have the occasional disappointment.
Year 3 3500-6500 images
You invest in a shutter release cable and better tripod as well as a polarising filter, your images are sharper and better controlled yet you still can’t quite get the images you really want. You go on a photography holiday or join a club. You experience lots of different shooting locations and light you have never come across before. You realise that early mornings and late afternoons are best for lighting and that having something in the foreground of you images really helps. You start to focus manually and discover focusing a third of the way in to the frame is best and remember to consider the ‘rule of thirds’. Your images have now left the amateur league so you enter competitions and submit for critique online. You get a mixed bag of feedback but keep in mind the comments that are made for you next shots.
Year1 – 0-1000 images
Firstly you have to work out the basics of your camera and lenses, you take lots of photos and can’t work out why some are good and some are not. You do some reading and take on some advice about the auto settings. Then realise you need a tripod to keep images still, you take more photos and are pleased with them but can’t quite get the effects you see in those cool photography mags. So you invest in some software to adjust levels, first you have to learn how to use it, later on you will learn how to use it properly! You play around with manual mode and on camera flash.
Year 2 – 1001-3500 images
You take more photos and wonder how a particular effect is produced in a photo you see, you discover basic filters, you then discover the disadvantages of filters that rotate as your lens focuses. You read up on metering modes and discover that aperture can affect what is in focus in you images. You take more images and get some good results but are still not happy. You decide to upgrade to a good wide angle lens and a proper external filter kit. Your images are better but you still have the occasional disappointment.
Year 3 3500-6500 images
You invest in a shutter release cable and better tripod as well as a polarising filter, your images are sharper and better controlled yet you still can’t quite get the images you really want. You go on a photography holiday or join a club. You experience lots of different shooting locations and light you have never come across before. You realise that early mornings and late afternoons are best for lighting and that having something in the foreground of you images really helps. You start to focus manually and discover focusing a third of the way in to the frame is best and remember to consider the ‘rule of thirds’. Your images have now left the amateur league so you enter competitions and submit for critique online. You get a mixed bag of feedback but keep in mind the comments that are made for you next shots.
The above is just an example of course, there are so many things to consider and thousands upon thousands of different kit combinations you could use. Everyone will learn in different ways and at different rates but the main thing to do above all else is SHOOT OFTEN. Every day is great but not always practical, but as often as you can in your free time over evenings and weekends. I started to find that my spare time and weekends were planned around my photography. It isn’t an issue though as I love every second.
Also in my work as a product photographer I am still constantly learning new things and how to affect light, most of which are discovered through trying something new and overcoming issues to get the results you want. Many of my product photos often use new techniques and can be found here www.mjlphotographics.co.uk
To assist you on your way I will be producing several articles on the basics of photography. Although it is about the basics there will be some advanced techniques and kit used so even if you are not new to photography it will be worth a read. Promise!
All technique related articles can be found in our Technique Time section on this website.
Many thanks for reading!
Also in my work as a product photographer I am still constantly learning new things and how to affect light, most of which are discovered through trying something new and overcoming issues to get the results you want. Many of my product photos often use new techniques and can be found here www.mjlphotographics.co.uk
To assist you on your way I will be producing several articles on the basics of photography. Although it is about the basics there will be some advanced techniques and kit used so even if you are not new to photography it will be worth a read. Promise!
All technique related articles can be found in our Technique Time section on this website.
Many thanks for reading!
