[aleonx3]

I want to start a thread to get thoughts and comments on how we progress in our journeys of becoming a "photographer" of our choice; please feel free to chime in with your thoughts and aspirations so we can all benefit and learn from our unique experiences.
(moderator: not sure if this is the right sub-forum for this topic and please feel free to move to where it is more appropriate)

"when you are starting to think more than just the subject of interest, but rather the entire scene"
In this example, I was taking shots of people waiting in line for the school bus to take us to the Canada Day parade starting area, only a few feet away from this when I caught in the corner of my eyes, this beautiful lady posing for the photographer. The natural instinct as common casual shooter would be to go in front of the beautiful model showing her nice form, but instead I took the shot from her back side making sure I got everyone (almost) in sight including the photographer in the picture. Let me know what you think that you could have done...

[alamo5000]

When you start looking at light as your subject even if you don't have a camera in your hands.

For me I walk around thinking about Dynamic Range, back lighting, direction of light, type of light, and many other things. Is the scene great but the sky going to be blown out? Are the darks going to be too dark for the camera? Where are the shadows and how much of that will show up in the photo?

In the end it's not only how I see light, I am trying to figure out how the camera will see the same light...and no they are not the same thing. Your eyeball is an amazing thing but the camera works a bit differently.

I think I am becoming obsessed with light!

[aleonx3]

When you start looking at light as your subject even if you don't have a camera in your hands.

For me I walk around thinking about Dynamic Range, back lighting, direction of light, type of light, and many other things. Is the scene great but the sky going to be blown out? Are the darks going to be too dark for the camera? Where are the shadows and how much of that will show up in the photo?

In the end it's not only how I see light, I am trying to figure out how the camera will see the same light...and no they are not the same thing. Your eyeball is an amazing thing but the camera works a bit differently.

I think I am becoming obsessed with light!

Those are great points.... where is the light coming from? While I agree "Your eyeball is an amazing thing but the camera works a bit differently"; however, this does not bother me at all. With modern day software tools we have today, I don't think that I am overly concern with that as many are easily corrected in post processing.

[Wheatfield]

When the quality of the light is as important as the quality of the equipment.

[CarlJF]

Good points guys!

I would also say that when I look at pictures I took in the past and think that if I had to redo them today, I would certainly do better. I guess it means I learned a thing or two dsince that time...

[tjstimbo]

I really do like that picture, it shows so much going and the natural expressions of the people around the dancer. Herself being front and centre is also the source of the interest of the others and not seeing her face adds to the overall balance.

I'm currently stuck in the middle trying to learn a bit more about composition and light but just get a bit too excited when I get out there with the camera.

[ChristianRock]

I want to start a thread to get thoughts and comments on how we progress in our journeys of becoming a "photographer" of our choice; please feel free to chime in with your thoughts and aspirations so we can all benefit and learn from our unique experiences.
(moderator: not sure if this is the right sub-forum for this topic and please feel free to move to where it is more appropriate)

"when you are starting to think more than just the subject of interest, but rather the entire scene"

Good points have been made so far. I do already look at light differently after taking up photography, and am always seeing how the light falls on things, even when I don't have my camera. I think though, that this by itself, does not mean I am more than a "camera operator" yet, because I think I am still far away from moving into the next step, which would be to frame things in my mind when I don't have a camera yet. The problem is that I move around focal lengths too much. I like my 50s too much (75mm equiv on APSC, short tele range). But a lot of times I need a 24 (36mm equiv) for wider shots, or the 35mm (53mm equiv) for the normal perspective - which I find, like Cartier-Bresson, to be the most perfect perspective. And then I have my 28mm and 30mm lenses that are even harder for me to frame, and my 135 which I also love how it handles subjects. So there's no way to frame things in my mind.

I was already thinking about doing a "half year one lens" project starting this July 1st but couldn't bring myself to do it. But eventually I think I'll have to - otherwise I'll never be able to frame with my mind. So I'm considering the "one year one lens" for 2018, probably with my Sigma 30 1.4. Of course the project will go out the window when I have to take family pictures and sometimes I volunteer to take pictures at friends kids parties (every month or so). But at least if I *mostly* take pictures with one focal length, and try to do it on most days, I might get closer to this.

In this example, I was taking shots of people waiting in line for the school bus to take us to the Canada Day parade starting area, only a few feet away from this when I caught in the corner of my eyes, this beautiful lady posing for the photographer. The natural instinct as common casual shooter would be to go in front of the beautiful model showing her nice form, but instead I took the shot from her back side making sure I got everyone (almost) in sight including the photographer in the picture. Let me know what you think that you could have done...

The one thing I would do is to crop the picture to leave out anything left of the guy with the hat. The lady next to him and especially the foot that is trying to sneak into the picture are a bit distracting from the main subject. Thankfully with digital photography and lots of megapickles, we get to do things like that and correct our composition afterwards

[normhead]

You make it sound like there's something wrong with being just a camera operator.
Camera operaators deserve a little respect.

If you actually look through the viewfinder and frame a scene, you are more than a camera operator. To be a camera operator you'd have to come in after the camera scene selector set up the tripod, and just press the remote making sure you didn't mess up the scene selector's set up. Is there such a thing?

[photoptimist]

You make it sound like there's something wrong with being just a camera operator.
Camera operaators deserve a little respect.

If you actually look through the viewfinder and frame a scene, you are more than a camera operator. To be a camera operator you'd have to come in after the camera scene selector set up the tripod, and just press the remote making sure you didn't mess up the scene selector's set up. Is there such a thing?

Aren't there stories of famous photographers who have staff that do all the set-up, framing, etc. and the "name" comes in to click the button?

[BrianR]

When I started taking responsibility for everything in a photo.

I remember seeing a critique several years ago of a photo of a pond. Someone pointed out errant leaves in the pond and how they distracted and did not add anything. The photographer's response was an excuse filled tirade about how it was windy the day before, the leaves were already there, and what could they do about it, it wasn't their fault, etc.etc.. I walked away with the utter opposite lesson - if you take a photo and choose to show people the photo, then for better or worse everything in it is your responsibility. If you don't like something about a scene don't make excuses, do something about it (or have your assistants do something about it). A corollary to this viewpoint is that I'm not capable of making a photo I like out of every scene, some things just can't be modified to fit my vision. I can live with that, and there are more than enough other photos waiting to happen or be made, as the case may be.

[normhead]

Aren't there stories of famous photographers who have staff that do all the set-up, framing, etc. and the "name" comes in to click the button?

I once dated a woman, after my first divorce, also once divorced who said 'I have taken so many great photographs."

I said "Can I see some of them."

She said, " No, my ex took all of them, he actually took the pictures I just told him where to stand and stuff."

It was a one date relationship.

[ChristianRock]

I once dated a woman, after my first divorce, also once divorced who said 'I have taken so many great photographs."

I said "Can I see some of them."

She said, " No, my ex took all of them, he actually took the pictures I just told him where to stand and stuff."

It was a one date relationship.

Aahaha sounds like you dodged a bullet there!

[photoptimist]

I once dated a woman, after my first divorce, also once divorced who said 'I have taken so many great photographs."

I said "Can I see some of them."

She said, " No, my ex took all of them, he actually took the pictures I just told him where to stand and stuff."

It was a one date relationship.

LOL!

I've learned not be my wife's camera operator. Whenever she told me to "take a picture of X," I'd often fail to include some other part of the scene she wanted in the picture. She'd grill me on what was in the picture, make me take it again, etc.

Now I encourage her to take her own pictures with her own camera.

[normhead]

LOL!

I've learned not be my wife's camera operator. Whenever she told me to "take a picture of X," I'd often fail to include some other part of the scene she wanted in the picture. She'd grill me on what was in the picture, make me take it again, etc.

Now I encourage her to take her own pictures with her own camera.

I've learned not to be my wife's photographer either. It doesn't matter what I do, it's not good enough for her. She won't take direction, (taking direction form her husband is impossible for most wives) but it's my fault when it's wrong.

If I had a dime for every time she's said "And you're supposed to be a friggin photographer."

My theory is use burst mode and take 200 images, she might like one.

But if I like it, it's practically guaranteed she won't. She's like an art director that lives in my house.

[Kerrowdown]

beautiful model showing her nice form

I took the shot from her back side

Let me know what you think that you could have done...

As you've asked... get a good bit closer to that fine "backside".

Remember the phrase attributed to Robert Capa, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough.”