[TaoMaas]

IMHO it was a decent tripod...

Yeah, I'd have to say a good tripod, too, although I'm not sure how much that still applies now that you can get decent images at something higher than ASA 50. Years ago, I had a conversation with one of our club members that had to do with improving his images. He asked me, "Why do your zoo pictures look so much better than mine? What are you doing?" I said, "Well...first off, I try to get there as early as I can so I can take advantage of the morning light." He said, "Oh...I never get up before 10AM on the weekends. Surely a few hours don't make that much difference." I said, "Another thing is that I noticed that all the photos I admired were usually shot on very slow slide film, so I switched to Kodachrome 25." He said, "Pffft...I don't shoot anything but ASA 400. But I still don't understand why your pictures look better than mine." I said, "The last major thing I do is use a tripod. I found that if I was going to shoot really slow film, I had to use a tripod in order to get the sharpness I wanted." My friend said, "Tripod? That's why I shoot 400ASA film...so I won't have to carry a tripod. But why are your pics more colorful and sharper?" I finally shrugged and said, "Beats me." He scoffed at me, turned around, and left. lol

[normhead]

Yeah, I'd have to say a good tripod, too, although I'm not sure how much that still applies now that you can get decent images at something higher than ASA 50. Years ago, I had a conversation with one of our club members that had to do with improving his images. He asked me, "Why do your zoo pictures look so much better than mine? What are you doing?" I said, "Well...first off, I try to get there as early as I can so I can take advantage of the morning light." He said, "Oh...I never get up before 10AM on the weekends. Surely a few hours don't make that much difference." I said, "Another thing is that I noticed that all the photos I admired were usually shot on very slow slide film, so I switched to Kodachrome 25." He said, "Pffft...I don't shoot anything but ASA 400. But I still don't understand why your pictures look better than mine." I said, "The last major thing I do is use a tripod. I found that if I was going to shoot really slow film, I had to use a tripod in order to get the sharpness I wanted." My friend said, "Tripod? That's why I shoot 400ASA film...so I won't have to carry a tripod. But why are your pics more colorful and sharper?" I finally shrugged and said, "Beats me." He scoffed at me, turned around, and left. lol

People are funny that way. They will ask you for help, but then have intellectual reasons why they can't accept it. In the above case, it's hard to even understand why he even asked, given that he wasn't willing to make any changes to his process. For some reason people have the impression that in photography, better images are not a product of more work or anticipating good light. All you need is a better camera or lens or something. What I see is looking at the forum, the guys who produce better images than I do, work harder than I do, get up earlier carry heavier gear, walk further, travel to better locations generally put more into it. The ones I don't think are as good don't work as hard as I do.

After understanding how the camera works, he who works hardest gets the best image. But most asking for advice are looking for short cuts, they want the same amount of work, no more effort than they put into it already and nothing more complicated than they already do.

I'm not saying people shouldn't look for short cuts, there might be some, but you have to be happy with the results from your chosen level of effort. In most cases, if you want more, you have to do more.

[filmamigo]

I have lots of photographic training, and an undergraduate degree in film studies with a focus on production. But two books had the biggest influence on me since then. One for when I am shooting -- the other for when I am completing the photograph (editing, printing.) Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure, and Tim Rudman's The Photographer's Master Printing Course.

Already mentioned is Bryan Peterson's Understanding Exposure. This slim book has the rare ability to be simple, straightforward, and nicely illustrated from the author's own photos -- but to be grounded in excellent technique, and full of wisdom. Some books wow you with the photography but have no actionable insight. Some books have great technical information but the photography is underwhelming. Brian's book succeeds in bringing to life the technical choices that inform artistic choice. He inspires you to take what you've learned and go out shooting -- but not slavishly to recreate his photos. That's the sign of a great teacher.

Tim's book was my introduction to a particular school of British photography that was tangentially familiar to me from reading Black + White Photography Magazine. This book shows Tim's original negatives (or flat prints) and then walks through the process that yields his incredible prints. Tim's book inspired me to stop looking at photographs as slavish recreations of reality (which has been dominant in North American photography since Ansel Adams, Group f/64, etc.) I felt freed to find the "inner" light and to shape the tones of my photos to much more directly control the final print. The result are photographs much more like what I witnessed "in my mind" and less reliant on the vagaries of luck and timing.

[Sandy Hancock]

Pentax Forums.
Seriously.

[normhead]

I can't think of a single thing that was terribly important.

But, starting in school with view cameras was invaluable. You learn what a focal plane is and what it looks like when you manipulate it. I think many assume that because you can't manipulate the DLSR film plane, you don't need to understand it. I would suggest, you really do have to understand it, it's just a lot harder to figure it out.

My studio instructor Dave Scanlon and his playful suggestion "get out there and try something different" was probably the most influential piece of advice. He showed us what we had to accomplish, but gave us only small hints as to how to achieve it. You had to find your own way to acceptable quality. His attitude was, if you aren't engaged and having fun, you're not doing the job as good as you could.

Those days walking around the studio looking at 20 different set ups, all designed to achieve the same goal (like getting shot of a spoon without the camera and photographer or any of the lights being reflected in the spoon's surface) kept you out of your perceptual tunnel and kept you trying new things while being able to observe how what the other guys and girls were doing was working out. I'm not sure theres a replacement for that.

[timb64]

Shooting RAW and learning to use DxO programs.

/\/\ This,but substituting Capture One for DxO /\/\

[tvdtvdtvd]

Taking a darkroom class. That got me thinking about how the negative is exposed, which in turn got me thinking about, (and really understanding), how exposure
affects the resulting positive. I suppose the modern digital equivalent might be understanding the histogram.

[HockeyDad]

The Single-In Challenges here on Pentax Forums. There was something about being forced into a single lens for a month and needing to shoot something every day that forced me to explore composition and technique in ways I hadn't. Commenting on everyone else's daily images exposed me to them and caused me to "deconstruct" their techniques which obviously led to more ideas, inspiration and learning. It's hard to be disciplined enough to do it, and many nights I found myself shooting things around the house at 11pm to get my upload done in time, but that was all part of the process and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Each of the months I participated in yielded several of my absolute favorite images.

[UlrichSchiegg]

[...]For some reason people have the impression that in photography, better images are not a product of more work or anticipating good light. All you need is a better camera or lens or something. What I see is looking at the forum, the guys who produce better images than I do, work harder than I do, get up earlier carry heavier gear, walk further, travel to better locations generally put more into it. The ones I don't think are as good don't work as hard as I do.[...]

Well, some people have a wonderful "eye". They just see things differently. I could work as much as I want, but their "eye" ... One could also call it "creativity" or "talent" or "whatever" ... But without hard work, talent just means nothing.

[pepperberry farm]

two simple things have helped me tremendously over the last few years: Pentax Forums and shooting every day...

signing up for both the Single In and the Daily Challenges here at PF have given a day-to-day, month-to-month education... the level of proficiency and camaraderie found in those two communities is second to none...

if you want to know your gear and be able to use it, almost without looking, shoot every day - no matter what, committing to the daily shot, will have a profound effect on your abilities...

shoot for a year, without missing a day, and compare your work on Day 1 vs Day 365...

[normhead]

Well, some people have a wonderful "eye". They just see things differently. I could work as much as I want, but their "eye" ... One could also call it "creativity" or "talent" or "whatever" ... But without hard work, talent just means nothing.

I've met way to many people with wonderful eyes, that rest on the laurels achieved with that eye, without learning the technical details that would allow them to push their work to the next level.

[OldPentaxFan]

The one activity that's improved how I take pictures the most is probably printing. First in a dark room and now digitally. Working with the image to achieve the look I want is helping to train my eye for the elements I want in composition and color balance.


That process, and seeing the final image in a larger format, provides feedback for what to look for in the viewfinder when I'm taking the initial image.

[biz-engineer]

I had a Fuji film camera (non-ILC), then with digital a Coolpix 2100 compact, a Canon A710IS (image stabilisation), then a K200D with 18-250. Moving from Nikon/Canon compact to the Pentax K200D DSLR had a big effect on my photos. The K200D gave me well defined colors, contrast, and eventually some bokeh that none of my previous cameras were capable of (except 35mm film).

[TaoMaas]

What I see is looking at the forum, the guys who produce better images than I do, work harder than I do, get up earlier carry heavier gear, walk further, travel to better locations generally put more into it. The ones I don't think are as good don't work as hard as I do.

I agree with you. I read an interview with a famous landscape photographer years ago where he was asked why he didn't work with an assistant. He said, "I don't have the heart to ask someone else to do the things I'm willing to do to get the right shot."

[texandrews]

1. Shooting and developing Zone System