[pepperberry farm]

practice - get out there and shoot!

reading forums and blogs and reviews will fill your head with data and opinions, but there's nothing like leaving the house for the day with your camera and coming home with a ton of interesting shots...

compare your photos from last year to this year - see your progress and make mental notes on what you would like to improve on.... then do it!

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Last edited by pepperberry farm; 01-16-2016 at 07:33 AM. Reason: diction

[csa]

The best advice I have is to see the world around you as though you are looking thru the viewfinder of your camera. It is amazing the little, everyday things we completely overlook around us, when we don't have that camera with us! Shadows, light reflection, color; all change rapidly, so be prepared to take advantage of it.

Tip 2: Take your camera with you as much as possible!

[bertwert]

First: Always take your camera.

Second: Practice, Practice, Practice!

Third: Online websites are valuable resources. I have learned a lot of things here.

Fourth: Have fun.

Fifth: You don't need more gear, what you have is fine.

[Rondec]

First: Always take your camera.

Second: Practice, Practice, Practice!

Third: Online websites are valuable resources. I have learned a lot of things here.

Fourth: Have fun.

Fifth: You don't need more gear, what you have is fine.

That last one is sacrilege!

[logomancer]

1. Don't worry about not having the best gear. I've taken great photos with old manual-focus lenses, and a photo with a suboptimal lens beats no photo at all.
2. Don't be afraid of pushing up the ISO. You can fix noise easier than drastic underexposure in post-production.
3. As with all creative pursuits, don't be afraid of failure.

[rzarector]

Go take photos as much as possible. And most importantly, read your manual from front to back, more than once. Keep it by your bed.

The Most Obvious, Yet Elusive Technology Tip of All: Read the Manual

[d1224m]

If I could be so lucky.
Never stop shooting, even when discouraged.

[gtxSeries]

Use a tripod and increase the aperture near a waterfall to get a nice washed water effect. Pretty basic, but nice trick.

[martyd14]

My biggest Tip?

Shoot for yourself. Don't worry if no one notices you. Keep working and keep trying new things. I have been doing photography for around 6 years now and I am in one of the biggest slumps of my life. But today? I will keep shooting. Keep trying to get better. The rest will catch up.

There is no equipment in the world that will make me pick up that camera and press that shutter. No software, no new lens that can take the place of passion, motivation and creativity.

That is my advice.

[KTschappat]

Your camera will do whatever you want it to do, when in Manual.

[pathdoc]

1. At the end of the day, if you put your mind to it there is not much you can't do with an entry-level Pentax WR body-and-two-zoom bundle.
2. A K-3 with a DA50 kit lens beats a K3-ii with a body cap.
3. If at all possible, factor an extra battery and two SD cards into the price of the camera (you will certainly need one).
4. Try to own at least one film-era normal prime and a set of extension tubes - macro can be fun, and this is a cheap way to do it.
5. Digital is free to experiment - take lots of pictures and do not be afraid to fail.
6. You will eventually buy a tripod. Trust me; you will. Start saving for one as soon as you have your camera.
7. Buying lenses is pointless unless you put them on the bloody camera. There is something to be said for putting any new lens through a single-in challenge as soon as you can, as well as any lens you haven't shot with in over three months. After that you'll certainly know whether you ought to keep it or not. If you haven't shot it in over a year, consider selling it on.
8. When asking what lens(es) you should buy, work out what you want it/them for first. People are far more able to help you then.
9. When upgrading to a better camera, ask yourself what you're really gaining - are you replacing the dead, filling a capability gap, or just stroking your ego?
10. Photo editing software can only do so much before things start looking unnatural. "You cannot make a chicken sandwich out of chicken s**t." Try to take the best pictures you can and leave the manipulation for when the composition is near perfect but the exposure or the edges or the horizon orientation or whatever could use a bit of rescuing.
11. When changing things in post, admit what you have done - yes, the film darkroom had its own fancy tricks, but the digital darkroom is capable of so many radical changes that there comes a point beyond which you are no longer presenting photographs but art. Be honest with your viewers as to which of these you are showing them; you don't want to crush the souls of beginners when for the life of them they cannot work out why their new DSLR cannot produce JPEGs like the things you spent hours making in Photoshop.
12. If you are filthy rich and you win a competition like this, offer your prize to someone you know would be grateful for it. The corollary - GET TO KNOW YOUR FELLOW FORUM MEMBERS.

[Giklab]

Get an SSD as the main drive in your computer. The benefits are faster file management (copying, viewing images) and manipulation (loading of enormous raw files), as well as a boatload of other things. While this won't make your man parts larger, it will improve most aspects of your (digital) life.

[pathdoc]

Get an SSD as the main drive in your computer. The benefits are faster file management (copying, viewing images) and manipulation (loading of enormous raw files), as well as a boatload of other things. While this won't make your man parts larger, it will improve most aspects of your (digital) life.

Not all of us have man parts to start with. Also, while I do, I certainly don't look to my gear to make them feel bigger.

[Giklab]

Not all of us have man parts to start with. Also, while I do, I certainly don't look to my gear to make them feel bigger.

a) I wasn't trying to say otherwise and b) Neither do I
It was supposed to be a humorous serious giveaway entry

[bertwert]

12. If you are filthy rich and you win a competition like this, offer your prize to someone you know would be grateful for it. The corollary - GET TO KNOW YOUR FELLOW FORUM MEMBERS.

I like this point.