[drougge]

Oh, I have to add two(ish) things I wish everyone else was told too. Because people keep asking that strangest questions about them.

1. Perspective is determined by where you put the camera. Focal length is not in any way relevant, as long as you have a normal (not fisheye or similar) lens. The focal length and sensor size together determine how much you see, but not perspective.
2. Whatever it is they need to hear so they don't ask "how long is a 135mm lens from camera X on camera Y".
2a. And preferably whatever they need to hear to also not ask more reasonable versions of that question.

And since we're trying to be helpful to those who need those answers, I'll go ahead and answer the second question:

2. 135mm. Duh.

The point being that what camera the lens was made for is only relevant to determining what it will work with.

[RioRico]

I live in a VERY small town. Tourists buy my "commercial" scenic prints at reasonable (read, low) prices, but I have never been invited to have a show at either of the 2 local venues because a) my stuff is not "arty enough (I guess..); and b) I am not chummy with the local art clique.
So, yeah. I hear ya.

I recently sold my old adobe house in Old Bisbee Arizona, a lofty vertical mining town located on the Sonora border. [WARNING: the article in the Sacramento Bee about Bisbee is total crap.] Bisbee is an art colony of sorts. When I resided there, a few not-too-steep steps from the town center, I opened my little gate on weekends and became Gallery Oblique. I hung artsy local-scene prints around my compact courtyard and sold some to breathless touristas. I knew other artists but paid no attention to any gallery scene, except to note prices. If a "local art clique" exists, I was too thick to notice, or too minor to bother them.

Were a few people in Bisbee who apparently made their livings photographically. One, a neighbor, went into politics, the pig. The others aren't rich. Should we avoid considering photography as a career? I'll trot out a favorite factoid: Average incomes in USA of fast-food managers are higher than for working photographers. Thus, one should go to McFood U, run a franchise shop, and shoot for fun, not money. Or move to a remote art colony where low living costs match your income. Sell photos to snowbirding Canadians and Tucson weekenders. (The birders and bikers don't buy much.) Enjoy the sun.

[Class A]

1. Lens sharpness is overrated. Go after the lenses that render in a way that appeals to you.
2. RAW files won't eat your hard drive alive. Get an external drive, if necessary, but don't shoot JPG because you want to save on storage.
3. Global image manipulation only (e.g., as per Picasa) does not cut it. Localised adjustments get you so much closer to your vision.

[HockeyDad]

1-"If your photos aren't good enough you aren't close enough." Robert Capa was right. 2-Shoot in manual, forget green mode. You won't learn a thing about exposure shooting green. 3-Shoot with prime lenses and forget those big heavy zoom. Use your feet.

Excellent advice for those that purchased a first DSLR with a desire to learn photography. Regarding #2, you can always pop the green button real quick if you're lost and would like the camera's suggestion.

[birdman59]

I wish someone had told me...

1. How bad I would want newer and newer gear

2. How much it all costs

3. How bad I suck...

[OldPentaxFan]

Practice Patience using an old sheet film camera (aka Speed Graphic):

1) Remember to pull the dark slide out of the film holder before taking the picture
2) Remember to put the dark slide BACK in the film holder after taking the picture
3) Remember which shutter you're using (focal plane shutter or lens shutter for those of you who've never used a large format camera)

You loose a lot fewer shots when you keep those in mind.

That camera taught me more about exposure, composition, and making sure I took my time with each picture than anything else I've ever done with a camera.

[JimJohnson]

That camera taught me more about exposure, composition, and making sure I took my time with each picture than anything else I've ever done with a camera.

My learning point was using 30's & 40's vintage folding roll-film cameras. They didn't have dark slides or a focal plane shutter, but they sure made some beautiful images when you did everything right - and 'everything' really was up to the photographer. I was SO disappointed when they stopped making 616 roll-film.

[wildman]

1. Have a good clear idea of the distinction between "photography" as technique and "photography" as a means of personal expression.

2. One, of the above, is a means to a end and the other is an end in itself.

3. An image without a viewpoint is mere process.

[Blue]

#1) When Pentax was going to release a ff digital body . . .



I know, I know but I could not resist!

[Giklab]

And you're supposed to be a mod... tsk tsk

[LFLee]

1. Find beautiful subject (i.e pretty women);
2. Find cute little kids;
3. Open the aperture as wide as your lens allowed, use the longest lens you have. Press the shutter (like non-stop).

viola~ wait for compliments...

[monochrome]

Three things I wish I knew when I (re) started photography

1) FA31/1.8
2) FA43/1.9
3) FA77/1.8

But they wouldn't really change the end product since there are hundreds of things I don't know. They'd just make the taking more fun for me and the amount of money spent on a hobby I don't really engage in substantially smaller in the end..

[snostorm]

Mine would be:

1. The "Common Wisdom" is not always wise. . . think outside the box and experiment on your own -- then trust your own eyes and not what others tell you that you should see. There are al lot of photographic wives' tales out there -- now more than ever with the internet --more often than not only supported by theory and not actual experience. Digital changes everything, and new technological developments can make what you thought you knew worth a lot less.

2. Take the time to see what's in the background, and how it interacts with your subject. A Photography 101 lesson that couldn't be more important. For me, exact composition in the frame is less important. It's nice from a purist standpoint, but I'd rather capture the moment, then crop to give that capture more visual impact. If that's seen as a concession to lack of talent, then so be it. I lack that talent. . .so shoot me. . .

3. Get to know the details of how your camera works. You can only truly make the best use of the systems built into the camera when you have a clear understanding how each system was designed to work. You have to get into the designers' heads -- and you will sometimes have to start from scratch when you get a new model, even if it's from the same mfg. With this understanding, you can then judge when you can rely on the automation, and when you need to take direct control. Then go back to my first point.

Consider your camera as unique. What works for someone else with the same model and lens might not work for yours, but it might give you a clue to what you need to do to figure out what will work. . . this is why the photogapher is the main factor and the gear is the tool.

Scott

[BobbyA]

Three things I wish I knew when I (re) started photography

1. If I knew this would be so addicting I would have found a way to survive making $200 a week a long time ago so I could spend more time shooting and less time working.
2. If I knew photography would be this much fun, I would have spent less time and money on musical instruments as a kid. Why? You don’t have to rely on other lazy photographers to take pictures and the gear is a lot lighter to carry.
3. Buying a camera is just the beginning and collecting stamps would have been a hell of a cheaper hobby.

[westmill]

Check out the girls mother before you marry..... an indication of the future