[umeuph]

Hey all! One of the questions i often ask people when I'm trying to learn something new is: what are some things that know now that you wish someone had told you when you first started out? So, anyone have any thoughts that spring to mind? What do you wish someone had clued you in on early in your photographic endeavors?

[kaiserz]

1) Photography is expensive.
2) Photography is addictive.
3) While active in "Photography" you have to realize that there's still no known cure for L.B.A.

[Julie]

Good question...

1. A good camera/lens doesn't make you a good photographer
2. Giving in and buying one piece of good glass (DA* 55 1.4, in my case) is a sure-fire way to LBA
3. Don't try to fix equipment on your own if you don't know what you're doing

[Giklab]

I wish I knew about Pentax. I could have spent 1000€ in a better way.

[Julie]

I wish I knew about Pentax. I could have spent 1000€ in a better way.

I did not know about Pentax and was ready to drop the money on a Canon... it was a bag of old lenses + K1000 that sealed the deal on a Pentax K-x. If I had not found PF and found out that the lenses are backwards compatible, I'd be on the "dark side".

Proves that marketing hasn't really been a strong point for Pentax when many don't know what a "Pentax" is or recognize the brand from film-era days but had no clue that they still existed and produced DSLRs.

[magkelly]

1. Don't ever listen to a clerk in any electronics store in a major tourist area, dept store, etc. They're all scam artists who think only of their commissions who usually know virtually nothing about what they are selling and who in the case of the tourist stores will sell you knock off crap from Asia as the real thing if they think they can get away with it. Do your homework online first. Join forums like this one, get the real scoop, then buy wisely. (Further hint: Used equipment can either be a godsend or a total crap waste of $$$. Use caution buying anything you can't see, touch, and check out for yourself or be prepared to sometimes end up with junk instead of the bargain you'd rather have.)

2. Don't pay 48K to get a degree from some second rate college/design school and expect to be able to get a job as a working designer, photographer et all. They will lie and misrepresent themselves to get your $$$, ill educate you, then leave you to deal with being completely unemployable despite any promises of job placement. Anything they can teach you you can learn on your own via videos and books. A mentor or two is a really, really good thing but don't look for one in a so called design school or in a college. Look for a working photographer/designer, a good one, and ask to be mentored. You'll save yourself a ton of heartbreak and money if you do.

3. Be patient with yourself. Don't expect to take picture perfect photos 100% of the time. Take pics of what you love. Keep trying. You'll get better with practice. Don't expect miracles out of yourself, and while you're at it apply that same attitude to your equipment. Everything has it's limitations, people, gear. Don't fuss and obsess over every little thing. It's just not worth it. If you find you don't enjoy photography as much as you agonize over it? If the up to date must have gear you thought you needed to own turns out to be too much for you? Put the camera down. Walk away and accept that maybe it's not for you. Sell what's not working, buy what does. Better a pocket cam and a happy photographer of snapshots than a frustrated wanna be master photographer forever struggling with something you're not enjoying.

One more, though you only asked for 3...

Peer pressure and envy will kill your bank account if you let it. It's not a bad thing to admire someone's gear. Or that of many as on here, but if it leads you to covet, compete and compel you to buy more than you can honestly afford at any given time that is a very bad thing. Recognize need vs want. Indulge in the one as you can afford it and in the other as little as possible. A reasonable splurge won't lead to bankruptcy, but getting addicted to buying for the sake of buying maybe will. All joking aside, compulsive shopping is an addiction, same as any other, and if it comes down to it? They do have 12 step groups for that...

[Alliecat]

2. Don't pay 48K to get a degree from some second rate college/design school and expect to be able to get a job as a working designer, photographer et al...

Whew. I have a friend who teaches photography at a design school; I don't know if it's 2nd-rate or not, but he's made a few comments suggesting they do exactly that... lure in people who won't be employable when they finish anyway... I don't think I'll pass along to him that comment though!

1. I wish I'd known I'd like photography as much as I do, when I was a kid & my Mom was alive and active in the camera club, & doing the brilliant tabletop things she did, & going out taking pictures... I'd have paid more attention & not just wandered by going somewhere to play, & wouldn't have sat bored in the car while she & Dad took pictures of a barn somewhere. I liked going on these expeditions well enough, but I didn't really pay attention to the photography part. By the time I got really interested in photography she wasn't doing much anymore. I wish I could go back and be part of those photo sessions as a photographer.

I can't think of any technical wish-I-knews right now. That's the only thing.

[jackassp]

Don't spend your money on expensive gear, just get a decent camera and a couple of decent lenses, and spend the rest on travel.

[Clavius]

I wish I realised sooner that I'll never use any lenses longer then 300mm. Could have saved me some money.

[vladimiroltean]

Don't spend your money on expensive gear, just get a decent camera and a couple of decent lenses, and spend the rest on travel.

Excellent advice

The lenses don't even need to be AF, and the camera doesn't need to be digital

[Tanzer]

Buying gear (esp. lenses) is lots of fun, so can machine-gun shooting at 7 fps with a digital SLR, but when it comes down to it, nothing makes for better photos than good composition.

Also, it seems that the more lenses one carries, the less likely one will be to get the shot. Often it is better to pick a single lens before heading out and just commit to it, rather than carry a bag o' lenses to cover all possibilities. Having the right lens (any lens) mounted gives that much more time to compose the shot.

[DAZ]

1. Photography is not reality, it just sometime resembles reality.

2. It is not knowing what to capture but knowing what to throw away, but the more you capture the more you have to choose from when you throw it away. See number 1.

3. It is all a compromise and you can't maximize everything. See number 2.

DAZ

[rbefly]

(1) Practice
(2) Practice
(3) Practice
Sounds silly, maybe, but that's how you learn. Pick a few favorite lenses, get to know your gear and PP, then shoot, shoot, shoot.
Ron

[Rupert]

Stay away from Squirrels.

[klh]

1) Don't leave the camera at home
2) Carry a gray card
3) Frame the shot tight (and check the background)