What's one piece of advice that you'd like to pass along to intermediate amatures?

[Just Be]

What's one piece of advice that you value about any aspect of photography that you'd like to pass along to intermediate level amatures?

[Mike R]

Never forget that you were "new" once and share your knowlege.

[Stavhp]

Check your ISO before you start shooting!
STOP and Think!

[B3SEO]

1. Until the day you finally stop taking photographs, you'll always be learning. Pass it on when someone asks.
2. You don't take a photograph, you make it - Ansel Adams.
3. Practice, Practice, Practice.

[Doug Pardee]

For the intermediate amateur: your goal now is to become confident in your work. Know your equipment inside out. Know your techniques for whatever type of photography you enjoy. Quit making excuses like "you never know when (fill in the blank)" or "just in case". Be bold enough to take pictures that might not turn out, and be bold enough to write them off if they don't.

It seems to me there are a lot of people who don't do any more than hope that their photographs happen to turn out well, and who rely on postprocessing to try to salvage them when they don't. This is understandable for the beginner, but not for the experienced photographer. You should expect your photos to turn out well. Some won't—you're human—but learn from the flops and don't waste your time regretting the missed shots.

[cosworth]

Shoot in M and master exposure. You'll save yourself hours of wasted time in front of a computer and your images will look excellent.

[Tee Why]

As I've heard, photography is about depth of feelings, not depth of field.
Remember that composition, timing, and use of lighting to convey emotion is what photography is about. Not how sharp a lens is or how shallow you can get the dof to be.

[the_incubus]

photography must be your passion. There is to much money and time that goes into photography for you to not have a passion for it.

Also, pay attention. Pay attention to your surroundings, to your subject and to your settings.

[cosworth]

slow down, make sure you're in control. Many times i rush to make peopel happy and i make mistakes that way. Take your time.....

[Glenn NK]

So much good advice here, it's hard to come up with anything.

1) Take the time to enjoy it, and (advice already given), learn the craft as it will help greatly in the enjoyment part.

2) Tee Why's advice is very good; knowing the craft (technical aspect) inside out frees the feelings from being tied down to the technical part.

3) Don't be afraid to "stretch the box"; that's when creativity starts.

[mkuriger]

good advice!

Shoot in M and master exposure. You'll save yourself hours of wasted time in front of a computer and your images will look excellent.

[mkuriger]

I would say, master PP. you can turn any ordinary photo into an work of art.

[bieber]

Whenever you start to get too good at whatever you're doing, learn to do something new. Don't stop doing what you're good at, but keep on expanding (this is why a bunch of off-camera lighting stuff is starting to show up in my sig ;))

[howzitboy]

go from just looking to seeing, when u shoot for long enough, u can tell what the shots going to look like when u shoot it. No need to preview or worry whats going to look like on your computer, you'll just know!

so, keep shooting!

[René Damkot]

Think & talk about light, not equipment.

[John_B]

Learn by Doing :)
The more you do, the more you need to learn ;)

[kevie]

Some beginners and intermediates get really stuck on the "Rules" of photography.....i say learn em and know them when you see them, and finally remember that those "rules" are good starting points when you take pictures but explore other possibilities when shooting any subject. OOO and another one i got this summer was an OCD shooting style (Basically you shoot Overall, medium, close-up and Front lit, side lit, back lit of your subject) it really pushes the creativity of your work because you stay with one subject shooting a multitude of angles and perspectives.

[RTMiller]

Sell the camera stuff and get a boat. It's cheaper!!!

Just kidding, one piece of advice to pass along...
Look at lots of pictures and study the way the light falls. It's all about the light.

[Jon, The Elder]

slow down, make sure you're in control. Many times i rush to make peopel happy and i make mistakes that way. Take your time.....

Yup....Cos is right, still guilty after all these years.

[airfrogusmc]

If you start getting confortable with your images shake it up. Always try and do things outside your confort zone. Push your limits and constantly challenge your creativity.

[Dave Ringkor]

1) Read your camera's manual once in a while. You might notice a feature or button that you'd never considered before.

2) Always keep your camera ready to go, with charged batteries and empty memory cards (or film, if you're into that sort of thing).

[PhotosGuy]

Think & talk about light, not equipment.
&
Look at lots of pictures and study the way the light falls. It's all about the light. This is where it all starts!

[Curtis N]

Think & talk about light, not equipment.Look at lots of pictures and study the way the light falls. It's all about the light.Ditto.

[In2Photos]

Excellent advice here.

I still consider myself an intermediate amature but I would have to say that once you decide to make photography a career and use it as a source of income DO NOT DISCOUNT YOUR WORK. I don't mean lowering your price when you sell a package. I mean to stand firm when someone disagrees with your work or thinks it isn't worth your asking price. When you do, you discount your talent, your knowledge, and your creativity, not just your income.

[BillsBayou]

What's one piece of advice that you value about any aspect of photography that you'd like to pass along to intermediate level amatures?



Buy a 500mm lens.
Let me borrow it.

[pos]

Get a black magic marker and black out that little green box,( full auto. ) pos

[JurekB]

The worst enemy of the good is the perfect.

[NZDoug]

Keep your day job....;)

[Roy Mathers]

Learn to spell 'amateur':D

[TeeJay]

Be W.I.S.E. before each shoot.

Remember to check your camera settings....

W - White Balance
I - ISO
S - Shooting mode (whether you shoot in M, Av or Tv)
E - Exposure compensation (and FEC as neither get reset when you turn your camera off)

TJ

[TeeJay]

Don't forget to charge your batteries.

and pack your memory cards.

....it's amazing how many forget!

TJ

[PhotosGuy]

Don't forget to charge your batteries.

and pack your memory cards.

....it's amazing how many forget! I keep a battery in my car & a 1GB card in my pocket, so as long as I drive & remember to wear my pants... :D

[LotsToLearn]

Stay away from photography forums unless you really truly have a problem; otherwise, you'll end up spending your time only shooting and discussing brick walls and tape measures as well as likely spending way more than you can afford to on gear you never thought you wanted.

Just kidding... sort of. Other than that, I'm not qualified to offer advice. Oh... maybe just 'keep having fun!'

[Vitruvius]

Even though I am still very much an amateur here theres always things to pass on and learn because you never get to stop learning.

Always have a backup... whether its another dslr, a point and shoot, or a film camera.
-Sometimes those once in lifetime shots don't wait for you to be ready.

Make sure you know the rules of photography, know your camera, etc but then when your shooting, take pictures from the right brain. Don't muddle your creativity with rules or your pictures wont be the same - eventually they will work together with experience. If it comes down to it: capture the moment not the photographically correct, perfectly composed boring photo.

[the_incubus]

Stay away from photography forums unless you really truly have a problem; otherwise, you'll end up spending your time only shooting and discussing brick walls and tape measures as well as likely spending way more than you can afford to on gear you never thought you wanted.

Just kidding... sort of. Other than that, I'm not qualified to offer advice. Oh... maybe just 'keep having fun!'

best advice right her.

[airfrogusmc]

Think & talk about light, not equipment.

Its all about the light... Learn it and its different qualities. How to capture it and its qualities. Its what its really all about.

[DocFrankenstein]

To intermediate amateur... (assuming you mastered exposure)

Shoot film for a couple of months. It changes the way you shoot.

[cosworth]

Glad to see you back Doc. :)

True, my film days really helped me take it to the next level when I wanted to become a "photographer"

[liza]

Never assume you know everything. Learning is lifelong. :)

[saravrose]

what you leave out of the photo is as important as what you put in it.
don't be afraid to make mistakes.
Learn the rules...... and then break them.
understand that not every shot is a keeper... not even every other shot.
and step away from the viewfinder every once in awhile. Look around, really look around.. and then shoot.

sari

[gjl711]

Shoot film for a couple of months. It changes the way you shoot.

True, my film days really helped me take it to the next level when I wanted to become a "photographer" Hmmm... Must be a generational thing because it took me a very long time to throw off my film roots and allow me to fully embrace the wonders of digital. So maybe it should be modified.

For those with roots in film, toss away all the old preconceived ideas that worked so well with film and embrace the new and for those who started in digital, shoot film for a few months, it will make you appreciate digital.

Actually, the one I wanted to add that has not been mentioned here is:
Don't give in to equipment envy. Better equipment is great, but it will not improve your shooting as much as you believe it will. If your techniques suck with DRebel, a MKIII is not going to make them better.

[Just Be]

Learn to spell 'amateur':D

Thank You! My fingers work faster than my brain sometimes.

[BCinMB]

I'm a super newbie, but, go out and shoot no matter what.

Learn, do, then learn from results.

[xpsentity]

Shoot the light. It's ALL ABOUT THE LIGHT!

Remember, THE LIGHT!

[symes]

photographs, especially portraits, are more a reflection of the photographer than the subject.

[beefykoala]

Once you've mastered your own cheesy cliche, you're halfway there.

[Pete]

Don't beleive anything that anyone tells you.

Try it out for yourself and see what happens.

95% of effective learning is by doing, not beleiving.

[John Thawley]

What stands between you and greatness sits between your ears... not in your camera bag.

In other words, don't get wrapped up in equipment. Cartier-Bresson exclusively used Leica 35 mm rangefinder cameras equipped with normal 50 mm lenses - occasionally a wide angle for landscapes.

"The simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression... . In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little human detail can become a leitmotif." — Henri Cartier-Bresson

[vkalia]

The most useful revelation I had from a photography point of view was quite simple, actually: do you know what separates the work of the top photographers from that of the rest? Simple: the amount of effort that they put into the photo.

An average snapshotter goes, takes a shot and moves on.

A hobbyist goes, spends some time searching for the right composition - and if he is serious about his photography, he may also wait for the right light.

A top-notch photographer is willing to put in a *lot* of effort to get the shot "just right" -coming back at another time, making multiple efforts, etc. Each shot is visualized in advance and then all stops are pulled out just to get that -ONE- shot. Most of us do not make that extra effort just for a single shot.

That is what sets apart the top photographer from the rest (not ability, not creative vision, not technical skills & most certainly not L lenses).

Vandit

[camera]

Take up photography after you have won the lottery :)

[Mum2J&M]

Take up photography after you have won the lottery :)
LOL, good advice! :lol::lol:

[DC9]

You are known by what you show not by what you take.

[PhotosGuy]

Once you've mastered your own cheesy cliche, you're halfway there. http://photo.klein-jensen.dk/smilies/rotfl2.gif

[tomr7]

Once you've mastered your own cheesy cliche, you're halfway there.

Lmao, I was half thinking the same thing.

[turbo212003]

On the business side, don't give negatives until payment is made.

[cdifoto]

Ignore critiques that use the word "distracting."

[cdifoto]

On the business side, don't give negatives until payment is made.

You suck.


Oops I jumped the gun.


*Takes your money*
You suck.



Ahh much better. I like that method! :)

[thekid24]

Ignore critiques that use the word "distracting."
Preach it brutha
Take this thread for example http://75.126.234.18/forum/showthread.php?t=344020
and posts 4, 11, & 17...they are completely missing the point of the photo for God's sake!!!!

"distracting" BAHHHhahahaha.

[irishman]

Read this somewhere:
Amateurs think about equipment
Professionals think about money
Masters think about light

[Solaria]

Don't forget to take your lens cap off.. before shooting... ;)
Gets me every time..

[Naturalist]

Don't be afraid to take the next step.

Never stop learning.

Shoot from every conceivable angle, lens, flash/no flash, etc. until you've captured it all, or the subject has left.

[cprofit]

Learn how to use light. It will save you a lot of money on expensive glass that you can't carry or switch on your camera quickly enough. You can only have one lens on your camera at a time and when the equipment is in it's bag it's useless. Make your shooting environment work for you instead of trying to work against it.

Learn your equipment. When you understand light and how to manipulate your camera, you can finally make a picture instead of just taking it.

Learn Photoshop. Lenses are great to brag about, but the end picture is what matters the most, and it's amazing the images you can create in photoshop.

Avoid the Lens/Camera and Buy & Sell Forums. You'll begin to think that equipment, not people, makes great pictures, and in making yourself poor by convincing you that what you have isn't good enough. Spend more time in lighting or picture posting/critiquing forums - watch, listen & learn.

And of course, practice. Everybody has opinions about what should have been done differently for a picture, so learn from everybody and attempt to mimic those you look up to. Until you have your own style, you may as well try to emulate those you respect.

[thekid24]

What's one piece of advice that you value about any aspect of photography that you'd like to pass along to intermediate level amatures?
Follow the rules, unlike some of the shlackies in here that list more than ONE bit of advice,hahahahahaha

[chauncey]

Remember that you haven't taken your best picture and that the journey is much more enjoyable than the destination.

[rhys]

Always take a camera!

[Naturalist]

Take whatever THE KID24 sayz like a grain of salt! :)

[thekid24]

Take whatever THE KID24 sayz like a grain of salt! :)
HAHAHAHa especially when it comes to following rules....lol