How do you take better photos?

[GDH]

I've sat back and looked at hundreds of photos posted here and am amazed at the quality of what I see. Other than practice, practice, practice, where can I learn more about my XTi and my new 70-200 f/2.8 so that I can improve the quality of my photograpthy? What web site, books, resources can I check into to learn more? There's a whole bunch of setting on my camera and I don't fully understand them. I want to get good at this, someone please point me in the right direction or two!

[Gipetto]

Getting to know your XTi should pertain of getting to know Manual Mode in general. I'd check out the library and see if you can find books on composition. Then see if you can find any pre-digital books that about everything pre-digital & pre-electronic. I've got an Encyclopedia of Photography that was published in the 50's that is an excellent resource. Found it at a used book store for $20.

There's less to learn about your camera than there is about photography in general.

[NeverFollow]

There are some books dedicated to specific cameras that you can find in Barnes and Noble or any other major book store, in fact heres a link. Buy one of those books to better know your camera.

http://books.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?WRD=canon+rebel+xti&box=canon%20rebel%20xti&pos=-1

[arkphotos]

Hmm... Not that I am any good... but you should start with your camera manual, some resource to undersatand the relationship between shutter speed, aperture, and iso (Understanding Exposure is often recommended, but Ive not read it).

Practice, practice, practice, and post, post, post for feedback.

[Josh_30]

Do you have any particular issues that you would like to resolve? Images too dark/light, out of focus, etc. That info would help greatly to give you some advice.

Understanding Exposure (http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposure-Photographs-Digital-Updated/dp/0817463003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249874387&sr=8-1) is a good basic place to start. Reading the manual and understanding what the different functions of the camera are capable of is a good place to start as well. There are plenty of cheap books out there on photography at used bookstores, or even at your local library. The more you know about what your camera can do and the more experience you get shooting with it, the better your photos will be. Search google for "digital photography school" or something along those lines. There are lots of free blogs and websites out there that will give you a basic introduction to composing your photos, how different settings can make the same photo look completely different, etc.

Some simple rules like the "Rule of Thirds" helps in terms of composition, but as always there are times when that rule can be broken and the photo still works.

[jetcode]

IMO

I'd worry less about the tool and more about the expression. Explore lighting and composition and digital printing techniques. That's where the real fun is. The camera and lens are tools to support expression. I examine everything from magazines to art books for composition and lighting and research digital printing online.

For what it's worth it takes a good while to get a style together. Plan on spending a several hours to several days on your first worthwhile image. It's like a coming of age.

[CoquetteRN]

I bought a book by magic lantern that was camera specific. I read it and played with my camera simultaneously. I'm a hands on learner. Have you thought about taking a class at your local community college?

[msilvey]

The thing I wish I had more knowledge of is painting and color composition. I found most of the technical information I've needed online. Sorting through hours of crap has been the roughest part.

[CliffordPhotography]

Heres a good link for learning how to take photos, and getting to know your camera. ;)

http://www.lmgtfy.com/?q=Photography-on-the.net

[jetcode]

The thing I wish I had more knowledge of is painting and color composition. I found most of the technical information I've needed online. Sorting through hours of crap has been the roughest part.

this is a great book on color by a local legendary painter ... lots of great information.

http://www.allbookstores.com/author/Connie_Smith_Siegel.html

[TheBurningCrown]

Here's my advice. Reading will only get you so far. What you really need to do is go out and SHOOT.

Shoot everything, and shoot a lot. It doesn't matter if the pictures aren't very good. Keep shooting, and learn how your camera, lens, and mind all work together to make the image. If you don't understand something, look it up. If you don't understand a setting in the camera, look in your manual. If you don't understand what the manual says, google it. If that isn't clear, post a thread here.

Learning will take you places, but what you really need to do is practice, practice, practice.

Good luck! :)

[RyanK]

Trial and error; lots of it.

[SAB_Click]

IMO

The first book you should start with is the camera manual; take one feature at a time and familiarise yourself with it, then move to the next.

I also found then that some kind people had taken the time and trouble to post camera specific tutorials on You Tube - some were fantastic! Whilst looking for them, I also found that people had posted all manner of generic photographic tutorials and materials. I learnt a lot very quickly using this resource. There is good and bad on there so use the view ratings or view counts to sort the wheat from the chaff. If you find good material, search on other videos by the same poster.

Hope this helps.

:)

[Saucyrossy]

This is not the normal response you would get but to me, the best way I've learned how to take better photos is by limiting myself. I really feel like the limit of exposures on a roll of film really forces you to take everything into account and try and make every picture as great as it can be, when it comes to composition, exposure, etc.

So my advice would be to limit yourself on how many pictures you can take in a session. Honestly if you are taking photos of architecture and the like you only really need five photos. If you can't take your time and get five good shots off then you won't get them if you take a thousand.
So again, take your time be patient, find the best angle, the best lighting, etc.

[Stealthy Ninja]

Did anyone say photoshop yet?!

A lot of what separates a good photo from an average on is good PP. Of course, if you START with a good photo, good photoshop just makes it a GREAT photo. :D

[Phrasikleia]

The technical side of things is the easiest to master, so some reading and lots of practice will help in getting you over that hump.

What will help the most is learning to see. Learn to appreciate good light when you see it and absorb all you can about composition. Putting those two things together (good light and good composition) is more than half the battle in taking better photos. Most unsuccessful photos are lacking in one of these two fundamentals.

[Benji]

The word "photo-graph" literally means "light"-"writing." If the light is writing good you will have a good image but if the riting ain't no gud yer pitchur ani't gonna be gud neithr. ;)

So after you learn how to operate your camera, and you understand exposure and you learn how to "see the light" you should be able to take beautiful images. This usually take several years.

Benji

[snyderman]

Honestly, the advice of shoot, shoot, shoot ... then shoot some more didn't work well for me. It's like going out into the woods with a gun and shoot, shoot, shoot. Ya MIGHT hit something ... but it also might not be what you INTENDED to hit.

This worked for me: Plan to shoot something. Anything. It might be a downtown festival, a local softball game, a family picnic ... whatever. Concentrate your shooting on ONE thing or event at a time. Plan by thinking about what happens, what MIGHT happen and put yourself and your camera in the right setting to capture the event.

Like anything else, no plan is a sure plan to fail.

dave

[GDH]

Thanks for the input. I've found the camera manual to be slim and light on detail. I'll check out the other resources, combine them with shoot, shoot, shoot, post some examples, bounce off some walls and see what I can do. Photoshop has been a challenge - lots of power with little guidance. Thanks for the input, I'll get to work and post some examples soon.

[jetcode]

Real World CS2 is an older PS bible that is essential.

[technodunce]

Sounds like you are starting from scratch.
I wonder what sort of camera you have that your manual is light on information. Your manual will tell how to use your camera but not how to be a good photographer.

To start with, I would suggest learn your camera through your manual in a methodical manner as suggested earlier. This is when you go shooting every day. ok Consider becoming a member on photoblog.com so you can share the best of your efforts on a regular basis with others. (you can post 5 for free per day). Set yourself an assignment either each day or each week. ( a night scene, a depth of field scene, a sports scene, a panning scene.- try to identify a technique used by a photographer and have a go at making your own version to get the same effect). Stick with natural light until you are good with it. Also buy a decent book on digital photography to refer to and explain the techniques and terms.

Second, and at the same time, buy a decent book on photoshop to help you learn that at the same time as you are learning to take good pictures.

Third, Do a class, join a club, all that sort of thing will pay off.

Fourth, to get good especially as with regards composition and content, look at photographs of great photographers. Go to your library get out books on photography history, learn the history of photography and then pay more attention to those you like. Read some essays or books about the photographers and what they were on about. Study the work of those who came before you. This is the one thing that has helped me the most and given me the most joy. This will help you add depth to your photographs over time and make it most interesting. Most photographers don't bother with this but I think its vital for really getting good. Not that i am so very good yet but I like seeing my awareness grown and then my ability.

[bwolford]

Thanks for the input. I've found the camera manual to be slim and light on detail. I'll check out the other resources, combine them with shoot, shoot, shoot, post some examples, bounce off some walls and see what I can do. Photoshop has been a challenge - lots of power with little guidance. Thanks for the input, I'll get to work and post some examples soon.

I think they meant check out the manual settings on your camera. My experience has been that once I started taking the camera off of the auto modes, quality improved immediately. Shoot in RAW to increase your PP options. The factors that impact photo quality are, in opinion of order:


You, you gotta know how to use your camera in manual mode. You need to control it, not have it control you.
Light, Crappy light = crappy photo.
Lens, invest here before you spend more on
Camera, If you don't have the first 3 mastered, spending money here is a waste.Good luck.

[GDH]

This is the type of input I've been looking for. I've been shooting with this camera and a 24-105 for about a year, but have been disappointed with the shartness of many of my photos. I'll take your advice, do some research, shoot A LOT, and post for suggestions. I really appreciate the direction and suggestions!

[chopper5654]

i would like to add......post your photos and questions here. i know its been said, but it cant be said enough. google is great. reading up on things is great. but, at some point we left-brained types will overdo the "research." we cant be afraid to mess up....thats the best way we learn.

take some crappy photos. post them. get no responses. go to google for an article. post some more. get a response from a nice soul trying to help and being honest. improve to mediocre.

lather, rinse, repeat.

another thing is to try out what you just read. if you want to learn "depth of field," set up an apple on a cutting board at 5 feet. shoot it on all your "full" stops. f/4, f/5.6, f/8, etc. then, play with the shutter speeds a bit and watch what happens. then, use your auto bracketing feature to learn how quickly it will zero in on the right exposure. then, play with the compensation to learn which way you move it to make the photo darker/lighter. then, turn on the flash. play with the compensation on the flash to see how it affects the harshness of the shadows. then, go outside and shoot something at 20 feet.....do all the above except maybe the flash. then, 50 feet. you will notice how different the depth of fields are at different distances.

etc, etc, etc. imo, that will get some grip on the basic fundamentals of how a camera works better than any manual, or google, can teach through words. and, it shouldnt take but about 100 shots. just study the affects each change makes, and you will pick it up quickly.

main thing this accomplishes, imo, is giving you a "feel" for how much dof you have quickly. you will remember that you dont have as much margin for error at 5 feet as you do at 50. you dont have as much margin for error with a telephoto lens as you do with a wide angle. that will improve your sharpness pretty fast.

happy shooting.