29 September 2008
10 Things I Know Now That I wish I’d Known Back Then - TWIP
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Scott under:
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Photo by Scott Bourne - 1981
As I was looking at some old portfolios this week, I realized that back in the day - I kind of sucked. Don’t get me wrong, I made some good shots *including the one above* and sold lots of images. But I am shocked at how bad some of that early work was. I didn’t have a clue back then. If I’d only have known just a few of the tricks I know now, I could have been so much better. So with that in mind, I’m sharing some ideas now that I wish someone had shared with me back then.
1. Pay attention to the background. A good background can make an average picture great.
2. Know your gear backwards and forwards. The minute you finally truly understand how to use your gear, you’re freed up to start paying attention to seeing. And seeing is everything in photography.
3. Wait on the light. Really. If you think it looks good at 4PM, wait until you see it at 7PM. Waiting on the best light takes patience and provides great rewards.
4. Slow down. unless you’re a sports/wildlife photographer, chances are you can take one breath before pushing the shutter button. Take that breath and see what a difference it can make in your images.
5. Get to know your subject REALLY well. Regardless of what (or who) you are photographing, take time to learn all you can before getting the camera set up. It will pay off later.
6. Pre-visualize. Try to imagine what the final print will look like before you snap the shutter. This is a technique pioneered by folks like Ansel Adams. It works.
7. Know WHY you’re about to trip the shutter button before you do it. If you can’t answer the WHY question, don’t make the photo.
8. Pictures with pop get noticed. Typically, a good picture that doesn’t pop - doesn’t get sold.
9. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I took so many boring pictures back when I was getting started because they were safe. The results were competent but unremarkable. To compete in today’s world, where people think they are a gifted photographer just because they have a nice camera, you have to stand out. And you stand out by taking chances.
10. Enjoy your time spent behind the camera. Photography is supposed to be fun. When I first started out, I rushed and worried and stressed myself out thinking about having to MAKE THAT SHOT. Don’t be like me. Relax. Enjoy the moment. All too soon it will be gone. Your career will be behind you, and you’ll realize it wasn’t as much fun as it should have been. I’m still working on this one every day.
I hope this helps.
This post sponsored by Drobo. For $25 off your next Drobo, go to Drobo.com/TWIP.
15 Comments so far...
Tim Says:
29 September 2008 at 5:39 am.
Scott, I love this blog. There are always great reminders, and there is always something new to learn. Thanks for inspiring me to be a better photographer, and more importantly to enjoy photography even more.
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10 sfaturi pentru fotografii la început de drum « Resurse Foto Says:
29 September 2008 at 6:43 am.
[...] 10 sfaturi pentru fotografii la început de drum Via TWIP [...]
Garry Says:
29 September 2008 at 7:07 am.
Great ideas and tips. Love this site for the quality of content. But I’m wondering why do most of the photos in the RSS feeds not show up?
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Mike Says:
29 September 2008 at 7:12 am.
Suggested addition to #3 - learn how to create the light you need. This is obviously subject dependent, but if your main deal is taking pictures of things you have some control over or aren’t too far away (i.e. not animal and landscape photographers), you can always use strobes, reflectors, gels, etc. to get great light.
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Kent Goldings Says:
29 September 2008 at 7:13 am.
This is good advice. I think a good Photographer knows when to take a picture of. But, I great one knows when not to take a picture.
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Mark Says:
29 September 2008 at 7:54 am.
Wow, Scott. These are great ideas. I especially like tip 7. I often get too caught up in pressing the shutter, that I forget what I’m after. I think I’ll combine 4 & 7 for my work ahead. This bad boy’s going on the del.icio.us and Ma.gnolia.
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Mary Says:
29 September 2008 at 8:30 am.
Scott, thanks for your insight…I learn something from TWIP every day…thanks for the time you take to share these tips with us.
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Dave Says:
29 September 2008 at 9:24 am.
Thanks Scott, again, for the great advice. I would add something the list above which, as an amateur, has changed my approach to taking pictures. I read it here on one of your posts before you went on the recent Alaska trip and I recall Steve also mentioned something similar on a recent podcast.
The tip is to have an idea or theme of what you want to accomplish before going out to shoot. By doing this I have achieved a notable improvement and a lot less wasted/useless shots!
Keep up the great work,
Dave.
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...bill Says:
29 September 2008 at 10:49 am.
The example photo is very nice. Can you tell us about it?
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Scott Says:
29 September 2008 at 11:21 am.
@bill thanks - this was a studio shot I made of a model. I was lucky enough to run a studio with a glass roof at the time so we always used a scrim to keep light out. This time I let a little through onto the background to create the pattern. I used a red gel on a lone 8′ softbox behind the camera as the key.
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Chris Says:
29 September 2008 at 2:03 pm.
Scott, always enjoy reading your posts and ones like these are ‘gold’. I really appreciate the ‘back to basics’ approach you so kindly share - thanks
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Todd Says:
2 October 2008 at 9:31 pm.
Great tips, Scott. Thanks for sharing your insights and experience.
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VIctor Says:
9 October 2008 at 10:31 pm.
I enjoyed the list. I’m a very “in the moment” shooter, unless I’m doing a rare professional gig, so I don’t always stop to think. However, I am glad that I have been doing this long enough to feel very much a part of my gear.
One thing I would add to #3: Wait all you want, but keep shooting. This is so totally doable now, with digital. Sometimes the light really was good at 4pm. Really. :-). One of the best pieces of advice I got years ago from a pro, about shooting architecture (what I do), was that sometimes noon really is the best hour of the day.
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