5 ms·

The Newbie Photographer’s Survival Guide

89 points by sethkravitz 7y ago

platz 7y ago
You can know everything, and have all the right gear - but if you aren't interesting, or don't do interesting things, or don't find interesting people, you probably won't take good photos. The hardest part about photography is what your photo is about. What is it saying, which can be different from the literal image, like how what a painting is about is often not exactly what is literally depicted
- photoJ 7y ago
  nor will you make insightful articles for photographers to read...
- ndiscussion 7y ago
  I agree on "if you aren't interesting" but disagree on the things and people requirement. I believe an interesting person can create interesting photos of almost anything.
  - maxxxxx 7y ago
    I don’t think you have to be interesting but have an eye for interesting things. One way to do this is not to be “interesting” but to be “interested”. On the other hand it certainly helps to do unusual stuff so you can take pictures not many people can take. For example there are pilots who post pictures from the cockpit. Hard to compete with that for most of us. Or even better be on the ISS.
- neilv 7y ago
  Regarding "about", if you're doing photojournalism, there's a simple idea that I found tremendously helpful (as an amateur student): your image should tell a story. There's a lot of technical stuff you need to internalize, and some visual sense, but, at the end of the day, your main goal is not something that looks appealing above the fold on the front page, but that communicates some important essence of the story.
  - platz 7y ago
    Right, that makes perfect sense for photojournalsim; of course you also can have non-representational things such as abstract photography; whether you want to use the word 'story' for that too I'll leave as an exercise for the reader.
z3t4 7y ago
Light create shadow, not the other way around. So remember to use shadows, erm I mean light, to bring your objects to life.
ereyes01 7y ago
I really like the content, as it's all about the artistry of photography. Too often so much photography content is about gear, which always does scratch an itch I must admit, and does matter a little bit, but is highly context-sensitive to the mission you have in taking photos. I'm still a noob in photography, but one of the most helpful things in my learning has been youtube videos where other people's photo submissions are critiqued in a constructive manner. Nothing has taught me more about the possibilities of composition in different scenarios, and it has inspired lots of creativity in my own shots and techniques. My favorite Youtube channel for this is Tony and Chelsea (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDkJEEIifDzR_2K2p9tnwYQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDkJEEIifDzR_2K2p9tnwYQ) ... they do a weekly show every Thursday where they critique photo submissions- their feedback is great and they go through lots of high quality photos. Other noteworthy channels: Matt Granger (https://www.youtube.com/user/thatnikonguy https://www.youtube.com/user/thatnikonguy)... has lots of content on gear, but his videos about lighting and portraiture technique have really helped me with taking pictures of people. Mike Browne (https://www.youtube.com/user/photoexposed https://www.youtube.com/user/photoexposed)... Great instruction on the basics of photography, as well as great advice about composing interesting shots (my favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-hh0wQ-GI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-hh0wQ-GI) Thomas Heaton (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfhW84xfA6gEc4hDK90rR1Q https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfhW84xfA6gEc4hDK90rR1Q)... One of the best at explaining the creative mindset and struggle of photography. He specializes in landscapes.
- petepete 7y ago
  Some other good channels: aows: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDvq7BPaphEIhBlyDN19rvQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDvq7BPaphEIhBlyDN19rvQ Gary Gough: https://www.youtube.com/user/redfivestudios https://www.youtube.com/user/redfivestudios Rob Blight: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6apPoUi2QPN4X_ZPZdz7iQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6apPoUi2QPN4X_ZPZdz7iQ Steve Perry: https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrygallery https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrygallery Mark Smith: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyGYUrC2IvaHWoX6dwEsrMA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyGYUrC2IvaHWoX6dwEsrMA Mango Street: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5bp5_6h-ZxkBz6S_33ZUVg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5bp5_6h-ZxkBz6S_33ZUVg All are more focused (see what I did there?) on photography rather than gear.
StavrosK 7y ago
What I've realized about photography is that it's all but pointless. Virtually every single person on earth is a photographer, there's so much supply of great content that it's unlikely that anyone will ever give a damn about your photos. So, just do what you like. Express yourself, shoot what you like, when you like it, and don't worry too much about the rest. Maybe I'm too pessimistic (or just bad), but I've relinquished any hope of ever getting any kind of audience.
- Swizec 7y ago
  How do you define "any kind of audience"? It's very easy to get hundreds and even thousands of followers on instagram. Can you get into galleries? Eh that's really really hard you're right.
  - StavrosK 7y ago
    > It's very easy to get hundreds and even thousands of followers on instagram. How? I post new photos every few days and my follower count actually goes down. I get a bunch of accounts following me automatically and unfollowing me after a few days, just to get me to follow them back. Maybe my photos are terrible, but I don't think so? https://www.instagram.com/stavroskorok/ https://www.instagram.com/stavroskorok/
    - o10449366 7y ago
      I like your photos. That being said, I think it's hard to succeed on Instagram specifically unless you have a very well-defined theme or style. There's nothing wrong with trying a little bit of everything, but I think it's also understandable that the people who initially followed you because they saw a great portrait you took may not be interested in your landscapes. I have an Instagram account that's private and mainly followed by my personal friends. I post whatever I want on there - my paid photography work, my life updates, pictures of my cat, etc. but I also keep a separate, public account that's strictly for my professional portrait work. I think having that separation helps for retaining interest.
Tomte 7y ago
> You are shooting in RAW, right? No. I'm really bad at photo editing and try to invest my time in learning photo composition instead of editing. I feel that for me the results will be better.
- petepete 7y ago
  Unless you have a tiny SD card there's not much to lose by shooting in both. If you get a shot you love but it's just a tiny bit under or over exposed, with a JPEG you're out of luck. I don't really do any 'heavy' editing, but slight exposure adjustments, straightening and selective sharpening can turn an ok photo into a very good one.
  - rnotaro 7y ago
    Exactly! I shot in RAW when possible and most often do minor adjustment directly on Adobe Lightroom Mobile. It's free and powerful and takes about 2 minutes to do. You can even re-apply your edit setting of one picture to a whole set. Before: https://i.imgur.com/c6SRXQQ.png https://i.imgur.com/c6SRXQQ.png After: https://i.imgur.com/B6q1h82.png https://i.imgur.com/B6q1h82.png Editing pictures is definitely one of the most useful skill I've learned from my last relationship.

89 points by sethkravitz 7y ago

You can know everything, and have all the right gear - but if you aren't interesting, or don't do interesting things, or don't find interesting people, you probably won't take good photos. The hardest part about photography is what your photo is about. What is it saying, which can be different from the literal image, like how what a painting is about is often not exactly what is literally depicted

photoJ 7y ago
nor will you make insightful articles for photographers to read...
ndiscussion 7y ago
I agree on "if you aren't interesting" but disagree on the things and people requirement. I believe an interesting person can create interesting photos of almost anything.
- maxxxxx 7y ago
  I don’t think you have to be interesting but have an eye for interesting things. One way to do this is not to be “interesting” but to be “interested”. On the other hand it certainly helps to do unusual stuff so you can take pictures not many people can take. For example there are pilots who post pictures from the cockpit. Hard to compete with that for most of us. Or even better be on the ISS.
neilv 7y ago
Regarding "about", if you're doing photojournalism, there's a simple idea that I found tremendously helpful (as an amateur student): your image should tell a story. There's a lot of technical stuff you need to internalize, and some visual sense, but, at the end of the day, your main goal is not something that looks appealing above the fold on the front page, but that communicates some important essence of the story.
- platz 7y ago
  Right, that makes perfect sense for photojournalsim; of course you also can have non-representational things such as abstract photography; whether you want to use the word 'story' for that too I'll leave as an exercise for the reader.

z3t4 7y ago

Light create shadow, not the other way around. So remember to use shadows, erm I mean light, to bring your objects to life.

ereyes01 7y ago

I really like the content, as it's all about the artistry of photography. Too often so much photography content is about gear, which always does scratch an itch I must admit, and does matter a little bit, but is highly context-sensitive to the mission you have in taking photos. I'm still a noob in photography, but one of the most helpful things in my learning has been youtube videos where other people's photo submissions are critiqued in a constructive manner. Nothing has taught me more about the possibilities of composition in different scenarios, and it has inspired lots of creativity in my own shots and techniques. My favorite Youtube channel for this is Tony and Chelsea (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDkJEEIifDzR_2K2p9tnwYQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDkJEEIifDzR_2K2p9tnwYQ) ... they do a weekly show every Thursday where they critique photo submissions- their feedback is great and they go through lots of high quality photos. Other noteworthy channels: Matt Granger (https://www.youtube.com/user/thatnikonguy https://www.youtube.com/user/thatnikonguy)... has lots of content on gear, but his videos about lighting and portraiture technique have really helped me with taking pictures of people. Mike Browne (https://www.youtube.com/user/photoexposed https://www.youtube.com/user/photoexposed)... Great instruction on the basics of photography, as well as great advice about composing interesting shots (my favorite: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-hh0wQ-GI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT-hh0wQ-GI) Thomas Heaton (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfhW84xfA6gEc4hDK90rR1Q https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfhW84xfA6gEc4hDK90rR1Q)... One of the best at explaining the creative mindset and struggle of photography. He specializes in landscapes.

petepete 7y ago
Some other good channels: aows: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDvq7BPaphEIhBlyDN19rvQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDvq7BPaphEIhBlyDN19rvQ Gary Gough: https://www.youtube.com/user/redfivestudios https://www.youtube.com/user/redfivestudios Rob Blight: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6apPoUi2QPN4X_ZPZdz7iQ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6apPoUi2QPN4X_ZPZdz7iQ Steve Perry: https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrygallery https://www.youtube.com/user/backcountrygallery Mark Smith: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyGYUrC2IvaHWoX6dwEsrMA https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyGYUrC2IvaHWoX6dwEsrMA Mango Street: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5bp5_6h-ZxkBz6S_33ZUVg https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5bp5_6h-ZxkBz6S_33ZUVg All are more focused (see what I did there?) on photography rather than gear.

StavrosK 7y ago

What I've realized about photography is that it's all but pointless. Virtually every single person on earth is a photographer, there's so much supply of great content that it's unlikely that anyone will ever give a damn about your photos. So, just do what you like. Express yourself, shoot what you like, when you like it, and don't worry too much about the rest. Maybe I'm too pessimistic (or just bad), but I've relinquished any hope of ever getting any kind of audience.

Swizec 7y ago
How do you define "any kind of audience"? It's very easy to get hundreds and even thousands of followers on instagram. Can you get into galleries? Eh that's really really hard you're right.
- StavrosK 7y ago
  > It's very easy to get hundreds and even thousands of followers on instagram. How? I post new photos every few days and my follower count actually goes down. I get a bunch of accounts following me automatically and unfollowing me after a few days, just to get me to follow them back. Maybe my photos are terrible, but I don't think so? https://www.instagram.com/stavroskorok/ https://www.instagram.com/stavroskorok/
  - o10449366 7y ago
    I like your photos. That being said, I think it's hard to succeed on Instagram specifically unless you have a very well-defined theme or style. There's nothing wrong with trying a little bit of everything, but I think it's also understandable that the people who initially followed you because they saw a great portrait you took may not be interested in your landscapes. I have an Instagram account that's private and mainly followed by my personal friends. I post whatever I want on there - my paid photography work, my life updates, pictures of my cat, etc. but I also keep a separate, public account that's strictly for my professional portrait work. I think having that separation helps for retaining interest.

Tomte 7y ago

> You are shooting in RAW, right? No. I'm really bad at photo editing and try to invest my time in learning photo composition instead of editing. I feel that for me the results will be better.

petepete 7y ago
Unless you have a tiny SD card there's not much to lose by shooting in both. If you get a shot you love but it's just a tiny bit under or over exposed, with a JPEG you're out of luck. I don't really do any 'heavy' editing, but slight exposure adjustments, straightening and selective sharpening can turn an ok photo into a very good one.
- rnotaro 7y ago
  Exactly! I shot in RAW when possible and most often do minor adjustment directly on Adobe Lightroom Mobile. It's free and powerful and takes about 2 minutes to do. You can even re-apply your edit setting of one picture to a whole set. Before: https://i.imgur.com/c6SRXQQ.png https://i.imgur.com/c6SRXQQ.png After: https://i.imgur.com/B6q1h82.png https://i.imgur.com/B6q1h82.png Editing pictures is definitely one of the most useful skill I've learned from my last relationship.