Monday, March 31st, 2008
I’ve been asked about how I’ve managed to take a particular picture with the equipment I have so many times. It’s not professional by any means – mearly amateur. In my photo kit you won’t find any Canon, Nikon or even Pentax cameras or lenses – I chose Samsung because of the price. Nothing else.
Unfortunately, you won’t find many of your photos to be of your liking to begin with. It’s more of a practice-makes-perfect kind of hobby. Chris Marquart once said in his podcast that it’s more of a 100-to-1 relationship for even himself of photos that he considers to be good.
If you think inspiration is stupid you won’t get very far. Every artist uses it and can offer a different perspective than you may see normally.
It’s not always about the camera. While it’s good to have a decent resolution (6+ is a must for dSLRS) I still love to use my LOMO LC-A when going around. Even a small portable digital camera is useful but of course normally doesn’t give the customisation a dSLR will provide.
It’s not bad to experiment either, I’ve found that out too often. I love to shoot wildlife but it’s always difficult (what wildlife except from pigeons can I find easily?) – I’ve even go so far as to say it’s my favourite subject to shoot whenever possible. Then it’s people (also pretty hard without looking posed), architecture and landscapes. But if you’ve not tried something, do it anyway. You’ll never know what you’ll like if you haven’t tried it. It also fills the holes until you get into things that you prefer to shoot.
I try not to get stuck on the same settings too often. I normally choose a wide angle lens, 18mm, taking shots at f3.4. If everything starts looking the same you won’t impress yourself or others. Experiment.
That’s mainly what it is. Experiment. You or I will get nowhere unless we do. It brings new ideas and offers new solutions when you’re down. See, give it a try.
Do it!