Beginner

[MVS]

I've taken a few stabs at developing as a landscape and nature photographer, but haven't been consistent enough to develop. Obviously, one change to make is to be consistent, but I am wondering what other ideas you could give me about how to get good at it. The photography on this site is so good, I thought I'd see what I can learn from the exceptional shutterbugs here!

Thanks for any ideas!

 

[Nick]

Not knowing exactly what your current skill/experience level is, it's hard to give advice, but I have found that the difference between the best photographers I know and the rest is the obsessive commitment to always be looking for the shot. Some folks have it, some don't (I don't). It's the guy (or gal) that after a long, exhaustive day of hiking is still running around with the tripod, always freaking out about the great light opportunity or that awesome star shot, even if they've basically shot the same thing 1000 times already. Oh, and marketing.

 

[steve]

Don't let Nick's modesty fool you, he has it.

 

[Dustin Gent]

what do you feel you are lacking on? Do you have a site where your stuff is posted?

 

[regehr]

Composition is the hardest thing for me. I don't need to be great but would like to not suck. There are plenty of guides on the web but I find that this stuff is hard to put into practice. As it is I take a lot of photos and a few of them don't suck more or less out of luck and because I'm outside a lot.

There must be some decent continuing ed landscape photo courses in the SLC area, does anyone have one to recommend in particular? Or have a great instructor in mind?

 

[Dustin Gent]

well I am moving to SLC next month. If you want to go shoot sometime, let me know!

 

[pixie1339]

Everyone can improve if they work at it. The more you practice the more you find what works and what doesn't. Always be open to trying different techniques. Follow photographer's whose work makes you feel inspired. Most importantly have fun and find your own style!

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[andyjaggy]

Composition is the hardest thing for me. I don't need to be great but would like to not suck. There are plenty of guides on the web but I find that this stuff is hard to put into practice. As it is I take a lot of photos and a few of them don't suck more or less out of luck and because I'm outside a lot.

There must be some decent continuing ed landscape photo courses in the SLC area, does anyone have one to recommend in particular? Or have a great instructor in mind?

It's probably of some value to have someone teach you when you are first starting out, but after a while the best teacher is simply getting out there and doing it, finding the kind of stuff you like to shoot is very important.

I agree composition is the hardest part. In my mind there are 3 things that make a good photo. Light, Composition, Subject Matter. The best photos are strong in all 3 areas. Yet some areas are so scenic that even with only moderately good light they can still produce good photos. The area that I think is most important (there is a thread no here somewhere where it got a little heated arguing which was more important light vs composition) is composition. Even when I've got really good light if my composition was lousy I'm not happy with the photo. Yet I've had photos where I felt I had a strong composition with only mediocre light but I still thought it worked. I am always struggling with my compositions, some photographers seem to be able to find a good comp anywhere and everywhere, for me I usually feel like I stumble upon it accidentally. Take your camera off the tripod and start walking around, moving it up and down, zooming in and out, etc... until you find something that you feel works.

 

[gnwatts]

Learn what your camera (and by extension your chosen software) is capable of. As I don't know what you are shooting and processing with it is hard to help here.
Practice, a lot. At all times of the day, not just sunrise and evening. Learn to capture the type of image YOU want to spend time processing, or sharing with others. That is the nice thing about digital, the shots are free, so you can easily experiment. What pleases you might not please others, so take criticism for what it is worth and don't get discouraged.
Try to visualize what you will want your finished image to look OR feel like, prior to releasing the shutter. Sometimes when you are under pressure due to time or other constraints, this may not be possible. But you may find this helpful in getting a final result you are pleased with.
Don't be afraid to crop your image!
I always feel I am the "Master of Disaster" when it comes to processing, and If I see something later while looking at the image on the computer screen, I will not hesitate to crop. It is no different than changing colors or white balance IMO, you are in charge!
Take your time during processing. Sometimes I spend just a few minutes on an image, sometimes hours or days.
Avoid getting into a set and expeditious way of working. Take as long as it needs to take, and be patient.
Hope this helps.