What's the #1 Best Advice You Would Give To Someone New To Photography!

[btaylor]

My best advice (aside from the excellent suggestions so far)...


If you see a good shot - take it!!! Never let an opportunity to capture a great image get away.

[peterborough_photography]

enjoy taking pictures and enjoy what you shoot.

[Eric Smith]

I would advise you to think of photography as a print-making craft (even in this digital age). By this, I mean think less about what your subject is, and more about how the final print will look. Think abstractly about composition, tonalities, colors, etc. Notice how your eyes naturally move about the final print. Powerful images do not require powerful subjects. It is all just light. From your subject list, I would start with flowers (using your tripods), being the slowest moving of the list. Once you have mastered slow deliberate compositions of light with a static subject, your eye will know how to see the same opportunities with your swiftly moving grandkids.

[jimr]

Shoot lots and lots. It is digital and is virtually free to take as many shot as you like.


Next look at your shots and see what worked and did not work. Learn from your shots and learn your tastes and style and build from there. Have fun and play with lighting and points of view.


Reading 'how-to' books will get you 10% of the way there. Reading forums and analyzing photos will get you another 10%. Practicing photographic principles, lighting techniques, and software will get you another 10%. Doing in day to day situations, playing and having fun will get you the last 70%.


I have generated some impressive shot by just 'playing' and having fun.

[trosky]

im very new to photography, and the little advice i can give is what i've applied to myself.


1.Learn the camera and all it's functions. I've found it very anoying when i just shot something in manual mode with 3" of shutterspeed, iso of 1600, aperture of 2.8, no flash, and thungsteen WB.. and 2 second of auto shutter to avoid the hand shake. then i turn off the camera, and move to a different place hence a party, or a room in a house, or anything of that nature, and ppl want a fast picture, those settings need to go back to normal in less than 2 seconds to take a quick shot, and ppl dont wanna pose like 4 times for 1 picture.


2. Train your eyes, and your notions. I've found flickr to b quite helpful. I've seen the work of MANY, and they have inspired me to do something different. Always look at the exif data, since that's what u need to get an idea of what the photographer was thinking about when the shot was taken.


3. Put a tape on my flash, NOT literaly , but avoid using flash, specially at night. After you get the right colors and the nice shot, then play around with the strenght of the flash in order to light up certain things u want ONLY.


4. WB is not there to b auto, that's something that needs to b changed ALL the time when you change scenarios, so USE IT.





This is a little bit of what i've applied to myself in starting photography. It's not 1, but it's something that has helped me accomplish shots that im particular proud of.

[ddt0725]

I want to thank everyone for the fantastic advice given! Looks like the #1 best advice overall is shoot...shoot...shoot and I am taking advantage of every chance I get and keeping in mind all the other wonderful suggestions given.


My #1 advice to myselfis learn something new every day by visiting the TDP website at least once a day without fail!


Thanks again and have a great night everyone! []


Denise

[Sheiky]

Good luck Denise! I'm sure you're gonna have a fun time shooting, see ya later!

[Colin]

My #1 advice to myselfis learn something new every day by visiting the TDP website at least once a day without fail!
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Be careful, though. Bryan is responsible for my purchase of several thousand dollars of gear....


Jerk[]


Not that I regret it.

[Matt.s.Maneri]

to me the most important feature missing from most photograph's is good composition work on forming well composed pictures.


all the technical stuff can be learned by simple reading over this site and others like it.

[jenifermary]

The best thing to do is just click lots of pics and choose some best photos you have click.You can take the help of your friends.Then look at and talk to your friends and take advice where you lack.One more thing you have a complete knowledge of photoshop.