how do I go from taking pictures to being a photographer?

[Bill-E-BoB]

I know it's a vague question, but how do I become a photographer? Turns out, I kind of dig it. :) I kind of stumbled upon it to be honest, but now I'm hooked. My career is graphic design because I've always been very creative & my favorite hobby is painting, for the same reason. Recently I decided I wanted to paint some pinup paintings of MY car with my own pinup girls so I decided to take some snapshots to use as source images. So a friend of mine who has done some modeling came over, I pulled out my little point & shoot camera, and 500 shots later I'm super psyched with the results. So now, I want to get better! I'm so psyched about the shots I just keep retouching more & more of 'em instead of actually painting anything!

The shots you see on my page were shot with a cheap little Kodak C190 point & shoot camera. I'm itching to go throw a ton of money at a digital SLR and a tripod and a light meter and one of those umbrella reflector thingies and call myself a photographer...and figure out what to do with it all later. But realistically, what should I do next? Start by learning what to call those umbrella reflector thingies maybe? Where can I learn what I'm doing, how can I fine tune my skills, and at what point do I decide it's time to get real equipment instead of a $50 point & shoot?

[richardwangphotography]

Bill-E-Bob

The actual act of taking a picture is very easy, any proficient photographer can teach you about f/stops, ISO, shutter speed, basic lighting in about 8-10 hours.

The equipment isn't really an issue either. Most point and shoots take great pictures. At best equipment allows you to more easily do things but it doesn't necessarily allow you to do better things.

So what I'm saying is don't worry about the technical aspect of photography.

What you should be trying to master is composition. The skill of taking all the various components of a photograph and harmoniously arranging them to a whole.

That's what seperate a mediocre picture from a great picture.

One of the best guide on composition for a beginner is the US Navy manual entitled "Basic Photography Techniques". Located here http://photoinf.com/General/NAVY/Photographic_composition_Balance.htm Read it, do the exercises and you've saved yourself from going to photography school.

Along with the manual, develop a habit of studying images you like, and not just photographs but other types of visual art. Really study them, break them down to their various components, look at how all the pieces are arranged, how the images is lighted. And then try to replicate them

Many photographers will say, "Hey, I don't need rules...I break them." What these people forget is that you've got to know the rules before you can break them.

Also I would caution you from falling into a very common trap. Photographers often think that some new technique like cross processing, extreme contrast, extreme saturation, HDR, tilt-shift, and lomography can substitute for good photographic skill. A good picture is a good picture and it doesn't need tricks.

But the best advice I can give you is to find someone you trust and have them ruthlessly and honestly critique your pictures.

Good luck

richardwangphotography

[Edson Carlos]

Holy friggin awesome link, killer one Richard! And thank you for the concise writeup as well. Good thoughts in there.



richardwangphotography said:

Bill-E-Bob

The actual act of taking a picture is very easy, any proficient photographer can teach you about f/stops, ISO, shutter speed, basic lighting in about 8-10 hours.

The equipment isn't really an issue either. Most point and shoots take great pictures. At best equipment allows you to more easily do things but it doesn't necessarily allow you to do better things.

So what I'm saying is don't worry about the technical aspect of photography.

What you should be trying to master is composition. The skill of taking all the various components of a photograph and harmoniously arranging them to a whole.

That's what seperate a mediocre picture from a great picture.

One of the best guide on composition for a beginner is the US Navy manual entitled "Basic Photography Techniques". Located here http://photoinf.com/General/NAVY/Photographic_composition_Balance.htm Read it, do the exercises and you've saved yourself from going to photography school.

Along with the manual, develop a habit of studying images you like, and not just photographs but other types of visual art. Really study them, break them down to their various components, look at how all the pieces are arranged, how the images is lighted. And then try to replicate them

Many photographers will say, "Hey, I don't need rules...I break them." What these people forget is that you've got to know the rules before you can break them.

Also I would caution you from falling into a very common trap. Photographers often think that some new technique like cross processing, extreme contrast, extreme saturation, HDR, tilt-shift, and lomography can substitute for good photographic skill. A good picture is a good picture and it doesn't need tricks.

But the best advice I can give you is to find someone you trust and have them ruthlessly and honestly critique your pictures.

Good luck

richardwangphotography

[Bill-E-BoB]

Thanks to all for the links, those are great resources. So, it seems like the one big recurring theme here is lighting. Figure out how to use natural light, figure out the flash, graduate to external lights once I get the hang of that stuff. That's my game plan. I'll study the links you guys have given me, pick up some books, and practice practice practice.

One of my friends I sent to the calendar contest to vote asked what I used to shoot my submissions & laughed when I told her the crappy camera I used for it, but she thinks what I've done so far is a good enough start with a cheap camera that I show some potential. So, I took my Caddy to a big show today called Drive Invasion here in Atlanta, and she let me borrow her camera to see what I could do. It's a Canon EOS Rebel XS with an 18-55mm lens and a 75-300mm. It was very fun experimenting, and I got some really cool depth of field shots when I started playing with the manual focus. I was kind of hit & miss still on lighting though, in the harsh sunlight a bunch of shots came out over exposed. What should I have done to mellow out the harsh lighting?

I haven't played with anything from today in photoshop yet, but first thing I notice is that these shots have like NO noise or pixelation...even the really dark shots. That makes me worry about how much I can really improve with my el cheapo point & click, but I think what I'll do is study up, try to incorporate what I learn about the things I have control over & then borrow her Rebel until I'm rockin' & rollin'. By that time I think a decent body & 1 or 2 lenses would make sense to start with. And then once I have that, I'll be in a good position to really benefit from some classes at like the learning annex or wherever I can find 'em.

Oh, and on a side note, I brought Veronica Wilde (pinup lifestyle member) with me & we had an absolute BLAST shooting all day at Drive Invasion. And if nothing else, a DSLR camera gives you more clout when walking up to gorgeous women at a show & asking to photograph them next to some cars.

[Bill-E-BoB]

Agreed!! Thanks for all that Richard! I'll be studying that manual in great detail.



Edson {PL Team} said:

Holy friggin awesome link, killer one Richard! And thank you for the concise writeup as well. Good thoughts in there.



richardwangphotography said:

Bill-E-Bob

The actual act of taking a picture is very easy, any proficient photographer can teach you about f/stops, ISO, shutter speed, basic lighting in about 8-10 hours.

The equipment isn't really an issue either. Most point and shoots take great pictures. At best equipment allows you to more easily do things but it doesn't necessarily allow you to do better things.

So what I'm saying is don't worry about the technical aspect of photography.

What you should be trying to master is composition. The skill of taking all the various components of a photograph and harmoniously arranging them to a whole.

That's what seperate a mediocre picture from a great picture.

One of the best guide on composition for a beginner is the US Navy manual entitled "Basic Photography Techniques". Located here http://photoinf.com/General/NAVY/Photographic_composition_Balance.htm Read it, do the exercises and you've saved yourself from going to photography school.

Along with the manual, develop a habit of studying images you like, and not just photographs but other types of visual art. Really study them, break them down to their various components, look at how all the pieces are arranged, how the images is lighted. And then try to replicate them

Many photographers will say, "Hey, I don't need rules...I break them." What these people forget is that you've got to know the rules before you can break them.

Also I would caution you from falling into a very common trap. Photographers often think that some new technique like cross processing, extreme contrast, extreme saturation, HDR, tilt-shift, and lomography can substitute for good photographic skill. A good picture is a good picture and it doesn't need tricks.

But the best advice I can give you is to find someone you trust and have them ruthlessly and honestly critique your pictures.

Good luck

richardwangphotography

[Jenna Photog]

IMO - think about what you want to shoot...how...what you'll need, where you want to shoot it, time of day etc. From there you'll need a good camera to produce quality images..then educate yourself with books, magazines, movies, study posing, color combinations, the masters in photogrphy. Once you have a solid concept add items you think you'll, test test test.... For me it was a slow build. It took me ages just to really "KNOW" my camera not to mention the years it took me to "get" photoshop.

I'd start with a great SLR, and a good lens and build from there. Personally I think at the end of the day...all you need is a good eye for composition and details, great concepts. And an organize brain to know how to pull it all together.

[Bill-E-BoB]

I've been thinking about this a lot since starting the post, watching videos, reading the sites referenced here, and even borrowed a friends Canon DLSR for some shots at a car show I took my caddy to about a week & a half ago. Turns out I'm IN LOVE with DSLR cameras and, as expected, I look at the shots I did with my old point & shoot & they look like absolutely crap. I've even learned about the differences in image sensors & ISO & the reason behind how much sharper & cleaner the images on a decent SLR come out.

SO...I decided to go ahead & take the financial plunge, or at least wade out towards the deep end anyway. I ordered a Nikon D90 & it should be here late this week. It's used (very lightly used) and coming with a 50mm f1.4 lens which I figure should be awesome for pinup portraits & cars, but I'm also shopping around for a decent wide angle and telephoto lens. I'm thinking about this nikon 18-200mm vr lens I keep seeing come up & figure it would cover both ends of the spectrum pretty decent for now, right?

Once it arrives, I'll start practicing a whole bunch to get the hang of wrangling the light, but I'm hoping I'll come along quickly...my whole life has been in artistic fields, photography is just another medium, once I figure out the tools I think I'll do alright. I welcome any advice or critiques people have along the way!

[Lee Williams]

Man I'm glad I'm a Photography HACK lol!

Naw actually I choose to not pimp myself out. I love photography as an art form, if I can't do it for pleasure and the occassional "thats awesome" to one of my pictures, then I won't do it. I love it too much...... to all the photogs and future photogs out there keep your head up and your eye on the beautiful lady or object in front of you.

Lee

[J-Red]

When I was in college, I was told the key to being a photographer with great timing was to wack a lot. Everyone has free advice, but no-one often has a hand to lend.

[Boudoir Louisville]

Michael Harrington said:

This economy sucks so f**** bad, nobody gives a s*** about how good a photo you can take. They can't afford it and don't want to pay you for your time or what you are worth.

The majority of people you run into have no clue what it takes to produce real top notch photos. You will knock on thousands of doors and get only one "maybe we will call you". Then you get people who are loaded with money, but don't want to spend s*** for your stuff because they are cheap.

If I was a smarter person, I would have taken something completely different in college. In fact, I plan on going back to college....again...and try to find something that will make enough money for myself and wife and kids.

Do you realize how much money it really takes to produce some shoots. Most people don't. They don't realize the cost of travel and all the expenses involved with it, gas, food, lodging, plane tickets, car rentals, insurance, equipment, equipment repair, equipment rental, upgrades, software, computers, printing, postage and finally your time. You have to run everything as a business. Time management, figure the cost vs the time to produce.

I have had some lucky breaks and opportunities, but that only goes so far. I went to the LA area the other day and looked into some things as far as commercial automotive photography is concerned ( my field of expertise). Im a very small fish in the pond....come to think of it I realized I'm plankton floating in the ocean compared to some of the heavy hitters who get paid 50,000 dollars a session just to turn their lights on!

Just recently a multi-multi million dollar company wanted to use one of my photos in a calendar which they plan to print 400,000 copies of. Guess what? They would not pay me the measly 400 dollar asking price for the use of my photo. Instead they offered me what amounted to magic beans. They offered me "credit". "We will put your name in the credits". We really, really want to use that photo, but want it for free.

Wow! really? You'll give me credit in the calendar? I wonder if I can give a copy of the calendar to my landlord when rent comes due?

I could not disagree with you more!

[Edson Carlos]

"real equipment" is subjective. Unless you're limited from creating a look you love, no need to spend thousands on more and more gear.
Be inspired to create art, you can do so with just about anything!