Digital ImageMaker Photography Tips

Latest Two Tips

2008-05-12 05:11:08

Ideas of natural talent are being overturned by a focus on practice. Practice makes perfect.

Like many skills, photography requires practice, practice and more practice. Recent research is presenting a convincing case that our old ideas about some people possessing natural talent and genius are wrong. Sure, people may have a natural predisposition in certain directions, such as strong visual skills, but hard work and practice are what makes for success, not just relying on the natural talent. All the evidence is showing that people with some natural talent will not reach their full potential, or even a tiny portion of it, if they do not practice and develop these talents. Likewise, the evidence is showing that even people with no outward signs of extraordinary talent can perform at the highest levels with practice.

Often talked about is the so called 10 year rule, that it takes 10 years of concerted, dedicated effort to excel. This is true in sports, science and the arts. Tiger Woods had a golf club in his hands before he could walk. Researchers go through years of preparation of their undergraduate and doctorial studies before they start doing their life’s work. Most artists don’t make it overnight, though sometimes it can seem like it. What you don’t see are the years of study, learning, practice and poor work that is often destroyed by the artists themselves. Jackson Pollock’s early work is really not very good and would be of no real interest if it wasn’t for Pollock’s later drip paintings, for example.

Others have expressed the idea that there is some number of photographs you need to take before you become any good as a photographer. Some say 10,000, others have said 100,000. It is a similar idea to those in art that suggest you need to do a certain number of drawings or paintings before you are producing good work.

So we should not expect things to come easily or even quickly. We need to be prepared for a sustained and focused effort. The old principle of carrying a camera everywhere you go is not a bad one. If you have a camera with you, you start to see the world through a photographer’s eyes all the time. This means that you will see more interesting subjects to shoot and, in fact, start to see interesting material for your camera where previously you might have walked right past without a second thought. Also, if the ideas of having to take a certain number of pictures is correct then having a camera with you all the time may mean that you get to the magic number more quickly.

Test Your Gear

2008-05-10 00:00:44

Other people’s reviews can assist you when making a purchase decision. But once you have your gear, you need to do your own testing.

Reading the manuals is only the first step of getting the most from your camera gear, you have to become familiar with how it actual works in practice. This means playing with it every chance you get. That’s right, play. Life should be enjoyable and photography in particular. Here, the value of play is getting to know your gear and making your interactions with it and its controls automatic.

You must test your gear for yourself so that you get to know all its idiosyncratic aspects. Make sure you test the following aspects:

What ISO setting becomes too noisy for your general shooting?
What ISO setting can you accept in a pinch?
At what shutter speed does the mirror slap produce the worse vibration?
For each lens, which apertures are most and least sharp?
For each lens, which focal lengths produce the most distortion?
What coverage does each of your flash units have and how do these correspond with your lenses?

The other thing to remember is that all equipment is subject to manufacturing tolerances. That means that your particular lens can vary significantly in performance from whatever lens a reviewer tested. This is also true of other gear than lenses.

Real familiarity with your own gear lets you fully exploit what it can do. Know yourself an know your gear.