What are the common preconceptions of photography for newbies?
I was wondering the other day about preconceptions/misconceptions that I had as a newbie in photography and wondered what other fellow photographers thought about them. I wanted to write a blog post about them and thought I would do a bit of general research into the idea itself. Some of the preconceptions I encountered were things like 'better camera = better photos' or 'it needs to be bright and sunny to take nice photos.' So what misconceptions can you think of and how has it changed since you became fluent in pressing buttons? :)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by nathan mccreery on -
The most common misconception, in my opinion, is embodied in your last sentence. ..."since you became fluent in pressing buttons". There is so much more to creating a really fine photograph than just "pushing buttons". Most of it has to do with personal vision, learning the technical aspects (craftsmanship part of the art), finding ways to bring your concept to life, planning the photograph (even my landscape photographs are usually the result of careful research, experience and planning) etc. Creating a photograph that truly is a work of art is much more involved with the intelligent application of knowledge than it is with having the latest and greatest photographic gear. In fact I am repulsed by the term "snaps", as if all we have to do is push get ourselves a new 5D MkII, get a full complement of L lenses and start banging away. That notion is as far from accurate as it possibly can be. Making a truly fine photograph may take hours of work in the darkroom, or light room, after the initial exposure. It will hardly ever be the image that comes straight out of the camera.
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Permalink Reply by Sajid Fakir on -
Nathan- You said it before I could.
Shooting from the hip, randomly, rarely makes for a work of art worthy of wall-hanging. Vision, mastery of tools, and lots of research, knowledge, inspiration, and motivation are keys to making a piece you're really proud of.
The problem is.... most of the people we come across on a day-to-day basis just don't get it. This not "getting it" makes for most photographers being "starving artists" as their work becomes a hard sell.
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Permalink Reply by CameraClicker on -
I like that "fluent in pressing buttons" My first dozen cameras were all film cameras. Those without meters had a single button and a knob or lever or two to move film, those with meters had an extra switch for the meter and an extra knob or two to control shutter speed. It has been less than ten years that my cameras have been covered in buttons.
Things have certainly changed. To take photos at night we used to need a tripod, a separate light meter and a stopwatch. Now many of the shots we used to take that way can be taken hand-held at 1/60th or even 1/125th! We are a long way from ISO 25 slide film.
"Better camera = better photos" is a half truth. You do get better photos from a better camera. Not in the sense that the composition improves, but in terms of less electrical noise. It is also less work to take the photo you want with a better camera because it starts faster, gives less shutter lag, generally buffers more images and gives a raw file which allows latitude in editing later. A photo that is well conceived and composed will not look that good if the image is full of digital noise. The same image will look much better if taken with a good camera and lens that gives a sharp image in a noise free file.
I think a there are a couple of common misconceptions around how much goes into any good photo and the notion that most of the photos we see in media are straight out of the camera. Many people seem to think the photographer is sent on assignment and he shoots a few photos and comes back with what you see in the magazine. One National Geographic article had 40 photos, which were selected from 1200 rolls of film shot over the course of half a year, for that one article! Of course there have been some iconic shots that were straight out of the camera or perhaps cropped a bit. Luck meets preparedness.
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Permalink Reply by nathan mccreery on
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That dovetails nicely into a Churchill quote; "in every man's life a moment of opportunity comes. What a pity if that moment arrived and he was not prepared". I think that's an accurate quote. If not verbatim at least in spirit.
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Permalink Reply by Peter Hung on -
Haha nice. I also remember the days of film photography. A lot more planning went into making a photo even if I was going out for the day somewhere and wanted to take some shots.. I would have to choose "Am I going to shoot in colour or Black and White?", "Slide Film or regular?", "What ISO would be suitable or am I going to experiment?"
I think digital photography has forced us to be more spontaneous in our preperation to photograph but all the same the thought has to come before you take the actions necessary to get your picture.
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Permalink Reply by nathan mccreery on
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I still apply the same planning in digital as in film days. A lot of research into location, planning the layout, clothing preferences, makeup etc. The only thing that's changed for me is the medium. I think a very common misconception is that everything is just done "off the cuff". Excellent photographic imaging is the result of careful planning and meticulous execution. Then when serendipity happens, as often it does, everything is in place.
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Permalink Reply by Jared Weaver on -
I always thought the camera made all the difference in sharpness and overall image quality. I wanted a 5D as soon as I heard about its large format sensor, high MP count, and low noise. Lucky for me I couldn't afford one then and still cant now. That has all changed and I think I have my head screwed on mostly straight about what makes a good image. Planning your scene is essential to me now when I can. I work on ships and sadly the captain wont stop so I can take a steady shot of a pretty sunset, so I have learned to shoot on the fly and keep my gear ready for those breathtaking moments.
I was also a victim of the 'it needs to be bright and sunny to take nice photos.' myth. True you can get excellent photos on a bright day, if you know how to shoot on a bright day. I think every one of us has captured excellent pictures on less than ideal or downright nasty days. For instance, I captured a beautiful sequence when a lightning storm rolled into my sunset scene. Now, I won't go out to shoot unless I see a few clouds in the sky. I have only a year under my belt, so I wont say that I'm in any way out of the newbie phase but I have learned volumes since I picked up my first DSLR.
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