Improve by shooting more and shooting less? I suppose I should explain that!
A definite advantage of digital photography is that it costs virtually nothing to shoot a lot of photos once you buy the equipment. So unlike film photography, right? So, the temptation is to fire away and take a zillion shots of the same thing.
Resist this temptation. Shoot more, but shoot more of different subjects. Don’t just hammer away on one subject. Shoot more of different areas in photography too. For example, if you like shooting landscapes don’t just limit yourself to landscapes. Shoot action or sports, portraits or people, macro or travel too. This varied experience will also help you improve your landscapes.
Shoot less by thinking about your subject and what you want to achieve. Then shoot just enough to ensure you achieve your objective. I call this “The View Camera Approach.”
You know view cameras: Those big film camera boxes on big heavy tripods that really good photographers lug around, take a long time to set up, and then take a few photographs at about $5 per shot just for the film! Those guys think a lot about what they want to communicate with their image. They scout locations, look for the best light and the best times to get an image, and view their subject from many different locations and angles. They then lug that equipment in, set up, invest time getting things exactly right, and make one or two stunning, incredible images.
I’m not saying that you should go to that extreme. I certainly don’t. But then again, I’m not a really good photographer either…yet! I have started to think more along these lines, and practice more along these lines, and I think it’s helping my photography. The attached action shot (not my usual landscape thing) was made using some of “the view camera approach” ideas and I think it is a definite improvement over just hammering away at the action. Try it with your images and I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the results.
Kings Park Photo Club: The next meeting will be a sunset/moonrise photo opportunity on the beach in Fort Salonga. Day and time is Thursday, September 19th at 6:20 PM in Fort Salonga. If you are interested in attending, or joining the Club, please contact me at lwkelly113@gmail.com. We will not be meeting at our usual site, the Kings Park Library on that night. Join us and photograph the setting sun and the rising full moon, which will occur within a few minutes of each other that night.
Thanks for reading. As always, please post any suggestions for future topics in the comments.
