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Fuchsia Plant |
Review of Tips to Becoming a Better Photographer
In this article I will review tips I have passed on in the past and offer a new tip to challenge yourself to increase your skills. Whether you like taking photos for yourself and your friends or you want to take them professionally there are several things you can do to enhance your skills. Of course the first is practice, practice, practice. But besides using your camera regularly there are many things you can do to become a better photographer. Here are a few of my favorites.
Take a class on photography or attend a photography seminar.
No matter how many times I take classes or seminars, I always come away with something useful. I try to take at least one class or seminar each year. There are many different places to find classes or seminars. Just type "Local Photography classes" into your search engine and you will find lots of choices. If you are short for time you might try some of the online classes that are listed, but I always try to take one in person at least every other year. I think sharing with other people you meet at the seminars and classes is a great part of the learning experience.Study the work of Photographers you Admire.
A great way to become a better photographer is to study the photos that you enjoy. There are photographs all around us. Look in books, check out photos of your friends or look at the many sources online. I'm sure you've looked before, but have you looked at the photographs critically. Take the time to examine a photograph.
- What makes it appealing to you?
- Is the lighting good for the subject?
- What can you learn from the photo?
- What would you do differently?
Here is a photo I took of a bird in my backyard. Take your time and examine this photo and answer the four questions above.
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Baltimore Oriole on Hummingbird Feeder |
Now try the same four questions on this pot of flowers.
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Backyard Flowers |
Take a 52 week Photography Challenge.
This year I am taking a photography challenge. The particular challenge I am taking is on Facebook in a group called 2 Lil Owls Photography Project. You can find lots of similar challenges online or you and some friends could start your own. Here is how the challenge works. We have a list of words, one for each week in the year. The challenge is to create a photograph using the word. How you interpret the word is entirely up to you. This challenge has you getting out your camera each week and finding creative ways to use the weeks word. Here are a few of the words we've had this year and some of my photos.
Window
Path
In a Distance
Window
Path
In a Distance
Shadows
A few of the other words for the challenge include: large, small, scattered, up close, looking out, red, flowers, fill the frame and daily habit. Of course there are many more but this gives you an idea of how it works.
Zazzle
Stop by my Zazzle stores to see my photos on products.Zazzle/mbgphoto
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