...get the big camera out and take a picture.
A pleasing picture that a phone would struggle to capture
Camera is quite dated now, but still capable of decent results - Sony A77ii, with 16-50 f2.8, 100mm (f?) Macro manual focus, which makes a decent portrait lens, 10-20mm (I think) half decent Sigma lens, 50mm f1.7 Minolta prime are pretty much my best lenses.
Haven't had the camera out for a while, got bored of the editing side. Really only take snaps with the phone.
Or I have a Sony RX100 IV
I need a challenge - not one that requires an expedition though
Don't worry about the gear and what it can or can't do. It's all about the image.
If the big camera isn't doing it for you, get rid or mothball it.
If the phone is doing what you want to do right now, carry on using that.
Having said that, the RX100 will do pretty much everything you might want to do I reckon.
(for context, I have loads of cameras, but other than my phone/action camera the ones getting the most use right now are my Fuji Instax Wide and a Lomo'Instant Square)
If you really want to use the big camera then I guess macro stuff might be the thing that your other kit can't do so well?
I agree - it’s nothing to do with whatever equipment you have, it’s about your creativity with what you have.
Hockney…
https://www.vertufineart.com/aim-shoot-repeat-photography-david-hockney/
A lot of people want to be into photography and buy a nice camera but are not actually creative enough or have the vision or whatever you call it to take nice images (lighting, subject, composition) and get hung up on the technical aspects of cameras and lenses thinking that will make them better.
I know because that is what I was like and photography forums are full of us.
I found I was thinking about the actual image more when I was using a simpler camera with an iPhone being as simple as it gets. I still have an SLR and decent prime lens that I use when I want a technically better image such as a nice picture of my bike of course but mostly just use my phone now.
I think you actually need a reason/desire to be photographing whatever you photograph. I got into street photography because that is what interests me and the camera really isn't important for that whatever the Leica wielding people suggest.
Agree with all of the above , if your having to ask what to photograph then photography isn’t for you
Just to clarify. I've been into photography for years, just lost a bit of passion for it.
I'm well aware of the best camera is the one you have with you etc.
However, it's become all too easy to rely on phones and that has taken away a bit of the speciality for me. Let's face it, even if I wanted to be super creative in my photography with my phone - 90% of the time, it's going to do the job and then the editing is so much easier too
So, not specifically 'what should I take a picture of', but more a discussion forum for some ideas and inspiration where you can't just get your phone out. Something to make it worthwhile getting your settings right, pulling the SD card out, banging it in the computer and firing up lightroom.
Just to completely go against that, I always shoot Raw on the camera and edit. I could challenge myself to get the best SOOC JPEG without going to LR at all 🤷
Kinda want a new camera, but told myself I've got to use the old one for a while before spending money on a new one
still think your over thinking it , a good picture doesn’t rely on being edited.
I always got inspired by big coffee table photography books.
I'm too tight to fork out £75 for something that takes an hour to read so got them out of the library. Something like this.
My photo challenge this week is to get a nice photo of me, my wife 4 year old and badly under our magnolia tree before the blossoms fall.
From my house there are about 10 trees in full blossom withing a 10min walk.
Other suggestions- shoot a " roll" of film. 12/24/36. No post processing allowed. Record your day or week. Pick the most interesting bits. Food/ coffee/ friends/ bike ride/ sunlight. No looking at what you have taken until the "roll" is finished.
I bought this book learning to take photos. It's got chapters on the basics of photography, the more useful bit for you is at the end of the chapter there is:
an assignment
6 examples of how to
A bit from a pro photographer on that type of photo
always shoot Raw on the camera and edit
I gave up on that, it sucked the fun out of taking the photos
My big camera has been out less than 10 times since my son has been born. The go pro takes a great photo, is smaller, quicker and it edits photos instantly. I've thought about selling it, so far it's safe.
still think your over thinking it , a good picture doesn’t rely on being edited.
I've literally just said I might challenge myself to get some decent SOOC shots 🤷🤣
I got into street photography because that is what interests me and the camera really isn’t important for that whatever the Leica wielding people suggest
Love a bit of street photography. This is an old one, but still one of my favourites - 'That London'
I spent a few hours wandering round with my big camera when I had some time to kill. Could have just as easily been taken with a phone though
Get a film camera. And some iso 100 b&w film.
No option to reel off 20photos and pick the best one.
My most favourite one is a voigtlander Bessa 1 folder. It makes me want to go out and take photos. But I have loads of random cheap things.
Then get a bottle of rodinal and a Patterson tank. To develop.
The voigtlander is a 6x9 camera that's how big the negatives are, when they emerge from the tank they're very impressive.
I am enjoying doing a photo a day,but not posting in any of the usual Flickr groups.
It has got me taking a camera out every day again. 👍
#thereisbeautyeverywhere 😉 😃
I know there is a general theme here that's very correct in that the gear is not the issue. BUT my favourite camera I have ever used is a Ricoh GRiiix. Yes it's expensive but I absolutely love popping it in my pocket when I am out and about and being able to take a snap almost instantly, anywhere. When I'm walking the dogs or out and about I'm not taking my sony / 50mm. Its size is what won me over. But the ability to set picture profiles in camera is very enjoyable. And I don't shoot RAW. The point of the camera for me is all in the photo. So JPEG only.
So maybe take the Sony RX 100v with you everywhere for a week and look for some interesting ideas in the places you normally go to. I find having my camera with me all the time sharpens my interest amd makes me look at things differently.
If you don't already have it, pick up "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. It's a book full of glossy pictures along with details of how he took them and why. I found it inspiring, at least.
I found I was thinking about the actual image more when I was using a simpler camera with an iPhone being as simple as it gets. I still have an SLR and decent prime lens that I use when I want a technically better image such as a nice picture of my bike of course but mostly just use my phone now.
I've posted this before, but I have a mate into landscape photography. He has a big Nikon which probably cost more than all of my equipment combined. He has a huge canvas on their chimney breast that he shot. I was admiring it, "that's really good Andrew, which lens did you use for it?" He replied "oh, iPhone."
I’d back up what everyone’s saying. A mate of mine is a creative director who’s dad was a pretty renowned professional photographer and taught him a lot. The ‘snaps’ that he takes while he’s out and about then puts up on Instagram are absolutely amazing. I’ve never known anyone with such a natural eye for composition and understanding of lighting etc. he’s also madder than a box of frogs, but that’s another story. @christopherlawson if anyone wants to take a look
Rather than spending the money on camera equipment, have you thought about spending the money on a course instead? Another couple, who are good mates of ours suddenly started posting up some really nice shots on Instagram. I casually remarked ‘have you two been on a photography course or something?’. I’ll let you guess the answer.
I got my SLR and all my lenses stolen by some scumbag and I just never bothered replacing them as I didn’t see the point. I hardly ever used them. I do take loads of photos though, just on my phone.
When we did our foundation design course, Me and Chris (the amazing photographer I mentioned) were told by our course tutor to always carry a camera. And we did. We carried SLRs (or a Lomo) round everywhere with us and lived in the dark room. Nowadays you get to carry a really good quality camera with you that does heaps of other stuff too. What a time to be alive 😃
Oh… the Photoshop iPhone app is absolutely bloody brilliant for editing! I use it probably more than the full version on my Mac
Get a film camera. And some iso 100 b&w film.
Nah, 200. Barely noticeable difference in quality but more flexible with shutter speeds IMO.
a good picture doesn’t rely on being edited.
That’s a debatable claim. Back when I printed for myself from negs many of my best prints were cropped on the enlarger, contrast enhanced, burnt in or dodged, and as for colour prints the scope for modification was amazing.
Not using editing is an artificial barrier you might want to impose on yourself for creative reasons but doesn’t give a subjectively better picture.
I was going to comment similarly to J-R that good old BW photography relied on dodging and burning in the darkroom. (Probably why Photoshop and lightroom talk about masks.) film and sensors have limited dynamic range which you adjust post-hoc
Worth reading some of Ansel Adams classic series on taking and developing film. That's inspiring for composition and for post production.
Take the big camera or small one with you when you're out, and pick a composition challenge. Contrasty exposures, Landscapes , people, Nature, and see what different exPosures/framing can do. Use different Masks in whatteveever Editing package you have and see how those chanechange Flat pics into GReat Pics
Edit: Text editing doing odd stuff above, apologies
For me the real difference between a phone photograph and one taken on a camera is only really appreciated in a print. Phone cameras produce images that are optimised for display on a screen and if you’re careful they can look amazing, but once you print them they limitations become more obvious.
so my suggestion would be to start printing.
Go out at night with a tripod. Big camera makes a big difference then.
* Worth reading some of Ansel Adams classic series on taking and developing film. That’s inspiring for composition and for post production.*
It’s very complex - I studied his work for my final year project. It’s all to do with (IIRC) dark and light points and shutter speeds then dictating development times. It’s called the Zone System I think (it’s almost 40 years ago since I even thought about this) :O
How is reading a technical manual going to inspire?
that’s coming from somebody who read all his books, used a spot meter (with my home made zone sticker stuck on the dial) and used low agitation compensation development (HC110 and pyro) and printed using cold cathode enlargers.
All that helped but it’s the first step. It taught me to control the medium and get to a point it was second nature, in essence the pre-visualisation technique advocated by Adams. It didn’t make me take better images just perfectly exposed ones.
In the age of auto everything, raw files and extended dynamic range I would argue the inspiration should come from elsewhere.
For me now that inspiration comes from other photographers work but not in the area I work in, art and film or more specifically the work of dop’s
Tarkovsky, Crewdson, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Ralph Eugine Meatyard, Minor White, Han Yang, Roger Deakins.
those are some of mine, they work for me, might be meaningless for you.
And before I die I hope to get to Yosemite.
If we are talking other inspirations then Edward and Brett Weston, Sebestio Selgado (sp). and Dorothea Lange.
Just been down a rabbit hole of revisiting some of Bressons work, which was on magnum photos, which then led me to Elliot Erwitt, then Susan Meiselas.
All stuff that grabs my eye. Stopped for now so I don't lose track. Will sit down of an evening and document some different photographers
Dug the camera out yesterday.
Stuck the nifty fifty on, so no zooming
Going to Jpeg only, have a play with some settings, manual focus and see what I come across.
Try some astrophotography. It’s really hard to do well.
I am probably the second worst photographer ever. The worst being my aunt, who used to cut the top of people's heads off 😂
A few times recently I've been thinking I'd like to get a bit better. Living in Edinburgh there's always great buildings, views etc - but if I was to 'take a snap' it would just look meh.
So, perhaps you could take a photo each day and post it in this thread. Explaining how you achieved it, what you like and don't like about it. Others could also give their thoughts and after a week or two it might send you down a new path.
A lot of people want to be into photography and buy a nice camera but are not actually creative enough or have the vision or whatever you call it to take nice images (lighting, subject, composition) and get hung up on the technical aspects of cameras and lenses thinking that will make them better.
I know because that is what I was like and photography forums are full of us.
I resemble that remark. And I'm not ashamed of it. I like fussing about with bits of kit and if I can do that without the family going hungry, why not?
Anyway - more constructively, I recommend listening to The Photowalk podcast - always loads of ideas for projects to expand your photography.
This popped up in my email this morning. Anybody tried any of the Maestro stuff?
Don't put your cameras away. Mine are always out, and I rarely leave the house without one of them. I get what you say about post processing, can become a chore. I try and do different stuff all the time, mix it up a bit. Some is RAW and post processed, lots is playing around with the tech in the camera, film simulations, scenes and stuff. Do what you enjoy.
I definitely wouldn’t pay to have someone tell me about photography. Go out with whatever camera you choose and keep going until you’ve taken 10000 considered photos. You’ll be good at it by then.
When I started I used to buy one roll of film a week with my paper round money then send it off to Trueprint to be developed and get a roll of film back. At least now you don’t have to wait so long to see the results! I’ll take Lightroom over a darkroom every day.
Full frame sensor? I’d get an m42 adaptor and do some manual shooting with cheap soviet block lenses. I’ve not done so for a while, but did a lot of shooting family photos with a speed booster and/or adaptors on a Fujifilm compact mirrorless and some nice but cheap lenses. My favourite is a slightly yellowed thorium glass Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50/1.8 which takes photos that look like nothing else I’ve got. I must dig it out again soon.
