Camera Corner

[Stuart M]

As a qualified amateur photgrapher...

What sort of qualification does one need to become an amateur photographer?

I'm looking to become one, you see

[Lory]

Anyone else doing Camera Skool as their New Thing for 09?

Me!

I'm back doing a second term of 'Studio photography'.

Its not a course to learn about your camera functions, One should already be equipt with some knowledge of how your camera works and basic shutter speeds and aperture setting etc
Although I have to admit, I only realised how 'little' I knew, after I started. As its quite difficult to know what you 'don't know' before you need to know it! Err

We're concentrating more on 'lighting (to create mood), composition, capturing movement, highlighting textures and the use of props etc.

Its very informal and a bit like a self help group, everyone has different ideas and some are far more experienced that others.

The first term I did it, I felt quite out of my depth but I feel a little more confident this time!

[Swinging bee]

Hi Chick, I've had a Sony W55 for around 2 years, it's been to 7 different countries and up more than 100 Munros and NEVER let me down. The comparable model, I think, would be the W170. At less than £125 it's well within your budget and meets your requirements. You don't need to spend anywhere close to £300 for a decent digital camera for your needs.

Btw, I hope to see you soon, back on the WCS circuit, now that you're home.

I have the same camera it is brilliant....I highly recommend it...

[martingold]

What sort of qualification does one need to become an amateur photographer?

I'm looking to become one, you see

well you need to have a qualification in b/s to start with lol
i think you fit the bill

[bigdjiver]

What sort of qualification does one need to become an amateur photographer?

I'm looking to become one, you see

Do as my wife did when she bought an "all bells and whistles" camers, go on a course. There she learned the essential skill, how to put it into "easy" mode, all bells andd whistles disabled.

[martingold]

camera is the tool and folks like us want to concentrate on shot finding with brain and eye,

this is absolutely right

when i was doing my city and guilds in general photography our tutor used to say there is a gadget on every camera that most amateurs dont use

its called the viewfinder

when i set up a shot first thing i do is look in the four corners of the viefinder then moving towards the middle that way you know your not going to get a lamp post sticking out of mum head etc

I'd never heard of the "thirds" thing even. I look at my pics and realise that I have obviously used the concept in ma heid occasionally but have not known I was doing it and more often have strived and sweated and leaned to get The Thing bang slap in the middle lol.

the rule of thirds is simply a guidline its not the law there are times when it just does not work sometimes slap bang in the middle does work
the best way to learn is just take as many shots as possible and look at as many photos as possible try to keep an eye on the technical side of what you are doing.
Check the exif information that will be embeded on any photo which should give you a reminder of shutter speed apertuer focal length etc
you will be able to find this info in your image manipulation software and it will remind you how you took the shot

your teacher will only really be able to show you the science side of photography unless you want to learn to take photos in his style

i go on this website all the time looking at shots it has hundreds of really good quality photos on it for you to look at it will help you get your "eye" in

more than anythng else make sure the main sublect is pin sharp (unless you want it blured) that will make almost all photos look better than your average amateur shot

[Stuart M]

well you need to have a qualification in b/s to start with lol
i think you fit the bill

I'm so glad I now understand (based on your posts in this thread) what qualifies as "b/s", in your book.

Thanks

[Feelingpink]

... the best way to learn is just take as many shots as possible and look at as many photos as possible try to keep an eye on the technical side of what you are doing.
Check the exif information that will be embeded on any photo which should give you a reminder of shutter speed apertuer focal length etc
you will be able to find this info in your image manipulation software and it will remind you how you took the shot

Taking many photographs is a great learning tool, but not NECESSARILY the best. For some people, it might work really well. Others may find more inspiration and learning from looking at other people's photographs, art or other creative work or whatever moves them - which could be anything from beetles and landscapes to their children.

...your teacher will only really be able to show you the science side of photography unless you want to learn to take photos in his style

No, this simply isn't true. There are many, many principles and things you can learn from a good teacher and/or mentor. For instance, they can help you develop your style by pointing out the aspects of your photography which are 'yours' - your way of seeing. In portraiture there are rules for posing people, your teacher can also show you distractions in your photographs which detract from the story you are telling, explain the principles of foreground, midground and background and how they can combine to tell wonderfully complex stories and that's before you even think about using Photoshop/darkroom skills to help bring out what you want to show in your image (traditionally known as dodging and burning). As an example, if you try turning your photograph upside down, you'll instantly see where your eye is drawn - and it is often isn't where you expect - an easy way of helping you see faults or distractions in your image.

.more than anythng else make sure the main sublect is pin sharp (unless you want it blured) that will make almost all photos look better than your average amateur shot

I would disagree with this as a sweeping generalisation. Yes, a general principle is to have the part of the image you want people to notice most in focus, but this isn't always true. For instance, a stunning seascape that won a top prize at last week's SWPP awards had nothing sharp about it - it was a wonderful blur of abstract colour stripes. I would suggest that with autofocus, many amateurs manage to get photographs in focus much of the time - and that sometimes catching some motion or having a narrow depth of field can make a photograph.

If I had to pick one photography site to look at for inspiration, it would probably the AOP site, closely followed by the Aussie photographic awards ... well, it is Australia Day!

[killingtime]

An SLR will produce better results, provided you have it with and have not left it at home, because its too big to go in your pocket

"A camera you aren't carrying takes terrible photos."

From the super hand guide to what digital camera.

I think this Canon IXUS 85IS Silver is a good buy at £145.79 Delivered
(10megapixels 3x zoom)

I've been tempted by that as a "pocket camera". I've currently got a G9, which I love, but I've been considering a couple of DSLRs recently. 3 cameras for one person seems reasonable, right?

[martingold]

the rule of thirds is simply a guidline its not the law there are times when it just does not work sometimes slap bang in the middle does work
the best way to learn is just take as many shots as possible and look at as many photos as possible try to keep an eye on the technical side of what you are doing.
Check the exif information that will be embeded on any photo which should give you a reminder of shutter speed apertuer focal length etc
you will be able to find this info in your image manipulation software and it will remind you how you took the shot
i go on this website all the time looking at shots it has hundreds of really good quality photos on it for you to look at it will help you get your "eye" in

more than anythng else make sure the main sublect is pin sharp (unless you want it blured) that will make almost all photos look better than your average amateur shot

Taking many photographs is a great learning tool, but not NECESSARILY the best. For some people, it might work really well. Others may find more inspiration and learning from looking at other people's photographs, art or other creative work or whatever moves them - which could be anything from beetles and landscapes to their children.


I would disagree with this as a sweeping generalisation. Yes, a general principle is to have the part of the image you want people to notice most in focus, but this isn't always true. For instance, a stunning seascape that won a top prize at last week's SWPP awards had nothing sharp about it - it was a wonderful blur of abstract colour stripes. I would suggest that with autofocus, many amateurs manage to get photographs in focus much of the time - and that sometimes catching some motion or having a narrow depth of field can make a photograph.

perhaps if you re read my post you would see that you gave the same advice as i gave only i used fewer words

neither piece of advice is esential just pointers to help

and i do notice that you neglected say that it is essential to learn the technical science side of photography if you want to produce proffesional images
and if auto focus and auto controls are so good why do all profesionals use manual controls

as for that photo at the swpp i hated it as did the three other city and guilds qualified photographers that were with me

it was typical of any modern art ie made so "Educated people" could tell us the uneducated that it must be good because they know more than us

ok this is subjective but i think most normal people would know what i mean

If I had to pick one photography site to look at for inspiration, it would probably the AOP site, closely followed by the Aussie photographic awards ... well, it is Australia Day!

of course these would be better than anything else as they are australian arnt they

[Feelingpink]

perhaps if you re read my post you would see that you gave the same advice as i gave only i used fewer words

neither piece of advice is esential just pointers to help

and i do notice that you neglected say that it is essential to learn the technical science side of photography if you want to produce proffesional images
and if auto focus and auto controls are so good why do all profesionals use manual controls

as for that photo at the swpp i hated it as did the three other city and guilds qualified photographers that were with me

it was typical of any modern art ie made so "Educated people" could tell us the uneducated that it must be good because they know more than us

ok this is subjective but i think most normal people would know what i mean




of course these would be better than anything else as they are australian arnt they

Perhaps if you read my post, you would see that we didn't say the same thing. You were suggesting the 'best' way and I was suggesting that there can be a number of 'best' ways, depending on who is learning. As for the technical side of things, that is a given and had been discussed on previous posts. Also 'all' professional photographers do not use manual controls 'all' the time. It would be nice to think that they know their equipment well enough to use whatever camera settings are appropriate for the situation and sometimes that might be an automatic one.

It's fine that we disagree on various things, including the artistic merit or otherwise of a seascape, but it seems unnecessary to descend into personal insults. Perhaps we should just leave things here.

[philsmove]

and if auto focus and auto controls are so good why do all professionals use manual controls

They do ????

Unless I am in a studio, with all the time in world ,and everything under my control i have to confess to often setting the camera to auto or P

I am sure Henri Cartier Bresson would have loved the modern fully automaic camera. He was a master of composition but for for him the most important thing was the moment you pressed the shutter

[philsmove]

3 cameras for one person seems reasonable, right?

Cameras are a bit like shoes, I don't think you can have too many

[killingtime]

Cameras are a bit like shoes, I don't think you can have too many

Fantastic. That's what I wanted to hear. I don't have to buy them in pairs though, do I?

[martingold]

Perhaps if you read my post, you would see that we didn't say the same thing. You were suggesting the 'best' way and I was suggesting that there can be a number of 'best' ways, depending on who is learning. As for the technical side of things, that is a given and had been discussed on previous posts. Also 'all' professional photographers do not use manual controls 'all' the time. It would be nice to think that they know their equipment well enough to use whatever camera settings are appropriate for the situation and sometimes that might be an automatic one.

It's fine that we disagree on various things, including the artistic merit or otherwise of a seascape, but it seems unnecessary to descend into personal insults. Perhaps we should just leave things here.

firstly if you took it as a personal insult then i apolagise it wasnt meant that way

My comments on the best way still stands

To learn photography you need to take as many pictures as you can (making sure you know the technical details of each shot) AND look at as many photos as you can also trying to work out the technical details of the shot
i did not say you could do it one way or the other but you need to do both

oh and as a side line one of the reasons i l like photosig is because usually you can see exactly how the photo was taken as all the exif data is put up with the shot its also completely free to use

as for pros using manual controls again i did not say that they always use them. As philsmove said bellow when he has time he uses manual controls
of course everyone wants to use fully automatic but if it was as easy as that everyone would be doing it

They do ????

Unless I am in a studio, with all the time in world ,and everything under my control i have to confess to often setting the camera to auto or P

I am sure Henri Cartier Bresson would have loved the modern fully automaic camera. He was a master of composition but for for him the most important thing was the moment you pressed the shutter

no confession needed philsmove i would be surprised if all pros didnt use auto functions when they want speed

[ashenfie]

f
To learn photography you need to take as many pictures as you can (making sure you know the technical details of each shot) AND look at as many photos as you can also trying to work out the technical details of the shot

as for pros using manual controls again i did not say that they always use them. As philsmove said bellow when he has time he uses manual controls
of course everyone wants to use fully automatic but if it was as easy as that everyone would be doing it

I have been a keen photographer for many years and for a time a Pro wedding photog.

I would recommend attending a C&G photog course, which is the only 1 that will make people look up and take notice of you.

Understand a few rules of photograph like the rules of 3rd's and gain an understanding of frames and how they work.

Once an understanding of the rules has been gained, study other photographers work and try and understand what the elements are that make the picture work. Ask your self how has the photogrpher lead you into the picture and what make the picture pleasing to the eye.

Ok so now your ready to go out and take pictures. Decide on a subject and study other photos of that subject. Go out and take photo's following what you have planned and make notes.

At the start the is no reason no to use a point and shoot camera on auto, good have northing to do with the camera (the the image qual. does thu). Later on you will want a better camera and start adjusting settings and may be use differant lens.

Once you get started it's not down to courses or kit, but simply you eye! The kit and course only help you understand principals that make you able to take photos of what you see.

The statement that Pro's only use manual is complete tosh. A sports photog will have mostly Auto setting because it's the simplest way to catch action shots. While a studio photographer will most likely be completely manual to max. the creative control he has.

End of the day, read study and do what works best for you at your level and enjoy taking pictures.

[Feelingpink]

I have been a keen photographer for many years and for a time a Pro wedding photog.

I would recommend attending a C&G photog course, which is the only 1 that will make people look up and take notice of you.

There are many qualifications which people 'look up and take notice of' - C&G is one, also Fine Art BAs and the Licentiate, Associate and Fellowship qualifications with the BIPP and MPA for example.

End of the day, read study and do what works best for you at your level and enjoy taking pictures.

[philsmove]

I would recommend attending a C&G photog course, which is the only 1 that will make people look up and take notice of you.
.

I did my C&G at Napier College Edinburgh. It was an excellent course covering everything from microscopy to portraiture, but when it comes to getting commissions I found no one was interested in my paper qualifications or even my portfolio, they were more likely to be interest in my published work

[martingold]

it seems that certain photographers who use their eyes to take photos cant read small fonts
because at no point in any post have i or anyone else said that pros only use manual control

[philsmove]

and if auto focus and auto controls are so good why do all professionals use manual controls

:

Because we are all control freaks