100 things about Photography

November 1, 2009 by jamesbartholomew

100 THINGS ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY JBlogo

My thanks to Martin Grommel, whose wordpress post:
“100 Things Martin Grommel Learned About Photography” was humorous inspiration.

1. Always go out with a spare battery and memory card.
2. Shoot from your hip, instincts, and feelings;places other than your head.
3. Learn from the lucky accidents that occur. There are no accidents.
4. Be hopeful and observant. Take pictures without looking through the camera.
5. Notice the small details around you, as much as the big horizon
6. Look for the treasures that are offered to you. Only you can see them!
7. Find a project to work on: shoot the same thing again and again. And again.
8. Notice the sun’s actual journey in the sky: take a compass with you.
9. Have a notebook in which to write addresses, people’s names and camera tips.
10. If strangers let you photograph them, always email the results to them.
11. Join a forum like Flickr, show appreciation of photos you like, put up your own.
12. Join or start a local camera club. Make sure you go to meetings.
13. Get an inkjet printer with 6 inks, and output your best photos on A4 matt paper.
14. Find a local venue to exhibit of your finished projects. Be serious about this.
15. Always have business cards to give to people. Make contacts with others.
16. Talk to other photographers you see on the street. Don’t be competitive.
17. Take a raincoat with you, and pack one for your camera bag as well.
18. Go out at night and do street scenes with a tripod. It’s supposed to be heavy!
19. Make panoramas with photo stitching software. The results will please you.
20. Learn basic adjustments in Photoshop to maximise your image quality.
21. Shoot like you had to pay £1 for every photo you have stored on your computer.
22. Be sure to back up all your images on an external hard drive.
23. Then back up your external hard drive to a master drive.
24. Learn how to clean your image sensor with a vibrating brush (e.g. ‘Visible Dust”)
25. Explore the work of other photographers, living and dead.
26. Notice the difference of sunny and overcast light, at different times of day.
27. Shoot at dusk and dawn, and treasure these times just for you.
28. Find a friend to go shooting with in the same place. Look at the different results.
29. Find a good teacher or mentor, and go on some photography courses.
30. Becomebetter than your camera. This might take a while.
31. Equipment isn’t important, but good lenses are worth paying for. So is a good tripod.
32. Let your pictures tell a personal story. Make a photo diary.
33. Make a sequence of images as a story; write a journey of your mind’s eye with text.
34. Explore new ways to take risks, as daring as you can challenge yourself.
35. Shoot at least one new way every time you use your camera. Make lists of these.
36. Try to photograph your feelings, and do this honestly. It will show.
37. Avoid clichés and images that are not genuine for you.
38. Try at least once, to photograph only things that do not interest you at all!
39. Write a editorial story with photos on something you care about. Try to get it published.
40. Make a proper book of your photographs. Show it to people. Make another one.
41. Research local photography exhibitions where you live and go to them.
42. Always carry a camera. If your SLR is too big, buy a good compact.
43. Always shoot in raw format and learn how to post process to optimum results.
44. Make a ‘best’ folder in your computer for your best photos. Keep it to the best 100 results. Update the images at least once a month.
45. As you get better, make a ‘B’ and a ‘C’ folder, for the old photos from the ‘A’ folder.
46. Categorise your best images for a Photo Library (like Alamy) and try to sell them.
47. Don’t be afraid to look for ways to make money from your photos.
48. You will make l000s of bad photos before you start making good ones.
49. You should probably only really like a maximum of 10% of your photos. This is fine.
50. Always send good photos of people to them. They will like this. Emails are ok.
51. Explore personal things like your culture, gender, race, etc. with your photos.
52. Don’t be afraid that your photos have nothing to say in them. They do.
53. Don’t be afraid to try to let your photos say something about you. They will.
54. Remember that photography is at base a form of sun worship. Even in Britain!
55. Learn all your camera’s menus and set good defaults for it. This will save time.
56. When photographing other people, be prepared, and value their time.
57. Learn how to mix ambient light with subtle fill flash, inside and out.
58. Take as many photos as possible. Always. It’s basically free.
59. Never delete ‘bad’ photos until you learn how to do better next time.
60. Get the best exposure at the time; use the +/- button, or bracket.
61. Imagine you will never have another chance to take this photo. You won’t.
62. Learn the angle of view of both ends of your zoom lens.
63. Get a 50mm prime lens. Pay the extra for f1.4 over f1.8. It’s made better as well.
64. Use a dedicated speed light, with a diffusion screen; face on, at -1 stop,
65. Realise that your pictures are expressions of your beliefs, values and reality.
66. Realise that you can change these. Explore the values of others.
67. Recognise what attracted you to that something, and let your camera translate this.
68. Don’t be afraid to express yourself, even if you only understand what this is, later.
69. Let your camera be a subtle ingredient to events, rather than an obvious obstacle.
70. Learn to be unobtrusive with your camera (Leicas and compacts are good for this).
71. Learn from other people’s views on your photos. They are valuable.
72. Some people will not like your favourite images. This doesn’t matter.
73. Always shoot for yourself; but explore and develop your motives for this, honestly.
74. Photographs of people make them immortal to the moment, that will not come again.
75. Print all your best photos to A4 at the highest quality you can. Show them to people.
76. Keep your camera under a coat in public, and always be aware of your own safety.
77. Take pictures with your eyes closed; point accurately and use the audio focus beep.
78. Imagine that your sight is brand new. Take pictures this way. Really.
79. Learn the differences between your review screen, computer monitor, and prints.
80. Try movement and night shots with different shutter speeds, panning and zoom blur.
81. Don’t miss a shot by being afraid to get your clothes dirty from kneeling or lying down.
82. Learn about artistic methods of composing; these apply to photography as well.
83. Investigate rule of thirds, leading lines, colours, contrast and shapes of composition.
84. Close one eye to see things like a camera (in two dimensions instead of three).
85. Squint, to anticipate the tonal limitations of the digital medium, relative to your eye.
86. Never take only one photo of something. Look around you. Wait. Be aware.
86. Always explore different zoom positions before you shoot. That’s what it’s for.
87. Brace the camera against something solid at slow speeds, rather than up your ISO.
88. Always buy the best lenses you can, the same brand as your camera.
89. Read reviews on equipment before buying it. Don’t follow fashions.
90. Shoot in Raw at auto White balance and change it afterwards if you need to.
91. Use a Mac instead of a PC. If you can’t afford one, try someone else’s. You’ll like it.
92. Download your images on a card reader, so you can do this on any computer.
93. Explore the results from using different apertures: wide open or stopped down.
94. Always look at the exposure numbers before you take a photo.
95. Remember that shutter speeds slower than 1/60s will blur your photos.
96. Believe that you are a good photographer, and you will be one.
97. Don’t be frustrated by bad results. You are as good as you want to be.
98. You have to learn about photography as well as your camera. And compostion. And your motives.
99. Photography is an endless journey of seeing yourself in images.
100. Be passionate about your journey. Enjoy it. With luck, your images will outlast you.