Action!
Since joining Steemit I've been sorting through all the pictures that I've taken in the last several years. I've been re-editing pictures that I had edited before, and I've also been finding a lot of pictures that I had never edited because I apparently didn't think they were worth editing at the time. It's really interesting to see how my editing, composition, and content preferences have changed in the couple years since I began taking pictures.
One thing that I've noticed is that when I started taking pictures I would pretty much only edit pictures that were in really sharp focus, regardless of the composition or content of the rest of the picture. I've since become much more interested in the feel and story that a photo tells, rather than how in focus or perfectly exposed it is (obviously, I would still like my pictures to be perfectly in focus and properly exposed, but those factors are less important to me than they used to be).
Take this duck picture for example. Nothing is very focused and my shutter speed wasn't fast enough to really freeze movement very well. When I took this picture a couple years ago, I never even took a second look at it because I had already decided it was blurry crap. As I was going through pictures earlier this week I came across this shot and it was much more appealing to me than it ever had been before. I still don't really like it that much, I would prefer that I had used a faster shutter speed and that the ducks were more much more clear. That said, I like how it kind of captures the frenetic activity of the moment and gives an idea of the movement that was happening as these two Mallard ducks fought (or flirted, not sure).
Anyways, it's interesting for me to think about how my photography preferences have changed in the last couple years, and I'm curious to see how they continue to change in the future!
I'd love to hear from any of you that take pictures or enjoy looking at pictures. How have your interests and style preferences changed?
I think for me, I think I've naturally started relying more on the front end, and creating a better picture in camera. Obviously I still edit things, but I feel like I rely less on LR than I used to. It's hard faking good lighting, matching colors etc.
Ooh yeah, definitely agree with that too. Taking smaller amounts of more thoughtful pictures is something I definitely aspire to.
I am in the same boat. I'm looking at old photos like "hey that's not a bad shot!"
Tack sharpness is a bonus, not a necessity, the way I see it. This is something I always try to emphasize when I'm teaching. Students proudly showing off lacklustre photos that are super sharp but super boring. They think it's a great shot because they nailed the focus. "You have much to learn, grasshopper!"
I love the ducks! If it was me shooting it would probably be even more blurry and cropped too tight lol so completely useless. I think this is a really cool shot!
The thing about photography is that in the end, it's all in the mind of the viewer what is good and what is not. That's what makes us photographers so crazy!! :)
Cheers!
Haha glad you can relate!
Kids these days! Where do you teach photography? Let me know if you have any teacher tips for me! :)
And yeah, that's so true. It's really easy to get caught up in what I get out of it, but that's only part of what matters! That's why I love getting feedback from people, but that can be hard to get as well. So often people just say "It's a nice picture" or "I like it" which is super helpful haha.
Ohh used to have a class at a post-secondary school, now I do a little bit here and there... classes at the camera shop and talks for camera clubs. It's something I never set out to do, but people keep asking me and I'm a pushover sooo haha
I think Steemit is great for that because people are pretty motivated to leave thoughtful comments... or at least the people I've been lucky enough to stumble across!
Nice! That's really cool. Seems like you must be good at it if people keep asking!
Yeah, I think that's true. Being rewarded with money for thoughtful comments is a great motivation haha :)
This is my own experience:
I noticed specific points in my career when I started sharing with friends on FB back in 2006/7 and then some local photographers on Twitter back in 2008 and then when I started google plus in 2012... each of those moments I could notice that I was viewing my pictures from a larger audience and pushing myself more. Some with instagram and now steemit ... i would love to see it push even farther.
Awesome! I've definitely noticed that what sort of pictures I'm seeing from other photographers affects what pictures I'm interested in taking.
Side note: if you ever have any constructive criticism or feedback on any of my photos, I'd love to hear the opinions of an accomplished photographer like yourself! :)
Well that's very flattering and scary... i've taught a ton of photographers over the years but having the report with them prior to feedback is just as important as the feedback.
Uninvited feedback is not great in my book. But since you asked how do you figure it is best done? Just in the public comments i suppose, something that is uplifting and maybe helps anyone reading it?
I've thought about doing review sessions like I used to do when the community was really thriving over on GooglePlus. (So many ideas so little time)
Those are good questions! I guess I'm not really sure what would be most helpful considering that I haven't had much feedback in the past.
I think for me even something simple like just knowing like one thing that you like about a picture, and one thing that you don't like about it could be helpful. I know that everyone has different preferences and opinions, but I'd love to hear other preferences and opinions than my own!
I also like the idea of more formal review type things, but I'm sure that would be super time consuming too!
K well we'll give it a test run and perhaps it's something that has value for the community at large as well.
Critiques - yeah, that could be a fun thing to do on here. Run the risk of making someone unhappy, but good, concise and constructive critique is always valuable for someone who is willing to take it.
Steemit is definitely awesome for revisiting the library of unused images. I've found so many from shoots that edit up to look BETTER than the shot I'd originally 5 starred. Especially when you start looking for shots for specific reasons, like this one, works so well for action/movement but I totally see why you might have overlooked it! Great shot, glad it had it's day!
Totally agree! I guess your eye for pictures just kind of changes too? And editing ability as well. Definitely looking for pictures for a certain reason makes a difference too.
Yay ducks!
Absolutely! Mind you my wife does all of the editing in our household so I'm pretty lucky there really!!
Oooh nice, that seems like a handy resource to have haha :)
Hey you're being too hard on yourself! This picture is actually really good :) It might be a tinny bit blurry, but it's telling a great story about ducks having fun LOL.
Haha thanks! Glad you appreciate it :)
In the past, I usually would take landscape or wide shots of the view or city but now, I feel that I am most excited shooting photos of portraits, especially those who are genuinely happy.
Nice! Yeah, there's definitely something really cool about capturing human emotions.
Yupz i agree
Pretty decent shot!
Well thanks! That's one cool duck!
Im looking into getting into photography myself @yumyumseth Any recommendations on cameras??
Awesome! I currently have a Canon 6D, which is wonderful camera in my opinion. It's a lower end (but still professional level) DSLR.
I started out with a Canon Rebel T5, which was a great beginner camera and is a lot cheaper if you're just starting out and want to learn.
What sort of photography are you hoping to do?
perfect shot.