New Year's Resolutions - Image Making

Every Miles A Memory

Every Miles A Memory

Expedition Leader
Funny you posted this, I just said to the wife last night "Ok, for 2010, I'm going to pick a few select subjects and master them!"

Cindy asked which subjects I was going to pick and I told her I wasnt sure just yet?

I know I want to start dabbling with HDR which I think will slow me down and make me pay more attention to the scene I'm trying to shoot. Being as the rig will have to be on a tripod, this alone will make me pay more attention to everything which I dont normally do.

I'm thinking I'd like to really pick a few birds and create a catalog of images to compliment each species.

And I've been really paying attention to Macro and would like to work on that more. I find that ANYTHING can look 180% different than it does to the naked eye when you really look at it closely.

This too will make me slow down and really pay attention to things.

Maybe I just need to slow down...LOL I gues I just saved myself a few hundred bucks by typing that out and not having to go visit a shrink:victory:
 
Every Miles A Memory

Every Miles A Memory

Expedition Leader
nwoods said:
I think the Keys Effect is becoming more apparent....
Click to expand...

Just life in general...LOL I see everyone saying they need to organize their photos and learn the camera better...and that's where I was a few years ago.

I've learned the camera and everything its capable of like the back of my hand. I know what settings to use for almost every type of situation depending on what type of outcome I'm looking to achieve.

I've got my workflow of image storage and cataloging down to a science (for me at least)

But the one area I lack in is the ability to slow down and wait for the scene to unfold in front of me. Too many times I see something I like, I shoot it and go on to the next thing.

I dont take the time to set up the tripod, maybe throw on a filter or just wait around to see if it might get better. This is what I would like to work on.

Ive seen some HDR stuff that I love, and I've seen some HDR stuff that is just throw-up. I'd like to work on it so I know how to process shots to get the desired effect and know I'll get what I want each time I set the camera up

The low-key lifestyle of the keys is helping though:sombrero:
 
fangars

fangars

Adventurer
I am going to try and take more images of whats important to me, and at the same time, try and find out what things should be important to me that I may have been ignoring or oblivious too.
Stop taking the immediate world around me for granted, stop taking the world at large for granted. Not going to be as easy as it might sound.
 
Stan the Man

Stan the Man

Adventurer
I guess this will be easy for me since I'm a beginner. I want to learn! Thats it. I don't know how else to respond to this. I'm at the bottom of the photographer world and I want to step up. Whether it be one step or 10 I want to be better at what I don't know yet.

Goals? Spend an entire month concentrating on one part of photography, learning, studying, practicing, getting advice, etc., and then doing it all over again the next month with a new project.

Michael, if you had an online photo course, I'd sign up. :ylsmoke:
 
Photog

Photog

Explorer
Business:
We are going to work on portrait lighting techniques. Why and how to use different lighting for different faces and situations.

After a few projects are complete with our studio, we will gear up the marketing again and start filling in the calendar.

Personal:
Others have mentioned these next two things:
1) Work on creating pleasing landscapes, not just vacation snap-shots. Work with the pre-dawn and after-sunset lighting, specifically with long exposures.
2) Work to create proper photojournalist, story telling images.
 
Michael Slade

Michael Slade

Untitled
Stan the Man said:
I guess this will be easy for me since I'm a beginner. I want to learn! Thats it.
Click to expand...

When I read this I thought, "Now this is the attitude I love from a student. This is the kind of person I want in my class. This is the kind of person who will get better." I tell my students that I would rather have a good work ethic than raw talent. I say that to them all the time. I remind them of this when their chips are down and they are discouraged comparing themselves to their other classmates. It is the basis for a pretty good pep-talk, mostly because it's true.

Stan the Man said:
Michael, if you had an online photo course, I'd sign up. :ylsmoke:
Click to expand...

That's flattering, thank you. You do have an online photo course...it's here on ExPo. There are a LOT of guys here who know what they're doing and most of them are very free with their advice and suggestions. Listen to them and don't just sit back and agree...actually go out and DO what they suggest.

If you are curious how I teach my classes, you can follow along with any number of them...here they are:

Grade VIII

Grade IX

Grade X

Grade XI

Grade XII

My 12th graders don't have an ongling blog...the course is structured very differently for them their senior year.

Play along if you'd like. Check in on my student's work and see how they do. I tell them all the time that I brag about their work and that they have visitors from all over the world. They are nervous when I tell them that, but it makes them try even harder.

Good luck this year. Start your own blog. It is a good way to see how you've progressed. Most of all...GO SHOOT! :D
 
photoman

photoman

Explorer
Following Mr. Slades post I agree the biggest steps with getting better is taking comments and advice from others and then most importantly getting out and shooting.

Blogs are great, Flikr can be usefull, but I think posting in photography forums and getting real feedback is one of the best learning options out there. It worked for me and have seen it work for people time and time again.

Besides Mr. Slades great assignments I am linking a assignments section of dgrin.com. Though they are on assignment 140 you can join in at any time and choose any assignment. Feedback is usually pretty quick on if you passed the asignment or not.
http://www.dgrin.com/forumdisplay.php?f=42

The whole forum is quite usefull and people often meetup to shoot together and share their knowledge.

Just one of many options out there.
 
photoman

photoman

Explorer
Photog said:
Business:
We are going to work on portrait lighting techniques. Why and how to use different lighting for different faces and situations.

After a few projects are complete with our studio, we will gear up the marketing again and start filling in the calendar.

Personal:
Others have mentioned these next two things:
1) Work on creating pleasing landscapes, not just vacation snap-shots. Work with the pre-dawn and after-sunset lighting, specifically with long exposures.
2) Work to create proper photojournalist, story telling images.
Click to expand...

If you are open to shooting with other photographers to learn landscapes and especially locations around you I know several Seattle based photographers.

They are on dgrin.com as well as a Facebook group called Photographers Chasing the Light.

http://www.scolephoto.com/

http://photos.coscorrosa.com/

http://www.danseidmanphoto.com/
 
DWphoto

DWphoto

Adventurer
Last year things ended up pretty well for getting my name out there.

Made the back cover of the Total Chaos Catalog and had about 7 photos through out the catalog.

Also photos were used for Jackson rally fan giveaways...
4011914126_a6f8ed0010_o.jpg


got a few stickers on the rally car that went to NY that raced against pastrana and block.

4027412632_9821b49f4d_o.jpg


And they actually took 1st



Sold a few prints


Goals.....

To make it on a poster this year at the LA off road expo.

Get my website/blog more up to par

shoot photos each month of the seasons to make a 2011 calendar for family/clients at the end of the year.

More random photo adventures

Learn to take more creative photos of desert racing

Elliott
 
Photog

Photog

Explorer
photoman said:
If you are open to shooting with other photographers to learn landscapes and especially locations around you I know several Seattle based photographers.

They are on dgrin.com as well as a Facebook group called Photographers Chasing the Light.

http://www.scolephoto.com/

http://photos.coscorrosa.com/

http://www.danseidmanphoto.com/
Click to expand...

Thanks Photoman. I will follow up on these links. It is always interesting to spend time out with other photogs. They have more patience than the rest of the family, when waiting for "the light". :)
 
Tucson T4R

Tucson T4R

Expedition Leader
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