tdekany Loc: Oregon

Not again with this nonsense?

Do you not know that a great shot is not about technical perfection?

Lightroom can't fix a boring snapshot.

And how many photographers do you actually know who doesn't get it right in camera?

G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK

Identify why you stopped and thought Wow!!...Then concentrate on getting the 'wow' bits in a better composition than the one you first saw. Eyes deceive, the camera is just plain cruel.

blackest Loc: Ireland

Imagine a photo of your subject in a magazine or hanging on a wall.

Figure out how to get that shot.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

LOL! That is like telling the general population to visualize what he or she needs to do to make it to an NBA final. Most of us with most things in life will never make it to the top, that is why it is called "TOP" Very little real estate is available up there, and very expansive.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

shoot every day, even if its just one shot, you'll get better and better....

Feiertag Loc: British Columbia, Canada

I totally agree.

skingfong Loc: Sacramento

You cant fix out of focus in post.
Out of focus shots get deleted and aren't useable.
Dynamic Range, contrast, color, burst rate, image quality, etc. are all meaningless when a shot is out of focus.
Bottom line: Make sure you're in focus with adequate shutter speed.

This is what I learned from my best teacher, "experience".

blackest Loc: Ireland

Well the problem with an NBA final is you first need to be fit and coordinated, good genes will help. Thats physical prowess, even drawing takes hand eye coordination.

To take a good photo takes the use of your eyes and your brain. Photography is communication, you are reading these words seeing these abstract shapes and getting some kind of meaning from these shapes. I think you for example, can manage to do so in more than one language. It's relatively difficult to do, your dog probably can't read very well but he/she can communicate with you. Most of us are capable of abstract thought. E.g Red, Blue you can visualise these colors. Most 5 year olds can do it too.

I think we all have an idea of what a good photograph looks like and a bad photograph. It can be hard to put into words but you know we don't have to we have photography. So the thing is how to portray your subject to it's best advantage, that is so it looks good.

If it doesn't look good then don't take the photograph. Directional light looks good fills in the shapes (but avoid raccoon eyes). Distracting junk get it out of your shot. Visualise and find that vision. The biggest problem with most photography is a lack of thought. If you want to take a picture of a flower don't just point the camera and press the shutter button. Think of how to make it the most awesomely beautiful flower.

Some subjects can look great from most directions and lighting others need to be presented well. It's possible to make a beautiful woman look ugly if you don't think. Thing is nearly everyone can see a beautiful woman it's not much of a skill to see that. To take a photo of her, well the back of her head may not convey the beauty you see, although to be honest I've seen gorgeous hair. It's not just physical it's expression its light personality. ..

Visualise. Think of your girlfriend / wife think of how much you love her (hopefully you have a good relationship), that thought you just had, her face ,the way she was standing in your mind, thats what you want to photograph.

Too many people take photographs without purpose, without thinking. Thats why most photos on average are bad. There is bad timing too, but if you know what you want eventually you should get it.

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

Why are you taking this photo is always a good question to ask yourself. Is it just to document some pipes or are you looking to produce art???

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Learn and Understand the Exposure Triangle First. Once you learn this, any and all types of photography are possible for you. Second, learn and understand your Camera, read the manual.... I meet folks all the time that pay thousands to have the best and don't have a clue how to apply the ability of their expensive equipment... Third, find a mentor, Opinions from dozens of seemingly knowledgeable photographers do little to help someone just learning. Find someone that takes Great photos, then learn from that person. This is photography after all, if a person is unwilling to share their photographs, run before they suck you in with all their knowledge............................

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

Think sizes, big, small, close, far; mix it up. Make every group of pictures have lots of variety. When the weather is terrible go out and shoot. You can only get a picture of a rain storm if you go out in the rainstorm. Same thing with a blizzard.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

If you are not interested in this topic, why are you commenting on it? I love to hear what people think is most important and I have been doing this over fifty years.

CamB Loc: Juneau, Alaska

I often imagine the picture I am working on "hanging on the wall." Why are you being so negative concerning this topic?

asiafish Loc: Bakersfield, CA

1) Its all about the light.

2) The best light is often hiding in the dark.

Steve Perry Loc: Sylvania, Ohio

Best two pieces of advice I ever uncovered for wildlife photography - get to eye level with your subject and watch your background. It was years ago, but those two little tidbits instantly took my images to the next level.