via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

There is always a great deal of discussion that focuses on equipment (what to buy, how much to pay, what lens to use, and so on) on this forum, but not so much discussion on the art of photography. I do believe that better equipment can help us to achieve better results, but it does take a lot more than that.

It takes practice, study, experimentation, and a real desire to do better and more with our images to become a knowledgeable and experienced photographer. I see images from many photographers who have been taking photographs for years, but have obviously simply been doing what they learned the first year for the next 20 or so with no growth; I also see many photographs from photographers who simply point and shoot without too much thought; and, I do sometimes see some very nice, well-composed, exposed and processed images. If the photographer is happy with his or her work and likes what he or she has created then that is fine, no matter which category they may fall into.

But what about that photographer who really wants to learn the craft of photography and wants to grow in their work continually over time, how does this person get to be a better photographer?

If I were in a discussion with a photographer who did want to grow and learn and had a passion to create work that people responded to in a positive way and I could only tell them three things, I would tell them this:

1.) Learn to use all aspects of your equipment so that you command the equipment, read the manual.
2.) Know all about the elements of composition, know everything about it, so that when you shoot it becomes natural to read the scene instantly.
3.) Know what the software you use can and cannot do and use that knowledge when you compose.

Of course, I’d like to tell them more…what about you, what advice would you give them, limited to only three things?

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

For me it is:
Study light.
Develop your eye to recognise "good" images.
Know your gear so you can capture what you see.

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

As Weegee said: "f8 and be there."

Joe Blow

Bingo.

Plus, shoot what appeals to you.

n3eg Loc: West coast USA

Mine: Learn how to filter the "advice" you will get.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

1, I would tell them to go to a real school and get an MFA in photography.
2, to read this all the way through.
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-269500-1.html
3, to read the above again!!!

If you’re not interested in the three above, find another sport!!! LoL
SS

BB4A

I agree with Richard. For me, when learning an art form that should delight the visual senses, I feel it's important to study how those visual senses are stimulated; how in effect the picture of the reality can also capture the mood, tell a story, or in some other way, help us viewers understand the story behind the picture.

That doesn't mean I don't believe that the other three elements suggested by the OP are valuable (so long as they help "tell the story"), but I value the artistic, technical, and communicative interpretation of light by the photographer as the prime element to study.

GalaxyCat Loc: Boston, MA

I'm taking a class, 31 Days to better photography and I am very happy. I am learning a lot and I am actually shooting in RAW and in MANUAL right now. I'm not having a lot of fun with Lightroom, that's for sure. It's a database, not a file manager, so I can't figure out how to get my ~2400 photo files uploaded to the Adobe cloud (1000 Gigabytes) that I am paying for. And yes, thanks to the people on this Photography forum here, I downloaded Lightroom Classic, not cc.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Yeah, just get out and shoot.

Look at what you do not as the next reincarnation of Dorothea Lange, but as what you can contribute. Bang away at it in some editing program and get better and better.

Oh, no Cat pictures.

BB4A

👍 to get out & shoot, and have fun challenging yourself... there’s no such thing as bad light, “anything that you can register on your retina is worth hitting the shutter button for your sensor”.

But... got to admit that I’m partial to a good Cat picture. 😳

martinfisherphoto Loc: Lake Placid Florida

Your Camera captures light, so you need to understand the Exposure Triangle first and foremost. With this knowledge alone you'll be able to get the proper exposure for most any type of photography. Learn your camera inside and out, you should be able to make any adjustments needed by going through your camera menu without the use of a manual. Find a Mentor, getting Accurate advice from total strangers is hit or miss. you want to make sure the person your getting advice from has a good strong portfolio..... Above all else, get out and practice, sitting behind the computer and Talking about photography does little for your abilities.......It's not the amount of equipment you have it's how you use what you have..

DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina

There are two basic aspects of photography: the equipment and the human eye. The equipment is the easy part, almost any reasonably intelligent individual can learn through study and practice, and can become acceptably proficient in the golden triangle, aperture, shutter speed, and iso. Not so concerning the human eye. It seems that those who have become renowned in the realm of notable photography were more artist than technician. What this statement means to me is, that the best of the best were born that way instead of having been developed. I feel that those who achieve this level hold that skill as an inherent, native talent. In other words, Marge Schott could never have been Maria Callas. Just my humble opinion.

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Not the brain at all?

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

..really, no cat pictures...why not?

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

LR is an digital asset management program that contains a component that is a data base, the application itself is not a data base. Getting your photos uploaded to the cloud is different than using LR. You need to use your Adobe Creative Cloud program to upload to the Adobe cloud. First you would use LR to process your photos, then if you want to keep them in the cloud in their processed format you would export them and then use the cloud program to store them, this is assuming you want to store the processed version: at least this is how I would do it. You are the file manager and you control what happens to all of the files and folders.