dyximan

Those of you who have been on the hog for any length of time will understand my response. I am, have been, and will always be the greatest photographer. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but a camera in my hand. I have never taken a bad photo as all of my photos are masterpieces and sought after by all. I know everything about everything especially photography. I am always right, and you are always wrong.
Merry Christmas to all

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

For 50+ years I have traveled my personal "Photographic Journey". Almost everytime that I am on a location, be it a new place, or one that I have been to a number of times, the feeling of the experience is always different, and often is the time that I learn things. Not only about Photography and the making of a good print, but myself as well. I do believe very strongly that if it were not for the learning process, I would have quit image making long, long ago.

Many other wonderful people have come into my life to give assistance to my understanding of Photography, most are gone now. I do carry their voice and advice in my mind when I come to a place where I feel that I wish to make a photograph, sometimes - when all alone for days - I can hear their voices, giving me advice.

As for as a decisive moment of the "Ok... Now I know what to do" - is always there. It is there on the top of mountains, in the cool depths of the canyons - Along the rivers and in my camp at night, when looking over just what I did that day. And It Is Always Different, it is Exciting, and it Drives me on.

These are my feelings about being the Photographer that I am. Others should have their own ...

I really liked this question the OP has posed here for us, all.

Thank you - and, of course...

Happy Christmas to One and All.

May The Light Be With You.

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htbrown Loc: San Francisco Bay Area

In 1965, on a family vacation to Yosemite, I wandered into Ansel Adam's studio and had my teenage mind blown. I had no notion a photograph could be like that, until I stood awestruck before those images. I had a (box) camera, but not until that day did I understand a photograph could be so much more than snapshots.

Jerry Coupe Loc: Kent, WA

A specific moment or event does not stand out. My journey includes reading many books and periodicals and just taking images.

A single point may be moving to digital from film. Recently have been going back through many old 4 x 6 prints to select for scanning. Finding that I keep many of the 'people' images and have tossed out most of the scenic images. My digital work has improved dramatically compared to film...but more time in retirement has been a real plus as well.

JeffDavidson Loc: Originally Detroit Now Los Angeles

I try to read a lot about photography, probably not enough. Since I now shoot mostly nature/wildlife, one example tends to stand out. Learn about your subjects so that you anticipate behavior and anticipate that next move and get your special shot.

Happy nholidays.

LESTAHL Loc: Colorado

When I retired I bought a dSLR and joined a camera club. After watching two monthly competitions I submitted a photo that I thought was really good. The judge tried to find something positive but explained what was wrong and how to fix it. At the time I didn't understand all the jargon he used but I stayed with it. I finally submitted a 10 and that was the light bulb going on in my head. It's been 12 years now and I am beginning to understand the art of photography. I seldom get what I really want in a photo but I will continue to learn.

russelray Loc: La Mesa CA

Being able to make myself available 24/7 to my Clients has gotten me to where I am because none of my competition in any business throughout the past 51 years has been available 24/7. I've always been a "polyphasic sleeper," known as a catnapper prior to ca. 1994. Making myself available to my Clients 24/7 doesn't mean that I stay awake 24/7. That's impossible. What it means is that I am "available" 24/7. So if a Client calls at 2:30 in the morning, I might already be up. If I'm not, the phone will wake me. I solve my Client's issue and go back to work if I was already up, or go back to sleep if the phone woke me up. I've been this way since at least late 1965 that I can remember. Let me have a 30-minute nap every 4 hours, and I can go 24/7 in perpetuity. Sadly, though, because I never sleep for more than 2½ hours, I never reach REM sleep. Thus, I don't dream. Well, I do daydream...............LOL

JBGLADSTONE Loc: Oregon

I have been growing very slowly. My skill level over the past year have moved me up one plateau. Then this past August, I purchased a Canon 80D refurbished. Wow, Already I have reached another level....I think. Just a few months ago I finally understood what my camera was providing for control. I moved from AV to manual camera settings and this is creating a higher level of photos instead of pictures. I am taking photo shoots using just one lens or like recently, I took only B&W pictures. I select a few photos to post on Flickr. I use the number of views as a barometer. However, I am at a lost on some of the photos posted as to why they like it. In other cases, I do not understand what triggered the viewer to look at my photo. Am I anywhere near the next level. No.
I forget to change or present set my camera settings. I still have to take several pictures to zero in on a better result. Shoot I have even planned a few photos and they came out exactly the way I planned.. Yikes.. I guess " I Lucked Again" which happens to everybody ... LOL

Anyway, I would be lost without Ughhedgehog for guidance.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year !

Acufine3200 Loc: Texarkana USA

Interesting question.
The short version of a long story is the editor of the newspaper took this 15-year old who was hired as darkroom tech and explained the exposure triangle in terms I could understand. To the point he had me teach it the next day to a female reporter whose shots were always 2-3 stops overexposed. My “teaching session” met with the editor’s approval, and he handed me Rollieflex TLR, and a plum assignment shooting a photo feature on our small town’s entry in the Miss Texas pageant. I shot everything outdoors using a roll each of Plus-X, and Tri-X. True photographers will understand my interest in my subject that day took a back seat to my focus (appropriate pun, lol) on using proper exposure techniques to enhance my compositions. That shoot was a groundbreaking “aha” moment for me. I remember excitedly ushering the editor to the darkroom to look a my still wet rolls. His approval, and constructive comments still push me every time I stare through the viewfinder, and choose my settings based on the composition.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

A while ago I decided that mountains would make good subjects, but I quickly found out that subject-only shots were a long way from being optimum, even with a dramatic subject like a looming mountain. I quickly learned the value of having foreground, mid-field and background interest, and having at least two of them in the shot. Now, regardless of how dramatic the scenery is, I'll look for foreground/mid-field interest, something to provide leading lines, channeling or natural framing. It would be very unusual to be stuck without any options and usually it just takes a bit of wandering about to find something useful. I would say that what I've just described holds true for photography in general, not just landscapes.

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Subject only (not optimum).

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Billynikon Loc: Atlanta

My uncle was a photo enthusiast. Had several Leica's that he would use at Christmas gatherings and had a darkroom put into his new house. I was shooting with my Brownie and an old Kodak twin lens reflex and he saw some potential and gave me one of his older Leica's and I was hooked. He taught me how to process the film, do enlargements, things I really miss now.

tomad Loc: North Carolina

A cousin, 6 years older than me did a slide show of his trip to Yellowstone. I was immediately hooked on trying outdoor/wildlife photography. At 19 I started saving for a "real" camera and a couple of years later I bought a Minolta
SRT 101 with a 50mm prime lens and a Vivatar zoom that went to 200mm. I spent my next four years of vacation time going to Yellowstone and the surrounding areas with him learning and having the time of my life. By the second year I had managed to save up for a Minolta 300mm lens, a 2x teleconverter, and a 28mm wide angle so I was ready for wildlife and scenics. Great memories! A few years later I learned scuba diving and got a Nikonos underwater camera and strobes. I spent all of my vacation for the next 20 years travelling to some of the best dive sites around the globe concentrating on underwater photography. More great memories! Having to quit diving about 15 years ago I have gone back to scenic and wildlife (on land) photography. It has been a great, lifelong hobby for me that has not only left me with some memorable images, but pushed me to travel to places I would never have gone otherwise.

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

In 1948 my photography was based on making paper negatives using my dad’s out-dated enlarging papers in an heirloom 5x7 view camera...and contact printing them on more out-dated papers of various sorts. Our next-door neighbor was a darkroom supervisor at Condé Nast and on Fridays he would come home with a bunch of recently out-dated and discarded printing and enlarging papers of various sort for me to experiment with. One friday his booty was several beautiful red envelopes of Ilford grade 6 litho paper.

I was a bit mystified how I could possibly use it...not being into high contrast imagery and all... until he spent an evening with my dad and me in my dad’s darkroom demonstrating how the process of pre-exposure flashing could turn a grade 6 paper into a variety of lower contrast grades. That single evening was the most lucid introduction I could possibly have had into the concepts of tonal range and tonal spectra. I have used the fruits of that evening during all the years that have thence ensued.

Dave

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

Well, I'm not sure I've yet gone beyond "everyday, average" photographs but I do keep trying. I've been photographing with serious intent for eight years now. I've studied the art by taking classes, private lessons, reading, researching, going to workshops, getting a 2-year degree, reading everything there is on Ansel Adams and much on other photographers of the past. Most recently I've come to the conclusion that good composition is one of the keys to great images. I hear people put down the concept of composition, but I've found that knowing all of the elements of composition allows me to photograph quickly, clearly and efficiently, most often coming up with a winning image. Plus, now that I can follow all the "rules," I know how to break them. I no longer shoot just a subject, but instead most often shoot an element of composition with the subject being the "verb" or "noun" in the overall composition. I continue to work on this.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

Bob Davis at Zacher's in Hartford, CT