Go Out And Take More Photos

Just like the 'ole saying goes: "Money doesn't grow on trees" - Well, by the same token... Photo's don't take themselves.

You can spend hours ogling over the photos on the internet, on the seemingly endless photo sites like Flickr (including mine of course, at www.flickr.com/photos/masterofmadness), not only admiring the work of others, but also trying to figure out how they're made.

But if you're going to take (or make actually) your own photos, you need to turn off the TV and computer, get up off your duff and either go outside, or to your work table and put in the practice time. This is a great hobby, which just like any other hobby, you learn by seeing what others have done, then go practice it yourself.

So while you're out there practicing, keep in mind these common mistakes and attitudes, all of which will make you a better photographer.

1. Set aside time and set out to take photos. Simply grab you bag and get out there! Set aside the time to actually enjoy it too. You don't have to spend more time than you actually have, as that'll just turn into an excuse for not going. Think about it as stealing time from other things that are less important, like watching TV, surfing the internet or laying around reading. Or, one of my favorites - The yard will still be there tomorrow, but that photo op won't.

2. Turn your cell phone off, or maybe... aaghh, don't even take it with you. OK, I know for some of you, it's almost a nagging habit, and you'll have withdrawals if you're without that pesky thing. So, if you must have it for emergencies, when it rings, just look at the caller ID and let it go to voicemail. There's no reason that you have to talk to them right this second - You're busy enjoying yourself right now and don't want to be interrupted!

3. Pack some food, snacks and a bottle of water or two. So now you won't be hunger or thirsty, which would otherwise provide yet, another easy excuse to go home. Grab snacks that are lightweight, have lots of energy and take no preparation time. Go get some of the 'better for you' energy bars. Cliff bars are great, as are the Luma and other brands that make energy bars specifically. Most are available now at your local grocery store too. In a pinch even the Kellogg or Quacker Oats types of 'cereal bars' would work too, maybe just not as healthy though. To make carrying the water around easier too, look into some of the various bottle holders and slings. This is again, an attempt to avoid any disincentives to carrying these around. Make it easy on yourself and you'll enjoy your time out shooting even more.

4. Dress appropriately. If you're not comfortable, you won't have fun and you'll want to come home - Remember, I'm trying to get you out to take photos, not go home.

There aren't too many things that will spoil the day like being too cold or too hot - Or too wet. Wear layers so that you can add/remove clothes as needed. Check weather reports for the area you'll be in. If it's going to cool, but otherwise nice, wear a few thin layers so you don't have to carry around a heavy coat once you've warmed up. If you going to be on a long trip, especially anything that includes the joy of hiking, you might consider bringing a complete change of clothes left in a separate bag to have ready in the car - Just in case you try to get a fish eye view from the water. You wouldn't want to get your car seats wet on the trip home.

Make sure to have good walking/hiking shoes or boots, and very important - good socks! You can have the best boots made, but if you've got thin, weak socks, your feet will make your life miserable all day, and sometimes into the next day too.

5. Pack only what you really need for this trip. After you've carried a heavy camera bag around for a few hours, you'll have wished you followed this step. There are several thoughts on this: One lens or multiple's.

If you're just going for a walk thru the woods, the park or candid street photography around town, you might not even pack your bag. Just grab your camera body and choose a lens. I usually like my trusty 'ole Canon 28-135 f3.5 IS for these trips. It takes great sharp photos, has stabilization, which generally means I don't need to lug around my tripod, and it has a nice zoom range which will cover most situations I may run into on a walk. Nikon and others also make something in a comparable range.

If you think you may run into some low-light situations, pack your flash and your tripod too. Actually, my tripod's always in the trunk, so if I need it, it's already with me. If you're thinking of exploring other areas, or maybe wanting to get a bit more serious or creative, then go ahead and pack what you think you'll need.

On my latest trip up Mt. Rainier, I carried three lens; 17-40 wide angle zoom, 28-135 medium zoom & 70-300 long zoom (oh yeah, and my fun little LensBaby, 'cause you never know when you might want something different). These packed easily, would cover most anything I ran into short of that Black Bear several hundred yards across the valley, saved weight and saved room for snacks and a light jacket. Make sure you've got a lens hood for each lens too.

If you're shooting with a 'Point-n-Shoot' or 'Happy-Snappy' type of camera, then you can ignore this step, as you've got one less reason to not get out and shoot now.

6. As an extension of the above step - Get over "Gear Envy" or "Camera Fetishes". Avoid the tendency to think "I've just got to have a new DSLR" or "Once I get that new lens I'll be ready to go out and shoot more". THE CAMERA DOESN'T MATTER (kinda).

I know I'm always lusting over the latest gear too, but due to budget issues (or lack of), they'll have to wait. Until then I'm still shooting and getting great shots with what I've got.

So, just get out there and shoot! Any camera will work, any lens will work. Even these new compact cellphone cameras will work too in the right conditions. Learn your camera, learn its limitations, adjust your photography to suit - And get out there and use it! As you grow with the hobby, go ahead and upgrade. At least you'll be better informed to make better decisions when you do, with less costly mistakes by buying the wrong gear. In the meantime, keep shooting.

Granted, yes, a better camera will technically take better pictures - But it's still the nut behind the wheel (meaning you) that's operating the camera, who'll make better photographs.

A little added note; When it comes to upgrades, you'll get your best bang for the buck with better glass/lens, which you'll always be able use later. New bodies are nice too, but you'll never stay caught up. As soon as you buy a new body, it'll be replaced with something faster, better, shinier. While your lens will always be ready to go.

7. Now that you're back from shooting - Turn your computer back on, download your images and see how you've done. The fastest way to get better at photography is to immediately throw away the bad photos!

Don't even consider saving them for later. If it's bad now, it'll be bad later too. But... Learn from them. What's wrong with them, what did you do wrong that you can do better later? Sort, name and tag the others. Then, grab the best of the best for working with - Which will be another blog entry.

While your sitting there staring at your screen, first, make sure all our batteries are on their chargers, ready to for your next photo trip. Then, go ahead and do some more research at photo websites. Google the type of photos you just took, i.e. "How to take better landscape photos", "How to improve macro shots", "How to make kids & pets pay attention".

You'll gain artistic and technical lessons, which you'll be able to use the next time you "Go Out And Take More Photos"

Thanks again for playing along and reading my blog.

Tony

P.S. Let me know how I'm doing with this blog thing. It's still all new to me. This is just as much a learning experience for me as being a photographer is. I'm going to try to be more consistent with my entries.

Are you learning anything? Does any of this make sense? Is there something you'd like covered? Is there something I can do to improve my blog, my writing, my types of articles? Or... Have you just wasted another 10-15 minutes on the computer? Be honest, let me know. Thanks again, Tony