The 100 rules of photography!

KarmaGarda

Jaysus, the list has gone mad! I think we're actually down to 46...

karlog wrote: »

49:

Remember to take the lens cap off

That was the first tip, so you get another go there karlog. Just edit yer existing post


46. Always bring a watch/timer... you need to properly time those long exposures

AnCatDubh

45 Courtesy of Eve Arnold to red mum

"May All Your Negatives Be In Focus" - Sound advice really.

Ok, maybe thats ^^^^^^^^^ a Chinese curse like the one about living in interesting times..... Nobody said recessions are interesting..... the feic'n eejit So My #45.....

45 - Seek out genuine criticism of your work. It can be hard to take when you've put your heart and soul into something and believe yourself that you've just made a Pulitzer Prize winning photograph, but trust me - the last thing that you *really* need is close family and friends telling you how wonderful you are. Well its nice to hear to be honest and you can of course accept that you may be good at what you produce but know that it will be the end of you photographically speaking the day that you don't learn something new.

rahtkennades

44. Never be afraid to take a shot. Don't let your inhibition hold you back.

Thoie

43. Be aware of your surroundings outside the viewfinder - don't step backwards off a cliff because you were too busy looking at something in front of you.

oshead

My simple suggestion. For DSLR users.

42. Whatever PP program you use. Be it Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture etc... Learn to us it and use it well.

Paparazzo

karlog wrote: »

49:

Remember to take the lens cap off

Was going to post that! If it's still on, pretend you knew all along, twist a few knobs and cooly take it off.

AnCatDubh

41. Great things come in small parcels - like aperture. The smaller the f-number the bigger the opening, the more light that is let through to the sensor, the better your lens will be able to deal with low lighting, the shallower the depth of field, and the more bokeh.

The above ^^^^^^^ is only mostly true but doesn't explain why - mind you, it is easier to understand that way.

41. Aperture is actually expressed as a fraction as in f/2.8, f/9, f/11, f/16, and f/22. The f in this expression being the focal length. Thus, the smaller the value the bigger the opening in the lens - f/2 (think a half) is larger than f/4 (think a quarter). See - easy really.

spav

40. Get to know where every switch, dial and button is on your camera. If you can do it 'blind', you're far less likely to miss the perfect shot.

DutchGuy

39. Don't be afraid to shoot on a rainy day... but point your camera downwind

Perfect fit

38. Have courtesy to other photographers, they can really ruin your day!:D

eolair

37. Not every image has to be perfectly in focus and tack sharp.

Too many people are pixel peepers / sharpness freaks, trying to make images look like they were computer generated instead of natural with soft edges and some blur.

Photography's about capturing the moment, the emotion and telling a story, not that you can see a hair on a flea's arse at x400 zoom.

eolair

36. Take pictures, lots of them, everywhere, always.
I think some chap Bresson said it originally slightly more eloquently.
The unwritten corollary (36a) is that you need to ask yourself how you can make the shots better. Chimping - esp with digital - is too easy. You need to improve.

36b - study as many other photographers as you can - for inspiration, motivation and understanding that there's always a different view out there.

emul

35. Experiment with the apeture range on your lenses. Find the sweet spot and use it. I shoot most landscape now at f16 its tack sharp.

35.b Composition, composition - ensure the viewer can picture themselves where you have been. Leading lines, a rock, plant ot tree makes all the difference

gary82

34. If you see a great shot, think about how it was taken, ask the photographer if needs be.... then try emulate it. Try a few times until you get it right!

(remembers photographing water drop..)

gary82

33. Reading up on photography, sitting on forums :rolleyes: etc. is no substitute to taking your camera in hand and getting out and taking plenty of shots! Find a good balance!

gary82

32. If shooting wildlife or underwater, keep an eye well up ahead, they'll probably see you before you see them and will be gone before you notice them.

AnCatDubh

31. Flashing in broad daylight can get you arrested.

^^^^^^^^^ Or so i've been told Ok the real mccoy;

31. You can't always choose not to shoot under a mid day sun. Even with reasonable daylight or bright sunshine you might choose and should look out for when it is advantageous to use your flash during bright conditions in order to eliminate shadows caused by sunlight. Direct sunlight above a subject can cast unflattering shadows on the lower parts of the face such as under the eyes. Sunlight at an angle and to one side can cover a complete side of a subjects face with a shadow or your subject may simply be in a partial shadow from someone standing beside them or a shadow from a branch of a tree. Don't be afraid to force your flash on using your camera controls and allow the camera compensate as appropriate.

Of course none of the above is relevant if you are trying to capture the shadow and its aesthetic quality in the first place.

Sunlight (or other light source) to the back or around the rear side of the subject is likely to leave your subject silhouetted. If this isn't how you intended it, you can explore the use of "slow sync" flash in daylight to take in the background whilst illuminating the subject / foreground.

pullandbang

30. Don't forget to turn off the self timer if you were using it.

Nothing worse than trying to catch "that shot" next day and nothing happens when you click!

AnCatDubh

29. An ND filter will not remove politicians from your shot. (ND being the minister for transport)

^^^^^^^ 100% correct - but i'll throw another in just in case

29. ND filters are the sunglasses for your lens. Put them on and you can get longer exposures during daylight. Why? Ever see a daytime picture of a waterfall, or sea shore scene with water that has that appealing 'candy floss' appearance? That is most likely the work of a ND filter.

Oh, by the way ND is neutral density.

A variant of the ND filter is the ND Grad (graduated) which will allow you to tone down a portion of the image for example the sky in a scene whilst keeping the ground level at normal exposure. This helps greatly when dealing with bright scenes and enables you to keep the details from being blown out.

(come on people - we need more tips / rules to get to number 1)

melekalikimaka

28. never delete photos, over time your worst image can appeal to you, and as your editing skills inprove, that image can become something special

Morrisseeee

27. (I think)
Use Hassleblad, to avoid flat images......:pac::D

Julesie

dakar wrote: »

'Understanding Exposure' by Bryan Peterson is probably the best investment a new dslr user will ever make in terms of getting full value out of their new toy.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I bought the book after seeing your recommendation and you are right it was by far the best £10 i've spent. Finally, I'm no longer intimidated by Manual Mode and my pictures are looking all the better for it!

maddogcollins

26. Get down to their level

For anything thats smaller than you, kids, animals, get down and you will have a different perspective!

Scarlett68

25. In strong sunlight when reviewing your images use a hoodman loupe or if you have none available check your histogram

Scarlett68

24 Lock up your mirror when doing tripod work

Scarlett68

23 Turn off Image Stabilization (or Vibration Reduction) when doing tripod work. These lenses go looking for shake when they are turned on so the mere process of the search can cause shake!

Scarlett68

22 Always buy the best glass you can afford....its an investment

KarmaGarda

edit - I think this was covered by "backup" in a previous post! Here's an alternative.

21. DO take pictures in the rain.

dakar

Julesie wrote: »

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I bought the book after seeing your recommendation and you are right it was by far the best £10 i've spent. Finally, I'm no longer intimidated by Manual Mode and my pictures are looking all the better for it!

You're very welcome!

It should come bundled with every dslr kit along with the lens.

Only wish I was on commission from Mr Peterson though, I've recommended his nice book so many times!

Simplicius

20 Stop worrying whether other people will like your photographs and enjoy them yourself, take photos that please you not others and never forget to enjoy learning who you are through this medium...

Executive Summary: Photography should always be fun.

dakar

^ probabaly should have been kept for #1, best piece of advice so far!:)

Paparazzo

Scarlett68 wrote: »

23 Turn off Image Stabilization (or Vibration Reduction) when doing tripod work. These lenses go looking for shake when they are turned on so the mere process of the search can cause shake!

Never knew that, cheers!:)

sheesh

19. remember to take off the polarising filter when shooting in low light conditions like gigs

padocon

18. Don't forget to take out an insurance policy. After spending lots of money on gear, you want peace of mind!

MagicMarker

17. Wear a condom.

Okay....

17. Don't waste money on the cheaper option, you're always going to want the best, so save and buy the best.

Thoie

16. Learn how to clean your camera and gear.

humberklog

15. Learn about light to as much as you can fathom from a quantum mechanics aspect. What is light, what a photon is as a particle and a wave.
A good one is David Bodanis's "A biography of E=mc" and try another go at Stephen Hawkins' A Brief History.

kgpixels

14. spare batteries and flash cards

DotOrg

13- print your photos big, bigger is better

mehfesto2

12. Cameras are expensive - take care of them. A little care can go a long way!

Tonykinlan

11
Break all the Rules!!!!

AnCatDubh

#10 (the final count down begins)

If shooting film with a manual wind, then for goodness sake use the wind lever before you put the camera to your eye. A moment will only happen once and if you aint ready, then you aint gonna get the shot.

Scarlett68

#9 In tricky lighting situations if your're shooting in jpeg use your cameras built in exposure bracketing - you're bound to get one keeper. (If you're shooting RAW it doesnt matter you can make as many copies with different exposures as you like)

Ghost Train

#8. To see dust on DSLR sensor stop lens down to f16/f22 and take an out of focus bright exposure of light coloured surface, wall, ceiling etc

Ghost Train

#7. When taking long exposures, can help to use the camera timer. Avoids the shake the camera can get pressing the shutter release button

Morrisseeee

#6: Get an adapter and use old manual prime lenses, they're cheap, built like a tank & produce great quality pics.

Fenster

5. Lie on the ground and look up once in a while.

charybdis

Scarlett68 wrote: »

#9 In tricky lighting situations if your're shooting in jpeg use your cameras built in exposure bracketing - you're bound to get one keeper. (If you're shooting RAW it doesnt matter you can make as many copies with different exposures as you like)

What?

Morrisseeee

#9 In tricky lighting situations if your're shooting in jpeg use your cameras built in exposure bracketing - you're bound to get one keeper. (If you're shooting RAW it doesnt matter you can make as many copies with different exposures as you like)
What?

I 'think' what Scarlett68 means is that you can play around with the RAW file, ie. you can reduce or increase the Exposure but still not degrade the photo, but this would be impossible in a JPEG file as it has already been compressed (and hense the photo's quality is reduced).

charybdis

Morrisseeee wrote: »

I 'think' what Scarlett68 means is that you can play around with the RAW file, ie. you can reduce or increase the Exposure but still not degrade the photo, but this would be impossible in a JPEG file as it has already been compressed (and hense the photo's quality is reduced).

You can reduce or increase the exposure of a JPEG without much degradation, although probably not to the same degree as you can with a RAW file. The slightly greater dynamic range offered by RAW files doesn't obviate exposure bracketing, they still have finite dynamic range and you can shoot bracketed RAW if you wish to. The use of exposure bracketing and RAW are very different things.