what not to do.

magicbastarder

an advice thread (maybe for newbies?) based on how *not* to approach photography.

don't photograph the womens' bathing shelter on the north wall. everyone does it.
don't photograph the boathouse in carton house. everyone does it.
want to show the world a photo of your child? just imagine someone else's kid in there before you do, see if it changes your perception of the photo. it probably will (hopefully in a negative way, i'd be worried otherwise).
don't get a copy of photoshop as soon as you get a camera.
don't use flash in a pub.
don't mistake technical proficiency for aesthetic quality.
don't eat the yellow snow.

the above views represent those of the author and do not affect your statutory rights.

dakar

I know you think it's ok to dabble in HDR, and that it's harmless and that all your friends are doing it, and that you just do it at the weekends, and that you can give up any time you like, and where do we get off anyway telling you how to live your life.

Just say no.

DaireQuinlan

In any current incarnations of the JVM, don't try and convert the decimal number 2.2250738585072012e-308 to double-precision binary floating-point.

Oh wait, PHOTOGRAPHY related stuff ?

oshead

Don't follow the advice of the OP, except maybe the bit about yellow snow. :eek:

Things you should do would be better. Here's my one suggestion.

Do approach photography with an open mind.
Do make lots of mistakes.
Do post pictures of whatever you want, even if it is your child.
Do photograph Carton house, but wait till the weather gets bad...
Do recognize the beauty in something that may be close to technically perfect.

sineadw

I'll post a Do: DO look at great photographers' work. I've read here soooooo many times (and said similar myself once) how posters want to develop their own style, and that the photographers here are just as good as the ones in art galleries anyway. Would someone who wanted to be a good painter be told not bother ever looking at a Van Gogh or a Cezanne or a Da Vinci, and that the blokes who show on Merrion square are just as good? It's ridiculous.

<ducks>

AnCatDubh

/sells camera gear

/wonders if boards flower arranging forum need a new moderator

artyeva

magicbastarder wrote: »

don't mistake technical proficiency for aesthetic quality.

and


what is always/sometimes/definitely/probably/usually/occasionally more important than how.

sineadw

All they ever do is bicker about whether carnations are better than daffs.

AnCatDubh

oh, wait, I have a sensible do not (i think)

In photography do not be a sheep - after a brief stint of being an amusing perhaps momentarily cute little lamb, they are actually quite ugly and invariably end up slaughtered and skinned and on the wrong side of the butchers counter. This is not good.

deep eh?

/baaaaaaaaaaaaa

DaireQuinlan

AnCatDubh wrote: »

oh, wait, I have a sensible do not (i think)

In photography do not be a sheep - after a brief stint of being an amusing perhaps momentarily cute little lamb, they are actually quite ugly and invariably end up slaughtered and skinned and on the wrong side of the butchers counter. This is not good.

deep eh?

/baaaaaaaaaaaaa

/wonders if the boards flower arranging forum need a new moderator

Tallon

Do Not listen to the OP

5uspect

Do not assume everyone lives in Dublin.

trooney

AnCatDubh wrote: »

oh, wait, I have a sensible do not (i think)

In photography do not be a sheep - after a brief stint of being an amusing perhaps momentarily cute little lamb, they are actually quite ugly and invariably end up slaughtered and skinned and on the wrong side of the butchers counter. This is not good.

deep eh?

/baaaaaaaaaaaaa

Unless you are actually of an ovine persuasion – and if you are... hah!... good luck trying to get any shots at all, my cloven hoofed friend.

FoxT

Don't buy expensive camera gear until you are sure you know what it is capable of, why it is the best solution for you, and why you want it.

Dont buy new gear, if used gear is available

Dont ignore your camera manual! Read it once, learn how to use the features you want, then read it again to learn how to use the features that might be handy, and, finally, read it a third time to make sure you havent missed anything.

Dont buy a printer unless you plan to print lots of stuff. They are expensive to run & you can generally get better prints from the better online print services.

Dont pay too much attention to what you read on boards, dpreview, or elsewhere.

DO - go out, take photos, & enjoy!

jpb1974

Don't tell anyone you're photographing a wedding for free.

gloobag

Don't refer to yourself in the third person on your website. We all know you wrote that little "About Us" blurb yourself (oh, and also stop referring to yourself as "We" or "Us". C'mon seriously, who do you (sorry, "ye") think you're fooling?).

Kintarō Hattori

AnCatDubh wrote: »

/sells camera gear

/wonders if boards flower arranging forum need a new moderator

AnCatDubh wrote: »

oh, wait, I have a sensible do not (i think)

In photography do not be a sheep - after a brief stint of being an amusing perhaps momentarily cute little lamb, they are actually quite ugly and invariably end up slaughtered and skinned and on the wrong side of the butchers counter. This is not good.

deep eh?

/baaaaaaaaaaaaa

Has anyone else noticed a new and disturbing trend in ACDs postings lately? He's certainly not the mild mannered mod I remember! :P

Promac

Don't ignore the random thread on here or the photo expeditions subforum - You can learn loads from one and meet lots of nice people from here on the other.

Don't lurk. Ask questions and take part. You'll learn a lot more.

Don't be surprised if you have down-times where you can't be fecked taking a single picture. It'll come back.

Don't be discouraged when you hit a wall and think your photos are all crap. You'll soon discover a new technique on the camera or photoshop/lightroom and things will be back to rosy.

Don't compare your photos with those of someone with top gear and lots of experience. Admire and learn from them but remember they have more experience and better gear.

jpb1974

In my opinion "better gear" doesn't really have that much to do with good photography.

magicbastarder

Promac wrote: »

Don't ignore the random thread on here or the photo expeditions subforum - You can learn loads from one and meet lots of nice people from here on the other.

Don't lurk. Ask questions and take part. You'll learn a lot more.

Don't be surprised if you have down-times where you can't be fecked taking a single picture. It'll come back.

Don't be discouraged when you hit a wall and think your photos are all crap. You'll soon discover a new technique on the camera or photoshop/lightroom and things will be back to rosy.

Don't compare your photos with those of someone with top gear and lots of experience. Admire and learn from them but remember they have more experience and better gear.

i was aiming for destructive, not constructive, advice.

gloobag

jpb1974 wrote: »

In my opinion "better gear" doesn't really have that much to do with good photography.

Agreed, I usually find myself jealous of people who have less expensive gear and are making fantastic images

jpb1974

Feckin love my Mamiya TLR with 80mm lens... fantastic camera... cost €150.

K_user

sineadw wrote: »

I'll post a Do: DO look at great photographers' work. I've read here soooooo many times (and said similar myself once) how posters want to develop their own style, and that the photographers here are just as good as the ones in art galleries anyway. Would someone who wanted to be a good painter be told not bother ever looking at a Van Gogh or a Cezanne or a Da Vinci, and that the blokes who show on Merrion square are just as good? It's ridiculous.

What she said!

When you DO find a style or an area of photography that you enjoy, take the time to study other peoples work - even if that just involves random searches of the internet.

DON'T think that better gear makes for better photographs. If you can't get good results with something for E500, then chances are you won't improve overnight by spending E5000.

DON'T stick to AUTO. Get to know how a camera works.

DON'T take failure or criticism to heart. We all like to think that we are doing the best that we can, but by making mistakes and listening to others we learn and develop.

DON'T think of your camera as a fancy toy, its a tool. Toys get left on shelves, tools get used.

DON'T get disheartened. Its a hobby, its meant to be fun.

And DO remember that the best camera is always the one that you have with you.

magicbastarder

don't buy a camera. walk aound with a cardboard frame in a 3:2 ratio and see if constantly analysing and framing scenes in your head gets tiring, even when you don't have a camera on you.

Thecageyone

Why use cardboard? Just make that rectangular shape with your index fingers and thumbs! You will look so pro.

charybdis

For some reason I copied a list of photographic clichés to a text file a while ago:

Don't take photos of:

* pets
* cemetaries
* university campuses
* feet/toes/hands
* flowers
* cameras
* macro shots of bugs
* hot chicks by a window or in the woods
* abandoned buildings
* barns
* HDR anything
* Converse shoes
* dutch angles
* concert photos
* The underside of piers
* Feet (with or without hipster shoes)
* Streetlights from right underneath them looking straight up.
* Cats
* Leaves floating in a stream
* Sunsets and sunrises
* Rocks on a beach
* Long exposures of waterfalls/running water
* Long exposures of cars at night
* things shot in the reflection of sunglasses
* the moon
* Coffee
* Anything with a heart shape
* Unused chairs
* Those multicoloured beach hut things
* Homeless people
* Trashcans, dumpsters, trash, etc
* clothespegs on a line
* images exposed while zooming the lens

5uspect

Okay...

Mountainsandh

Don't get obsessed with your local camera club or the boards' or other online fora challenges/competitions.

I felt myself slipping into that mode at one stage, when I went out I was only thinking to capture something to "fit the theme", or to "show others" ...

I find I take much better pics when I go out with a free mind, taking pics for myself, primarily of things I like, that I get excited about.

Then I just keep the challenges tucked at the back of my mind, and if I come across something fair and good, if not, I don't get all frustrated.

Also : DON'T think your questions are the stupidest, mine are.

eas

charybdis wrote: »

For some reason I copied a list of photographic clichés to a text file a while ago:

Don't take photos of:

* pets
* cemetaries
* university campuses
* feet/toes/hands
* flowers
* cameras
* macro shots of bugs
* hot chicks by a window or in the woods
* abandoned buildings
* barns
* HDR anything
* Converse shoes
* dutch angles
* concert photos
* The underside of piers
* Feet (with or without hipster shoes)
* Streetlights from right underneath them looking straight up.
* Cats
* Leaves floating in a stream
* Sunsets and sunrises
* Rocks on a beach
* Long exposures of waterfalls/running water
* Long exposures of cars at night
* things shot in the reflection of sunglasses
* the moon
* Coffee
* Anything with a heart shape
* Unused chairs
* Those multicoloured beach hut things
* Homeless people
* Trashcans, dumpsters, trash, etc
* clothespegs on a line
* images exposed while zooming the lens

you forgot Bray Head from or near Dalkey dart station.

Thecageyone

And add in Girl pretending not to notice camera in cornfield with lots of sun flare.

magicbastarder

charybdis wrote: »

* pets
* cemetaries
* flowers
* abandoned buildings
* concert photos
* Streetlights from right underneath them looking straight up.
* Cats
* Sunsets and sunrises
* Rocks on a beach
* Long exposures of waterfalls/running water
* clothespegs on a line

guilty on these counts. i may be guilty of the dutch angles one, but i don't know what they are.

Thecageyone

charybdis wrote: »

* pets
* cemetaries
* feet/toes/hands
* flowers
* cameras
* macro shots of bugs
* abandoned buildings
* HDR anything
* concert photos
* The underside of piers
* Streetlights from right underneath them looking straight up.
* Cats
* Sunsets and sunrises
* Long exposures of waterfalls/running water
* Long exposures of cars at night
* things shot in the reflection of sunglasses
* the moon
* Coffee
* Homeless people
* Trashcans, dumpsters, trash, etc
* clothespegs on a line

These for me, though some of them only the once.

charybdis

eas wrote: »

you forgot Bray Head from or near Dalkey dart station.

It's funny you should say that given the photograph of Bray Head I posted in the Random Photo thread was in reply to another poster's image of the same thing taken on the same weekend.

I don't think I was operating under any delusions of originality.

Mountainsandh

Or shiny contorted modern buildings windows reflecting sky.
Or modern white suspended bridges.
Or carparks.
sorry, just had to "get it all out"

edit : just to be clear boss, are we allowed cows and trees then ?

ThOnda

Don't follow blindly every advice you'll get on-line, in print or by spoken word. Especially in photography. Get the information, try understand why it should work, how it should work and if you want to do it.

Thecageyone

No! Cows are worse than cats!

trees are fine, since there's not a whole lot else besides if you stick to that list

magicbastarder

Mountainsandh wrote: »

Or shiny contorted modern buildings windows reflecting sky.
Or modern white suspended bridges.
Or carparks.

oh yeah - the upper lake in glendalough too, from the car park end.

sprinkles

charybdis wrote: »

For some reason I copied a list of photographic clichés to a text file a while ago:

Don't take photos.

FYP

eas

charybdis wrote: »

It's funny you should say that given the photograph of Bray Head I posted in the Random Photo thread was in reply to another poster's image of the same thing taken on the same weekend.

that is funny.

I don't think I was operating under any delusions of originality

who does?

Corkfeen

charybdis wrote: »

For some reason I copied a list of photographic clichés to a text file a while ago:

Don't take photos of:

* pets
* cemetaries
* university campuses
* feet/toes/hands
* flowers
* cameras
* macro shots of bugs
* hot chicks by a window or in the woods
* abandoned buildings
* barns
* HDR anything
* Converse shoes
* dutch angles
* concert photos
* The underside of piers
* Feet (with or without hipster shoes)
* Streetlights from right underneath them looking straight up.
* Cats
* Leaves floating in a stream
* Sunsets and sunrises
* Rocks on a beach
* Long exposures of waterfalls/running water
* Long exposures of cars at night
* things shot in the reflection of sunglasses
* the moon
* Coffee
* Anything with a heart shape
* Unused chairs
* Those multicoloured beach hut things
* Homeless people
* Trashcans, dumpsters, trash, etc
* clothespegs on a line
* images exposed while zooming the lens

Agree with most of them however abandoned buildings are well worth taking photos of. Plenty of abandoned buildings that are fascinating to explore and get great shots of... There's also the fact that many of them are liable to be knocked at some point or another so why not document them while they're still there.

Thecageyone

They can be dead boring too though. It depends on a lot of factors, just like any other subject. I've actually seen good cat images over time, for me it's dogs that never, ever look interesting.

4sb

Don't forget to bring your camera. Always.

When you are practiced at this, then

Don't bring your camera and see things you never saw before.

Buckz

I'm thinking Sinatra- Do be Do be Do...
Do always carry a camera,
Be satisfied with the gear you got- Zoom with your Feet!
do learn how the camera works- take it off auto.
Be critical of your photos- if you see the weaknesses you will know what to work on
do learn from a wide variety of sources- magazines online clubs etc
Be open to advice and opinion it's usually well meant.
Do enjoy it if buying gear makes you happy, buy gear- if Hdr makes you happy do hdr. its a hobby.

magicbastarder

thread fail.

Thecageyone

It was from the moment you suggested not to take pictures of your kids IMO :P

magicbastarder

i never said anything of the sort.

Hecklar

the best thing to do is, take the OPs advice, go out and take loads of pics. go home and compare them everyone elses who took his advice and marvel at how beige you all are.


On a serious note, dont "not" do anything, do it, do it wrong, then learn why you did it wrong and learn how to make it better.

Diabhal_Glas

Buckz wrote: »

I'm thinking Sinatra- Do be Do be Do...Do always carry a camera, Be satisfied with the gear you got- Zoom with your Feet!do learn how the camera works- take it off auto.Be critical of your photos- if you see the weaknesses you will know what to work on do learn from a wide variety of sources- magazines online clubs etcBe open to advice and opinion it's usually well meant.Do enjoy it if buying gear makes you happy, buy gear- if Hdr makes you happy do hdr. its a hobby.

This I like, well said Buckz

sprinkles

Don't listen to anyone telling you not to take photos of stuff. (unless they're cops )

Do take photos of whatever interests you, be it flowers, abandoned buildings, kids, pets etc. I like to think of Photography as a selfish pursuit for the most part... make sure you enjoy it and to hell with whether people think the subject is abstract enough. A good photo will shine though any clichéd theme.

Do use photography to meet other people - either join a club, go to photowalks arranged here or at the very least contribute on this forum.

dazftw

Dont just take photo's of everything.

Do give yourself specific projects to work on. You'll create a series of images that'll work well together make and you feel better about it.

Thecageyone

I would advise the complete opposite, take photos of everything! At least everything that you think makes for a good image. I don't like the whole idea of images needing to all work together. I see every image as individual.