ujjwaldey8165 Posted March 31, 2009 Share #1 Posted March 31, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi I am looking for some advice on an effective way to learn photography First off; about me. I have been tinkering with cameras for some time now; and my interest is in film photography ( Digital; especially manipulation on a computer do not interest me at all; and developing is not my primary interest right now). I have a read quite a few books over time; and my primary interests have been on the technical side of the camera ( so I understand the basics of the exposure vs aperture, DOF, film type, lens type, rules of composition etc etc). At present I mostly use RF : a Contax G1 and a Leica CL. Sometimes a Contax SLR. I usually use Colour Fuji or Kodak film ( 200 / 400 ASA) and get the D&P with hand assessment in Jessops. I am mostly interested in Landscape and Portrait ( not wildlife, marriage sports ). I would also like to learn B/W photography. In my judgement, some of my photos are absolute rubbish, many are average; and some good. But I dont know how and why the good ones turn out to be good ( i.e my ability is not replicable) I was browsing through photos posted here and the Leica forum; and there are some very beautiful photographs ( the composition, lighting etc). I think some here and many in the Leica forum are not digitally maniputaled or enhanced; they are as they have come out of the camera. I have never been able to come anywhere close to them; especially in terms of lighting and exposure. So I would like to learn a bit more of the craft of film phtography. I know there are quite a few courses; but I dont have the time to attend courses. I however have a lot of time to self study; and practise. I would be helped ( I think) by some suggestions, criticism; and nudge in the right direction from a professional. So I was wondering : 1. What are the very good books on photography ( funds to buy the books not a problem). I have looked in the shelves in waterstone; and most books are either about digitial ( how to photoshop better) or some very generic, beginners guide. I thinki I would like to have some advanced material. 2. Are there any long distance courses on photography ( and are they any good /useful) 3. Is there a structured course work which I can self study by buying the material and following the instructions. 3. Is there any specific advice for someone like me. I know there are many experts photographers here; and many of you love film photography; so any suggestions would be gratefully received. Ujjwal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 31, 2009 Posted March 31, 2009 Hi ujjwaldey8165, Take a look here advice please (merged). I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ujjwaldey8165 Posted March 31, 2009 Author Share #2 Posted March 31, 2009 Hi I am looking for some advice on an effective way to learn photography First off; about me. I have been tinkering with cameras for some time now; and my interest is in film photography ( Digital; especially manipulation on a computer do not interest me at all; and developing is not my primary interest right now). I have a read quite a few books over time; and my primary interests have been on the technical side of the camera ( so I understand the basics of the exposure vs aperture, DOF, film type, lens type, rules of composition etc etc). At present I mostly use RF : a Contax G1 and a Leica CL. Sometimes a Contax SLR. I usually use Colour Fuji or Kodak film ( 200 / 400 ASA) and get the D&P with hand assessment in Jessops. I am mostly interested in Landscape and Portrait ( not wildlife, marriage sports ). I would also like to learn B/W photography. In my judgement, some of my photos are absolute rubbish, many are average; and some good. But I dont know how and why the good ones turn out to be good ( i.e my ability is not replicable) I was browsing through photos posted here on the Leica forum; and there are some very beautiful photographs ( the composition, lighting etc). I think they are not digitally maniputaled or enhanced; they are as they have come out of the camera. I have never been able to come anywhere close to them; especially in terms of lighting and exposure. So I would like to learn a bit more of the craft of film phtography. I know there are quite a few courses; but I dont have the time to attend courses. I however have a lot of time to self study; and practise. I would be helped ( I think) by some suggestions, criticism; and nudge in the right direction from a professional. So I was wondering : 1. What are the very good books on photography ( funds to buy the books not a problem). I have looked in the shelves in waterstone; and most books are either about digitial ( how to photoshop better) or some very generic, beginners guide. I thinki I would like to have some advanced material. 2. Are there any long distance courses on photography ( and are they any good /useful) 3. Is there a structured course work which I can self study by buying the material and following the instructions. 3. Is there any specific advice for someone like me. I know there are many experts photographers here; and most of you love film photography; so any suggestions would be gratefully received. Ujjwal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve kessel Posted March 31, 2009 Share #3 Posted March 31, 2009 1. If you've access to a good library, save yourself some money - browse and lend. Don't buy unless it appeals to you - trust your instinct. Look at the work of published photographers (published in books that is) - what is it that you like about some and not others. Find out more about the ones you like. 2. You seem to know enough already. Take lots of pictures and post them on websites like this. Get a smart point and shoot digital, eg Leica D-Lux or pana equivalent, ie with lots of manual overrides. Faster evaluation of results keeps the enthusiasm alive and, in some ways, speeds up learning 3&3. As 2 above Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxspbr Posted March 31, 2009 Share #4 Posted March 31, 2009 Ujjwal, About the books, take a look at 2nd hand bookstores. There are a lot of good books about photography, and I think you will find them easy. And take a very good look about the masters' work. Masybe this is more important than read any begginers' or advanced manual - and more useful. I`m not a professional or a great photographer, so I`m not the very best to tell advices; Anyway, I would suggest you to 1- take photos 2- slowly!!! Thinking well before pressing the button. 3- get the enlargements, look carefully, and trow away those not very very good (and these, for everybody, means that just 5 to 15 are keepers. In a 36 roll, of course). 4- think about what nake you happy about these keepers. 5- get another roll and start again. Good luck! Martin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
milsu Posted March 31, 2009 Share #5 Posted March 31, 2009 Maybe try to think more imaginative. Try to imagine what would you like to picture, and then find your subject in real life. (What I myself am not doing enough, but should do.) I guess you don't need books on photography, but to look at other's photographs with high criticism, thinking about how did they do it and why did they do it. And to learn to use your equipement intuitively, like it's the part of your mind and body. Your photographs will always picture your own state of mind and spirit at the moment you make them. Hope this helps. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don'tknowmuch Posted March 31, 2009 Share #6 Posted March 31, 2009 Hi Ujjwal, You say you don't know what it is that sets your good pictures apart from the less good? Well; you will have to sort this out! How about lining up the photos you like, and the ones you don't? Just get them all out and see what common elements you see. Then work out what it is about the ones you like that sets them apart to your eyes. Is it where the light is from? Is it the composition? Is it the dark bits being dark enough? Contrast? Is it actually simply being in a good place to take a picture; a good subject? After all I could take a technically perfect photograph of the wall in front of me (on a good day!), but it wouldn't be particuarly riveting. The same goes for working out what it is about the ones you don't like that ... you don't like. Too muddy? Not interesting subjects? Odd colours? The choice of film can make a difference - is there a film that seems to make better pictures than another? One other possibility is this; I've never been terribly impressed by the output of commercial film labs; variable quality, and nowadays all the labs scan and print anyway, and often badly in my experience. It's possible that your prints are being variably processed. Anyway - back to the prints lined up. Once you know what to look for in the prints you will be able to anticipate these elements of the image before you make an exposure. This is the key. One other piece of advice that I think is horribly true; I think I read somewhere that a photographer's most vital piece of equipment was an alarm clock! Have you the technology/knowledge to digitise and post pictures? Have courage. And fun. Jim. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest darkstar2004 Posted March 31, 2009 Share #7 Posted March 31, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Here is a great book on landscape photography Amazon.com: Photographing the Landscape: The Art of Seeing: John Fielder: Your Store Some other titles to look at are Way Beyond Monochrome by Lambrecht & Woodhouse The Black and White Handbook by Hicks & Schultz Mastering Black and White Photography by Suess Creative Black and White Photography by Suess Approaching Photography by Hill The Tao of Photography by Gross & Shapiro And here is probably the best long distance training you can get http://www.nyip.com/ And by the way, welcome aboard! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stkorn Posted April 1, 2009 Share #8 Posted April 1, 2009 Books: for technical information, it is hard to beat Ansel Adam's series (The Camera, The Negative, The Print). I find myself going back to these often. from the creative/artistic aspect I really enjoyed Stephen Shore's short book "The Nature of Photographs". Well-written and well-illustrated, it very succinctly gets to the heart of what makes good photograph work. I am not a big fan of courses, I believe experience is the best teacher and your time/money is best spent making photographs and carefully examining the results. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted April 1, 2009 Share #9 Posted April 1, 2009 Books: Light, Lens and Landscape (most pics with Leica M), by Brian Bower. Perfect Exposure and other titles by Roger Hicks (sometime Leica forum contributor) and Frances Schulz. Any with landscapes by Ansel Adams Any with people pictures by Henri Cartier-Bresson Also look out for "World's greatest photographers" or similar Magazines: Many available, including Popular Photography (US), Outdoor Photography (US and UK), Amateur Photographer (UK). Also look out for LFI Leica magazine. Arizona Highways has brilliant landscape pictures. Online: Arizona Highways. -Pictures Of Arizona - Desert Photography - www.arizonahighways.com-. The Luminous Landscape David Alan Harvey (National Geographic photographer) Lots more forums at Photography community, including forums, reviews, and galleries from Photo.net (Includes a whole section on Learning.) That should keep you busy! Have fun! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattLain Posted April 1, 2009 Share #10 Posted April 1, 2009 As mentioned earlier Ansel Adams' trio of books are all excellent. 'The complete guide to photography techniques and materials' by Michael Freeman is also a very good general introduction to perfecting the basics. It should be available on amazon. In terms of practice: Learning to make consistently exposed and corrected (colour/exposure) landscape pictures on slide film has to be the greatest technical achievement. Especially on the preferred mediums of 5x4 or 10x8 so that may be the best thing to aim for. But, first practice with 35mm or 120 black and white, preferably processed yourself so you get first hand experience with how to correctly handle the entire process from film exposure to print. If you can't process film yourself send it to a lab, jessops are 'ok' but a dedicated pro-lab will have much more consistent results and you can often talk to them about any specific needs. C-41 or 'CN' black and white films that use a standard colour dye process can sometimes be more 'lab friendly'. Next move on to colour neg. which is still forgiving since colour can be corrected massively in the print stage, and the film still has a wide exposure latitude. Don't use commercial labs or chemists for prints, the results are often wildly far from accurate in terms of colour and exposure unless you know they're hand printed. Slide film should come last since the film is the final stage (unless you are scanning to edit). All adjustments with slide-film have to be made 'in-camera' with filters and your own knowledge so it has to be done right the first time. You're doing the right thing by joining forums. Just keep asking questions. The next best thing is to get out and shoot! ...a lot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacksparrow Posted April 1, 2009 Share #11 Posted April 1, 2009 Although you said you're not interested in digital, I would like to suggest getting a digital camera, something like the digilux 2, or even a cheap DSLR that you can use all-manual. The instant feedback that you get with a digital is a wonderful thing to improve technique, and I'd say even style, asi it allows you to experiment a lot more than film. I would like to believe I improved a lot in that way, gone from mostly crap photos to mostly average. Find a photographer whose work you like and try to study it, even imitate is fine, then you'll start to drift and find your own expression. I'm still working on this. e Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted April 3, 2009 Share #12 Posted April 3, 2009 It seems nobody has replied to your requests so welcome anyway Being a Leica user dedicated forum it's aim is to deal with all aspects of photography as they manifest within the Leica brand You appear to have a couple of cameras and I would simply suggest buying plenty of B&W C41 film like Fuji Neopan 400 and some colour negative film about 200 asa, get Jessops to process it for you including a CD copy then join a general forum or one dedicated to your user brand of camera and that as they say should be it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_x2004 Posted April 3, 2009 Share #13 Posted April 3, 2009 It seems nobody has replied to your requests...I would simply suggest buying plenty of B&W C41 film like Fuji Neopan 400 I learn something new every day. I think the responses are in the duplicate thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted April 3, 2009 Share #14 Posted April 3, 2009 I learn something new every day.I think the responses are in the duplicate thread. Sorry you've lost me- looked further down and saw the duplicate- my suggestion still remains the same Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_x2004 Posted April 3, 2009 Share #15 Posted April 3, 2009 No problem. Happy processing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.