Giving Advice to others...

[metric_photography]

Not sure where to put this post...

Last night I was out for Canada Day at a local marina/ pier. I saw a woman trying to take pictures of the fireworks and the skyline over the harbour. She had a tripod set up and was taking pictures. The flash kept going and I looked over at her LCD screen and saw a greyed out skyline. I was tempted to talk to her and ask her if she was getting the results that she was looking for and then possibly give some advice. I decided not to interfere and come off as a know-it-all, but I did really want to help her and suggest that she set the camera to manual with a long shutter (bulb) to get the results (I assume) she was looking for. Have you guys ever come across this? What did you do? How would you take pics of the skyline at night?

[JFSanders]

If you have your camera with you, then you have a perfect opening to start a conversation. I would have, but then again my wife calls me a social butterfly... I can and do start conversations with strangers all the time. It has led me to some great relationships in business and personal life. If I hadn't talked to my wife, we most likely would have not gotten married and she would have missed out on all my perfection!

Jim

[Jim Bryant]

I always try to help folks out when they are having problem taking pictures. You'll never know who you might meet and help that could help you in the future.

[jode]

i always worry about offering advice because you never know what the response will be BUT i would be that lady trying to get that photo and i know i would soak up any advice given i pray that someone will come take me under their wing and teach me what i am doing wrong!!!

[Jim Bryant]

teaching is good.........it forces you to learn more in order not to look stupid in eyes of others.

[spookie]

Lol, I have a sister who does portraits, that's it, all she shoots, I have learned not to offer her any advice lol. But me, I'm always game to learn something new, as long as it's put forward in a constructive way. Some of these cameras and techniques have a steep learning curve for sure.

[Lori Hill]

I know if I had been that lady I would have appreciated the help.......and if by some chance I had bumped into you when it was done and started whining that I couldn't get it right to you and you told me you noticed that but didn't want to butt in, I would have hit you LOL

[Gulf Coast Girl]

For me (being the one that would be offered advice) it depends on how the person approaches me. If they come at me with "hey, you're doing that wrong" I'm likely to tell them to piss off.

However if they approach in a friendly manner and ask if I'm interested in a few tips on how to achieve x, y or z then I'm more likely to be interested in hearing what they have to say and appreciative of their help.

[heartwarrior]

I was at Tsim Sha Tsui, HK when I encountered a similar predicament. I was hesitant, too. I didn't care anymore. The guy might be pissed off with me interfering. Cultures vary, and I wasn't sure how he would react to my offer. And I was there for the symphony of lights, so I better focus. But for photographers, we feel an urge to comment or help.

[Krusty79]

I think you could just ask her, "How are your pictures coming out?" At that point, she can ask for help if she wants it or she can just say they are coming out fine if she doesn't want help. No pressure on anyone.