Getting out of the point and shoot mindset

[lonelyjew]

I am quite new to photography, I only really started a month or so ago when I finally got my 350d, and consequently still have a "point and shoot" mindset. Don't get me wrong, I try to incorporate basic composition into my photography(rule of thirds, balance, lines, etc.) but my pictures are still along the lines of "oh, that's pretty" 'click.'

I was wondering if you guys had any advice on this? I was told that a good photographer plans their shots. I didn't take it too literally but I do understand what they're saying; good photographers don't rely on lucky captures. Does it just take time to develop this or is there any way to learn how to do this?

Thanks for the replies.

[Canadian Mum]

I am new to photography too... and I think the best advice that I have received was to take a lot of shots. You will be surprised how quickly your sense of composition develops... you will start to see things differently... photographs will start to "appear" before you.
As for getting out of Auto and really learning the ins and outs of how to use your camera... experiment... read all you can about your camera... check Flickr for a group dedicated to your camera...
but most of all... get out there and shoot lots!!

[Nicole]

Originally Posted by lonelyjew

...my pictures are still along the lines of "oh, that's pretty" 'click.'

There's nothing wrong with taking pictures of things that are pretty. In fact, isn't that one of the main reasons why we take pictures? Because they make us feel something? Even if it's joy over something pretty or sorrow over something sad.

Originally Posted by lonelyjew

I was wondering if you guys had any advice on this? I was told that a good photographer plans their shots. I didn't take it too literally but I do understand what they're saying; good photographers don't rely on lucky captures. Does it just take time to develop this or is there any way to learn how to do this?

You can't plan everything. I think that the best advice was something I read at Luminous Landscape on Luck:

Actually, luck, which we usually think of as — fortuitous things happening on a random fashion — has little to do with it. A definition of luck that I much prefer is "preparedness in the face of opportunity".

So, in that sense, you're kind of planning. Many things happen only because of great timing, etc, but you need to have planned to be somewhere in the general vicinity and be prepared for what luck may throw at you. You can't plan a great sunset or a great animal shot. What you can plan is being in the right place or being somewhere at the right time. You'll never catch a sunset at noon and you won't catch a dolphin in the middle of the forest. So while you can plan to a certain extent, you can't plan everything, so luck counts for a lot. It just may not be what you think of as luck

[RexK_Cozumel]

Also if you look at some of the great photographers out there they take some pretty ordinary everyday objects and capture them in unique interesting ways. That is what really makes the difference between a good photographer and a great one. What everyone calls the photographers eye is only in part natural talent mostly it is learned thru much practice and experimentation so be sure to go shoot lots and lots of frames. eventually you will figure it out. that is truly the best thing about digital over film it allows you to shoot thousands of frames with out having to shell out thousands of dollars for film/developing.

[Pasq]

Originally Posted by RexK_Cozumel

Also if you look at some of the great photographers out there they take some pretty ordinary everyday objects and capture them in unique interesting ways. That is what really makes the difference between a good photographer and a great one. What everyone calls the photographers eye is only in part natural talent mostly it is learned thru much practice and experimentation so be sure to go shoot lots and lots of frames. eventually you will figure it out. that is truly the best thing about digital over film it allows you to shoot thousands of frames with out having to shell out thousands of dollars for film/developing.

I don't know how inspirational you meant your post to be, but it is. I know I still take more "snapshot" type pictures then planned photographs. However, yesterday I wagged off work and went shooting. I did find myself walking around my subjects and analyzing what I saw in the viewfinder. Perhaps, I've started the journey. Mind you, I've had my camera since early last month and have taken over a couple thousand shots. (easy to do with digital!) So it's finally sinking in!

[jdepould]

As far as mechanics go, I found P mode to be helpful when I first started. Pay attention to what the camera is doing and try to think about why. Little things can make a big difference as well. Take a second to scan the edges of the frame to see if there's anything cut off in a strange place, and make sure you don't have stuff that will look odd when it's flattened (telephone poles growing out of peoples' heads for instance).

[PnwGuy]

Read, shoot, read, shoot, read, shoot. That's my approach.

Planning your shot can take as little as one second or up to several days. But as Nicole pointed out, being prepared to get the shot is probably the biggest factor. This proved very true with my eagle shot.

I think the first big step you can take is to learn to shoot on manual. A big part of planning your shot is to decide on which exposure setttings to use.

Are you taking a landscape shot which often entails a large depth of field, or are you trying to isolate your subject from its surroundings? Do you need a fast shutter speed to stop motion, or a slow shutter to create a blur effect on a waterfall? Once you have this down the rest starts to fall in place.

The one book that made the biggest difference to me, and made me realize how easy and important it is to learn to shoot using manual, is Understanding Exposure by Brian Peterson.

When the settings becomes second-nature, you spend more time on composition and creative shooting and you will see a big improvement in your shots.

[Lebowski]

Your DSLR will really allow you to experiment with depth of field more easily than most point-and-shoot cameras. A shallow DOF also allows you to highlight objects in the frame. When I get positive comments from point-and-shoot-owning friends, it is usually when I've used a shallow DOF.

[Mandy73]

I still have a point and shoot, but I am doing a project 365 which is making me explore what photographs I take. So I am taking lots of shots at the moment and trying different things. The only problem is I am now finding my point and shoot to be limiting in the shots I am wanting to take.

Enjoy your camera, get to know it and see what it can do! That's what I would do with a DSLR anyway.

[richb14]

There is great advice here in all the posts. The simplest advice: get out and take lots of photo's. As was said, it's easy with digital, buy a few memory cards and don't be afraid to shot way. I'll easily take 1000 photo's in a day, playing with the settings (P is the way to go), trying different exposures on the same photo, varying the depth of field, trying different compositions, trying different exposures etc etc. It's like most things, lots of practice, critically review your own work, experiment, and don't be afraid to test some rule (even break them occassionally). And definitely post some of your shots on the Critique section, everyone here is so very helpful and can provide some great pearls of wisdom.

Above all always have fun and don't be too hard on yourself, there is always the delete button, I use it often