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How do you take a good photograph?

Edie

Well-Known Member
What it says on the tin. Wondered if any of you could pass on a tip or two for how you take a good photograph?
 
I know it's not what you specifically asked for but there's online photography courses available through Groupon. I've not used them so cannot vouch for them.

Also there's these people Diploma in Photography four weeks free course.

There's a lot of others offering free and paid for courses. Again I've no experience of any of them.
 
Danski is right. But this works much better on an applied basis. Why don't you post up some photos and we can tell you why they're shit?
Cos I’ve not taken any. (Any that aren’t just snaps of my kids iyswim). But maybe I’ll go and take a photo this weekend and do that. I’ll have to be Harehills by Jimmies mind cos I’m working. It will be clueless, although I will try the rule of thirds.
 
In general I find I get better results after giving the composition of a shot a bit of thought rather than just pointing and shooting.

It depends on the sort of photo you’re taking though. That approach wouldn’t really work for street photography for example. Although I suppose as you got better at other types of shots you’d have a better eye for quickly composing something.


The best advice I ever got from a professional photographer was to just take shitloads of photos and choose the best one.
Not sure I agree with this. Lots of practice is fine, but you need to giving it some thought. You won’t learn much by randomly shooting loads and hoping for the best.
 
Cos I’ve not taken any. (Any that aren’t just snaps of my kids iyswim). But maybe I’ll go and take a photo this weekend and do that. I’ll have to be Harehills by Jimmies mind cos I’m working. It will be clueless, although I will try the rule of thirds.
There is the preexisting 'critique' thread too, which had a lot more going on back in the day than in recent times:

 
Not sure I agree with this. Lots of practice is fine, but you need to giving it some thought. You won’t learn much by randomly shooting loads and hoping for the best.

Composition and many other elements are important, of course, but as somebody who was used to getting disappointing results in the days when you had to bring film to a shop and wait a few days before seeing the results, it was encouraging to hear that there are dozens or even hundreds of duds behind every really good photo.
 
Well, just knowing that fact is useful when you know nothing. Say you wanted to take photos of the world around you. The people in the city.
OK. So, pictures of people as part of the landscape around them? Or closeups, portraits of individuals? Will they be candid, without the subject realising? Or more formally posed, allowing you time to compose the shot?

Knowing what you want and the style that appeals to you will help you decide how to approach this, and then may influence things like the actual camera used, the lens, any flash and so on.
 
Composition and many other elements are important, of course, but as somebody who was used to getting disappointing results in the days when you had to bring film to a shop and wait a few days before seeing the results, it was encouraging to hear that there are dozens or even hundreds of duds behind every really good photo.
Yeh that is an eye opener
 
OK. So, pictures of people as part of the landscape around them? Or closeups, portraits of individuals? Will they be candid, without the subject realising? Or more formally posed, allowing you time to compose the shot?

Knowing what you want and the style that appeals to you will help you decide how to approach this, and then may influence things like the actual camera used, the lens, any flash and so on.
I guess I was thinking of photos like Chris Killip took. I mean not that you are ever gonna be a Chris Killip. But how do you go about even starting to capture what it feels like say to be on Harehills Lane on a grey October day in the middle of a pandemic.
 
Composition and many other elements are important, of course, but as somebody who was used to getting disappointing results in the days when you had to bring film to a shop and wait a few days before seeing the results, it was encouraging to hear that there are dozens or even hundreds of duds behind every really good photo.
Yeah, being selective about which photos you share is also a good tip but you can’t rely on that alone.

I still shoot on film occasionally and I think that forces you to think a bit more as you’re limited to how many shots you can take and can’t see the result straight away. Digital has made it a bit too easy to take loads and hope for the best.
 
This is an intriguing bit of advice. Shame Leeds is like living in a Tupperware box all winter.
I think this might be they way you are looking at it. Every day, and every hour, the light will change intensity and colour. This will affect everything you look at. Try sitting in the same place at the same time for a few days and look at how everything is both the same and different. You’ll be surprised.
 
This is an intriguing bit of advice. Shame Leeds is like living in a Tupperware box all winter.
When the light is changing, low broken cloud in the 30 mins before the sun is gone in evening in winter. Sun at a very low angle, bright. Fleetingly can give a pic that would be unusual and striking. Or just as the mist is clearing and sun is going to shine. Or a view that only gets sun at a certain time of the day. You gotta be there though!
 
Look at photos you like, look through the work of good photographers, and try to figure out what it is that you like about the photos. Light and shadow, composition, colours, timing etc.

I studied photography at college, then spent years taking dull photos. After giving up for about ten years, I got back into it about three years ago, and using this approach my photography has improved significantly.
 
Edie something I try to do is to concentrate on my subject for example one of your children, at the same time watch the background, is it complimentary? is it distracting? can I move a bit to get a better background? If you have a moment, before shooting, run your eye around the outside of the frame to see if there are any items you don't want there?
 
When the light is changing, low broken cloud in the 30 mins before the sun is gone in evening in winter. Sun at a very low angle, bright. Fleetingly can give a pic that would be unusual and striking. Or just as the mist is clearing and sun is going to shine. Or a view that only gets sun at a certain time of the day. You gotta be there though!
The common theme here is sun, when Leeds ain’t blessed. But you have to work with what you have! And I liked dessiato ’s suggestion about watching how the light changes at the same spot.
 
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