A couple of hours to go
before I make an abject fool of myself in front of a professional and roomful of other students. meantime, I have discovered that there is a Nikon School, and anyone can attend, and there are even some cool tutorials online. (I like the India version, it’s like I’m being taught to take pictures by Apu.) Anyway, I hope it improves my abilities; I figure I have taken forty three hojillion pictures, of which about twelve pictures merely suck. Here’s one I like:
Mike Fisher’s front porch, Kitwe, Zambia, Kodak easyshare p&s POS. Click to embiggenate.
One of the things I learned, was that you have to go where there are pictures to take. Sure, there’s a lot of stuff in your living room, but do you think anyone besides you wants to see it?
Did bunches of pictures years ago. Most of the stuff on digital is still on the camera. At least with film most of the pictures I took at least saw daylight.
Quit after a clerk at wal mart was less that impressed over a screw up at the development place that ruined several rolls of Kodachrome from a Hawaiian trip.
Oh well, memories.
At the risk of touching upon that which you already know, I’ll state simply that learning the classical rules of composition within the frame are the most important of all photography lessons.
We gear-geeks to tend to get lost in the hardware forest, and I’m chief among sinners. It’s a very fun in which to wander, isn’t it!?
That said, let me list some basics. If you know ’em, just point at me and laugh. If not, ask your instructors for further knowledge down these paths:
* The Golden (or Roman) Rectangle.
* Rule of Thirds in the Frame.
* Seeing in Two Dimensions.
* Lines of Convergence/Divergence.
* Lines of Attention & Distraction.
* Visual Tension.
Now, each of those will sometimes use gear & tech to achieve, but it’s understanding what your compositional goals are that draw upon your technological skills, far more often than having learned a new tech might drive a new compositional skill.
The Nikon School is a renowned resource… worth attending, repeatedly.
All that said, all my knowledge lies in the realm of film and chemical processing.
I need to hit a Nikon School to learn what the hell to do with the digital wizardry, digital darkroom kind of stuff. On all of that, my ignorance is beyond merely “profound”. I keep wanting to drop the SD card into a tank of Dektol.
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
^^^That comment is money right there. I’m tempted to print it out.
Tam, I’m honored, and you’re welcome to the comment.
Two edits?
Second paragraph: “…It’s a very fun *place* in which to wander, isn’t it!?
(inserted word *place*)
First paragraph following bullet list:
“Now, each of those will sometimes use gear & tech to achieve, but it’s understanding what your compositional goals are that drawn upon your technological skills, far more often than having learned a new tech might drive a new compositional skill.”
***
Goes with typing before becoming adequately caffeinated for the day.
Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to Og’s “Range Report” from the day’s edumakashin!
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
Jim, it was great, if mostly technical. (Which I find I needed desperately) They do a “Photo safari” later in the year which I will definitely attend, which deals more with actual picture taking.
Ooh! Thanks for the links. I will have to check that out.