A guest post by Prateek Ahuja from Purple Karma.
For an artist, there is nothing as gratifying as having known they have yet again created a masterpiece – and masterpiece, here, is nothing but what they want to bring to life. Likewise, for a photographer, if there is something that they see behind the lens and are able to capture its essence; the job is well done!
Personally I’ve come across people who are caught up in the complexities of photography and this holds them back and hinders their creativity. They are of the opinion that one should have a knowledge about aperture, exposure, lenses, lighting to even start taking the pictures, which in my opinion is not the right thing to do.
Observation is the first step towards being a good photographer. Simply observe what can make a great frame and start looking at things differently. This simple and small step is the key to a good photograph. Yes, like in any other art form, basic knowledge about the technicalities is important. It is this knowledge that will eventually lead to making beautiful photographs look better. But it comes later.
First, one needs to let go of the fear of taking bad photographs. A baby learns to walk only after months of crawling and falling. Similarly, only experience will teach how to create one’s magnum opus. Thus the key is to simply observe and click. No more, no less. One should click until he discovers the vantage point and should keep striving for more.
Remember, some of the world’s best Photographers have never had any formal training. They went where their instinct took them and clicked what their heart told them to.
Everything is taken care of once an individual knows they have an eye to capture ‘the photograph’. So it all shrinks down to the creativity aspect of it; on how differently they can see the world around.
As they say, ‘it’s the spark that starts the fire’; let that spark never die!
All one needs to begin with is ‘an eye to capture and a heart to click’. Be creative, see differently and JUST CLICK!
About Prateek Ahuja: I am 26 years old and am currently working with a non-profit in India. Photography has always amused me though I got my first SLR only last year in May. Since then I’ve been trying to capture anything and everything I come across. You can find some of my work at Purple Karma and on Flickr. A friend asked me so many questions about photography that they inspired me to write this article. I hope it is of help to a lot of others.
Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.
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This may be the best post I’ve ever read on this site. I agree too many people get caught up in the technical nature of photography. That knowledge is important but be observant and go make photographs.
On my site I’ve started a series called FOCUS where in a one minute video photographers talk about what it took to take some of their favorite photos. http://grtaylor2.com/2010/03/focus-rcpm-celebrity-theater-european-swallow/
For every one photograph I add to my portfolio there are approximately 250 photos that I hate and that no one ever sees. Although fear or taking a bad photo is valid I think that people are more afraid of the criticism that comes with bad photographs. (Everyone goes through this – Please don’t let this stop YOU from being a great photographer – the craft needs you.)