shoot following your heart or...?


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nntendo

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Nov 2, 2006
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hello.

im new and using a canon 350d + kit lens.

1) do you shoot following your heart, as in you anyhow adjust and if end up something nice, you'll just shoot.

or

2) do you really adjust the settings according to the place etc etc.

and recommend me a good lens which i can upgrade to?
:D
 

hello.

im new and using a canon 350d + kit lens.

1) do you shoot following your heart, as in you anyhow adjust and if end up something nice, you'll just shoot.

or

2) do you really adjust the settings according to the place etc etc.

and recommend me a good lens which i can upgrade to?
:D
both... my advise would be to use your current kit lens and learn more about it before upgrading.
 

try shooting with the various settings on your camera to try out. it is digital so shoot as many as you can.

as for getting new lens, there is always impulse to buy buy and buy (i do myself). just think carefully, read through the various reviews and recommendations in different websites including here before deciding what to buy and whether to buy. whether you want or you need...
 

I learn the technicalities first then go by feeling later cause all the controls and technical details become second nature. It helps when you dont have to bother so much about what ISO or what aperture to use as it all depends on what you want to envision.
 

I learn the technicalities first then go by feeling later cause all the controls and technical details become second nature. It helps when you dont have to bother so much about what ISO or what aperture to use as it all depends on what you want to envision.

Agree.
 


Second to this. Know your foundation first.

I slogged more than 15 year exploring and mastering every technique known in the world of photography; you name it, I 've learned it. Once you got it right, that is when the camera becomes your third eye.
 

If I just want to have a record of what I'm seeing, I'll just use my heart to point and just shoot. If I want to learn or practise my photography, I'll use my brains to observe all the technical settings. If I want to have a good photograph that I and others can admire, I'll use both.
 

Learn the fundamental first, make that second nature, then follow your heart.
 

hello.

im new and using a canon 350d + kit lens.

1) do you shoot following your heart, as in you anyhow adjust and if end up something nice, you'll just shoot.

or

2) do you really adjust the settings according to the place etc etc.

and recommend me a good lens which i can upgrade to?
:D

My camera is the same as yours. :)
Personally, I feel that shooting freely by following your heart should come first. Concentrating on the tech first will burn down your passion.
Learn to shoot first in the auto mode (try everything in the auto mode first). Shoot as many as you can. After that, you will get more curious how people get a certain kind of shot. Then you will experiment beyond that. So (1) and (2) are not separate entities. (2) comes naturally after (1). How can you master any tech without shooting, right?

Happy shooting~ :D

P.S. The point is not about P&S or DSLR. Why do I say shoot in auto mode first? Because the camera will autofocus and give you the settings. You start by memorizing these default settings and make your estimation and explorations from there. You start by learning from the camera, because it is a computer. A computer calculates faster and better than your head. So use it. :) When you are ready to defy the camera, use the manual mode.
 

i think you should learn the fundamentals first then shoot with your heart.. bec if u just want to shoot and shoot..then u should have bought a P&S cam only instead of a dslr. anyway, here is a good link which can help you about the technical stuff (ex shutter speed, iso, etc) http://web.canon.jp/Imaging/enjoydslr/index.html
 

1) do you shoot following your heart, as in you anyhow adjust and if end up something nice, you'll just shoot.

You have confused making images "following your heart", and making images "anyhow adjust and if end up something, you'll just shoot".

Making images "following your heart" is one of the most difficult things to achieve in photography. Because it represent who you are and your personal world view.

"Anyhow adjust" is just that. "Anyhow adjust". A randomness in the way of doing things. There is a place for such a "method" of photography. It can incorporate a "heart feel" to what you decide to point the camera at with random "settings".

One is about the person, the photographer. The other is about the technicalities of image making.

Most people here will advocate learning the "fundamentals". Fundamentals may include techniques and " rules" of photography like composition, distortion, color casts, styling, etc. This is the "traditional" way of learning photography. Look at the curriculum on "basic photography" offered by SAFRA/PSS/SLCC. They all stress learning the "fundamentals", and there is obviously merit in this approach.

However leejay gave another viewpoint. He feels that one should start by "following your heart". In other words, take images which move you. Ignore the technicalities and "rules".

Now I hear people jumping in to say "you cannot break the rules if you do not know what the rules are!" This is the war cry of the "traditionalists". Now who is saying anything about breaking rules? If I start photography knowing nothing, and I do not what the "rules" are, what rules am I deliberating breaking? I cannot be breaking rules when the rules do not exist for me! I am not talking about traffic rules and things like that! I am talking about making 'art".

Is what leejay proposing something possible? Indeed so! Some one said that if one wish to shoot and shoot, just use a P&S. Well, he has a point. But why can I not use a DSLR as a P&S? Modern equipments are so good that short of unusual lighting conditions, making a decently exposed image is hardly the challenge. So use the DSLR as a P&S. Set it to "auto" mode. And photograph with your heart.

How about techniques? Are they not important? of course they are! Are rules not important? Of course they are! They are there for a reason. But let me tell you something. For hobbyists like you and me, the kinds of techniques we need to learn and "rules" to be aware of, are easy to learn! There are those who learn their photography in colleges and universities, and earn a diploma and degree, like BFA or even a MFA. These people usually set out to want to be a professional photographer, and it is imperative that they acquire all the skills necessary to prepare them for a professional career. But for a hobbyist like me, do I care? And regarding rules, just post your images here, and you will not be short of people telling you the rules you should be following.

I am rather limited in my photography. There are many things I do not know in photography. But frankly, for my photography, I do not care. It does not mean that I am ignorant of what is going on. And if there is something which I need to know, I will learn it.

How about leejay's assertion that concentrating on techniques might cause one to lose the passion? I am not sure about that. I think that is a very individual sort of thing. But what I have observed is that, for most people, concentrating on techniques and rules can trap them in the same mould of making images. Some people do have what it takes to break out of the mould. But I think the majority do not. Just take a look at the images in this forum, and decide for yourself if what I say have merti.
 

@student - the reason for me making a point on buying a p&s is the purpose is to shoot and shoot withour caring for the technicalities is because i want to give value to hard earned money $$$.. of course if you have the spare cash then you can easily go for dslr...since dlsr is considerably expensive, i think the owner should maximize the capabilities and strengths of the dslr..of course we want to get our money's worth...but again at the end it is still up to you..this is just my opinion;)
 

@student - the reason for me making a point on buying a p&s is the purpose is to shoot and shoot withour caring for the technicalities is because i want to give value to hard earned money $$$.. of course if you have the spare cash then you can easily go for dslr...since dlsr is considerably expensive, i think the owner should maximize the capabilities and strengths of the dslr..of course we want to get our money's worth...but again at the end it is still up to you..this is just my opinion;)

Of course you are right. But if I want to shoot in P&S mode, I will still prefer the DSLR, for one very important reason. The problem of shutter lag.
 

There are those who learn their photography in colleges and universities, and earn a diploma and degree, like BFA or even a MFA. These people usually set out to want to be a professional photographer, and it is imperative that they acquire all the skills necessary to prepare them for a professional career.

Doc,

I am one of such person you have mentioned here. Unfortunately, I discovered that whatever I have learned in college many years ago seems irrelevant now. Darkroom print and developing techniques, lightings, the Zone System, sensitometry and applied optics, etc. I have a MFA degree in Imaging Arts and Photography from a reputable photography school in the United States by the way.

Yes, I have a professional career now, but this game have change so much that even a hobbyist can take better photographs than pros. It is sad for many of us who are formally-trained in this trade but are overshadowed by 'wannabes'.
 

hello.

im new and using a canon 350d + kit lens.

1) do you shoot following your heart, as in you anyhow adjust and if end up something nice, you'll just shoot.

or

2) do you really adjust the settings according to the place etc etc.

and recommend me a good lens which i can upgrade to?
:D
i tink u should shoot according to ya brain...think about what will work.. picture the end product in your mind... then change ya settings to get exactly what u want..

cheers
 

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