Take Less Photos
One of the best purchases I made in 2007 was my Nikon D40x. I really enjoy photography, and my 5 year old point and shoot simply wasn’t cutting it for me anymore. However, ever since getting the D40x, I find myself taking a lot of pictures. Where cameras used to be only for special events, I began using my camera to take photos every day. While that was great, the real problem was that I would go to an hour-long event and come back with 500 photos. I would treat my DSLR as a point-and-shoot – a very good one at that. But at the speed I was taking pictures, very few turned out good, and many were out of focus.
I didn’t realize that shooting with a DSLR is a totally different than shooting with a P&S. You have to think differently. You have to imagine things differently. You can’t just see a good shot, aim, and fire. A good photographer has to examine the best way to capture the atmosphere of the moment. It wasn’t until this flickr comment on one of my flickr photos that I finally realized the truth.
“Nice perspective, but lower might be better. Also, the framing is flawed. The fence leads across the center. It would be much better if it led across the entire image or just one side. It feels too centered. Also, you’re missing a subject. This might be an interesting shot at sunset/rise with a subject that the fence could frame.” -baseballboy828
This comment really got me to think about digital photography. Sure digital images are disposable, but I’d rather take 10 awesome shots that really capture the moment, than 500 mediocre shots. Reading some blog posts made me think that the more pictures I took, the better. Instead, this comment has made me think more about framing, exposure, and focus in my shots. I believe that this realization needs to happen in every amateur photographers mind. You are trying to tell a story, and must compose your shots in the best way possible. Whenever I put my eyes up to my camera, I want to remember to spend more time composing my shots, than actually hitting the shutter.
