Today is an article by guest author Luis Falcón. Luis is part of a studio of professional photographers called Producciones Irízar, and in today’s article he decided to share with us his particular “decalogue” of the good photographer.
After a few years I started shooting by chance, I always assumed that anyone could take photos like a professional, just press the button and no, but when I entered the world of SLR cameras, I realized that I had a long way to go. .
- So researching here.
- Reading there.
- I realized that I had to follow a series of steps to get more than just blank images; This is where I have collected ten essential points that I want to share with you; some are my inspiration and others are diverse contributions from various sources; I call it the good photographer’s decalogue.
It is not about techniques or tips; Rather, ten traits that anyone who wants to dedicate himself to photography should take into account, at least in my personal opinion.
1. Know your camera as yourself, or better yet. Before consulting any other source of information, read your camera manual. With the ease offered by the internet, we always believe that any doubt will be resolved by a third party, when in fact, every time we buy a camera, all the information we need and the answers we need can be found in the manual.
2. As in school, before learning the technique, it is necessary to know the theory, if you can take courses, do it. Does having a scalpel make me a surgeon? I don’t think, for that, that you need to study, know the theory. The work of photographer is the same; it is necessary to know the concepts to know how to apply them: ISO, opening, exposure, framing, etc. These are all terms to keep in mind.
3. Being a photographer and getting paid for it is not a hobby, it is a profession. You must value it and respect it, always giving your best. You’re right. When you decide that you should bill for what you do, you have to do it in a professional manner, don’t you have to? job. They will reward you for your effort, so you must carry out your work with total professionalism. When a passion makes you earn money, it becomes work and you have to do it well.
4. La camera doesn’t make the photographer, remember that. The photographer is the person, not the team. This is the maximum that every photographer should remember; The sensitivity, inspiration and the way you take photos are not included in a camera, they come from you.
5. Prestige and recognition, as well as customers, are not earned overnight. The only place you will succeed before working is in the dictionary. A lot of people? You may think at first that after you buy a camera, you can start charging the same as the others. Error. Zoographers who charge high sums for their work are people who have been working in this field for many years, who have the experience, the theory, and have cost them. We can all charge a considerable and fair amount for our work, but patiently.
6. Before taking your camera to an event, make sure you have it ready for that event. Here you would apply all the recommendations that are commonly mentioned, such as the famous checklists to determine that your entire team is ready.
7. If you are going to invest, leave it in goals; In the end, it is they who capture the image. The advantage of SLR cameras is precisely to be able to exchange lenses or lenses, which actually record the image. If you already have an SLR camera, find out what type of lenses you have, as well as what you would need depending on what you are photographing. For this, you need to know the theory and know the focal length and aperture. It is not the same as you dedicate yourself to bird photography, you want to be a portrait photographer.
8. The virtue that you should not lose as a photographer is PATIENCE. Many times, many times I would say that to take the photograph you have in mind you have to wait for the right moment. Should patience be something you always have in your photographer’s suitcase? and even book.
9. Before others, the first to criticize your work should be yourself. Don’t wait for others to tell you that you are taking a good photo. You took it, you must be the first to criticize yourself, to evaluate yourself, but with full knowledge of the facts. Once you see the self-critical photo, you may get comments from other people.
10. Practice when you can. The more you practice, the more you’ll notice if you’re on the right track. The photographer wasn’t born, it’s done. Practice makes the teacher if possible, always take your camera with you. The more opportunities you have to take pictures, the more you realize your flaw and be able to solve it over time.
So get your mind in order and practice!