How I got started with photography
and how I got better
This is an example
Digital cameras weren’t as popular yet. In fact, DSLR cameras (short for Digital Single Lens Reflex), started replacing SLR (non digital reflex cameras) during the 2000s.
I didn’t own one. Actually, I was rebelling against the digital revolution. My theory was, that if cameras were digital, nobody would need a dark room to develop the films and the copies anymore. This led to two major problems in my head:
The magic of developing would be gone.
If everybody had access to instant photos, photographers wouldn’t be needed anymore.
I have to say in my defense: I was in my teens, quite naive, and I didn’t think about the importance of one common factor that seemed to strange and incomprehensible for me to grasp, but would shift my understanding of photography as a concept, and the success of those who dedicated their life to developing it: having eye.
Now, this goes hand in hand with the fact that I wasn’t very good, although some pictures started to have a little thought behind it, and I was copying pictures I saw in magazines and rarely on websites (still rebelling against technology!). I started to experiment with different angels and viewpoints, and breaking the rules nobody had taught me yet.
My vision of photography changed completely with two events in my late teens, that happened very close in time but where not directly related to each other:
- I found this TV commercial:
and fell in love with Canon. It came to a point were, if the TV was on and I was in another room, I would get mad if I heard the commercial and I wasn’t quick enough to watch it. I would drop everything, just to see that commercial, and I would prefer those 32 seconds over any movie. Later, this commercial would be replaced by this other one:
She told me I reminded her of her father, because my passion for this one subject led me to neglect everything else. Instead of forcing me to focus on school, and learning what my grandfather had called “A real job”, instead of “wasting your time with a job that will be obsolete within your lifetime,” she pushed me to follow my dream, which in reality was her dream.
My thoughts about digital photography started shifting, into thinking that there was only one way for me not to be replaced by everybody’s access to photography: I had to become the best, and I had to be worth that title.
I took those commercials very seriously, and memorized my favorite sections in the photography books, and I started seeing a world I hadn’t seen before. It was magic in front of my eyes. I got better and better, and eventually my weakest point was the editing part, which I didn’t get fully into, until I stumbled across a book called “Searching for Light”, by Corry DeLaan (I can’t find the English version right now: https://www.amazon.ca/Auf-Suche-nach-dem-Licht/dp/3898645657).
It was my only wish for Christmas that year.
It taught the importance of light and image editing, which is the digital equivalent to the dark room, that I missed so much.
After sitting with that book in front of the computer for a very long time, and later watching video tutorials and learning in school (this last part was almost inexistent because my passion for photography made me know more about the subject than my teachers), I got to a point where I was confident enough to start showing some more serious work to friends and family.
My mother cried and filled the walls of the house with those pictures, big prints of the world I saw through the lens of that camera.
When I look back at those pictures, I have to laugh, because from my today’s standpoint, they had so much room for improvement. But it was the start, and I felt like I was walking in the right direction.
If you want to learn about how to take better pictures instantly, this is my personal guide (I apply it every day) for a better shot: click here.
If you prefer to download this guide, you can do this
FOR FREE HERE
I hope this was helpful or entertaining, or even encouraging for somebody. If so, I'm glad.
If you've read until here, thank you for your attention.
Feel free to follow, upvote and comment.
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Can you post TimeLaps videos on Steemit? or can you only post still photos? I can't find the answer and trying to do my first post. Thank you for the Help, in advance. :)
Hello @sunrisela,
You have to upload the video first to a video platform (such as youtube, vimeo, or the steemit connected video platform DTube. Then, when you create a #steemit post, ant paste the link, it will be posted as a video inside the post.
Hope this was helpful.
This was really helpful!!! Thank you SO SO SO Much, next stop DTube. :)
Developed skill is such a beauty. How long did it take you to do all those tutorials and have it reflect in your work?
Developed skill is such a beauty. How long did it take you to do all those tutorials and have it reflect in your work?
Wow... so much emotions in your journey... You inspired to write my own story... you are truly inspiring and love your photos...
A long tedious journey but worthy
Everyone starts somewhere, practice makes perfect. I still have my first photos from years ago and with time I see more and more mistakes I made then. And even though I'm pretty happy with my photography now, every year I go back to my photos from a year/two ago and I find things I would do totally different today. And will probably say the same about my recent shots in a year or two.
This is a never ending story of development, skills, tools, mind set. Best of luck in your journey! :)
Thirty years ago I worked with black and white film, and when the digital revolution came along, I lost interest. The reason? The lack of a darkroom. Last year I picked up a Sony XPeria phone that happened to have a 24mp camera. Vivid photos! I fell back into photography after I took the attached photo. I use minimal filters post-processing. I'm enjoying that I need not worry about running out of film or out of time.
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this was so helpful!
Developed skill is such a beauty.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us. Any dream can really be achieved by working hard for it and never stopping believing in yourself . It's a bonus if the people around you support your dreams too. :)
wow amazing article, thanks
That's Great inspiration! Do you take photos of people as well? Or just not your niche?
really nice read i resonate with your journey of photography a lot at some points, still learning of course i don't think we ever stop learning. Hope to see more of your work dude :)
Great photos and I liked getting to read your story!!
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing your 15+ years experience!
Sounds familiar, I like your pics. Keep it up!