The Photography Thread

[suzzer99]

I have a real passion for photography and I think a pretty good eye, but know nothing of cameras or the business beyond that. I'm thinking some kind of general class that teaches the technical basics as well as what opportunities might be out there would be a good thing for me. But I'm a little lost as to where to start looking.

I don't know if I have the mentality or desire to be a pro poker player for any substantial length of time. But one thing it's brought home to me is that I really don't want to work a 9-5 anymore. Life's too short.

Here are a few of my favorite pics, let's see some of your best stuff. And I've love to hear from the wealth of 2p2 knowledge on where a novice like me might start trying to learn the business. I'm not sure if there should be any ground rules for this, El D can chime in.



Near Zion Natl Park in Utah

(one of the few times in my life I've gotten a lump in my throat when I looked through the view finder - on a total back road from Zion to Bryce canyon that I *almost* didn't take - always take the back roads - I want to move to So. Utah - I took about 40 pics of this scene, and the first one was the best, weird how often that happens)




Dawn at Termini Station in Rome

(I have another one just like this w/o the dude in it, but I think he makes it more interesting - what's your story sir?)




Li River - near Guillin, China

(it's funny how when you take a pic like this, your first impulse is to get only the nature part and avoid something like these umbrellas - but the umbrellas make the pic imo - I'm fascinated by nature mixed with man-made stuff in the same shot)




88th Floor of the Grand Hyatt - Shanghai

(this pic grows on me more and more - at first you don't notice that the dark spot in the foreground to the right is a person, but I think your subconscious does - also I really like the lines of the lights)




Algodones Dunes, CA

(first trip with my first non-disposable camera - probably the best picture I'll ever take in my life - just point, click and try to keep the blowing sand out my new camera - pure dumb luck)




Redondo Beach, CA

(I have a B&W version of this that looks pretty good, but it feels kind of pretentious - I have no clue about B&W - also I kind of like the glow on the horizon and the very subtle green of the fence)

[bwana devil]

a couple of those look pretty cool. particularly the one w/ the subway bridges.

why dont you take a class at your college? my dad is a photographer and just retired after 30+ years teaching. he's free lancing now.

if you want ill send him a few of your pics and ask him what he thinks just so you can get some feedback.

[kidcolin]

I have a couple of sweet pics from Morocco that I've been wanting to show off. I'm generally not much of a picture guy, as I sorta hate carrying a camera. But these came out pretty good.

I'll post when I get home from work in a few hours.

[suzzer99]

Thanks, and sure that would be cool. Yeah local college is where I was going to start looking. I just was wondering if there was something out there I'm not aware of.

[AllinDan]

Great thread topic and pictures Suzzer, I love the Dunes and Zion ones especially.

Here's one I've always liked; I took this at the base of Vernal Falls in Yosemite:



Here's a shot of a canal in Amsterdam that I thought turned out really well:



I may look for some more later, but I'm excited to see how this thread turns out

[By-Tor]

These are re-posts from the prior thread, but it will serve me as a reminder to find/process some more when I get a chance...


The Golden Gate Bridge is actually quite small:



Solitude:



Somewhere between San Jose and Mount Hamilton:



The Thunderbirds at Moffett Field:


Progression of youth:

[suzzer99]

WOW. That Yosemite one is awesome. Do you get the feeling, like I do, that you may have taken the best picture you'll ever take? I'm not complaining, just wondering if others get the same feeling.

I love yosemite, I was actually thinking about going there next week to try to get some cool winter shots. But it looks like right now they don't have much snow. I wonder what might be a good place to go w/in a days drive of LA.

[AllinDan]

By-tor: awesome! I love the beach, lady on bench, and GG bridge pics. Seems like landscapes may be the way to go in this thread

[private joker]

I have some cool b&w shots I took in Chicago that I will post later in this thread.

But for now, I just want to address one major flaw I keep seeing in pictures people take of friends. When you're shooting a frame, keep in mind the composition of the image -- where the subject lies in the frame. (Yes, obviously pics can be cropped digitally after the fact, but it's easier just to shoot it correctly).

First, imagine the frame in a grid with 9 squares like so, with four intersecting points:



The focus of your shot should be where the lines intersect, not in the direct center of the frame. If you're shooting a person, the eyes should be right at the cross points.

A bad composition leaves too much headroom, and places the person awkwardly in the middle of the frame, like this:



Instead, try putting them to one side and take off some of the headroom, so their eyes are at one of the two upper-edge cross-points:



Furthermore, if you're shooting a close-up, forget about trying to put the whole head in the frame. This usually makes the person too low in the shot.



It's ok to crop off some of their hair/head in order to get better framing in a closeup.





This advice will be pretty 101-obvious to most people, but I still see a lot of novice photographers make these bad mistakes, and therefore all your party pics and memorable moments are ruined by crappy composition.

[suzzer99]

Actually I'm really into closeups and artsy-fartsy stuff, I just don't know how to do it yet. Love to see anything that looks cool.

One thing I was thinking if I ever get the balls is to drive around LA and take pictures of trashy strip malls and other stuff in the hood and barrio. I'm sure it's been done, but I bet there are still plenty of amazing shots out there waiting to be taken.