Some basics in photography

So you just bought your DSLR?? Or you have just been bit by the photography bug??

You have seen some GREAT pics from people in flickr,Photo.net or elsewhere and want to take those kinda "really cool" shots and dont know where to start???

You have reached the right blogspot page!!

The good news is "its possible". You can be owner of all those brilliant shots.

The bad news..Its not easy!! You got to realllllly love the art to be able to spend the time and effort and money it deserves...

I have tried to put some of the stuff that came to my mind when one of my friends asked for a similar advice.

1. Shoot less,show lesser
2. Click less think more.publish less,delete more.
3. Learn the rules so that you can break them by choice.
4. Read up about Rule of thirds,leading lines,subject placement,non central placement and all the basics of composition.
5. Learn how to make a shot
6. Stop shooting in Auto
7. Shoot in RAW.
8. Learn basic PP.Be at ease with contrast/brightness adjustment,sharpness,saturation,cropping.
9. Know about HDR
10. Recognise the two stages of photographyhttp://simplycvr.blogspot.com/2008/12/two-stages-in-photography.html
11. Take photography trips!
12. Make friends within local photography enthusiasts with the help pf online forums etc and follow their work
13. Follow the works of people you admire and find out what is stopping you from making those kind of pictures.It could be knowhow,practice or equipment.Identify that and fill up the gaps! If you are not able to decide ask for help.
14. Try not to use flash as much as possible.Flash can kill the soul of the pic
15. Fall in love with light.Fall in love with life.Fall in love with the world around.Just start appreciating the beautiful things around you.90% of photography has got nothing to do with camera.It has to do with how you see and how you record it in your brain and how you want to present it.

I will add to this if i think of something else!

All the best :)

The two stages in photography

According to me there are roughly 2 stages in photographing something.

The first stage is when you recognise that something is worthy enough to be photographed. This is a very precious and unique skill that helps setting a photographer apart from the bunch. The ability to pick up an interesting subject from the loads of scenes that hits one's eye .Many a times we see folks presenting something very mundane and plain as an interesting piece of art.Its all possible because he/she was able to see an interesting photograph in that scene even before he/she decided to shoot.
Then comes the most crucial phase.

The second stage of the activity.This is when you try to look at the scene in your perspective. Every person is unique and special and his/her way of looking at things is shaped by the experiences,mindsets,grooming and attitudes of that person. And the way a person looks at a scene differs due to that. In this stage a photographer tries to appreciate the beauty of the scene he/she is seeing and tries various ways of looking at it.

How will it look if i kneel down a bit,how about stepping up a little?? How will the light change if walk a few paces to my side...etc etc..There are a hundred million ways of looking at a thing...
Its fun....This is the phase i enjoy the most.Its this phase when a photographer totally forgets everything,and is totally immersed in the nuances of the art.This is the phase when a photographer's style is stamped onto the picture and decides how much it is different from a cliched version of the scene.

It took me a lot days to realise this.When i started with my hobby,my primary aim was to share the beauty i see in this world. Photography was an effort for me to capture something,show it to my friends and say"Look at this..this is how beautiful it was..this is how special it was...
Something on the lines of "யாம் பெற்ற இன்பம்,பெருக இவ்வையகம்" (Whatever i enjoy,let the world enjoy it too). So i didnt want to miss the moment. I was afraid that if i dont capture it i will never get a chance to capture something so i never gave too much of a thought before clicking.As a result i ended up with far too many of pictures which i couldnt show to anyone let alone the fellow enthusiasts who expect something special.It was too normal...It was too unprofessional.

There was no "me" in them.They were pictures which "anybody" could have taken...But ever since this realisation hit me,the ..my photography experience has been more fulfilling and enriching.
Though i couldnt claim to have learnt even 1% of the tricks of this beautiful art,i felt like putting this thought of mine in words so that somebody might find it useful..

Keep clicking!! :)