Here's 100 tips from a "pro" photographer... as with most lists, some are just common sense, some basic advice, some questionable and some useful.
http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2012/04/100-ti...tographer/
Any catch your fancy in particular?
Some which may raise some debate:
> 3. Prime lenses help you learn to be a better photographer.
> 23. Be a part of a scene while taking a photo; not a voyeur.
> 39. Ditch the photo backpack and get a messenger bag. It makes getting your lenses and camera a whole lot easier.
> 60. Candid>Posed.
> 66. Shooting photos of homeless people in an attempt to be “artsy” is exploitation.
> 69. You can’t “photoshop” bad images into good ones.
> 86. Never delete any of your photos.
Also:
> 16. Girls dig photographers.
Haha...
#30 and #96 kind of contradict themselves. Is this just one of probably many.
Not had time to inspect them all so far, but I would categorically state that my list would be different and shorter.
Quote: 5. The rule of thirds works 99% of the time.
I thought it only worked 33.33 % of the time.
Interesting list – a lot of it contradicts itself, but that's okay, it contains multitudes.
Something I found out for myself:
> 43. Having a second monitor is the best thing ever for photo processing.
And possibly the best way I've found to improve my photos:
> 33. Critique the works of others.
And one that I regret not doing more:
> 47. Don’t pamper your camera. Use and abuse it.
But there was one thing on the list that's badly outdated:
> 12. There is no “magic” camera or lens.
It was clearly written prior to the Nikon D800.
I have to say, that's a pretty good list. As others have pointed out, its a bit contradictory, but so is life...
Ones I like:
4. Photo editing is an art in itself
17. Making your photos b/w doesn’t automatically make them “artsy”
25. Worry less about technical aspects and focus more on compositional aspects of photography.
30. Only show your best photos.
35. A good photo shouldn’t require explanation (although background information often adds to an image).
59. Taking photos of strangers is thrilling.
80. The more gear you carry around with you the less you will enjoy photography.
91. A noisy photo is better than a blurry one.
Where can you find gaffers tape? I kind of like that one.
Hi djkepple, you can usually find gaffer tape in hardware stores...
The ones that I really liked:
1. Just because someone has an expensive camera doesn’t mean that they’re a good photographer.
9. Capture the beauty in the mundane and you have a winning photograph.
10. Film isn’t better than digital.
11. Digital isn’t better than film.
12. There is no “magic” camera or lens.
13. Better lenses don’t give you better photos.
31. A point-and-shoot is still a camera.
With these I disagree to some extent:
2. Always shoot in RAW. Always.
For example, sports photographers don't always do that because shooting JPEGs is faster.
5. The rule of thirds works 99% of the time.
It might 'work' but it is not always the best option. With every rule you have to know when to be able to break it.