Key to be a good photographer?

[meryliz]

No idea if that is an original statement.

What I do remember is that I came upon the idea when I was with a couple of friends on the beach one dark and stormy night. We were trying to capture the flashes of lightning out at sea.

Great photo! I've heard of that idea too, that being a photographer involves the act of chasing light. I suppose that would mainly concern nature photographers, who cannot control their light source (the sun), and must always be on the lookout for interesting shadows that are cast or changes in the sky colour, etc. But even though studio photographers can control their lighting conditions, their top priority is indeed, light!

 

[TheDenDragon]

Hi everybody!

What would you say is the key to be a good photographer?

I know is not something to that you can describe with a word..
But what is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think about it?

Thanks for your responses!!

Hello r_benavides,

I'm by no means a professional photographer but it's certainly a hobby of mine, and my mother actively joins photography competitions. You're definitely right that it's not something that you can describe with one word, since photography is one of the most interesting mediums to me because rather than creating from scratch on a canvas, you're capturing something that's already there and putting your own spin on it, whether you're photographing nature, or specifically setting a scene to shoot. Which brings me to my first point of the difference in photography. Although it is one art form in itself, there are many different kinds of photography. Understanding the kind of photography you're into will give you all kinds of insights from the kind of equipment you need, to how to make use of the rule of thirds.

The rule of thirds is perhaps the most basic formula taught to most beginner photographers. To summarize, the most effective way of shooting is if you take an image, or scene and put a 3x3 grid on it, the most important elements of the picture should be where the lines intersect. Below is a .gif borrowed from Wikipedia that demonstrates this well.



Lastly, as mentioned by many, is having good equipment and a good eye. Good luck never hurts either! Some of the best and most famous photos taken in history were due to a mixture of timing and luck blended together resulting in a stunning photo. Equipment is definitely important because shooting with a digital camera and a DSLR or a SLR is so different that they are worlds apart. A good eye just comes from practice and eventually you'll learn how to apply that with a camera.

Happy shooting!

 

[novasparker]

I think that in order to be a good photographer, you have to be able to "feel" your subject matter. You have to be able to see your subject matter with your soul...and then be able to understand how to communicate that feeling to your eyes so that you can grab that perfect shot. I think that equipment matters, but not as much as the artistic view and perpective of the photographer

 

[Victor Leigh]

Yes, luck does have a role in catching a good shot. Like this photo here:



No amount of preparation would have produced such a shot without some element of luck.

 

[JessiFox]

I think your inspiration is the biggest key, if I had to pick just one thing. You can have amazing equipment and even technical knowledge, capture the best lighting, focus well, etc. but if you dont' have any inspiration or passion for what you're doing it really shows.