Advice: Make photographs every day and edit ruthlessly.

My advice to myself while taking a photo: Get rid of the idea of 'I'll fix it later in post-processing.' Post-processing is a necessity, but try to fix everything (or as much as possible) in-camera.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

That is a good advice. It makes everything much easier to as much as possible in camera.

Nicely done! I would suggest the best advice I was told and one I at times I struggle with…”Practice and Practice more. Learn to how to really use the gear you have rather than buying more”.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

That is a valuable tip. You will better without spending money.

The best advice I can give is, stay present in the situation for a while and don't leave it at a single shot. Try different viewpoints, zoom in and out (with your feet), and adjust settings as needed. Sometimes it takes a while to get the right shot.

Thank you, Peter. Keep the content coming. I like your focus on the skill rather than the gear. Very refreshing.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Thanks, will do!

Enjoy the process of photographing. Even if the results are not keepers, you still had fun!

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

This is a good point. The act of photography is very important.

Many years ago someone showed me the power of sharp/unsharp contrast. It influenced my style for many years.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

I like that, good advice.

1. Composition: which for me includes everything and how it is arranged in the frame, the light, shadows, colors, contrast... everything. It's the endgame for sure but at the beginning just care about the "raw" composition without my additions. Learn the rules. 2. Shoot: that's like your Get Out. The more you shoot, the better you will get. But also fire and forget. If you shoot 10 or more pictures of the same subject, chose the best forget the rest, be your own judge, come back two weeks later and ask yourself: what could've been better. Remember. It's easier and cheaper to take pictures than ever. Even more so if you: 3. Learn from the Masters: watching awesome pictures can be very relaxing but also inspiring. Get some books, go to galleries. Spend the money that film would have cost you on books. Obey how they chose to use or ignore the rules and how it works. 4. Try to make the best you can. Treat the subject like it is the most meaningful thing in the world, that needs to be captured and can only be captured by you. If light or surroundings aren't in your favour, take a picture, pretend it's a polaroid, make notes and return. 5. Check your gear and your settings. Every time. Period. Hopefully this wasn't too long or chliché.

@GLu-qc6vn

5 ай бұрын

This is greatly helpful to me, at this early stage I'm in. Your mixing specific concrete actions with their underlying felt principles gives me pause, prompts and prods me. I'm grateful.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Thank you @hafzke. Really well formated comment. Every piece of advice on this comment are spot on. No, not too cliche or long. Thanks again.

Art Wolfe said "The pro photographer knows when not to shoot." This applies to light, but for me it mostly made me more aware of backgrounds. Maybe the best advice for a beginning photographer is to be aware of backgrounds because I see that problem over and over again. Galen Rowell said "If it looks good, shoot it. If it looks better, shoot it again." That goes along with your tip #5 and trusting your gut. There have been times when I thought that I have already shot something so why shoot it again, only to find that it was far better the second time when I compared images. You can never take the same photo twice. It will always have changed.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

You mentioned many good advice here. Beware of the background is a good tip.

advice i've got: avoid too much "photoshop" and exczessive post production - one , maybe not perfectly sharp b&w picture has more "soul" and stays longer in memory then overphotoshopped 8K ultra image we see every day in modern advertisings

The advice I got: Try to take 1 meaningful image a day instead of 100 meaningless. My advice: Upgrade your vision, before you upgrade your gear.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Well said!

Hi Peter, this is a great video! Thanks for sharing this. My tip here that I guess goes with your "get out!" is that - shoot and shoot and shoot but then later look over what you shot.. see what stands out... what patterns you have? What subjects you like shooting and in what light? (by subjects it can be anything from objects to animals to humans to places). I think this can start informing you about your own style and where to maybe focus more.

@ForsgardPeter

4 ай бұрын

Thanks, well said.

Best advice I got #1: "if you think you are too close, take one step closer" and #2 "talk to your subject (s) like you are old friends" you will get great smiles that are honest expressions of their heart". And my advice to others is use a flash outdoors and put it away for indoor shots.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Good stuff! Thanks for sharing.

After learning the basics of taking a photo mostly by online courses such as Peter's I now watch and listen to a wide range of photographers about their thoughts and philosophy of capturing a photo. But not to copy but to shape my own photography to my own style and interest and what gives me satisfaction. Looking and taking photos has become a real joy to me as well as watching how others interpret their world through a camera too

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

The key in this comment is: "not to copy but to shape my own photography to my own style" That is exactly how inspiration from others work should be added to your own photography.

1 , stop worry about gear because all about a good photograph is who is behind the camera 2, let go your imagination and try to bring it to life realistically possible 3, practice practice practice 4, don't scare to try new photography areas that how you learn more 5, Try to be you with your photography stand out !

My dad was my teacher. He said shooting for perfection will ruin the really good. People love the really good.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Your father must have been a great teacher, well said.

My advice is directed to amateurs. As Peter says, be yourself. It might be useful to imitate the masters when you start out, but you need to move on. However, never stop looking at other people's photographs, if only to understand how your vision differs from theirs. And that leads to the next piece of advice: photograph what you know and what you love. Are there places you have loved to go even without a camera? Now go with the camera and imagine telling others about that place through photographs. As Bill Murray says in Caddyshack, "be the ball". But now ," be the camera". Get so familiar with the camera controls that you manipulate them without thinking. Or perhaps, just limit yourself to a few controls so that you are not spending all your time tweaking. For example, go out with your iPhone and worry about composition only. If you can "be the camera", perhaps you can also be "in the zone". For me, that means putting in the earbuds and selecting some music that makes me feel calm or angry or nostalgic; whatever matches my mood at that moment or matches the subject matter.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Really useful advice.

Always nice to see you sharing your insights. More things to think about and apply.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Thanks.

Great content and very useful. Thanks !

Very good Peter! Thank you!

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Thanks!

Thanks Peter I enjoyed the video, content and quality, well done!

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Many thanks!

The best advice I got was shoot for the moment & your comment about knowing the business side is one of the most important.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Thanks. Shoot for the moment is a great one.

Thanks!

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Thank you.

Good words, Peter. The most significant advice i've ever had is: 'The difference between the Professional and the Amateur is that the Professional is dedicated to the total eradication of error - it has nothing whatsoever to do with money'. '[T]he total eradication of error'... a commitment to pursuing what one knows to be impossible.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Well said.

The best advice is just a word: "smile"

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

I certainly could take that advice to practice, I should smile (a lot) more.

@aRitsos

5 ай бұрын

@ForsgardPeter see you in Athens. Smile friend

Best advice I received: It's not about the camera!

@ForsgardPeter

3 ай бұрын

Great advice.

@suhdru

2 ай бұрын

its about the lens 😂

The two advice I feel are "be horrible" and "be yourself". And you know what? After this video finally I decided to print my first photo book. Yes is horrible, not a professional, not a project but just a collection of my preferred photos, and I am happy. Thanks, Peter you are always a source of inspiration.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Sounds great! Photo books are good memories and a good way to sva eyour work.

great vid good ideas and get to focused tech side and follow what you want do

I will start by applying your second piece of advice. I tend to put composition in first place. And then bewail the poor lighting after the picture has been taken. Thank you.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Good to hear.

The best advice I have received: Take your camera with you.... always !!

@ForsgardPeter

2 ай бұрын

That is a good one.

@marcelsmit8789

2 ай бұрын

@@ForsgardPeter No cam, no pic ! 😁

I had some advice from a Pro photographer years ago: Before you press the shutter, just look around the edges of the image you're about to take and consider what is there. Was also advised to do as much of the editing in camera as possible, take the best picture you can so you can spend less time editing afterwards. These snippets of advice were given in the days of film where editing was done in the darkroom and much more labour intensive but I think still apply today. It's very easy to shoot hundreds of images and do most of the work in your editing suite but there is no substitute for starting off with a great image!

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Great tips and yes these still applies today.

Wise comments Peter ,although I think tip 4 might be rephrased to e,g, be more adventurous / challenge yourself / get out of the rut and don't use your usual photographic subjects etc !! However a very timely set of views !!

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

I agree, could be rephrased like that. The point of the video is to think and give some thought what the advice has been.

The word you were searching for is edgy. John Free, a well-known photographer said, " Don't be lazy. " He does a lot of street photography and looks for the shot as a whole -- front to back, just what is there to make a story. This is true, and when doing street photography try to get interesting items in line and avoid the unpleasant things, unless of course the unpleasant is the photo. Given time you anticipate what your subject for a street photo will do next or is that hoping will do next. So, I will say understanding people is important. When the heart and mind see the harmony of a moment, then pull the trigger. You must love what you are doing or move on to something else in life. Be prepared to feel high and equally low regarding what you frame, as both are life experiences to capture for now and the future. Avoid the well overdone puddle shots, reflections, and wide-open lens shots of short depth, unless they are actually good. In other words, what you see in KZread walk / advice videos is largely boring crap. Don't be lazy and look for story, and/or beauty. If asked what you are doing, be honest and tell them that you are a street photographer. Smile and compliment people if they are great in your frame and seem wanting to engage you. Avoid crazy people and get eyes in back of your head. Beware of the alpha male itching for a fight. Move on to other images. Make a website, as I have, and be less concerned about the Instagram world of fleeting Likes, unless in need of self-promotion and instant notoriety. I have so-far avoided the attention span of a gnat photo presentation. Be confident that you can achieve and humbled by your errors. The promoted speak loudly everywhere, but there are many quietly in wait of acceptance of their content. And those people are in most times the best. Kaizen, is the word in Japan. Take care, Loren Schwiderski

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Good one! Thanks for sharing and yes, edgy. Thanks.

I strongly disagree with (2) Light is the building block, EVERYTHING come second to that.

Väldigt fin bild/ljus på videon, new setup?

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Tack. Yes, a new setup.

of course, you professional photographers must dedicate yourself to the assignment where the customer's wishes must be prioritized

Thinking with your gut seems to be an oxymoron. As you point out, (too much) thought can be the enemy. In many cases (certainly with street photography), the best images are those where you don't think--you just see and react (as there's no time to think). There are of course cases where you need to carefully study and pre-visualize the scene (as Ansel preached), choosing the right FL (plus camera settings, filters, etc.) and getting into position in in order to take best advantage of the light (assuming you have the luxury of time). It really comes down to developing whatever innate sense you may have of what will work photographically, relying on that experience-based gut instinct to quickly identify a potential image, compose, adjust settings, record* the image, and move onto the next scene. Thanks for mentioning Moriyama--one of many great examples of how "low IQ" images can be more powerful than ultra-sharp, high-detail ones. It's not the gear!!! *And review! One of the huge advantages of digital is that, if you have a decent EVF or screen, you can confirm that you got what you wanted when you still may have a an opportunity to re-shoot. People who decry this practice (even calling it "chimping") are morons who deserve to discover too late that they should've tried another shot. I guess that would be my piece of advice--don't assume that you're "too good to miss a shot" (no photographer nor camera is infallible).

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

I think chimping is ok when photographing landscapes and cityscapes, etc. When photography events, street photography, portraits it is not wise. You will loose photographs. Looking images every now and then is good practise. At leastI do that. It gives you that extra boost if you see an excellent image.

@ddsdss256

5 ай бұрын

@@ForsgardPeter Yes, I should've pointed out that it depends on the nature of the image and there of course isn't always time to review (not a fan of the the term "chimping" as it's derogatory and nonsensical). As you say, for "events" (and most street photography), a lot of people cover themselves by using burst mode (or spray and pray). Once could say that it's better to at least have A shot, even if it's not THE shot, so maybe err on the side of excess, but that results in a lot of time spent curating later--it's always better to get it right in camera. Getting back the the main premise here, my best advice for any artist is to simply create what pleases you--don't compromise your artistic vision/integrity just to get sales (or likes). This of course doesn't apply to the professional (i.e., trying to please a client, as opposed to trying to create a work of art).

Hi Peter! Know your tool! Your camara should be a part of your eyes and hands! There is no better camera than the one you can use without thinking that you are using a camera!

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Good ones!

One more comment about your first piece of advice. Photographers are clients of camera companies. So, your advice will very much apply to the camera industry. How they treat their customers will be a major factor in determining whether the customer returns for more product. Which camera companies understand this when it comes to firmware updates?

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Cannot really say for sure. Then we have to think about the business side of firmware updates. Firmware update does not always mean new features. Compitability and bug fixes are of course necessary. I do agree that some new features every now and then would be a wise thing. If people have a feeling that a two year old camera does not get any updates, they are disappointed. How much do camera companies actually add new features to cameras via firmware? I know that Olympus did, espacially on E-M1. Those upgrades where really big. I checked a few Fuji cameras. X-S20 is a fairly new camera and it has gotten 4 updates so far. All are some kind of bug fixes and fixes to AF. X-T30 is a four year old camera and it has gotten several updates. No real features, unless webcam ability is one. It was not updated when X-T30II was released. These are only two examples of the firmware update policy. It woyld be really interesting to look more closely what other camera companies are doing when it comes to firmware updates.

@evenhandedcommentor6102

5 ай бұрын

@@ForsgardPeter Agreed that bug fixes and lens compatibility are necessary firmware updates. As for new features...that's very dependent on what else is going on with other cameras the company is releasing. Take Sony for example. A1 is their flagship. Newer, lower end models come out with new features the flagship doesn't have. Make the flagship owners happy by adding those features to the flagship. Another example, the EM1X. The EM1-3 comes out with starry sky. Why not add it to the EM1X? It's called good customer relations. And since the EM1X is your flagship, you get more sales of your top, more expensive and probably more profitable model.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

I have read about the Sony firmware issue. It was addressed on a few YT vides too. I agree that flagship cameras should have all the features that is possible if lower end models have them. I was wondering why E-M1X never got starry sky AF.

I would give only one advice as that comes from my own experience... buy the cheapest possible stuff that is capable of capturing a moment and learn by doing.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

That is a very good advice.

The comments here add much to this video. But here's a thinking exercise. What is the counter point to any particular observation? Every "rule" can be and should be broken at times. Nothing belongs on a stone tablet. One commenter wrote that, "the object is nothing the light is everything". So, I will take the opposite tack...sort of. "Know your subject"...but you still need good light. The better you know your subject, the better your pictures will be. A good photograph is a harmonious blend of object and light. Or it's a frightening blend of object and light. Always a thought-provoking blend of object and light. A poor photograph is a bland or discordant mess of object and light.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

I totally agree that the advice this video got in comments are really valuable. Right light means the light that suits best the purpose of the photograph. A dull light can tell a story, but might not be good if texture and shape is the thing. Knowing your subject is important.

Year ago an FBI friend had an open ticket to a Nikon class that he gave to me. Nikon stated,”the name of the game is to fill the frame”.

@ForsgardPeter

3 ай бұрын

Well said.

the object is nothing the light is everything

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Well said.

@gregh2322

4 ай бұрын

Garry Winogrand said it's a constant struggle between content and form.

"smile"

@ForsgardPeter

29 күн бұрын

I know I should.

@aRitsos

28 күн бұрын

Ha Ha, I have commented it twice. You made me "smile"

Do not change a Hobby to Religion.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Well said.

something to know and understand about is learn your camera. dont contract G.A.S. i still suck but whatever, it doesnt stop me.

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Learning your camera is important. It makes it easier to concentrate on the photograph itself.

I don't dare to advice others photographer, but I set myself to create my own photo book ever years with 50 in b&w and 50 in color.....what you think sir?

@ForsgardPeter

5 ай бұрын

Wonderful! Sounds like a great project!