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What specific skills will you need for photography?

Updated: 8/17/2019
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15y ago

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First Answer: What time is good to take a picture? When the sun's......facing you or whatever way shall it have to face so a picture will not be blurry. Another Answer: The single most important skill needed for a successful photographer is the ability to see, really "see light" and its relationship to the subject. The photographer's mastery of light begins with being able to see it. (There has been to my knowledge at least one legally blind successful photographer, so the ability to "see light" is not necessarily limited to the fully sighted.) (Sometimes you can't see the light before the photo is recorded, such as when you use flash. Then you must develop the skill of anticipating the effect of light.)

The second most important skill you must acquire is the ability to capture - record - the light that you see.

Both skills can be learned, and in my experience one compliments the other.

All other skills are peripheral, but all can be learned, such as composition, color sense, the competence to use Photoshop or other image manipulating software, or the development of film or prints.

Please don't make the mistake of thinking that cameras matter. They matter only insofar as they enhance or limit your ability to capture on film or sensor the light that you see on your subject. They are all essentially recording devices. The finest camera in the world (and what that is, is a subject for vigorous, endless debate) will not make a great photograph by itself. That's why the learned skill of seeing light is so important. Cameras can make it easier, or harder, to accomplish what you envision, but my teachers always equated cameras with hammers: if you don't know how to use one, you'll hit your thumb.

How you teach your mind and eye to see light is a subject beyond words, but you can start by looking at pictures. Study where the light is coming from. How does the light strike the subject? How does the light separate the subject from the background? Is the light flat, or does it surround and define? Look at the shadow. The shadow can tell you a lot about the angle of the light. Go to an art museum and look, really look at old masters, painters and photographers both. You can also find pictures on line or in magazines. Images are everywhere. Study them. If you like something, try to figure out why you like it.

When you're outside, look at the scene. Does it catch your attention? Why? Does the light look different before ten in the morning or after four in the afternoon? Do an exercise: pick any scene on a sunny day and photograph it, say, every couple of hours all day, from early morning to dusk. Which pictures of the same scene look better? Why? What is it about the changing angle of the light that makes the scene more or less interesting?

Finally, take lots of pictures! If you have a digital camera and a computer, there is nothing to limit you. Keep your camera with you and use it. Pocketable cameras are particularly handy. You don't need to print a single photograph. Upload what you've shot and look at it, really look at it. Does this one work? Why? Does it not work? Why not? Taking classes or joining a photo club work absolute wonders. Having a seasoned instructor, opening yourself to peer review, looking at and discussing your own and the work of others all are invaluable aids in learning to see, really see.

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