{"id":14,"date":"2010-06-21T02:13:00","date_gmt":"2010-06-21T06:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=14"},"modified":"2016-09-06T19:03:20","modified_gmt":"2016-09-07T02:03:20","slug":"100-things-i-have-learned-about-photography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2010\/06\/21\/100-things-i-have-learned-about-photography\/","title":{"rendered":"100 Things I Have Learned About Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Make sure to also read my other more recent list, “102 Things I Have Learned About Street Photography<\/a>“.<\/p>\n

Written: 10-14-09<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Just because someone has an expensive camera doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a good photographer.<\/li>\n
  2. Always shoot in RAW. Always.<\/li>\n
  3. Prime lenses help you learn to be a better photographer.<\/li>\n
  4. Photo editing is an art in itself<\/li>\n
  5. The rule of thirds works 99% of the time.<\/li>\n
  6. Macro photography isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t for everybody.<\/li>\n
  7. UV filters work just as well as lens caps.<\/li>\n
  8. Go outside and shoot photos rather than spending hours a day on photography forums.<\/li>\n
  9. Capture the beauty in the mundane and you have a winning photograph.<\/li>\n
  10. Film isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t better than digital.<\/li>\n
  11. Digital isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t better than film.<\/li>\n
  12. There is no \u00e2\u20ac\u0153magic\u00e2\u20ac\u009d camera or lens.<\/li>\n
  13. Better lenses don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t give you better photos.<\/li>\n
  14. Spend less time looking at other people\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work and more time shooting your own.<\/li>\n
  15. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t take your DSLR to parties.<\/li>\n
  16. Being a photographer is sexy.<\/li>\n
  17. Making your photos b\/w doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t automatically make them \u00e2\u20ac\u0153artsy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/li>\n
  18. People will always discredit your work if you tell them you \u00e2\u20ac\u0153photoshop\u00e2\u20ac\u009d your images. Rather, tell them that you process them in the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153digital darkroom\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/li>\n
  19. You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to take a photo of everything.<\/li>\n
  20. Have at least 2 backups of all your images. Like they say in war, two is one, one is none.<\/li>\n
  21. Ditch the neck strap and get a handstrap.<\/li>\n
  22. Get closer when taking your photos, they often turn out better.<\/li>\n
  23. Be a part of a scene while taking a photo; not a voyeur.<\/li>\n
  24. Taking a photo crouched often make your photos look more interesting.<\/li>\n
  25. Worry less about technical aspects and focus more on compositional aspects of photography.<\/li>\n
  26. Tape up any logos on your camera with black gaffers tape- it brings a lot less attention to you.<\/li>\n
  27. Always underexpose by 2\/3rds of a stop when shooting in broad daylight.<\/li>\n
  28. The more photos you take, the better you get.<\/li>\n
  29. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be afraid to take several photos of the same scene at different exposures, angles, or apertures.<\/li>\n
  30. Only show your best photos.<\/li>\n
  31. A point-and-shoot is still a camera.<\/li>\n
  32. Join an online photography forum.<\/li>\n
  33. Critique the works of others.<\/li>\n
  34. Think before you shoot.<\/li>\n
  35. A good photo shouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t require explanation (although background information often adds to an image). *<\/li>\n
  36. Alcohol and photography do not mix well.<\/li>\n
  37. Draw inspiration from other photographers but never worship them.<\/li>\n
  38. Grain is beautiful.<\/li>\n
  39. Ditch the photo backpack and get a messenger bag. It makes getting your lenses and camera a whole lot easier.<\/li>\n
  40. Simplicity is key.<\/li>\n
  41. The definition of photography is: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153painting with light.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Use light in your favor.<\/li>\n
  42. Find your style of photography and stick with it.<\/li>\n
  43. Having a second monitor is the best thing ever for photo processing.<\/li>\n
  44. Silver EFEX pro is the best b\/w converter.<\/li>\n
  45. Carry your camera with you everywhere. Everywhere.<\/li>\n
  46. Never let photography get in the way of enjoying life.<\/li>\n
  47. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t pamper your camera. Use and abuse it.<\/li>\n
  48. Take straight photos.<\/li>\n
  49. Shoot with confidence.<\/li>\n
  50. Photography and juxtaposition are best friends.<\/li>\n
  51. Print out your photos big. They will make you happy.<\/li>\n
  52. Give your photos to friends.<\/li>\n
  53. Give them to strangers.<\/li>\n
  54. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget to frame them.<\/li>\n
  55. Costco prints are cheap and look great.<\/li>\n
  56. Go out and take photos with (a) friend(s).<\/li>\n
  57. Join a photo club or start one for yourself.<\/li>\n
  58. Photos make great presents.<\/li>\n
  59. Taking photos of strangers is thrilling.<\/li>\n
  60. Candid>Posed.<\/li>\n
  61. Natural light is the best light.<\/li>\n
  62. 35mm (on full frame) is the best \u00e2\u20ac\u0153walk-around\u00e2\u20ac\u009d focal length.<\/li>\n
  63. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be afraid to bump up your ISO when necessary.<\/li>\n
  64. You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to always bring a tripod with you everywhere you go (hell, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even own one).<\/li>\n
  65. It is always better to underexpose than overexpose.<\/li>\n
  66. Shooting photos of homeless people in an attempt to be \u00e2\u20ac\u0153artsy\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is exploitation.<\/li>\n
  67. You will find the best photo opportunities in the least likely situations.<\/li>\n
  68. Photos are always more interesting with the human element included.<\/li>\n
  69. You can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t \u00e2\u20ac\u0153photoshop\u00e2\u20ac\u009d bad images into good ones.<\/li>\n
  70. Nowadays everybody is a photographer.<\/li>\n
  71. You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to fly to Paris to get good photos; the best photo opportunities are in your backyard.<\/li>\n
  72. People with DSLRS who shoot portraits with their grip pointed downwards look like morons.<\/li>\n
  73. Cameras as tools, not toys.<\/li>\n
  74. In terms of composition, photography and painting aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t much different.<\/li>\n
  75. Photography isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t a hobby- it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a lifestyle.<\/li>\n
  76. Make photos, not excuses.<\/li>\n
  77. Be original in your photography. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t try to copy the style of others.<\/li>\n
  78. The best photographs tell stories that begs the viewer for more.<\/li>\n
  79. Any cameras but black ones draw too much attention.<\/li>\n
  80. The more gear you carry around with you the less you will enjoy photography.<\/li>\n
  81. Good self-portraits are harder to take than they seem.<\/li>\n
  82. Laughter always draws out peoples\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 true character in a photograph.<\/li>\n
  83. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look suspicious when taking photos- blend in with the environment.<\/li>\n
  84. Landscape photography can become dull after a while.<\/li>\n
  85. Have fun while taking photos.<\/li>\n
  86. Never delete any of your photos.<\/li>\n
  87. Be respectful when taking photos of people or places.<\/li>\n
  88. When taking candid photos of people in the street, it is easier to use a wide-angle than a telephoto lens.<\/li>\n
  89. Travel and photography are the perfect pair.<\/li>\n
  90. Learn how to read a histogram.<\/li>\n
  91. A noisy photo is better than a blurry one.<\/li>\n
  92. Don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t be afraid to take photos in the rain.<\/li>\n
  93. Learn how to enjoy the moment, rather than relentlessly trying to capture the perfect picture of it.<\/li>\n
  94. Never take photos on an empty stomach.<\/li>\n
  95. You will discover a lot about yourself through your photography.<\/li>\n
  96. Never hoard your photographic insight- share it with the world.<\/li>\n
  97. Never stop taking photos<\/li>\n
  98. Photography is more than simply taking photos, it is a philosophy of life<\/li>\n
  99. Capture the decisive moment<\/li>\n
  100. Write your own list.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Make sure to also read my other more recent list, “102 Things I Have Learned About Street Photography“. Written: 10-14-09 Just because someone has an expensive camera doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean that they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re a good photographer.\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[16],"class_list":["post-14","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-posts","tag-100-things-photography-learned"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/06\/3rd_street_HDR.jpg?fit=%2C&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}