Date of publication: 31.10.2014

With this article we are opening a new project "I'm a photographer", within the framework of which we will share with you the experience of photography. New tutorials on all aspects of photography will be released weekly. The lessons will be aimed at different levels of reader training: from beginner to advanced photographer. I will lead this project, Konstantin Voronov, professional photographer and photography teacher.

Of course, each of us at least once filmed with a phone or a simple “soap box”. However, many people want not only to take pictures for memory, but also to get beautiful, high-quality photographs, to enjoy the process of photographing, and when uploading photos to the Internet, have many “likes” under them.

How to become a photographer? Where to begin? Many people ask this question every day. To begin with, I'll give some general tips to help you avoid common mistakes at the start, and dispel a few common misconceptions about photography.

NIKON D810 / 70.0-200.0 mm f / 4.0 SETTINGS: ISO 100, F4, 1/80 s, 95.0 mm equiv.

And we will start with delusions.

Misconception # 1.

“A good camera takes good photos”

This is not true. Good photographs are taken not by a camera, but by a photographer. Many people, before taking pictures on their own, think that professional photographers get good, high-quality shots due to the use of expensive equipment. However, the camera is only a tool. How to use it, the owner decides.

If a person who does not know how to paint is given the best, most expensive brushes and paints, the result will be exactly the same as when using the simplest and cheapest. Good brushes and paints will show all their capabilities only in skillful hands. It's the same with photography.

During my work with students, I often came across newbies who had the most expensive, most professional cameras in existence. Were such students better than others? No. Quite the opposite: their pictures were worse because they could not make sense of the sophisticated photographic equipment designed for experienced professionals.

It is best to choose a camera not according to its belonging to the professional class or the highest price category, but according to how it suits your level of training and your tasks. For example, many expensive professional cameras, such as the Nikon D810, do not have an automatic mode and scene programs (“portrait”, “landscape”, “macro”, etc.) at all, which makes their work incredibly difficult for novice photographers. : it takes a long time to delve into unknown settings. At the same time, many entry-level cameras, such as Nikon D5300 or Nikon D3300, are able to take excellent pictures fully automatic: the photographer can only choose the most interesting scenes without thinking about the technical side of the issue.

How to choose a camera? Choose not the “best professional camera”, but the model that suits your skills and your tasks. To make the right choice, it is enough to understand how seriously you want to take photography, whether you are going to learn to photograph, or whether you just want to take pictures for memory.

Misconception # 2

“Taking pictures is easy!”

Like many creative pursuits, photography seems to be a very simple thing until you do it yourself. For example, like playing musical instruments, dancing, singing ... You look at a professional dancer and think: “How simple and natural he does it! It seems that this is not difficult! I can do the same! ” But when you try to do at least a couple of dance moves on your own, it turns out that it's not so easy: at least you need special training.

It's the same with photography: despite its seeming simplicity, it is quite difficult to photograph well. After all, this requires a lot of knowledge and skills. Moreover, both technical (how to set up a camera, for example) and creative (how to compose a shot, how to choose the right lighting). Sometimes we are talking about issues that seem to be indirectly related to photography. For example, how to plan a tourist trip to get a lot of good shots; how to make a child sit still while he is being photographed ... By the way, we will cover all these topics within the framework of this project. Stay tuned!

On the other hand, when you have the necessary experience, it is really easy and pleasant to take pictures. The camera does not interfere with getting good shots, and the composition is built intuitively. But for this you need to train, study, gain experience.

Misconception # 3

“To learn how to take pictures, you just need to learn the technique and press the buttons on the camera correctly”

Shooting technique and parameters are only a part of the required skills. And by the way, the part is the simplest. How do I adjust the exposure? How do I control focus? What is White Balance? - all these technical issues are solved easily and simply, and with regular training they are fixed and remain with the photographer forever. This is the arithmetic of photography, two plus two. But photography is, first of all, creativity. But the creative component is much more complicated and not so unambiguous. How do I compose the shot? What to show in the photo? What subject is worth photographing? These and many other creative issues are constantly tormented by photographers and solve them with varying degrees of success. Of course, it's worth starting training in photography from the basics, from technology. But it's too early to end there.

NIKON D5200 / 18.0-105.0 mm f / 3.5-5.6 SETTINGS: ISO 1100, F4.5, 1/60 s, 38.0 mm equiv.

The main problem of most novice photographers is not the lack of good photographic equipment or even the lack of some special skills. The main problem is the lack of artistic taste. Build yourself a good artistic taste! See photos of famous photographers, visit exhibitions. By the way, when was the last time you visited the Hermitage and the Tretyakov Gallery? Analyze the work of real masters: why did an artist or photographer decide to show exactly this and exactly how? How is the composition arranged? How did the author work with light?

Visiting exhibitions, viewing galleries of famous photographers and artists on the Internet is what will give you a good baggage for your personal creativity. And vice versa: it is better not to watch bad, mediocre things.

Why is it important? Imagine what happens if a person who has never seen a single picture is given brushes and paints in his hands? Most likely, he will not understand what to do with them; at best, he will depict something in the spirit of rock art. For example, some isolated African tribes are unable not only to perceive images on a plane, but even to distinguish colors that are not responsible for their survival, are not found in their environment. Because no one taught them this, they do not have the necessary experience for this. It is natural for a person to use what he has seen, accumulated experience in his life and work. This experience is a must. As photographers say, “you need to be seen”.

As we know, lying on the couch at home won't make good photos! Walk your camera! Travel, walk, visit interesting places: exhibitions, festivals, sports events. Thus, you will become a witness of interesting subjects for shooting, gain the experience necessary for shooting in various conditions. If we talk about landscape photography, then it is generally unthinkable without travel. By the way, as well as portrait: after all, often for shooting a good portrait you need to choose a beautiful place, a good background, and only then take a beautiful photo of the model.

There is also a purely psychological aspect: in a journey, regardless of its distance, a person gains impressions, inspiration, and is charged with creative energy.

NIKON D810 / 70.0-200.0 mm f / 4.0 SETTINGS: ISO 400, F4.5, 1/200 s, 200.0 mm equiv.

To make progress in your photography, and the number of beautiful pictures to increase, you need to be critical of your creativity. You should not rest on your laurels, be able to see flaws in your work, even if everyone praises them.

For example, the harshest critic of my work is myself. I know better than any critic what and where the errors lie in my photographs. Analyzing my photographs, I understand that I could have shot even better. And the next time I shoot, I try to do it. Believe me, you will get great pleasure from correcting your own shortcomings, and your pictures will become more and more beautiful!

Any creativity starts with a technical foundation. Photography is no exception. To write books, you need to learn the alphabet, grammar, spelling of the language. Of course, modern cameras have excellent automation, which will allow you to get good shots with the press of a single button, without thinking about any settings.

However, those who shoot in auto mode know that automation is often mistaken: either the brightness of the picture is not the same, then the colors are not the same, then the sharpness is not there. But I really want to tell the camera how it should have been done! To fully control the process of shooting and not depend on the quirks of automation, it is worth learning the rather simple technical fundamentals of photography. How is the image formed in the camera? What is exposure? What is White Balance? How does focusing work? Understanding how everything works and the ability to set up your camera will allow you to take high quality pictures and have complete control over the shooting process “from and to”. By the way, in the next lessons we will talk about these technical fundamentals.