# What photography tip would you give your past self?



## ElidiaRJohnson (Jul 20, 2014)

I am a super-beginner to this whole photography thing and I have found a ton of awesome resources for the basics, but of course with any skill it seems like practice and experience is key...

What is one nonobvious thing that your personal experience has taught you that you wish you could tell your past self?


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## pgriz (Jul 20, 2014)

Pay attention to the background.

Kinda amazing how many images look much less than they could have IF the background didn't intrude/compete.


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## sscarmack (Jul 20, 2014)

If your trying to make money from it then,

Photography has nothing to do with photos, its 90% business, and 10% shooting.

So if your images are good, but you still aren't getting clients, then you need to learn better business.

Business is key. The only key.


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## oldhippy (Jul 20, 2014)

If you find a shot. Just before you take that shot. Know that this is not the best view. Move around until you feel you have hit it dead on.  Most of the time, your shots will improve.
Pay more attention to the light.  See how the sun changes the color tones as the day goes on. Shoot in the golden hours, when possible. Have fun with it.  It's a love, not a job.  Ed


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## Tee (Jul 20, 2014)

Shoot for yourself and don't try and impress others.


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## Theo2 (Jul 20, 2014)

Buy an extra prime lens you cheap jerk!

Oh wow. My future self is mean.


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## Ido (Jul 20, 2014)

BUY LAST YEAR'S MODEL!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Designer (Jul 20, 2014)

I would have told myself to sell the film camera while it still had some value.


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## Browncoat (Jul 20, 2014)

I would've warned myself about GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome). You don't need a ton of high end equipment to produce great results. Study lighting as apposed to buying more gear.


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## xFireSoul (Jul 20, 2014)

Watch many, many online courses and tutorials..


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## Derrel (Jul 20, 2014)

Study art and painting and drawing EARLY ON, not ten years into the photography obsession.


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## ruifo (Jul 20, 2014)

Get your gear out more often!
Compose, compose, compose...


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## shefjr (Jul 20, 2014)

Hey stupid! If you're gonna worry about having certain gear don't go cheap. Save your money, do your research and then buy what you need. 
The amount of money I have wasted is frustrating.


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## Ysarex (Jul 20, 2014)

Keep the Apo-Lanthar until you're 60. It'll be worth $2000.00 by then -- honest -- some rich Chinese bazillionaire will buy it.

Joe


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## manaheim (Jul 20, 2014)

Most of my feedback would have nothing to do with photography itself.

- Don't argue with critics.
- Never defend your work.
- Always try out a suggestion before you discount it.
- Know that sometimes the critics _are_ wrong.


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## Tailgunner (Jul 20, 2014)

Skip the consumer models and go straight for the Semi-Pro or Pro models.


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## limr (Jul 20, 2014)

What would I tell myself?

Pay attention to what you are doing. Understand the effects of every setting you change instead of just turning dials until the light meter is centered. 

Also pay attention to what others are doing. Look at a lot of art. Study the masters, whatever their medium might be.


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## acparsons (Jul 20, 2014)

Delete the worthless photos before archiving the whole memory card. I have thousands of photos that were poorly done and are just taking up hard drive space. It has taken me 6 months to go though about 1/4 of them and delete the worthless stuff to make more hard drive space.

Additionally, always shoot in RAW. I have some Jpeg shots that are pretty good, but could be so much better if I could edit them in RAW.


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## Derrel (Jul 20, 2014)

There have been some really good tips given by a number of people! A lot of collective experience and wisdom. One tip I have learned fairly recently has been to go back and re-visit my location takes, so when I am planning to go shoot at a place on a return visit, I can see what I did well,and what I did not so well. I can re-visit the location through my earlier take there, and see what angles, or what lenses worked well, or poorly, and what I could do better when I actually get there again. Lightroom makes it really easy to hit the "i" key a time or two, and bring up the information about the shot settings so they overlay on the image. This is pretty helpful when it has been a year, or two years, since you have visited a location and the memory of the earlier shoot there is not super-fresh in your mind.

The "past me" had to learn by scrutinizing magnified 35mm contact sheets, so this process had no lens/shooting data with it. And in the same vein, that means we DID NOT throw away the bad shots; the bad AND the good frames were all there, mixed in with one another, so there was plenty to remind us of our failures, and proof of them was right there. Balancing that out, we shot a LOT less on film than most of us do with d-slr's for obvious reasons.


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## Light Guru (Jul 20, 2014)

Slow down and think more about your final image before you even touch the camera.


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## JustJazzie (Jul 20, 2014)

hmm.. too much to send in a little note....

The biggest being STOP over sharpening and learn how to FOCUS properly (or figure out why your camera wont focus!), then you wont need to over sharpen. 
(seriously though, Im 90% convinced my firs dslr had back focusing issues... that or I really was just that oblivious too late to tell though, but its my biggest cringing point when it comes to my first DSLR. I never had the same issue with any other camera though, so who knows!)


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## Solarflare (Jul 21, 2014)

- Dont waste your time on cheap compact and "bridge" cameras. They wont be sufficient.

- Get a D700 and the Trinity, starting with 24-70mm f2.8, then 70-200mm f2.8 VR2. Get an SB700, too. And filters, of course. Get a 2nd D700 when they're cheap and you find a great offer.

- You can never have enough camera backpacks. The ideal backpack is to choose from a lot of options.

- Then go out and photograph.

- By the way, you wont need more than 12 Megapixels with Bayer Filter for people shots. Nobody wants to see impurities of skin etc anyway.

- Nikon will do great, more lightweight glas (16-35mm f4 VR + 70-200mm f4 VR), but of course that wasnt available back then.

- Dont hold your breath waiting for Nikon to do great prime lenses. They happen - but too rarely anyway.

- Dont waste your time with checking out Mirrorless. These companies will take a looong time until anything solid manifests.

- Dont waste your time hoping Nikon would ever do an improved camera. They'll only add more Megapixels to the successors of the D700, and make cheaper variants.

- Dont try out cameras with a flipscreen. Its an addictive feature, but Nikon only allows it for cheap DSLRs. So dont get addicted.

I doubt my past self would have listened, though.


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## Dinardy (Jul 21, 2014)

Like Light Guru noted, slow down. 

Lately I have forced myself to slow down by shooting film. It really rekindled my love for the image and completely evolved my style into something else entirely, which is incredibly exciting. 

Also, do photography because you love it, not because you want people to throw money at you.


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## The_Traveler (Jul 21, 2014)

Dinardy said:


> Also, do photography because you love it, not because you want people to throw money at you.



Good stuff above.

If you love photography, forget about trying to make money.
Trying to photograph what people want to buy is destructive.


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## Vince.1551 (Jul 21, 2014)

The_Traveler said:


> Good stuff above.  If you love photography, forget about trying to make money. Trying to photograph what people want to buy is destructive.



Say that to someone who has a family to feed and makes a living on that. You gonna feed them? This is totally insensitive!


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## The_Traveler (Jul 21, 2014)

Hey Vince, got your self-righteous slider up to 11 today?


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## sm4him (Jul 21, 2014)

What one piece of photographic advice would I give my past self?

How about, "Self, have you thought about a nice coin collection instead?" 

Seriously, I think the biggest thing I'd say is: Don't give up. Don't EVER give up. Don't worry about whether you can afford the "right" gear, just keep shooting, keep learning, keep looking at this world with a sense of wonder and trying to capture that through your photos.
Learn everything you can, every chance you get. Not just the technical stuff, but learn about other photographers, learn about ART, learn about color and light, learn the science behind things, learn ABOUT the things you are photographing, learn the history of this world around you that you are documenting.
And did I mention? Do. NOT. EVER. lose your sense of wonder.  Don't let LIFE and "adult" stuff get in the way of that, or it will stifle you and set you back, creatively, about two decades.

I have NO idea how helpful that might be to anyone else, but that is, as best I can think it out right now, what I'd tell MYSELF if I could go back right at this moment, to, say, about 1982, just as I was entering "real" adulthood. Or what I *thought* was adulthood at the time.


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## Theo2 (Jul 21, 2014)

sm4him said:


> What one piece of photographic advice would I give my past self?
> 
> How about, "Self, have you thought about a nice coin collection instead?"



A coin collection will probably be worth more money than our digital camera bodies in 20 years.


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## chalkie (Jul 21, 2014)

Always have a camera with you!


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## JacaRanda (Jul 21, 2014)

Figure out what kind of photography you enjoy most before buying a bunch of shtuff (softboxes, umbrellas) and buy used bodies and lenses.

Oh - and don't let anyone tell you that your picture/shot/photo/image/capture should be called something else.  

Just look at it, view it, watch it, see it, gawk at it JERK!


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## photography_paraguay (Jul 28, 2014)

The tips I would give to an earlier-self would most definitely be:

- Listen to people's advice and suggestions. Even if you don't like it or agree with it. More times than not, it's out of kindness and wanting to help. 
- EXPERIMENT! EXPERIMENT! EXPERIMENT! I wish I would have experimented more, it's a definite in fueling creativity and evolving as an artist and photography.
- Don't be afraid of making mistakes. It's a step in the creativity process and you learn from mistakes! 

My tips weren't technical or mechanical but more self-maintaining. It's really important to be comfortable with yourself and as yourself as a photographer. Never stop learning and wanting to learn. That's the greatest thing I was taught about photography  - it''s never bring as long as your willing to learn and want to learn!

I hope you have found this helpful!


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## Solarflare (Jul 28, 2014)

Theo2 said:


> A coin collection will probably be worth more money than our digital camera bodies in 20 years.


 Hmm then I could buy better cameras in 20 years .. intriguing !

But with what would I photograph until then ?


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## Theo2 (Jul 28, 2014)

Solarflare said:


> Theo2 said:
> 
> 
> > A coin collection will probably be worth more money than our digital camera bodies in 20 years.
> ...


Your coin collection with a film camera?


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## jaomul (Jul 28, 2014)

Tip to earlier self-

Close your camera bag before you sling it over your shoulder


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## photog4life (Jul 28, 2014)

Don't try and copy another photographer's "style" just do what you love and what you enjoy


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## runnah (Jul 28, 2014)

Invest in Mircosoft and Apple.


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## Tailgunner (Jul 28, 2014)

Pat your self on the back for buying physical Silver @ $4.50/oz and physical Gold @ $233.00/oz. Present TG tells everyone who laughed at me, who's laughing now!


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## astroNikon (Jul 28, 2014)

Designer said:


> I would have told myself to sell the film camera while it still had some value.


Funny, I did sell my film camera while it still had some value   
At least someone else is getting some use out of it, if even to collect dust.


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## astroNikon (Jul 28, 2014)

Tailgunner said:


> Pat your self on the back for buying physical Silver @ $4.50/oz and physical Gold @ $233.00/oz. Present TG tells everyone who laughed at me, who's laughing now!


I had silver at $7 and gold at $400.
I also had Apple at $4


I'd tell myself .. skip the d7000.  Buy the d600 .. yup, it is better.


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## Tailgunner (Jul 28, 2014)

astroNikon said:


> Tailgunner said:
> 
> 
> > Pat your self on the back for buying physical Silver @ $4.50/oz and physical Gold @ $233.00/oz. Present TG tells everyone who laughed at me, who's laughing now!
> ...



Nice! 

I also picked up Exxon for $55...who needs Vegas when you have the market 

I'd tell my self, listen to this guy^ FX is the way to go.


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## hamlet (Jul 28, 2014)

The lottery numbers are: 15  -                                                                                                                                           17 -                                                                                                                                           19 -                                                                                                                                           22 -                                                                                                                                           33 -                                                                                                                                           40.


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## imagemaker46 (Jul 28, 2014)

Don't use the reason "It's my birthday today, so I can't work"  At the time I didn't think it was a big deal, as it turns out it cost me a lot of future  jobs.


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## Tailgunner (Jul 28, 2014)

Always make sure a commercial rental property has a current and legit Certificate of Occupancy before renting said property...and the property was used for the same ting you intend to use it for.


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## AlanKlein (Jul 28, 2014)

Buy a smaller camera.  Your back will love you and you'll take more pictures


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## greybeard (Jul 29, 2014)

Don't get too hung up on getting new gear.  Learn to use what you have.


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## ristretto (Jul 29, 2014)

Bracket.


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## Didereaux (Jul 29, 2014)

" What photography tip would you give your past self?"

Pay attention to the LIGHT!


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## bc_steve (Jul 29, 2014)

Less is more.

I used to try to cram so much stuff into one photo, and it would just end up looking cluttered.  Choose your subject and make it look its best.  A little empty space never hurt anybody.


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## Dao (Jul 30, 2014)

I will tell my past self to read this thread in the future so that he can tell my past self to read this thread in the ..... ... ... .... ... ... ... ...
... ... .... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. .. .. ..


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## Britanica (Jul 30, 2014)

Very helpful tips in this thread. I will keep them all in mind. I know lighting is important but when it comes to what I like to shoot (outdoors), it can be tricky. I am such a noob too!


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## picunderapp (Jul 30, 2014)

NETWORK


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## BananaRepublic (Jul 30, 2014)

Big honking tripods gather a lot of dust.


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## D7K (Jul 30, 2014)

Links?


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## jowensphoto (Jul 30, 2014)

Find inspiration in everything, but don't aspire to be someone else.


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## sashbar (Jul 30, 2014)

If for some reason you took a shot with DoF from here to horizon, please, please do not forget to put your aperture from f/22 back to normal BEFORE your next shot.


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## Majeed Badizadegan (Jul 30, 2014)

#1. Composition
#2. Everything else


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## chuasam (Jul 30, 2014)

Shoot in RAW
the best pictures aren't always perfectly sharp and well exposed
calibrate your monitor.


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## Mateo1041 (Aug 7, 2014)

JustJazzie said:


> The biggest being STOP over sharpening and learn how to FOCUS properly (or figure out why your camera wont focus!), then you wont need to over sharpen.
> (seriously though, Im 90% convinced my firs dslr had back focusing issues... that or I really was just that oblivious too late to tell though, but its my biggest cringing point when it comes to my first DSLR. I never had the same issue with any other camera though, so who knows!)



I'll be honest that I do sharpen (or rather unsharp mask) a lot of my photos, mainly because it appears to make them look better.  Sometimes I won't do it a lot, but it does seem to help.  Sometimes it's my fault when the photo was taken, although I'd prefer to not throw it out.    Are there any resources you found that have especially helped you in this regard?


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## BuS_RiDeR (Aug 7, 2014)

Understand Exposure... Understand Composition... Understand Lighting....

3 tips...  But all very important (I think).


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## runnah (Aug 7, 2014)

1. Don't worry about gear as there will always be something bigger and better out there.

2. Come to forums for fun and basic help, but only listen to 20% of the advice given.

3. Don't ever worry about making money or starting a business, it's not worth it.


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## jsecordphoto (Aug 7, 2014)

Wake up for sunrise


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## Wizard1500 (Aug 7, 2014)

I would tell my younger self:  "Don't you dare shoot that first wedding.....It will kill your desire".....

I know a lot of people enjoy shooting weddings, but after 6 years of dealing with wedding parties, I was burned out.....didn't pic up a camera with interest for 20 years or better....just now getting back the desire.....


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## melissajeanne (Aug 8, 2014)

Thank you for asking this question! So many great responses! So much to learn... yippee!


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## MandaSue (Sep 2, 2014)

I would tell my past self to have more fun with it. When I started out with photography, it was all wonder, rainbows and unicorns. After being beat down by clients and worry, I kinda lost that love and passion I once had for the craft. I'm trying to find that love and passion once again.


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## pthrift (Sep 2, 2014)

Actually read the manual to learn the controls.  Once I did that my shots started getting 100x more consistent

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4; probably while slacking off at work


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## ruifo (Sep 2, 2014)

Travel light!!
Primes are wonderful for that!!


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## Kanthaka (Sep 2, 2014)

runnah said:


> 2. Come to forums for fun and basic help, but only listen to 20% of the advice given.



Why only 20%?


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## Vince.1551 (Sep 3, 2014)

Haha 20% is a very forgiving number 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Fred Berg (Sep 3, 2014)

Don't become snobbish about snapshots: some of the best photos you'll ever take will be of this kind.


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## pthrift (Sep 3, 2014)

Fred Berg said:


> Don't become snobbish about snapshots: some of the best photos you'll ever take will be of this kind.


This is good info especially on Internet forums...

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4; probably while slacking off at work


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## Skyehammer (Sep 4, 2014)

I would tell my much younger self of 2012 to put the £1000 I paid for my Nikon D7000 Kit to put the money in a savings account , buy a Nikon F80 to practise with for a couple of years and get a D7000 for £500 instead , or buy a D7100 , or even put more money away during those 2 years and buy a D800E .

I would then tell my younger self ' Don't be such a boring bast**d , buy what you want when you want , you can't predict the Future ! ' .

p.s. I would tell myself to buy ' Exposure For Dummies ' and Bryan Peterson's ' Understanding Exposure ' and I would have got there a bit quicker , not that I've got there , you understand .


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## Michel88 (Sep 8, 2014)

To invest in a DSLR earlier on.. I had some amazing sightings during a 6 month stay in South Africa, and had to take shots with my point and shoot... Turned out OK, but nothing great..

In terms of shooting: Probably to take it off the auto and shoot in A / S / P / M mode from the start


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## gsgary (Sep 9, 2014)

Don't give up film for digital


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## Solarflare (Sep 9, 2014)

runnah said:


> 1. Don't worry about gear as there will always be something bigger and better out there.


 IMHO the question is not : what is the best gear, its: what is the SUFFICIENT gear.



runnah said:


> 2. Come to forums for fun and basic help, but only listen to 20% of the advice given.


 If a future self would tell me that, my answer would be: which 20 % ?


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## PaulWog (Sep 9, 2014)

ElidiaRJohnson said:


> I am a super-beginner to this whole photography thing and I have found a ton of awesome resources for the basics, but of course with any skill it seems like practice and experience is key...
> 
> What is one nonobvious thing that your personal experience has taught you that you wish you could tell your past self?



Buying advice: Pay more, and pay once for gear. Budget? $1000 you say? Let's move that up to $3500 and get work done.

Shooting advice: Less is more, but sometimes more is more. Know which is which.

Framing advice: Leading lines, foreground, midground, background, those are the rules that can be played with or broken.

Last bit of advice: Everyone has an opinion, everyone also has an ______. Whatever you learned today might require a complete relearning another day due to misunderstanding, or a bad source.


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## Raj_55555 (Sep 9, 2014)

Join TPF it'll change your photography & your life..


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## AmiL (Sep 11, 2014)

Know that taking a photo is only a part of the job.
Learn post processing techniques - it will do miracles for your final results.

Once controlling LR I'm so much more satisfied from my results, of course the next phase is knowing while taking the photo which "care" it will need later on.


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## mcap1972 (Sep 17, 2014)

ElidiaRJohnson said:


> I am a super-beginner to this whole photography thing and I have found a ton of awesome resources for the basics, but of course with any skill it seems like practice and experience is key...
> 
> What is one nonobvious thing that your personal experience has taught you that you wish you could tell your past self?



Study light...


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## NedM (Sep 17, 2014)

Save up for that lens/camera that you really wanted. Study more conceptual art and maybe do some painting here and there. Be more aware of light.


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