Hello everyone, I'm a young 21 (soon to be 22) year old photographer. I would consider myself a basic amateur. I have been lurking on this site for about a year now and I have finally decided to join, since this community seems like an excellent place that I can learn from.


I have a pretty good eye for seeing things such as lines, patterns, light and color. I can critique a photo better than I can take one. Also, I am very good at post-processing. What I am having trouble with right now is creative thought or vision so to say. I struggle with thinking ahead of others and being different. I don't seem to be able to "see" the picture before I take it, as well as others can. I struggle with emotion in my photographs, and can't seem to come up with out of the norm motifs. I know there has been plenty of debate about whether you can learn those kind of things, or it is just natural to some people. I am hoping you can learn them :) . So, any advice for a young, aspiring photographer?

Also, I was wondering... how many of you are young, like myself?

I am looking forward to becoming more active in this awesome, creative community.

Keep it simple for now. Walk around with a basic camera, film is great, but digital is good too. A "normal" or @50mm lens. Look around and if you see something you like, something that catches your eye or amuses you or stops you short. Click off a few shots. Walk around the subject or scene, try different angles. Walk closer, walk farther away, experiment, but MOSTLY have fun. If you are stressing, you won't see it if it's there. Then go home and spend some time looking at the images, find the ones that remind you of what caught your eye in the first place. Take the image you like and look at them. Don't try too hard to analyze them, just look at them and enjoy them.

Now, put them up on your wall, just the ones you find yourself looking at for a nice long time. (BTW, you "wall" can be physical or virtual).

Do this over and over again, for a couple of months.

Then go back and pick out a few from your wall and start to see a pattern. If the pattern is there then you will begin to see a style. If not don't worry too much about it. Sometimes this takes months, sometimes years, sometimes never...

Always good to try to go back to some of the same subjects later and see if you can do better or see something different.

Photography is far too often over analyzed, especially on the internet. Just like it, if you don't then go play golf or something.

"See it, if you like it, shoot it. Develop it, if you like it, put it on the wall (or share it). If others like it, bonus!!" My mantra!

Hillbilly out!

Thank you for the advice. What you said I think I have heard elsewhere on the internet. It must work :) so I will try that. I will have to make it a habit to shoot more, because I actually go out and shoot 1-2 days a week for only a few hours. It's tough to find time with my work schedule.

You mention stress. I think that is my biggest problem. I do tend to stress out about some photos I don't like. Maybe I am a little TOO hard on myself? Which probably leads to another problem: Motivation. I find it hard to get myself motivated to go out and shoot. I'm sure being the quiet shy guy I am also doesn't help to just go out and take some photos. I live in a pretty populated suburban area, which I suppose is good for "street" photographers.

I guess I will have to try and make the little town I live in work for my photos. It's a pretty bland town, pretty average I guess you could say. I don't have a car, so I can't really travel that far to shoot. It's a challenge for me to make everyday things into not so everyday photographs.

Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst -- Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Clyde has offered some really sound advice. I can't fault his hillbilly wisdom - just enjoy yourself.

And welcome aboard. It really is an awesome community.

Tim I'd say there is one important rule, give yourself the time you need - Don't pressure yourself and just let go -
Post processing, photographic technique these are things you can learn, all the rest has to grow and develop.
I had a long time just shooting and editing around before I started "seriously" in photography with passion.
Nobody is perfect from the first moment, you have to discover yourself, find your focus and style.
Do you have a portfolio somewhere you show some of your works?

Alright patience, here I come! :)

Thank you for the advice guys, I really appreciate it so far.

The only place I have photos are on my flickr account. I have some mixed stuff on there. Nothing worthy of this site however, at least not that I think!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/timkainu/

Passion Tim, I mean, start by photographing what you are passionate about and have an affinity with. People, buildings, mountains, dance, sport, etc, etc.

I would advise against taking pictures for photography sake but rather using your camera and photography as an extension of your interests in life.

I can only advise this as this is the only reason why I own and use my camera.

I'm not young, nearly middle age but I have only been using a camera for three years. I bought it with the specific intention to photograph landscapes and particularly mountains. I'm hopeless at photographing anything else but it doesn't bother me as photographically it doesn't interest me to take any other pictures.

Find your interests and go from there.

Good luck,

JP

Some nice pics in your PF Tim...
It is not necessarily bad to be upset by one's own pic if they are bad. Try just to be relax before and when you photograph.

Forgot about rule #1 - Don't make yourself smaller than you are! - You have some damn cool shots out there,
so just keep your way, do what you feel to do, just like John mentioned!

Thanks! Those words mean a lot coming from you guys, especially Sven. I love your photos. Always have.

And John, what you said made something click. It made a whole lot of sense. I never thought of photography like the way you mention it. And now that I think about it, the shots that I WAS passionate about when taking them and editing them, are some of my personal favorites and some of my more popular ones.

I suggest a re-phrase of your question, e.g.,

How many of you are temporarily young, like myself?

Ah yes, you are right indeed. Thank you for the correction! :]

Wise ass!

Thank you!

Smart, Wise, I guess Clever Ass is another accolade you will be able to claim soon King....

;)

Genius!!

"There are many schools of painting. Why should there not be many schools of photographic art? There is hardly a right and a wrong in these matters, but there is truth, and that should form the basis of all works of art."

Alfred Stieglitz, 1893

"'And what do I call straight photography,' (one might) say, 'can you define it?' Well, that's easy enough. Rely on your camera, on your eye, on your good taste and your knowledge of composition, consider every fluctuation of color, light and shade, study lines and values and space division, patiently wait until the scene or object of your pictured vision reveals itself in its supremest moment of beauty, in short, compose the picture which you intend to take so well that the negative will be absolutely perfect and in need of no manipulation."

Sadakihi Hartmann, 1904

Yes, *that's* what I meant to say.

Go for it Tim!
best of luck to you

I'm close to 65 and you are still very young, so:
See what others make and see and what pleasant you to most...
Have always a passion for photography...
Try to be different with your own style (by an other angle, the subject, the time of the day with a different light)...
Use your PP, if needed, if you are good in it... go for it!!!

Success wished:-))

hehe, Stieglitz was an arse ;-)

That is a pretty good quote Balazs...

Wow, I didn't expect to get this many responses! Thanks guys, you are all an inspiration.

I have never done a search, but I've always wondered what some of the first images look like from great photographers. Like, are they just O.K? Bad? Or maybe, amazing?

Use what your area has to your advantage maybe? Capture the essense of suburbia. make pictures about dullness and smallness, find small things of strange beauty here and there. Look at Eggelston or Steven Shore. Maybe not your sort of thing ( certainly not a 1x thing. . . ) but it's all photography ;-)
Have fun anyway.
Jon