Kodak BrownieThere's a black and white photo of me on the right hand side of the page, I'm wearing my cub scouts uniform. The picture was taken 40 years ago by my uncle, but he was using my camera! I'd been given that camera, a Kodak Brownie, two years earlier for my birthday.
My Kodak Brownie was very good camera. It started me off as a photographer and produced great images that I now treasure, but I never really liked that camera, it was plain and simple and I wanted something with a bit chrome and a few dials. For the next 30 years I traded up and down, changed format and film. Of course (I hope), my photography improved, but that was through practice.
If you visit any on-line photography forum, they're all about cameras and nothing about photography. It's the same with most magazines, they're gadget based. Manufacturers are trying to sell cameras, so they claim their new model will take better photo than the old model.
We blame the camera for creating bland pictures and choose to forget that the camera only records our bland vision. It took me 30 years to get the message, the camera doesn't matter! Just use one you can afford and you're comfortable with.
Don't obsess about cameras, but do obsess about the photograph!
So how do you improve your photography? Here's my list of how to take better photographs:
- Look slowly at photographs in books, galleries and on-line
- Visit art galleries
- Take more photographs
- Look carefully at your photographs to see how they can be improved
- Get up earlier, the light is better in the morning
- Make self portraits
- Remember! Creating good art, in any medium, is very difficult.
- Practice
- Think about the final result before you take the photograph
- have a good look around the subject, before you take the photograph
The photographs on this blog were taken by me, unless otherwise noted. If you'd like to share them with friends or use them in some way, please let people know where you found them, or send me an 
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Pretty sure I had a Brownie too - remember a school trip to Bristol zoo and photos of polar bears - must look them out!! Thanks for your hints too!
ReplyDeletetim, thankyou!
ReplyDeletei have always felt this skill over camera thing was true, glad to hear you say so.
i have used all of your wonderful suggestions except self portraits. i guess shooting and immediately studying placement and lighting would help alot :) i do study photography online in blogs, in museums, art festivals and magazines and books alot. i try to see myself standing exactly from the photographers angle....i need to learn alot more about lighting though
thanks for sharing your knowledge. i love following your blog:) your fortunate to live in such a culturally rich place.
I have my mom's childhood Kodak Brownie camera (she was a kid in the 1940's)setting on some vintage luggage stacked on top of an armoire in the guest room.
ReplyDeleteYour hints make sense, and I agree with the thoughtfulness of the photographer over the slickness of the camera. If things don't work out with my photos, I'll just buy yours!