Photography is an easy to learn but difficult to refine process: it is an art form with a complete system, and also a practical process of recording light and shadow with specific equipment. Therefore, theory and practice are equally important.
Whether it is learning and practicing, or learning and calming down after practice, it has great benefits for improving the level of photography. But to get started correctly and even gradually delve deeper, I think it's important to master the order. Why do some people become proficient and give up at once? Perhaps the posture they entered from the beginning is incorrect.
In my understanding, there are still some methods for learning photography. To illustrate my understanding, I would like to use a well-known Buddhist theory of enlightenment. Please explain it one by one below.
The first step in photography is to "see the mountains, see the water."
The initial function of photography was to record the world, so simply understanding the most basic photography theories and equipment usage skills is enough to start practicing.
What needs to be done in this stage is to take more photos, without thinking too much, and experience the pleasure of photography in practice. I believe you can occasionally gain something and always have one or two photos that satisfy you. Cultivating an interest in photography is the focus of this stage.
Even if you use automatic transmission, what's wrong with taking photos with your phone? The key is that you are already taking photos, and even if there are obvious shortcomings in the photos, it doesn't matter. The most frightening thing is that you feel intimidated by the depth of photography, the complexity of equipment operation, and the various composition methods that enter your mind from the beginning. You may soon give up photography, not to mention taking good photos.
Please return to the essence of photography and learn to use a camera to capture all the beauty. As long as you feel beautiful yourself.
Remember to do the following things:
Understanding the basic theoretical knowledge of photography, which means that exposure to the three elements is sufficient, is the most basic and fundamental. Don't let too many theories interfere with you;
Find a camera and familiarize yourself with the relevant operations. My suggestion is not to use a mobile phone or a mirrorless camera, preferably a DSLR, so that you can focus more on the photography itself;
Take more shots, without limiting the genre. You can go wherever you go and take whatever you see. It is important to ensure a certain amount of shooting to create a sense of cinematography;
Review your photos carefully on the computer, select what you like, delete what you don't like, and put them in a folder for future viewing;
Cultivate interest and discover one's strengths.
For example, during such a shooting process, one can definitely discover which one is more interested in and take better photos. This is actually related to a person's personality, for example, being meticulous, observant, and liking macro; Some people are good at communication and have strong social skills, and they will like portraits; Some people love nature, enjoy traveling, and enjoy the scenery.
Speaking of Mustang himself, he actually prefers macro photography. Because macro allows me to discover another extraordinary world of beauty.
The second step in photography is, "Looking at mountains is not mountains, looking at water is not water."
Finally, you persevered and made up your mind to stand out and stand out in photography. At this point, after practice, you need some theoretical guidance. So you start learning more photography theories such as light, color, composition, texture, and texture.
After fully studying, when you pick up the camera again, you will find that the world in your eyes has changed: when the sun shines on the ground, you analyze whether it is hard light or soft light, what angle it is, and what color characteristics it is; You will occasionally look up at the sky or bend down in hopes of discovering a better perspective;
You are no longer in a hurry to take photos, you will think about it. I seem to have seen this scene before; When you look at other people's works, you will pay attention to appreciating what the subject in the photo is, what the accompanying body is, what composition was used, and why it was done
This is the manifestation of your progress. You have already started, no longer an outsider who doesn't understand photography. You are starting to feel the charm of photography even more, and you will be delighted because you can construct the final shooting effect according to your own ideas!
At this stage, you need to do several things:
Watch more, watch more good works. Set a goal for yourself to watch 50 good movies every day!
Think about it, do you still remember the photos you took before? Take them out and think about the shortcomings and how to improve them;
After thinking about it, take a photo. Before each photo, make a plan and make a list of what to take, what to pay attention to, and what background information to understand before taking a photo. Make framing and pressing the shutter as one of the steps in taking a photo.
Enhance theoretical knowledge and read more relevant books. There are many photography books on the market, but most of them are very expensive. Go to the local library and apply for a library card. Books cannot be read unless borrowed!
At this stage, one can deliberately create their own style. You need to know your abilities and interests, and choose a specific field to specialize in. You will have your own better performance.
Speaking of what Brother Mustang did at this stage, he bought a lot of photography books, but he really didn't read much. But occasionally, one can gain profound insights from the book, and at this point, one may feel that although the book is expensive, it is worth it. At the same time, Mustang Brother also focuses on macro as his main attacking direction, and will combine his ideas of interpreting the world from another perspective to carry out subsequent creations. And I have already selected the theme for the upcoming portfolio, as for what the theme is, please keep it confidential for now!
The third step of photography, whether to look at mountains or mountains, and whether to look at water or not
When we integrate all the techniques, we find that we have developed a photographic eye, which is a kind of photographic thinking. What we need to do is actually to discover.
When all the knowledge and skills are mastered and the weight is lifted lightly, thoughts can already be integrated into the work. It may seem ordinary, but the more you ponder, the more flavorful it becomes. The essence of photography lies there: you don't need to take pictures of mountains or water like mountains, but rather use methods to make mountains still mountains, but this mountain already contains your thoughts.
Of course, Brother Mustang's confidence has not yet reached this third step. I only know that the transition from the second step to the third step is a natural process, from quantitative change to qualitative change. Everything depends on one's own efforts.
Brother Mustang believes that photography is a natural talent, but effort from the day after tomorrow is definitely more important. Because photography contains too much content, it involves conception, planning, planning, hands-on ability, action, imagination, post-processing skills, aesthetics, and so on.
Finally, let's go back to the common question of beginners, which is "learning at once" and "discarding it at once". We should analyze it based on facts, which is definitely due to a lack of deep understanding and practical application in learning. Some theories are not easily understood after learning. Just like the three part composition, it may seem simple, but if you don't understand the true meaning of doing so, you often overlook it in actual shooting.
And when you understand that learning all composition methods is for breaking conventions in later practice, your level truly improves! Learning without filming is useless, filming without learning is negligent, isn't that right?!