Peace and Pandemonium

I attended Photocamp Utah this past weekend and I'm so happy I did. It's no WPPI but for a mere $10 I got to network with local photographers and discuss photography all day with others who are just as passionate about it as I am. It was a lot of fun!


There were people taking pictures everywhere. I caught this guy during a lecture and liked the lighting.
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In order for me to share with you what I learned, I thought I would just transcribe the notes I took. Raw and unedited. The way I wrote them while there in the moment. Some are verbatim out of the mouth of the speaker. Others are just the ideas that came to me while other words were being spoken. These are the ideas I will try to incorporate into my own practice.

Want to Take Better Pictures?

Experiment.
Break the rules.
Be creative.
Listen to your instincts.
Keep it simple. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.
Have a point. Identify the message of the image.
Have a clear message and make an emotion impact.
Capture the element of magic. (Easier said than done I'm afraid.)
Bottom line, sweat and commitment are required to improve.
Learn to routinely make correct exposures. Set your camera to manual and leave it there.
Study depth of field. Learn it. Practice it.
Learn about diffraction limits. (Yeah, I totally need to do this because I have no idea what that means!)
Capture feelings, emotion, and relationships.
Take pictures that create a connection with the viewer.
Create art! Do this by putting something of ourselves into the image.
Make strong compositions - in the middle AND THE EDGES!
Check the background before taking the picture. Duh!
Look for things that you have an emotional interest in.
Become interested in your subject.
If you see something or notice something.....TAKE THE PICTURE, don't ignore it.
Follow your energy.
Get to know your equipment and then push it to the limits.
Don't settle for the first idea.
When things aren't working - move around.
Push the button. BEFORE IT'S PERFECT!
The challenge is to develop your unique identity as a photographer. Discover yours.
No element should distract from the image.
When editing pictures, watch out for "creep" and avoid it. Creep is when your pictures get more contrasty and saturated as the day goes on.
Maintain attention to detail.
Invest in a workshop.
Visit galleries. Look at lots of prints/images.
Study art appreciation.
Shoot a lot but show few.
NO SECRETS! Share information and help each other.

With that last one in mind I would love to answer any of your photography related questions. I certainly dont claim to know everything but I like the idea of opening up a question and answer session that maybe we can all gain from. Lets talk shop! Do you have a question? Ask me. Lets help each other improve. Just know that I may end up being the one asking you the questions. :)