What do you think makes a great shot?

---------------------------------------------Originally posted by BOOOGHARive been taking photos for 20 plus years (i guess that kinda shows my age) Ive never had the best equipment but always tried to do my best with what I got. I know I can take way better pics with better equipment and i love taken pics of whats going on around me when im out some where else. none of my pics are planned and i hate using a flash, i know its needed in alot of cases but i always try to use natural lighting--------------------------------------------- I rarely ever use a flash. Natural light (the sun, not the beer) is where it's at. 

I'm with you 100% Johnny, I hate being stuck inside trying to shoot a show. It really is best to work with natural lighting, as far as coverage goes it's just a mtter of gettting things at the right time. I've found that early on in the day and later in the afternoon works moreso than midday. Too much glare kills it at midday, not too bad for shooting the girls though.

I think some of the best shots ive ever seen are the ones that break all the rules, like shooting directly towards the sun, backlighting stuff, whatever makes you happy when you go home and look at it. One thing i dont like is photoshop, not just because i dont know how to use it but because when you go back to the years before photoshop you see some of the most amazing photographs ever taken. I have tons of art books at the house, and i enjoy looking at all forms of photography. Im really into abstract art and modern art. I enjoy it in photos. Thats why i like black and white photos so much because generally speaking they are less likely to be photoshopped. Just my opinion i guess. Having been at the magazine for a bit, and being a shitty photographer myself, i noticed alot of photoshop use to get the job done. I see it in all magazines. I know its a part of the trade and mostly necessary, but nothing beats an awesome untouched photograph.  If you can shoot it hand held with out a flash the size of your head and still sit back and admire it, its probably a good photo.  Ernie

Edited: 4/22/2009 11:27:02 AM by lost cause

 I agree with Ernie 100% on the breaking all  the rules thing,....mostly because I took this pic of my taco and it turned out to be one of the best Ive ever taken (in my opinion lol)  but every body tells me its a bad pic because its "all wrong" lol     I also really like pics showing the refection of another image (Like some of the pics posted earlier)   I think these would have been cool pics If i would have wiped the dust off the fender before I took the pics           I really suck at taking pics haha! I'm by no means a photographer I don't even know what half the shit on my camera does   But i'm very excited about the new forum, maybe I can learn a thing or two

I think the picture of your truck would be better if it was painted since your a sick ass painter hahaha

---------------------------------------------Originally posted by baggedMITSUOne thing i dont like is photoshop, not just because i dont know how to use it but because when you go back to the years before photoshop you see some of the most amazing photographs ever taken. I have tons of art books at the house, and i enjoy looking at all forms of photography. Im really into abstract art and modern art. I enjoy it in photos. Thats why i like black and white photos so much because generally speaking they are less likely to be photoshopped. Just my opinion i guess.--------------------------------------------- I think you're forgetting something Ernie, before Photoshop (the program) there was Photoshop (the darkroom) which is where all of those amazing photographs that you like were edited. Contrast filters, dodging, burning, toning, etc. are all things that we used to edit in the darkroom before they were just buttons in an Adobe program. It's pretty rare for even great photographers to set up and shoot 1 single photo, then go home and print it unedited and have it turn out to be unbelieveable.  I think you know who Ansel Adams is and his famous Monolith photo of that giant rock, Half Dome, in Yellowstone. A lot of books tell the story that he walked up to that spot, only had 1 sheet of film left (he used to shoot with huge 8x10 sheets of film) and that particular photo was "The Shot" like an imaculate exposure. They fail to say that he lived in Yellowstone for years and took that same photo hundreds of times throughout the seasons and finally after all of those shots he got 1 that he was happy with. Photography is like any other craft, you refine your skill with every new technique and tweak to your style. Photoshop is just another tool in your arsenal along with lenses, f-stops and exposures. Don't be decieved into thinking that the photographs you love in your books are pure and untouched. They've all been edited in some form along the way.

---------------------------------------------Originally posted by cheeks Sunset SDI think the picture of your truck would be better if it was painted since your a sick ass painter hahaha---------------------------------------------Damn Cheeks..........easy killer....haha

I guess that did sound f$cked my bad. But you get what I was saying.

Edited: 4/23/2009 3:06:43 PM by humanmachinehead

your pics look like one i got Brian lol   i'm not a photographer by any terms, but i like these i took     and this one just cause i was proud of my first time painting something really lol   

---------------------------------------------Originally posted by SSM-Johnny O---------------------------------------------Originally posted by baggedMITSUOne thing i dont like is photoshop, not just because i dont know how to use it but because when you go back to the years before photoshop you see some of the most amazing photographs ever taken. I have tons of art books at the house, and i enjoy looking at all forms of photography. Im really into abstract art and modern art. I enjoy it in photos. Thats why i like black and white photos so much because generally speaking they are less likely to be photoshopped. Just my opinion i guess.--------------------------------------------- I think you're forgetting something Ernie, before Photoshop (the program) there was Photoshop (the darkroom) which is where all of those amazing photographs that you like were edited. Contrast filters, dodging, burning, toning, etc. are all things that we used to edit in the darkroom before they were just buttons in an Adobe program. It's pretty rare for even great photographers to set up and shoot 1 single photo, then go home and print it unedited and have it turn out to be unbelieveable.  I think you know who Ansel Adams is and his famous Monolith photo of that giant rock, Half Dome, in Yellowstone. A lot of books tell the story that he walked up to that spot, only had 1 sheet of film left (he used to shoot with huge 8x10 sheets of film) and that particular photo was "The Shot" like an imaculate exposure. They fail to say that he lived in Yellowstone for years and took that same photo hundreds of times throughout the seasons and finally after all of those shots he got 1 that he was happy with. Photography is like any other craft, you refine your skill with every new technique and tweak to your style. Photoshop is just another tool in your arsenal along with lenses, f-stops and exposures. Don't be decieved into thinking that the photographs you love in your books are pure and untouched. They've all been edited in some form along the way.---------------------------------------------  *** Thats what I tell people... back in the day it was film and to get the image to the way you want it you had to allow so much light into certain parts of the image... not saying i have ever done real " " photo film editing.. but PS is that new "dark room" and what most people forget is that the image off of a Dslr or digi cam is merely just a negative in the since that it still needs to be "developed" ... and i dont mean needs to be "photoshopped"  but to fully convey what you were trying to accomplish in the shot that you took.