So you think you are just an amateur
By Karen Lynch
6 May 2009
There is no such thing as "just an amateur." Every photographer begins somewhere on their endless journey of learning. And there is more to photography than just using a point and shoot camera. Yes you point it and shoot, but you pick the subject, compose how you frame the shot and you can make a number of decisions on what you want the camera to capture. Think of it as a great piece of literature...does it really matter what tool was used to compose it?
I have seen many wonderful photographs with captions saying the photographer is "just an amateur." I feel anyone willing to show their work to the world has taken the most important step in their learning process towards great photography. You have been bold enough to say, "Here is what I have captured...now let the comments and even the critiques begin." I learn nothing from a shot that worked the first time if I can't repeat it. Just let me mess one up and I will shoot the subject repeatedly until I learn the proper composition or settings to convey my idea to others. From that point on, the viewer either likes what I did or not. If they offer a suggestion I try to keep an open mind. I consider the wisdom of how they view the world around us and decide if I agree on a suggestion to improve my image the way I see it.
I also hate hearing "I only have a point and shoot camera" like that is a bad thing. The digital advances in newer fixed lens cameras are giving the expensive guys a run for their money. Sure the sensor is likely smaller and you can't mount a lens that goes from here to grandmas' house but don't let that stop you from getting creative. A great photo really exists in your mind's eye. You "make" a photo not "take" one. Learn some basics, observe the work of others and experiment with lots of frames. Look at the scene before you shoot to determine what you want inside your "frame." Beware of items in the background that might intersect your subject on the flat surface of a finished photo. Check all the corners to be sure of what you want to show or crop it out later if you didn't get close enough. Don't let a telephoto lens do all the work if a few steps closer or to one side or the other gives you a better view or angle.
Remember that the camera does not see the world the way the human eye does. God still makes the best camera. Sure, there is some "great glass" out there that can help you really get creative but that does not mean the tool used is what makes the photo great. The best camera you need is the one you own and have with you! Camera envy is an expensive road with no end in sight as something bigger and better is always hitting the market.
A year ago I judged a 4-H digital photo imaging competition and was blown away at the images some of the young people captured. This generation has a "techno" mind and are fearless in what they are wiling to attempt. One of the most beautiful macro shot of a flower I saw that day was taken by an 8 year old girl with a Kodak Easy Share 5 mp camera. I own the same camera myself (my first digital.)
I took a photo with that little Kodak during Heritage Days of the "Cannon Crew Elizabeth." The photo was taken semi-posed before all the crew was ready (because I wanted it candid.) I converted the color shot (which I always use to capture all the pixel information) and converted it in my Kodak editor to Sepia to fit the period. My newspaper editor published the photo in his weekly paper. The point and shoot photo won not only a "Best in Show" in a local contest but also an Illinois Press Association Award (3rd place) in "Personality Portraits" in the small weekly division. The comments said the judges loved the pose, fitting to the period and also commented on the excellent replication of the Sepia color. A newspaper uses "half tone" printing, making it more difficult to get the same clarity and sharpness of an actual photograph. Sepia is even more difficult to replicate than a black and white.
Don't ever say you are just an "amateur" who "only" has a point and shoot camera. It is what you do within the limits of that camera that makes the difference between a good photograph and a great one. Once you are pushing the limits on the camera you know best, then you can think about the possibility of buying a more advanced camera if you want more flexibility and creativity. Always remember a great photo does not just happen inside the camera...that photo exists in you!
7 responses
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Kristin Mitchell said (6 May 2009):
it's the "amateurs" who get published in magazines, newspapers and websites, with citizen journalism. Sometimes they're the ones who are on the scene before the official photo journalists have arrived, and they're getting the footage before anyone else. Good article. x
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Karen Lynch said (6 May 2009):
That was one of my points. News services and television are increasingly using "I reporters" because they are often first on the scene and digital equipment has become so advanced they are capturing some great images and/or video. Probably making the paid reporters a little nervous.
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Michael Adams gave props (7 May 2009):
Great article. Some of my best shots were taken with a point and shoot. This includes not only family memories but also award winning shots and published shots in the local papers!
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Syble Brabham said (8 May 2009):
Thanks Karen I was told that my pics "suck" by my DIL - yet lots of people comment on them- and I would welcome the ones that don`t- I say Beauty is in the eye of the beholder??
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Samantha Dean said (8 May 2009):
Awesome article!! I agree whole-heartedly. :-)
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Christine Bailey gave props (10 May 2009):
Super article!
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Dorothy Menosky said (14 May 2009):
Great article. I hope it gets published.
Partly because of old age, I put aside my big cameras and lenses, and challenged myself to use only a small Nikon Coolpix S-10. I love it. I am always ready. I can carry it with me at all times. All of my JPG photos were taken with that little camera.
