There are some things in life that I really suck at, like singing. Having three guitars and the ability to press a few chords does not make you a good singer. When you complain about your own voice and your wife suggests singing lessons in stead of saying no "man, it's not that bad", then you know for sure. Although I've been playing for 15 years or more and have used my 30-minute morning sessions as some sort of meditation to destress and relax, I cannot say the people around me reaped the same benefits from that. So I will not refer you to my home made unplugged and unphased videos on Youtube either. Another thing I suck at, is photography. My pictures never justified a decent camera before, so I have been taking pictures with the simplests and cheapest cameras on the market. But somebody ones told me that taking good pictures with a simple camera is possible and some good photographers only uses them. Besides, the ability to see a good picture before you have actually taken the picture is already an art that some have and I don't.
A friend recently send me this picture of her son (I am sure she won't mind me posting it) and I realized that I really like the picture. Don't ask me why, some critics might not even think it is good, but to me it is like my opinion on "good" wine...the best wine to me is the wine that tastes the best at that moment. This picture brought something out about the little boy, the surroundings, and had me looking at it for a while trying to find out why I liked it so much.
Anyway, to get to the point. I would love to take good pictures of places in South Africa to post on my blog, but when I look at my own pictures I always think...boring! Last night I went to the beach to take pictures of the sunset. I deleted all of them, did not even thought it necessary to keep them. Maybe this was just a case of the camera that couldn't do it rather than the operator, because it looked like my lens was fogged up all the time and the sun was smudged. Definitely not the way I saw it through my own eyes. The other people with their telescopic lenses and tripods seemed like they were snapping happily along and were very pleased with their shots, while I had one boobee after the other. I guess next time I will just go watch the sun set without struggling with settings on my camera while the sun is disappearing and maybe just experience the whole essence of what sunset watching is all about..not to get a good picture, but to appreciate the beauty of our planet.
A good camera will not make you a good photographer, but it helps (a loT!). Cheapies may have long lenses and high pixel ratings, but the beauty of a digital SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera is that it's fast. With a good lens (Canon for Canon, NOT Sigma) it focuses instantly (unlike the cheapie hunting around for focus), takes the picture when the button is pushed (you could have made a cup of coffee by the time the cheapie has taken the photo)and can capture another one instantaneously. Apart from composure and light, photography is all about timing. Get yourself a DSLR from Canon or Nikon -you won't be disappointed! dpreview.com has good write-ups on the Canon EOS and Nikon D ranges...
ReplyDeleteMy Canon is yours for two weeks, its not fancy its a beginners SLR D400, it sometimes takes good pictures, it depends on many things, but one tip I have learnt after hearing so many stories about people with video cameras and normal cameras not taking good action shots, is not to laugh at their misfortune, because one day you will take some fantastic pictures, but you will get so wrapped up in the moment, you forget to take the correct person or scene.
ReplyDeleteHappy memeories of one of the best beaches along with the scenery I have ever been lucky enough to stand on.
The camera awaits you, I even have the Camera for Dummies book to go along with it.
Thanks, I'll definitely take you up on that offer.
ReplyDelete