Is this true talent or easy for the average person to accomplish?

I know a few people with a DSLR that have yet to take a photo I enjoy. Some people seem to have an “eye” for composition, as well as a technical understanding of the basics of photography (aperture, shutter speed, ISO). And then there are others who simply buy an expensive camera, put it in auto mode, and just snap away.

I know people who can’t appreciate photography, and feel that it is some kind of scam art form. I am not one of these people. When I see photos that I like, I can’t exactly explain why I do, and the photos can range from landscapes to macro. But many of the photos that resonate with me are photos that focus on everyday objects, the way light falls across the bricks in a building, or a piece of tree bark partially consumed by bugs. It can be anything that I have seen a million times. But a good photographer can force me to see these things more closely, and in doing so it is easy to see the beauty in them.

Note: I used to engage in a practice of taking photos with my old iPhone. This functioned in a similar way, by bringing me in to see things I normally would just scan with my eyes. It forced me to see, and when you truly see, beauty can be found just about anywhere.

If it were easy, then everyone with a decent camera would be taking noteworthy and breath-catching pictures. I take lots of pictures; every little while, by happenstance, I get a wonderful one.

Talent and luck. Ansel Adams had both and a lot of planning for his shots and composition.

I think it’s just learning to appreciate the visual beauty around us and then just capturing that on the camera. Mine’s an 80 dollar old digital with a 256K card. But I get some amazing pictures with it.

My dad owned a photography store and was an excellent photographer. Growing up, I was around cameras constantly. I loved looking at photographs and over time learned to discern the qualities of good ones. I’ve owned many cameras and have taken many pictures, BUT…

I’m a lousy photographer. I can often see what might make a good shot but am never able to capture it with a lens no matter how fancy the camera is.

Like most other skills, I think the ability to capture noteworthy photographs is both in the genes and learned.

I think there is much talent to it. I also think some people (like me) are “tone deaf” when it comes to taking pics and can’t take a decent one no matter what.

It’s like any other art form, or musical talent. Artists are more born than made. Of course, if one takes that innate talent and refines it with concentrated study in their chosen form, that’s the ideal and truly remarkable works of art in any form can result.

But many people can go far on talent alone.and when you combine the innate talent with excellent supplies (like the camera) that can enhance that talent.

But the reverse is also true. Someone without that natural talent or creative spark can have state of the art expensive equipment and supplies and produce rather mundane results.

Obviously, this girl was born with creativity and a natural “eye” for beauty and composition so having a great camera makes it that much better even tho she hasn’t gone to art or photography school.

But, if she were unable to afford that expensive camera and lenses, she doubtless would still be producing beautiful pictures with nothing more than an iPhone or point and shoot pocket camera. And they would be eye catching as well and you’d recognize that unique quality of her pictures which would lift them up above the ordinary.

If you’re interested, do a search for iPhone art or something similar.there are several sites where professional photographers are submitting only photos taken with an iPhone, nothing else allowed. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll see.

And the motto of a lot of photographers is “the best camera is the one that you have with you” because their experienced eye is frequently seeing great photo opportunities as they just go through everyday living. But who wants to lug around a full sized bulky, heavy, SLR all day long when your iPhone is right in your pocket.

And all the reviews agree that it is the best PHONE camera, hands down.

Photography has been a lot easier for me to master than most other art forms such as drawing, painting, sculpting, music and even writing. It takes a certain amount of technical knowledge of the medium (including the limitations of the medium), as all of the others that I mentioned also require, but it doesn’t take so much mechanical skill as, for example, drawing and playing music. You only have to master the machine (and storage media) that you’re using, and then put yourself in places where you can use that knowledge, and then use it. Of course, outside of digital photography, there is a high degree of art – becoming lost now, I think – in developing images on film and then printing them. Much less of this knowledge is needed with digital photography, although PhotoShop is becoming its own art form.

Still, to get good quality photographs it does take an eye for what should be included and excluded in the original framing and shot (and what should be edited out during post-production), and “composition” is where the artist’s eye can never be replaced.

Photos of the Grand Canyon, for example, will always be a dime-a-dozen for most shots, even given the grandeur of the setting itself. But with proper framing, at the right time of day on the right day of the year for atmospheric conditions and with the right equipment set properly for the mood of the photo to be taken and exhibited (including filters, where and when appropriate), a decent photographer can still produce Master-quality work. But that’s much less dependent upon luck than upon the preceding technical knowledge, planning and use of equipment – and good setup for composition, and patience to wait for the right shot.

Bracketing helps tremendously, which is a luxury that few other art forms allow so easily. (Recorded music is an example, where a musician can play for many hours or longer to get “just the right sound” and then release only that sound. Physical artists such as painters and sculptors also have to spend long hours on their “bracketing” attempts, but a photographer can bracket a complete set of trial shots in a few minutes or hours, and then edit to find “the one” that is worth printing and exhibiting.)

Ask the young woman to show you her outtakes and you’ll see what I mean.

I found some of my stored links and here’s just a few to illustrate my point. There are some really gorgeous pictures here which I think you’ll enjoy.
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Iphoneart.tumblr.com

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Iphoneart.com
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, http://www.idownloadblog.com/iphone-photography/

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I have a friend who always took pictures and then distributed them. The pictures were awful, like a picture of a person with a telephone pole sticking out of his head. She thought they were wonderful, but finally stopped when her friends were not appreciative of her work. Yes, it takes talent. Photography was NOT one of hers.

Anybody remember Silly Girl from Wis.dm? She takes some incredible pictures, without even trying. Dang it…I can’t find any at the moment, but I’ll post them when I come across them.

I love to take pictures. My husband bought me a $600 Canon for Christmas. But I honestly can’t say that the pictures are any better than what I took with my old camera, but I LOVE the camera.

Sometimes you just get lucky.

Photography can be a form of art, and some people really are artists with a camera. They just seem to have an “eye” for a good shot and a talent for finding or making the right arrangements. That kind of talent, combined with a few technical skills, can produce some gorgeous results.

It’s too bad that the darkroom is no longer a factor. A good photographer could do wonderful things when developing film and creating prints.

To get close-up images you need a camera that has a “macro” function and you can get that in a $100 dollar camera. But you also need a good eye for composition, lighting, colour to spot a good shot. And be able to do all of that very quickly if you’re photographing wildlife. That’s real talent, but I believe it’s a learnable one.

The photograph I’m most proud of is this one, of my dog This was taken with the macro setting on a simple compact camera, at a range of about 12”, no flash.

Damn it! Photobucket is glitching on me! I have a perfect example of that @downtide!

…Got it It always helps if the wild life is dead, cause they don’t move on you. :)

@Dutchess_III I think that photo needs a “NSFA” warning – not safe for Arachnophobes…

I accidentaly stepped on the little f***er! I was taking a shower, and the water wasn’t draining well. I assumed it was clogged with hair, so I took my big toe and dragged it over the drain…and…something didn’t feel quite right! Shit!!

She sounds artistic. I would say yes there is at least some talent involved. Very nice SLR cameras do allow even untalented people to take great photos. But there are still other elements which it sounds like you are describing that can not be solely attributed to the camera.

I do think, for the most part, the digital camera has made everyone into a “photographer”. I dislike that.

@Dutchess_III Did that thing come from another planet?! Did it pick up your entire bathtub and walk away with it?

@Dutchess_III woahhhhhh that thing is chunky

@deni – What could be wrong with everyone getting into photography? It’s a fun hobby and even if you are as bad as I am, you’re documenting great memories.

It was HORRIBLE @deni!

Was thinking about this question, and specifically macro, @downtide. I walked 8 blocks to pick up the kids from school. Walking back the kids reminded me of what the BEST part of walking is about! This and this and This is for you! I guess I like the first one best, but the flash washed out the blue of the robin’s egg. :( (Obviously I didn’t spend a lot of time on composition, either!)

Of all the pictures I took today this was my favorite.

I love him but I think the green picture is my favorite @Dutchess_III .

Which one?

The one in the lime green square frame? It wouldn’t enlarge.

1, 2, or 3? Cause I’m not seeing any lime green….

Must have been hallucinating. I can add that to my other wacko illnesses.

Well, thank you for complimenting me on your hallucination @Aster! :)