Jorge Quinteros
Blogger, web enthusiast & avid photographer based in Brooklyn.

1st February 2010

Loose Thoughts on Photography

With photography being a very gear oriented craft, I really try not to get caught up in the notion that having the most equipment will in truth make me a better photographer.

The real skills come from habitual practice, reviewing the material, making notes on what worked and what didn’t and equally important sifting through endless photographs on Flickr to gain inspiration. There’s nothing more encourging to me in doing all these things or a combination of some.

Buying anything is addicting but the downside to photography is that it’s a costly hobby that can sometimes lead you to spend more than you can afford and need. But if expense wasn’t an issue, in a heartbeat I would splurge on expanding my gear with some impressive lenses and among other knick knacks but that’s more driven on what I “want” than what I “need”.

Define you Intentions

I’ve mentioned the gear and tapped on the process but eventually it’s the combination of what you do with both that matters. The real difficult part of photography isn’t knowing how to make the picture but in determing what picture to make and with that comes deciding what your real commitment to becoming a better photographer is.

I still consider myself a complete amateur when it comes to ability, so I take any and every feedback I get in seeing what else I can do to gain a different reaction from people with my photos.

Perhaps not every shot you take will have that innate condition to stimulate someone but it’s acknowledging those intentions that will greatly enhance that chances that you will.

Frame the Picture

When we travel, even though she may not verbalize it, my wife’s experessions says it all in how irritated she gets sometimes when all I think about is photographing everything.

She loves reading the inscriptions to artwork in museums while I worry more about how to avoid reflections through the glass, or how to gain the best possible perspective or in making sure to adjust the White Balance from place to place. It’s a thrill to photograph and visualize what the end resuls of each shot will look like already framed in our living room and that pretty much outlines what I think about before I shoot.

Finding the Story

The photographs that draw me in are generally always the ones accompanied with a good story. These are the ones that have subtle and surprising details throughout it that lead your eyes in new directions with every glance.

Photos that have this element makes you want to keep searching and imagining more of what you don’t necesssarily see and trying to envision what else was around that wasn’t captured.

Honestly, the most important things to remember is that you feel that you have to take pictures and that you have a camera you’re content with in using and with that, great photographs will come.