Photography Club

[leedsforever]

.. tonight Im thinking I might quite like to do photgraphy as a hobby... I do love taking photos and I fancy taking some arty ones too...!

I believe we have a few photographers among us on bnb... anyone got any tips on where to start, what to do to make it interesting, etc? Im just looking at something to get my teeth into, to use my brain again... cos my god have I become a dummy (my pun intended babezone )

Has anyone started by taking photos as a hobby and made a career out of it... or even just a few pounds on the side? I have always been quite creative and now ive got my weekends back I want to put that to some good use...!!

thanks girls

 

[Mynxie]

You should go for it! I'm currently doing a photography course at college. A lot of courses to free or cheap part-time courses So it is worth investigating. You don't need your own equipment to do the course as often colleges will loan out cameras and other equipment.

 

[leedsforever]

are you hoping to progress it into a career hun...?? or just keep it as a hobby?? xx

 

[Arcanegirl]

My OH does photography as a hobby, ill point him over to this post for you.

Career wise, i wont lie to you it is very difficult to get into. Its a dream of Robs to do photography as a job but unless you have the time and money to go into self employment, it is very difficult.

 

[chel27]

yes me and my OH both do photography as a hobby...although im sure my OH could make a few quid from it

its a really interesting hobby and you can capture some great pictures, we both self taught ourselves by getting the equipment and started clicking away!!

a very worthwhile hobby xx

 

[leedsforever]

chel when you say equipment what stuff did you buy?

I do have quite a fancy camera not reaaaalllly sure on everything it does yet

 

[chel27]

chel when you say equipment what stuff did you buy?

I do have quite a fancy camera not reaaaalllly sure on everything it does yet

canon 450d, lenses, tripod, filters, canon speedlite mk11, off shoe flash cord

and other things you can use for experiments/backgrounds ect:

what camera do you have?

 

[valentine75]

If you are interested in doing it mainly as a hobby i reccomend you buy a few issues of amateur photograper magazine and practical photography magazine and look for inspiration from the pics, I just picked up a load from someone on freeshare along with an anglepoise lamp which is now part of my basic studio set up

As for euipment you dont need a camera with all the bells and whistles on it to take a good pics a 10mp compact from argos for around £70 to a £100 will be fine

Ask friends to pose for you , get some candid shots do some baby pics (look out for projectial vomitinig though as i found out today lol) get some pics of the local scenery (just make sure you get permisson if its on private land.

If you feel brave enough submit your pics to amateur photographer magazine for some constructive criticisim

I look forward to seeing some of your work once you get started

 

[leedsforever]

well... nothin fancy like all the stuff you just listed hehe...

its just a fujifilm finepix digital camera, 12mp but if I did what mynxie said I could use the colleges equipment

 

[Mynxie]

I'm not sure, I've always enjoyed photography, ever since I was a little girl. To be honest there was a lot of reasons that made me decide to do a college course, it just happens that photography was something I already had an interested in anyway and I wanted to advance my skills in.I have been taking photography more seriously in the past few years, but only recreationally.

 

[leedsforever]

If you are interested in doing it mainly as a hobby i reccomend you buy a few issues of amateur photograper magazine and practical photography magazine and look for inspiration from the pics, I just picked up a load from someone on freeshare along with an anglepoise lamp which is now part of my basic studio set up

As for euipment you dont need a camera with all the bells and whistles on it to take a good pics a 10mp compact from argos for around £70 to a £100 will be fine

Ask friends to pose for you , get some candid shots do some baby pics (look out for projectial vomitinig though as i found out today lol) get some pics of the local scenery (just make sure you get permisson if its on private land.

If you feel brave enough submit your pics to amateur photographer magazine for some constructive criticisim

I look forward to seeing some of your work once you get started

Thankyou very much for this...
I was hoping for someone to suggest a magazine of some sort... Ill look out for it...

 

[valentine75]

ooooh 12mp fancy mines only 9mp sniff (sits in corner crying)

 

[Mynxie]

I agree with Valentine tactical photography is a very good magazine, there are several others but I do personally favour practical photography. This subscription offers quite good also.

Get familiar with your camera get comfortable with taking 40 graphs. Just play around with it and enjoy it. Look at pictures taken out amateurs and professionals and even famous professionals, work out what they were capturing not just the fierce but the story behind it, break out the symbolism is. Learn what you like, and what you enjoy. Just get comfortable with photography in general and enjoy it!

 

[chel27]

well... nothin fancy like all the stuff you just listed hehe...

its just a fujifilm finepix digital camera, 12mp but if I did what mynxie said I could use the colleges equipment

12mp camera is good hun doesnt need to be fancy.....yes hun pictures are all around you so just have a go and you can upload them to a site called flickr for consturtive criticism or betterphoto.
either way when you have done some...let me have a peek

 

[maddiwatts19]

go for it!! good luck hun! x

 

[xJG30]

I love taking pics and put some up on deviantart and quite a few people buy them, don't make much but its better than nowt lol

 

[AnnaBanana9]

I'm a freelance photographer - nowhere near fortunate enough to make a living out of my passion, but I am fortunate enough to make a bit of money from it on the side.

If you would like to get into it as a hobby, the best thing to do is, like others have said, get some photography magazines and get inspired. Also use the internet; it's a goldmine od information and inspiration. There are a lot of photography sites and forums where you can post your images, get feedback and advice and meet other photographers. Places like Photography Cafe ( www.photography-cafe.com ) and Enjoying Photography ( https://enjoyingphotography.davidbrennan.co.uk/forum/index.php ) are great photographic communities full of friendly and helpful 'togs of all skill levels. Great places to learn and get helpful feedback.

The best bits of advice I got given when I took up photography about 4 years ago were:

1) Take lots of photos, of whatever catches your eye.

2) Learn your camera's functions, and be very comfortable with it. The better you know your equipment, the less time you have to spend thinking about it, and the more time you can spend on capturing the moment you want.

3) Look at images and styles of images that inspire you, then try to recreate them or give them your own twist - experimentation costs nothing in the digital age.

4) Try not to get bogged down by obsessing over equipment... it's the photographer that makes the photo, the camera is only a tool

5) Never be afraid to ask for feedback and constructive critique. Remember - even the most famous and talented professional was once a beginner looking to learn (and we are always learning - anyone who claims to know it all is a liar LOL)

6) Have FUN with it - take photos for YOU. If you like your images, that's the most important thing. If others like them too, that's a bonus

Please feel free to PM me if you like - I love talking about photography

 

[mrso]

I'm a freelance photographer - nowhere near fortunate enough to make a living out of my passion, but I am fortunate enough to make a bit of money from it on the side.

If you would like to get into it as a hobby, the best thing to do is, like others have said, get some photography magazines and get inspired. Also use the internet; it's a goldmine od information and inspiration. There are a lot of photography sites and forums where you can post your images, get feedback and advice and meet other photographers. Places like Photography Cafe ( www.photography-cafe.com ) and Enjoying Photography ( https://enjoyingphotography.davidbrennan.co.uk/forum/index.php ) are great photographic communities full of friendly and helpful 'togs of all skill levels. Great places to learn and get helpful feedback.

The best bits of advice I got given when I took up photography about 4 years ago were:

1) Take lots of photos, of whatever catches your eye.

2) Learn your camera's functions, and be very comfortable with it. The better you know your equipment, the less time you have to spend thinking about it, and the more time you can spend on capturing the moment you want.

3) Look at images and styles of images that inspire you, then try to recreate them or give them your own twist - experimentation costs nothing in the digital age.

4) Try not to get bogged down by obsessing over equipment... it's the photographer that makes the photo, the camera is only a tool

5) Never be afraid to ask for feedback and constructive critique. Remember - even the most famous and talented professional was once a beginner looking to learn (and we are always learning - anyone who claims to know it all is a liar LOL)

6) Have FUN with it - take photos for YOU. If you like your images, that's the most important thing. If others like them too, that's a bonus

Please feel free to PM me if you like - I love talking about photography

I am also a freelance photographer. I agree with everything above. ESPECIALLY the photographer takes the picture and the camera is a tool. Know your equiptment and how to use it. I would also recommend taking a general course or getting to know a photographer how will help you out. I have found this website very very helpful and they are all very professional.

https://photography-on-the.net/forum/

I shoot Canon and that is mostly who is on that site but they have very good pointers and can answer all your questions.

 

[mrso]

and just to add... once you gain more experience you will discover what equiptment you need. So dont go and drop a bunch of cash on a big expensive set up when you are not sure if that is really what you will need/want.

 

[Always&4ever]

Good luck