Get me to take more pictures with my DSLR
February 25, 2008 7:38 AM
Get me to take more pictures! I bought a DSLR last year, but other than a week trip to Paris, I haven't used the camera extensively. Sometimes I feel it might be the size (a camera around your neck, to me, screams TOURIST). I've thought about walking around the neighborhood (I live in Chicago's north side), but have never gotten out the front door with my camera. I have no problem with my pocket camera.
Whats done it for me is joining a few flickr groups. I'm sure there are several for Chicago. Many of them have weekly contests or projects to keep you motivated or thinking about what and where to shoot. It gets me out the door a few times a month anyway.
posted by sanka at 7:49 AM on February 25, 2008
posted by sanka at 7:49 AM on February 25, 2008
Just look really intense and keep taking a bunch of pictures and frame up shots and people will think you are a professional.
posted by andrewdunn at 7:51 AM on February 25, 2008
posted by andrewdunn at 7:51 AM on February 25, 2008
Yeah, get a messenger bag and keep it with you constantly. Make a resolution that you'll take at least 10 photos each day while you're out and about. Take it to gatherings, become a rightfully worshiped idol like DaShiv.
posted by shinynewnick at 7:51 AM on February 25, 2008
posted by shinynewnick at 7:51 AM on February 25, 2008
Seconding twisted onion's recommendation -- it doesn't have to be around your neck. Put it in a bag. Carry it everywhere. You might need to get used to its weight. Right now, it probably feels fragile and new. That will pass with use.
I see you have the XT, which is actually a smallish dSLR to begin with. Are you shooting only with the kit lens? A prime lens (like a 50mm, which would be smaller) might help you feel less conspicuous.
Come to NYC. I see people walking around with dSLRs all the time. And they aren't obviously tourists.
posted by kathryn at 7:52 AM on February 25, 2008
I see you have the XT, which is actually a smallish dSLR to begin with. Are you shooting only with the kit lens? A prime lens (like a 50mm, which would be smaller) might help you feel less conspicuous.
Come to NYC. I see people walking around with dSLRs all the time. And they aren't obviously tourists.
posted by kathryn at 7:52 AM on February 25, 2008
I put mine in my laptop bag when I'm out taking photos. It's bigger than it really needs to be to hold the camera, but I can hold lenses and tripods and whatever else in it too.
posted by burnmp3s at 7:54 AM on February 25, 2008
posted by burnmp3s at 7:54 AM on February 25, 2008
1. Take it off of your neck.
2. Wrap the shoulder strap tightly around your hand to anchor the camera to your hand.
This may take a little practice to get right, but I prefer it much more than wearing the strap around my neck. The camera will be "glued" to your hand, ready to take pictures, and it won't be wrapped around your neck like an expensive piece of deadweight that says "I have more money than sense".
posted by syzygy at 7:57 AM on February 25, 2008
2. Wrap the shoulder strap tightly around your hand to anchor the camera to your hand.
This may take a little practice to get right, but I prefer it much more than wearing the strap around my neck. The camera will be "glued" to your hand, ready to take pictures, and it won't be wrapped around your neck like an expensive piece of deadweight that says "I have more money than sense".
posted by syzygy at 7:57 AM on February 25, 2008
As a follow up, if you don't want to wrap your shoulder strap around your hand, you could get something like this. I don't know anything about the quality of optech products, but the info at that link may give you a better idea of what I'm talking about. With a little practice, I was able to wrap my Canon neck strap around my right hand to get the same effect as the product in the above link offers...
posted by syzygy at 8:10 AM on February 25, 2008
posted by syzygy at 8:10 AM on February 25, 2008
I was worried about exactly the same thing happening to me. It didn't, but mainly because I took precautions against it.
Firstly, I'd like to second syzygy. I've been doing that too, for a couple of years now, and it's by far and away the best method of doing street photography I've yet found.
Also, I'd think about investing in a prime lens. Firstly, they have wider apertures, so you can happily snap away with fast shutter speeds at times when you'd have to worry about holding still, and secondly to stop you even considering playing with the zoom.
I'd try to get one as close to 50mm as possible, so you'll have a field of view that gets close to matching your own one. That'll let you spend more time composing the shot with your eyes and less through the viewfinder. Your camera (and mine) have a 1.6 crop ratio, which mean you'll have to use something like the Canon 28mm f/1.8 that I have or the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 that my friend has. They both give excellent results. As a bonus, you'll get great shots in low light.
Thirdly, I got the smallest bag that would fit it. It turned out to be the Crumpler Ben's Pizza, which happily fits inside my regular backpack. It doesn't say on the inside what size it is, but I'm pretty sure it's a medium. Anyway, I carry that everywhere with me. To work, to the cinema, to the supermarket etcetcetc.
Make time to go out and shoot a lot if you can. Take a couple of thousand pictures, which is easier to do than it sounds.
Finally, don't feel like a photo doesn't count or something if you don't take it pic with your SLR. I've had photos printed that were taken with second-hand digital compacts. It's the result that counts, not how you got there.
posted by Magnakai at 8:23 AM on February 25, 2008
Firstly, I'd like to second syzygy. I've been doing that too, for a couple of years now, and it's by far and away the best method of doing street photography I've yet found.
Also, I'd think about investing in a prime lens. Firstly, they have wider apertures, so you can happily snap away with fast shutter speeds at times when you'd have to worry about holding still, and secondly to stop you even considering playing with the zoom.
I'd try to get one as close to 50mm as possible, so you'll have a field of view that gets close to matching your own one. That'll let you spend more time composing the shot with your eyes and less through the viewfinder. Your camera (and mine) have a 1.6 crop ratio, which mean you'll have to use something like the Canon 28mm f/1.8 that I have or the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 that my friend has. They both give excellent results. As a bonus, you'll get great shots in low light.
Thirdly, I got the smallest bag that would fit it. It turned out to be the Crumpler Ben's Pizza, which happily fits inside my regular backpack. It doesn't say on the inside what size it is, but I'm pretty sure it's a medium. Anyway, I carry that everywhere with me. To work, to the cinema, to the supermarket etcetcetc.
Make time to go out and shoot a lot if you can. Take a couple of thousand pictures, which is easier to do than it sounds.
Finally, don't feel like a photo doesn't count or something if you don't take it pic with your SLR. I've had photos printed that were taken with second-hand digital compacts. It's the result that counts, not how you got there.
posted by Magnakai at 8:23 AM on February 25, 2008
I wrap the strap around my hand as syzygy recommends. It will help you feel less touristy and you will still be ready to shoot whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Also find a group of photographers to go out shooting with. Flickr users and photobloggers tend to meet up quite often. You will probably feel more comfortable taking photos knowing that a group of you are shooting nearby. This experience should increase your confidence to the stage where you feel comfortable shooting alone.
posted by jec at 8:57 AM on February 25, 2008
Also find a group of photographers to go out shooting with. Flickr users and photobloggers tend to meet up quite often. You will probably feel more comfortable taking photos knowing that a group of you are shooting nearby. This experience should increase your confidence to the stage where you feel comfortable shooting alone.
posted by jec at 8:57 AM on February 25, 2008
Find a like-minded friend. I make photo-walkabout dates with a friend, where we wander around a different part of the city every couple weeks. With cameras in hand we feel more free to crouch and climb and walk around the backs of things. And ask people what that odd-looking building is. And read the weird signs posted on the poles. So, in addition to the photos, we're really getting to know the area better than we normally would. (This weekend we discovered the world's first industrial atom smasher!)
posted by booth at 9:31 AM on February 25, 2008
posted by booth at 9:31 AM on February 25, 2008
Yeh, wrap the strap around your hand. Also, the self-consciousness thing takes about a solid day to get over. Just wander about taking pictures -- especially of people -- and you'll notice it goes after a while and you start thinking more about the pictures.
Oh, and forget the camera bag. Camera bags are for taking a camera and lenses from home to location. When you're there, the camera should be in your hands. Otherwise you'll be pissing about fumbling for it when you should be taking pictures.
Hey, why don't you go out tonight? If you've never been out the door with it, how do you know how you're going to feel?
posted by bonaldi at 9:31 AM on February 25, 2008
Oh, and forget the camera bag. Camera bags are for taking a camera and lenses from home to location. When you're there, the camera should be in your hands. Otherwise you'll be pissing about fumbling for it when you should be taking pictures.
Hey, why don't you go out tonight? If you've never been out the door with it, how do you know how you're going to feel?
posted by bonaldi at 9:31 AM on February 25, 2008
Along with joining groups or a local photo club - I'd recommend taking a class at a local adult-ed or community art center. I'd suggest one that focuses on composition and photos as art, rather than the mechanics of using your camera or fixing snapshots in Photoshop. A composition class will help you build your "photo eye" as my instructor calls it. I'm in the middle of one, and it works. You'll start to see pictures you want to take, and after a few rushed trips home to get your camera, you'll start carrying it around. The more you carry it around, the more comfortable you'll get with it.
Having assignments really helps, and forces you to look for new and different pictures to take. And seeing other peoples work and how they approached that assignment will just broaden your perspectives more.
posted by reckman at 9:32 AM on February 25, 2008
Having assignments really helps, and forces you to look for new and different pictures to take. And seeing other peoples work and how they approached that assignment will just broaden your perspectives more.
posted by reckman at 9:32 AM on February 25, 2008
I have found two hindrances to carrying my camera around: physical and mental. The physical hindrance I got over by getting rid of the bag, cover, etc. and just hanging the camera off my right shoulder (not around my neck) with the top of the camera facing in. This puts it in position to grab the grip and easily bring it up to shoot a picture. I also extend the strap out pretty far, so that the camera is almost down by my hand to begin with. It's pretty low-profile and doesn't scream "tourist"... which beings us to the mental hindrance. I got over this (and I'm pretty shy) by realizing that no one cares and that no one even notices when you take pictures ... and then what sealed it for me was seeing a picture of Garry Winogrand photographing on the street - he was one of the greatest street photographers ever and yet he looked so silly when on the prowl - what did I have to worry about?
posted by gyusan at 9:43 AM on February 25, 2008
posted by gyusan at 9:43 AM on February 25, 2008
Nthing the idea of losing the neck strap in favour of a hand strap. I've got a Rebel XTi, and hated the neck strap, so I recently switched to a Canon E-1 hand strap, which is much more comfortable, much less awkward, and much, much less tourist-y. It is designed to be used with a battery grip attached to the camera body, but if you don't have one, I hear good things about the Hakuba hand strap and the Camdapter.
posted by good in a vacuum at 9:54 AM on February 25, 2008
posted by good in a vacuum at 9:54 AM on February 25, 2008
Simply put, I don't go walking around with my "big" camera. For precisely the same reasons you have noted. I have found that my pocket cam does an excellent job.
But if there's something I want to use my big camera for, I really couldn't care less if I look silly taking my photos as long as I get the shot I'm looking for.
And if I do want to carry it then I go for the bandolier style across my chest and under my right arm. Its a little protected, not swinging like a pendulum and comes up to my eye pretty easily.
And, to second gyusan, the only people that care about cameras are the ones that are having bad hair days.
posted by fenriq at 9:56 AM on February 25, 2008
But if there's something I want to use my big camera for, I really couldn't care less if I look silly taking my photos as long as I get the shot I'm looking for.
And if I do want to carry it then I go for the bandolier style across my chest and under my right arm. Its a little protected, not swinging like a pendulum and comes up to my eye pretty easily.
And, to second gyusan, the only people that care about cameras are the ones that are having bad hair days.
posted by fenriq at 9:56 AM on February 25, 2008
I found that practicing in public on birds and other wild life really cut down my inhibitions about walking around with a camera. When you are trying to get that perfect picture of the duck, or humming bird, or squirrel, or whatever you go for the shot and don't care how silly you look.
Then, when I'm idly wandering around a city trying to get pictures of people and buildings, I just remember that go-for-the-shot feeling and stop being self conscious.
Several have already mentioned it, but going with others can also cut down on your nervousness. But the best advice in the thread, and that which was given to me by several others as well is just to take the pictures. Find whatever reason you need to do it, but the best way to enjoy your DSLR is to use it. A lot. You will learn all the cool tricks by doing it wrong a couple of dozen times when it doesn't matter, so that you can remember to do it correctly the one time when it does.
posted by quin at 10:50 AM on February 25, 2008
Then, when I'm idly wandering around a city trying to get pictures of people and buildings, I just remember that go-for-the-shot feeling and stop being self conscious.
Several have already mentioned it, but going with others can also cut down on your nervousness. But the best advice in the thread, and that which was given to me by several others as well is just to take the pictures. Find whatever reason you need to do it, but the best way to enjoy your DSLR is to use it. A lot. You will learn all the cool tricks by doing it wrong a couple of dozen times when it doesn't matter, so that you can remember to do it correctly the one time when it does.
posted by quin at 10:50 AM on February 25, 2008
For what it's worth, people are far less likely to pay attention to you than you think. Even if you were wandering around with a huge 1Ds camera and a big white zoom lens, you're not going to be very interesting to look at. In any urban environment, you're as uninteresting as can be. Just forget about it and go take some pictures.
posted by Magnakai at 11:40 AM on February 25, 2008
posted by Magnakai at 11:40 AM on February 25, 2008
Ditto to "lose the strap, carry it in your hand" advice.
As everyone has pointed out, the essential thing is to just get out there and shoot. I assume you also have some sort of unassuming point-and-shoot -- why not go out with it and promise yourself you're going to take at least 50 pictures a day? (The exact number is not important, as long as it's large.) This will help in two ways: you'll be less self-conscious about taking pictures, and you'll internalize (i.e. learn) composition and exposure.
posted by phliar at 1:18 PM on February 25, 2008
As everyone has pointed out, the essential thing is to just get out there and shoot. I assume you also have some sort of unassuming point-and-shoot -- why not go out with it and promise yourself you're going to take at least 50 pictures a day? (The exact number is not important, as long as it's large.) This will help in two ways: you'll be less self-conscious about taking pictures, and you'll internalize (i.e. learn) composition and exposure.
posted by phliar at 1:18 PM on February 25, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by twistedonion at 7:49 AM on February 25, 2008