Photographic Creativity from There to Here by Leigh Caraccioli

Posted: February 20, 2009 at 8.15 pm
Posted by Leigh Caraccioli in Guest, Photography

Guest Post by Leigh Caraccioli - fleur de leigh photography
Follow Leigh on Twitter : @fleurdeleigh

Photographic Creativity

Exactly two years ago, my 35mm camera broke the moment my son was born and my husband hustled off to the camera store and bought me my first digital camera, a Nikon D50.  Despite my reluctance for digital photography (silly, I know), I began shooting my new baby with my “new baby” and fell in love with them both.  

What frightened me the most about my new camera and stepping up to digital was the fear of the unknown. I confess lack of systems knowhow and computer dorkness. Since then, I have started my own photography business, upgraded my equipment and embarked on one heck of fun creative ride.  But if I can make my way in the digital photography business, you can to. Here’s how I got from there to here:

Gear up!

You will need at least a good digital camera, lens and software for photo editing.  In photography, most people fall into two categories, the Nikon camp www.nikon.com  & the Canon camp www.canon.com. I prefer the former for two reasons: 1) my lens investment from 35 mm could carry over  to the new digital camera 2) it seemed a bit more user friendly than the Canon to me. Now I shoot a Nikon D300 which was a bit like going from a crayon box with 8 to one 64 pretty colors.  Amazing difference. 

Someone once told me “Get Good Glass” which means that your choice of lens is pretty important. I suggest you do a bit of personal digging to determine what lens fits your ideal style or photography subjects.  For me, I learned that I preferred close candid portraits.  My first step up from the kit lens was a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 D AF which suited me perfectly. Don’t be afraid to walk into your local camera store and say “I like to take this kind of picture, what do you recommend?”  If your lucky like I was, your local camera store can be like a personal tutor. 

You will need a way to load your images into the computer for editing and display. Photoshop CS4 http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/family/ is a critical tool for me as well as it’s companion Lightroom http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom/.  What I have learned by going digital is that taking the picture is only 25% of photograph.  Photoshop/Lightroom comprise the other 75%.  I learn something new about photo optimization through Photoshop techniques every day! 

Surround your self with an Intellectual Entourage. 

Two years back, I walked into my camera store and said “What does this button do?”  And I still do. But, your challenge is to locate and tap into the folks who are your own intellectual entourage, your brain trust. Don’t confuse these people with those who will tell you what you want to hear, but rather those who will tell you what you need to know.  

Many of my I.E. have come from connections that I have made in the Twitter community. Creative people form flocks like the bright bevy here at We Are Just Creative. Seek them out.  Ask them for feedback and listen to their reply. I also recommend these good reads for photography beginners:  Scott Kelby’s 7-point System for Adobe Photoshop & Scott Kelby’s Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Book for Digital Photographers. There are also too many online tutorials to mention and www.photoshopsupport.com  has great goodies for new and seasoned photographers alike. 

Know thy Muse. 

Each of us has a unique wellspring from which we tap into our creativity.  For the first year, I chased my muses, my children, around inside and out practicing with my camera and new tools. I took long walks alone with my camera fostering the creative inside.  I visit other photographers sites, links on Twitter, and a variety of creative online places. Pinpoint your muse and employ it. 

Try, fail, try

I have taken some great photographs of awesome people in the last year, but I’ve taken three times as many bad ones. The number one lesson to take from this blog is that by looking critically at what fails in a photo and learning how to correct it how you will become a better photographer.  Accept when you flub up and give yourself another chance to succeed.  Try again, and again. I still have so many things to learn about my camera and photography as an art. Accept that ignorance is not bliss, knowledge is. Climb uphill to get it.

 

Trust your gut

I faced some solid criticism on a forum for children’s portraiture that set me back a bit for posting a photo of a child not looking squarely at the camera.  I was confused, I pouted, then I evolved. I stopped posting my photos on the “know it all be just like everyone else” site and started honing in on my own style.  In the words of the fabulous photographer, Joyce Smith of www.joycesmithphotography.com ,  I went with my gut. I embraced the left of center, the odd gestures that give a photo heart, the muddy un-manicured kid and that is when my photography took off.  Learn and perhaps emulate others who inspire you initially, but trust your individual creative gut. It is for more than signaling hunger! 

With only two years of digital photography under my belt, I am in no way an expert in my field. But I am a student of trial and error. If you have specific questions that you’d like to discuss with me, please feel free to email me directly at leighcaraccioli@gmail.com.  It would be my honor to help you on your personal path from there to here.