Creative Digital Photography - Is your Photography Up to Snuff?

Once we've moved past the basics of understanding how our cameras work...once the "photo bug" has bitten - we photography junkies all want more creative digital photography. (Assuming you use a digital camera - otherwise you'll want more creative film photographs!) We've all been there. We look at the pictures we see in books and magazines, then we look at ours and something is missing. The basics are there, a good exposure, correct shutter speed, clear focus and so on, but it just doesn't compare. Don't Have The "Creative" Gift? True there are geniuses out there! Maybe a handful scattered throughout the world. Our photos will never compare. (No one else's will either!) But, we aren't comparing our work to that miniscule group...we are comparing our work to the every day production of average, everyday Joes who truly are NOT more creative than we are. For most of us, the first thing we think is that we just don't have the "creative" gift! As normal people do, we tend to undervalue our own work, and overvalue the work of others. Creativity can be LEARNED.  The only difference between us and "them" is that they've learned how to put their creative vision into the camera - and we haven't...yet. Keep in mind, creativity CAN be learned! And it's relatively simple and FAST! The trick is modeling. By that, I mean...If you shoot the same subjects, in the same conditions, with the same settings they are using, you will get the same results. It must happen! The camera is a machine. It doesn't care who pushes the buttons. It's not going to work better for one photographer over another. It doesn't care who is looking through the viewfinder. If we model them correctly, we can be doing the same quality work they do in no time. Here's how... When you find a photograph you like, cut it out of the magazine and paste it into your photo notebook. You do keep a photo notebook, right? All the best photographers do! Then, closely examine the photo. Try to guess what the lighting conditions were. What time of day it was shot, how many and directionality of the lights (reflectors qualify as a light source). Guess at the focal length of the lens. Did they use a tripod, what was the f-stop, shutter speed and so on. Then, record ALL this information in your notebook. Then, record ALL this information in your notebook. This is how you learn creative digital photography! Now it's time to test. Get out there and try to duplicate the photo. Test your theories on how they got the shot. The ones that move you closer to success, make a note of them in your notebook. Do the same with the ideas that don't work too! As you move closer and closer to the desired finished result, you'll be having a lot of fun and learning a TON of new photo techniques. Eventually, you WILL get the result you were after. It doesn't take long. Paste YOUR shot in your notebook, with all the technical details. Now, you will forever be able to re-create that shot! You've learned how to be creative! Every time gets easier. Now, do the same thing with another photo you like. Every time you do this exercise, you will add a new technique to your photo arsenal. Plus, it gets easier to do because you are building on what you've learned before. So, there is the formula for creative digital photography. Try it, you'll like it. Before you know it, you'll be creating digital photography at will.