The Brain - behind the Eye - behind the Viewfinder

Great advice and I totally love your photo blog!

Mike,

Great ideas. I'm a frustrated photographer, and I don't have the eye or the skill to take awesome photos with just any camera.  That's why I need all the help with the auto focus, auto flash, speed, etc. I do try and think about the image....it just doesn't always reveal itself in the photo.  Ha ha!

Michael

Excellent advice Mike! It's not always about 'snapping a shot' (snapshots) - but about creating an 'image'.

Debi

BTW Mike - I discard as much of my own as well. Not every shot is worth keeping, LOL  I really love this train capture - the compostion is PERFECT! More importantly, this is great advice. So, I've featured this post!

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You are absolutely right.  Years ago I had a Contax which was very high tech for it's time. It looked like it belonged in a disco.  I let it take over and do the thinking for me, and the results were dismal.

My studio was broken into, Contax, Mamamiya, lenses, cases were all stolen.  I was left with an ancient Nikon slr.  Then I started really working again.

Your framing it terrific.  It always takes more thought than action.

Congratulations Mike, and the advise is certainly welcome here . I think so many ( even me sometimes in wanting a bigger with more functions camera ) get it wrong about what has to come first. As you the say it's the brain.  I only vary a little and have said the eye. It takes on so much information that it must be trained to be ready to catch the photo in every image it sees. You're right because it is the brain that must act as both the filter and the inspiration for all the what ifs and possibilities. Well done and this is a message I never tire of hearing for it is the essence of art which your work is most often.

Mike, great advice. First I may shoot 300 pictures and use only 1, that would be a good day! But I am learning to stop and LOOK before shooting. I have learned so much since joining ActiveRain, which was such a big surprise! I leave too much to my camera however and need to learn more about the settings. I always figured the camera was smarter than I am.

I got a call from someone yesterday who received my Christmas card, I did it myself with a photo that was an "afterthought", actually shot it while turning around in my driveway! That was a lucky shot. Anyway, he said that it was one of the most beautiful cards he ever saw. I was smiling like the Cheshire cat I tell you. Nothing like having someone appreciate your photography.

And that is one cool shot by the way, as always!

I love to hear this Mike! I'm old school with photography. I used my totally manual Nikkormat and Nikon FM for years until they broke, went to an F-100 and still used it mostly in manual mode. I always trusted my brain a whole lot more than the camera's, especially since I was shooting slide film 95% of the time. I'm now using a D-200 and doing a fair amount of bracketing when mixing flash with available light, I seem to be fighting the technology a bit. That said, the digital cameras can fix a whole lot of errors allow you to use your brain on the image rather than the technical issues. Great post and great photography, thanks!

Great advice Mike and another excellent well thought out photo.

Mike the train is out of focus, you should learn to run faster.

:)

kk