The title photo collage was obtained using photographs taken on the lens MSO USSR SSD UPP-1 ★ KHARKIV ★ F-7 CM ★
My rating factors:
1. Photographer - The main element during photography. If there weren’t a person, the camera wouldn’t turn on, would not be installed in the correct position near the model or landscape, would not focus and would not take a picture at all. The photographer manages the entire shooting process, he is fully responsible for the shooting process, is responsible for the result, and no go-ahead is acceptable. If somebody called himself a photographer, He must be able to take pictures and get great results even on the phone, soap box and tin can. And this requires much more than just picking up a camera and pressing a button.
But, of course, a person himself cannot control everything, because the next factor that affects the creation of photography, I will name the external factors.
2. External factorslocation, the mood of those involved in the shooting, the type of shooting and the time allotted for shooting. Let me give you an example: when a photographer is filming his reportage, he cannot force someone to look exactly where he needs to be, or ask to do something, he can only catch moments, look for a good angle. Also, when shooting a landscape, it suddenly starts to rain - the photographer will not be able to get a perfectly blue sky, but he can get a rainy picture. The psychological attitude of those involved in the shooting is very much influenced. It is not always possible to customize and arrange the participants for the shooting or, for example, to change the model's hairstyle. Artistic photography is greatly influenced by the help of a make-up artist, a thoughtful idea, etc. An experienced photographer will be able to squeeze the maximum out of the resulting situation and will never blame such a combination of circumstances.
3. Light - element both technical and natural. Light is the key to success... Light is what creates an image on film, or on a matrix, or in extreme cases, gives a summer tan. It's difficult for a photographer without light. The photographer also controls the light - he correctly positions the participants in the direction of the sun, selects the shadows. From the technical side, the photographer enjoys flash, even during the day, reflectors, softboxes, creative lighting systems. This is especially true in the studio.
3.1. Assistant photographer. I did not highlight the assistant photographer as a separate item that affects the photo, because the assistant photographer can be attributed more to the photographer who organized the photography, and since the assistant photographer is most often involved in organizing the necessary lighting, the assistant is part of the lighting system. In some cases, an assistant is indispensable. With an assistant, you can get a good photo much faster, and there is always someone to talk to :). Usually, serious shooting involves a lot of people, the so-called team of the photographer. The photographer’s team is also very, very important for creating good shots.
4. Post processing using software (for example, using Photoshop, Lightroom, etc.). It's no secret that nowadays the vast majority of photography is digital, and sometimes it requires digital processing. A lot depends on the skills of a photographer or another person to correct a frame using software. Everyone knows that from a soap dish you can “pull out” a photo no worse than from a fancy DSLR. It takes time, skill and strength.
Spoiler alert: today, harsh post processing has become a kind of scourge of photography. From any, even the most disgusting photo, you can create a 'masterpiece' by adding a million and one filters there :).
5. The lens - an indispensable tool in the hands of any photographer. A well-known proverb that the photographer buys a lens, and on delivery the camera. The lens gives exactly the picture that we see, it creates it, warps, complements, works with sharpness, GRIP and other smart things. A lot depends on the speed of its focusing and focal lengths, aperture. Therefore, the lens is so important in photography.
6. The camera. By and large, this is a black (sometimes more glamorous) box, with curtains that sometimes open to apply light to the film, matrix, etc. At what earlier, the film and the camera were also separate. Now so much attention is paid to the camera due to the fact that there is a matrix instead of a film, which has a number of characteristics that many scientists are working on, and which more people are discussing. The camera allows you to simply dock the work of the photographer, lens, flash (light) and save the image on a film or memory card.
7. Printing device. The most-final result of all the attempts of the photographer depends on him. Printers have different print quality, color profiles, this is not an unimportant moment.
A colleague provides a new service 'professional photography of pictures for replication, reproduction or printing in catalogs', can anyone be interested, details here.
8. Display. Sometimes, I would say, very often the photo does not reach the print and is shown on the display. Of course, the better the display conveys colors and shades, the better the photo will look. Millions of articles have also been written on this subject.
Such a list was compiled by me in order to show that the technique itself, namely camera and lens are not the main sources of good photos. I think many people know and understand that good pictures can also be taken on the phone.
Some useful findings:
- It is not always necessary to chase an expensive professional camera, even on the most simple camera with interchangeable lenses you can get wonderful photos. I give my examples from the most primitive and oldest 6 megapixel, slowest and very ancient SLR Nikon D40:
(EXIF see below for photos). The main advantage of interchangeable lens cameras is matrix size, and for all cropped cameras, it is almost the same, just like for full-frame cameras and cameras of a different type. In practice, you can get the same photos, especially when working at low ISO from cameras of different levels, for example with Nikon D40 и D7000, Pentax-k30 and Pentax K10, Canon 350D и Canon 60D. My examples on the ancient Canon 350D:
- It is not always justified to chase expensive high-aperture optics, even with a whale lens, you can take good pictures. Here are some examples from simple whale lenses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (EXIF on right).
- The brand of the camera does not show the level of professionalism of the photographer. All battles about superiority Nikon \ Canon\ Pentax \ Sony \ Olympus etc. only distract from the very process of creating photos. Good photos are not Nikon D5, Canon 1Dx, but ability to manage them. I advise you to show love for good pictures instead of showing love for your brand.
- My experience of working and teaching people the basics of photography shows that a huge number of useful functions in modern cameras remains not only unclaimed, but generally not understood by beginner photographers. Therefore, in a huge number of cases, you should not buy an expensive camera, but restrict yourself to a simpler one. By the way, for this, manufacturers are not in vain dividing models into amateur, advanced, professional, top-end, flagship, etc. I advise beginners start with any cheapest SLR cameraIn any case, if the hobby for photography is claimed, the camera will have to be changed. Also, I recommend a look here.
Therefore, no matter what technique you photograph, it is important how you do it. The idea of the whole article is that not worth chasing a fancy camera and lensesOf course, the camera is also important in photographing, but the listed factors are more important aspects.
The image gallery below was shot with a very ancient camera Nikon D70 and even more ancient lens Nikon 50mm 1: 1.8 AF Nikkor (MKII, Nikon JAPAN). All photos are shown without processing. (large format can be downloaded here here):
If you still don’t believe that an expensive camera or a super-duplex lens will neither make you a professional nor help improve your pictures, pay attention to the promotions that I spend on the site:
From the actions it follows that even advanced and even professional photographers who took part in the action, many of whom I personally know, could not even approximately guess with the help of which this or that photo was obtained. And even for pictures taken with cropped camera and a 'dark' lens, users wrote for some transcendental full-frame cameras and super-fast optics. Therefore, my actions only confirm the fact that technology (namely photographic equipment) is in some cases of secondary importance. In studio shooting, some parameters of cameras and lenses are further leveled.
Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.
Hack and predictor Aviator
Respect the work of photographers, and remember that it is a person who photographs, and the camera affects the final result almost in the last turn. If we consider camera sophistication to be the only measure of the photographer’s professionalism, then we will all fall into the trap of stupidity.
Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram
Arkady - thank you for your reply to my mail.
priv_im. After rereading all the stats. Duzhe corysnі, take for me. Mercilessly taking Nikon 3100, yet did not really understand (my first mirror). In the near future I hope to be successful in photography.
Congratulations on your purchase. I wish you good luck in the photographic creation.
But is there a d5100 3. In the camera in processing mode there should be a star filter, it can be used
4. You can use a star filter (stars effect filter) on the lens
I do not understand your question.
But is there a star filter on the d5100 in processing mode? Is it possible to use a star filter (stars effect filter) on the lens of the d5100?
Arkady, thanks for the article.
Hello! I have the same d3100 mirror. please tell me, in what mode did you take photos ??? I want a blurry background. what mode do you recommend for the street? at home???
A blurred background strongly depends on the type of lens, for a blurry background you need a fast or long-focus lens - see more details here: https://radojuva.com.ua/2012/01/dof-best-lens-photo/ I usually shoot in aperture priority mode. For street and home, I advise fans to use the automatic mode.
Arkady, why so much noise about bokeh. This effect is rarely needed. Even a modern "portrait" tends to detail, look at any magazines of the last 15-20 years. In "full frame" the blurry background is more difficult to get rid of than to get it. So the guys with huge "fools" on their belly shout about the artistic technique. You have to be more honest!
I just wrote that the chase for bokeh is not always justified, please read more carefully.
Hello, tell me please, in the Nikon D 5100 camera with the “P” mode, the focus mode AF-F (constantly tracking AF) is selected and viewing in real time, the camera buzzes a little. Is this permissible or not? Thank.
Yes, it’s acceptable, it buzzes the focus of the lens and the stabilizer (if any).
Arkady, thanks for the interesting and informative articles.
I agree with you that the equipment is not in the first place in the process. Good shots can be obtained at the Zenith, and on the Change. I have a Nikon D40.
I would like to answer everyone who speaks about the potential that suddenly appeared: “Guys, if there was no potential, then there is nothing to blame on the mirror”
If you have something to say, then the Obscura camera is enough.
There are people who take pictures, and there are people who See. The latter are real artists, real photographers (writing with light :-)
Arkady, help !!! Now I wanted to throw pictures into a computer with Nikon D3100. I used to throw it off, but now for some reason it has become the NEF format. I don’t know, I changed it in the settings, how can I change the format and take pictures ???
In the camera menu, set the image quality to JPEG, instead of NEF. On a computer, you can open photos using the software that came with the camera.
a tool is important in any business. if it is an extension of your hand, you will not be distracted by it and will be free to create. how pleasant and convenient it is to use a professional tool. and photographic equipment is no exception. when you do not need to constantly worry about noise at high ISO, misses of the exposure meter, fast autofocus hidden in the menu and urgently needed settings - shooting will become much easier. more time will be left for thinking about the composition, and not thinking about “how to shoot at least something in such conditions. if finances allow, take good equipment. well, let you not use it to the fullest at first. but when you learn a little, it will not let you down.
I put bi light on 2 months.
-Maxim
19.09.2012 at 22: 12–
You forget that the camera and the photographer are not different from the Penzli and the Farbi with the painter: the photographer is the creator - the camera is an instrument, there is no head and other row, there is no useful function.
Ale - a photograph to be repaired from an idea, and an idea to be raised by a photographer. Axis to you and priority.
Excellent article!
I would like to point out that the choice of technique can dictate the genre in which the photographer works. For example, a huge DSLR would hardly be suitable for street photography in the style of Bresson and other genre painters, you need a device that can be carried everywhere and unnoticed by them ... So in the modern world such photos can be taken both on a soap dish and on a phone .. Another question is that now it will be so simple, for the soul, it will not bring money. Another observation from the biographies of famous photographers is that many of them, before coming to photography, were engaged in graphics, painting and other types of arts. I think, in part, this explains their success, because the laws of harmony and composition are the same everywhere. And you cannot create something new that is not based on the old, either this is old + new, or it is new as opposed to the old, but again it repels from it .. I think the study of the works of great photographers and masters of painting can help you to better understand the art of photography. Girl on a Ball ”Picasso, an excellent picture for studying the laws of composition, understanding the beauty of balance, which is important in my opinion in photography. By the way, I would like to advise what to read besides Radozhiva - there is a book by A.I. Lapin called "Photography as ...", it pays little attention to technical aspects, but as for the analysis of the creative side, the book is written, in my opinion, amazingly.
An interesting article and some comments, thanks. I am at a loss, I read articles about shutter speed, aperture, ISO and everything else, I tried all the modes on the camera, and fully manual and semi-automatic (P, S, A), what next? How exactly will learn to take good photos? There are a lot of ideas, the d5100, 18-55 camera, it turns out as a standard for a beginner, I read about the lens as not the most wonderful, but I would like to learn as much as possible from it, but I don’t know how and where to start? Are there any particularly useful books to make a start from? There are many lists on the Internet, I don’t know what to choose so that a really useful book is. I find the instruction for the camera useful, although it doesn’t explain why this or this parameter is needed, but at least it helps to navigate faster, so as not to be poked.
try some kind of idea. design and turn it into a masterpiece
The article is interesting, but contains a lot of controversial points. In my opinion, everything is important in photography: the skill of the photographer, the availability of high-quality photo and lighting equipment, and if you want some luck.
As previous commentators have correctly noted here, the tool by which the work is carried out must correspond to the tasks set, and the skill level of the performer must correspond to the difficulty of these tasks. For example, it will be quite difficult for an outstanding cabinetmaker to create masterpieces with a sledgehammer, and it will also be difficult for a master blacksmith to hammer metal with an ordinary hammer. From this work, the whole artistic mood will disappear in an instant and the masterpiece will never be created. If the photographer was going to portray the passions raging on the faces of athletes in a sporting event, then without a long and bright telephoto attached to a quick-fire carcass, he will be able to hope for successful shots, being only completely naive.
Modern photographic equipment, due to the automation of many processes, allows the photographer to escape from many technical processes and focus on the main thing - on the subject of photography. Now any layman who takes a camera for the first time can get a frame that, in terms of its technical characteristics, will surpass the frames taken by professional photographers 50 years ago. The only question is what will be depicted in this frame and how many people will be interested in this image? The art of a photographer lies precisely in creating images that are interesting to many people. Masters of this art have a much higher percentage of successful (interesting) shots than amateurs. Although, an amateur always has a chance to shoot a brilliant shot. But this chance is very small, together with a large chance that this shot will not be noticed due to the same amateurism.
These are the thoughts that this article provoked.
After switching from film to digital, I see that the world has changed ... All auto (amateur) settings such as portrait, landscape, etc. make them “not think” at all and are called upon to let the “figure” into the broad masses. It has always been not so difficult to set up an expo ... How lazy to think now? .. Where are we rushing? Ay-ay-ay?! ... Defocused soap photographs, with a complete lack of technical components, have become the “quality standard”. Give a modern camera to any photographer with roots dating back to the middle of the last century - he will never look for auto modes for setting shutter speed and aperture in the menu, because he knows that the “M” mode is “everything”. Everything that you do with your own hands is your work. Yes, to take Photographs (with a capital "F" so to speak), it may take years, but the "photo tool", in addition to being accessible, must also have capabilities at least at the level of 35 mm film, i.e. at least an FX matrix with good DD (dynamic range).
About the same - https://radojuva.com.ua/2013/04/88-heartbeat/
Somehow I came across a book by Alexander Lapin “Photo as ..”. She reveals the soul of photography - composition, rhythms, hidden meaning, randomness ... very exciting! It teaches you to think and frame like an artist.
Serious book ..
Arkady, I read your articles - they contain much more information than a paid video course advertised in the sidebar :). Thank you very much.
Such a nuance: in the review of cameras you rate the Nikon d3100 as a good option for those who will not continue to deal in depth with photography. And here you say that the device is not critical. So what is the d3100 missing for best results?
Rate of fire would be more well and all-weather
You know how the Kalashnikov assault rifle buried in the sand, dug up and shoot
To take a picture, the camera itself does not play the most important role, but nevertheless you need to understand that with the same camera you need a different approach for shooting the same scene. For a number of tasks, the d3100 will require much more effort to create a good picture, first of all, this is due to the very level of the camera, to which the d3100 belongs. It was designed as a camera for fans. https://radojuva.com.ua/2012/02/evolyuciya-kamer-nikon/ , therefore, does not have a number of properties that simplify the work of a professional photographer. Ultimately, this affects the quality and quantity of successful shots.
Persistence in gaining Experience!
Serious
I read a lot of smart sayings! Thank you! But I need to buy an apparatus for shooting n / tennis in a poorly lit room. And the athletes move sharply and even sharply hit the ball. At first there was the Nikon d7000 option, then I was told that for such a sport you need to have a full matrix, which means you need to take Nikon d800? That is, n / tennis must be removed for 1/500 sec! Answer, do I understand this question correctly, or are there more correct considerations? And for nikon d800 recommend nikon 24-70mmf2,8G ED AF-S. Really looking forward to the right advice!
Moreover, the size of the matrix and light. High-aperture optics are definitely needed, a short shutter speed also doesn’t hurt, and a crop or a full frame is optional.
I agree completely with Arkady because the photographer is the first to take pictures, not the camera. And in order to be masterpieces you need to be able to see. And to see always, even when there is no camera before it was called "to notice". And if you pay attention to the photo of Arkady, there is nothing unusual, the most ordinary things (flowers, animals, trees, plants). But Arkady noticed that zest and singled it out and turned out to be a masterpiece.
About me: I myself shot on film for a long time (ZENIT 11 carcass and ZENIT TTL + different lenses) until it disappeared from stores. I bought a digital SLR and inspired unlimited possibilities for myself, and here you understand how much earlier it was clamped in the film.
Privit. I recently recently read your stats, but even a bagato whose recognition. Persh for everything I want to podjakuvat for your pratsyu ...
І three nutrition:
1) In the comments, he wrote - “... the price of nikoli did not go smoothly to display the expo, just think about it ...”. Think about it ... think about it? I, for the butt, vchusya їkh vistavlyat by the method of vtik, samples і grants. And what about the nobility from the technical side?
2) In one article, I read approximately the following: “in this photo you can see a robot of technology and a dumb robot of a photographer”. Would you like to create a robot for me? (I don’t think that the technique will make the whole robot for me, just click on your idea).
3) After reading one of your comments, you will be able to get several thousand photos per day. The axis and the mimovoly appeared food - and de Vie pratsyute, why are you photographing ...? It’s easy to get a good deal, it’s very important, it’s easy for a robot to know, pay, etc. (I don’t try to compete with you, for me hobbies, I love my robot :))
Napper DYAKUYU!
1) This is helped by experience and certain reference rules, for example “sunny” - on a clear day ISO 100, 1/100, F / 16, etc.
2) implies the technical and aesthetic load of the image.
3) I work as a photographer http://wedding-photographer.tv/, I’ve just come from a usual exit for photographing a heresy, I took 300 shots, another 200 on the way back and forth to view the lens on Radozhiva, so it turned out half a thousand. In Ukraine, everything is very ambiguous with the work of the photographer.
I am sure, Arkady, that love of good photographic equipment is not alien to you either! I agree with the statement that the photographer is king. But the king is made by a retinue, photographic equipment. It’s good to shoot on the D40, D3100, but if you do not dissemble and repeat the stamps that exclude the importance of the equipment class, then you probably should use the D200 or D700, etc. and more convenient and enjoyable. Well, is the mood for creativity also increasing? Professional musicians and simply connoisseurs love Stradivarius, and connoisseurs of a good ride can drive from point A to B in Tavria, but they will prefer Audi. If in short, good photo equipment helps to shape a good mood and can increase creativity.
A good photographer and now on shift 8m will take off a masterpiece ..
Great article! Thanks for the hard work!
I read the article and remembered the saying of my leader at the photo club in the then House of Pioneers - a real photographer will manifest and fix it in tap water.