I like to explore the internet, find new websites about photography, learn about new products, etc. And I think I have found a new website that is unique, could be a lot of fun for serious photographers, plus, help you to become a great photographer while learning about photography. And that is: https://gurushots.com/
The fun thing is that GuruShots has made a game out of becoming a good photographer. Check this out from their website:
THE WORLD’S GREATEST PHOTOGRAPHY GAME
Join fresh daily photo challenges and become a Photo Guru!
Challenge yourself. Have fun. Stay motivated. Start off as a Newbie and work your way up to Guru status. Gain exposure and earn badges that demonstrate your achievements.
Get instant feedback from 6 Billion + monthly votes Submit your photos to daily photo challenges and receive feedback from millions of people like you who simply love taking photos. NEW CHALLENGES EVERY DAY
And they just published a series called: “TELL A STORY COMPETITION”. One of the top photo winners was the photo at the top of this page.
LEARN HOW TO “SEE” A PHOTO – THEN CREATE YOUR MASTERPIECE
Now we are getting into the fun things about learning photography. This course walks you through how to “see” a photo, when you get to your location. Or learn how to see things around you that are worth photographing. A complete course that walks your through about how to “feel” your photo as well. This is for the photographer who wants to create a masterpiece photo.
A photographer, who does writing for major publications had just come out with this idea of “How to See a Photo” by taking a photo with a different color each day. This will help you to understand color, even the subtle colors to help with creating an artful photograph.
She Said:
Color may make up the majority of our world, but photographing it might not be as easy as you think. Sometimes the abundance of color can be overwhelming, and sometimes it’s hard to find the color you’re looking for at all! Before taking up the challenge, grab a pen and paper. Write down a heading for each color and list as many different things you can think of under each. Sometimes it’s even worth Googling specific color schemes, just to give you some ideas of what to look for.
Next, designate a day for each color you would like to photograph. And it doesn’t have to be the generic gamut of colors either. Why not try looking out for a more pastel pallet? Soft pinks, greys, and blues make wonderful, atmospheric photographs. More earthy colors like oranges, browns and dark greens are great colors to keep a look out for in Autumn.
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LOOK FOR BOLD COLORS
As you start this exercise of shooting a different color each day, first look for BOLD colors. These are sometimes harder to find than the subtle colors. So, for example, look for GREEN. What would you take that is a strong GREEN color?
Now, as you pick a different color each day, think ahead of time of what you would take a picture of that color, and then see if you can be creative with the color chosen.
And a softer color pallete…
Once you have moved through your own assignment of the bold colors, then go to the soft color pallete:
And then your next challenge would be to find a photo that would combine both BOLD and pastel in the same photo.
The foreground of this image is made up of bold, contrasting colors while the background is predominantly made up of a soft pink pallet. The bold and soft colors emphasize each other and create a more dynamic image. The negative space around the top half of the image is important too, it maintains balance, making sure the full extent of the color palette isn’t too overwhelming.
CONCLUSION:
While color is all around us, it’s easy to take for granted. Simple exercises like focusing on photographing a particular color each day help keep your practice fresh and unique.
Keep your eyes peeled and don’t be afraid to explore, color often reveals itself in unexpected and fascinating ways!
If you had a chance to chat with a pro photographer, or one who you know is a “serious” photographer, what would you ask them? Most people are intrigued to see a real photographer in action. Watch them! Learn from them! And then ask if you can have a few minutes of their time and ask them some questions.
Here is a list of questions that has been put together that most photographers get asked:
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU WISH YOU KNEW WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED TAKING PHOTOS?
First: it’s important to know that a photographer, when they first started, didn’t know anything much about photography. They struggled to learn how their camera works, how composition works, and how to make things work for them.
Answers you might receive are:
Gear
Motivation
And much, much more!
Composition
Lighting
Scouting
These questions related to these answers should help a lot.
Just remember that every photographer did not start as a photo genius. What would you think they would say? Would it be: photo courses, reading books and magazines, looking at pictures, or was it just practice, practice, practice?
(Bonus: Plenty of photographers love this question, because it’s clearly flattering! So you’re likely to get a good, long, helpful answer.)
WHAT CAMERA GEAR DO YOU USE?
I don’t recommend you start off with this question, because it comes off as a bit superficial; after all, it’s the photographer, not the gear, that makes great photos.
But there are things you can learn about cameras, and equipment that the photographer may help you with. And I hope they are honest with you and don’t say that one brand is better than another, because there is clearly a great camera you could choose in every brand. But, find out what they would recommend for the type of photography you want to do.
WHICH LENS IS YOUR FAVORITE TO USE?
This is another question that could test the honesty of the photographer. One lens is not a “fix all” lens for all types of photography. If they are a portrait photographer, then they would probably tell you that this particular lens is good for portraits. And maybe another lens would be different for landscapes, etc.
By the way, when it comes to choosing from among high-level lenses, it’s not so much about determining which lens is the sharpest. Instead, it’s about determining which lens fits your particular preferences and requirements, so that you can achieve the shots you’re after. Make sense?
WHEN YOU GO OUT TO SHOOT, WHAT OTHER EQUIPMENT DO YOU TAKE BESIDES THE CAMERA AND LENS?
So many different accessories to complete your photo experience
Most photographers have an interesting accessory or two they can’t live without, like a cleaning kit, a portable charger, or even certain hiking boots.
And these items vary from photographer to photographer, depending on their shooting genre and style.
It can be a lot of fun to ask a photographer about their essentials. Be sure to find out why they carry the items that they do. And pretty soon, you’ll have a handful of items to add to your own gear wish list!
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I recommend you leave this question open ended, because you don’t want to know the precise settings that a photographer uses every now and again; instead, you want to know the best settings for specific occasions, as well as the can’t-live-without settings a photographer always needs.
Some things that might be mentioned are:
Aperture
AF area modes
Image style (do they shoot in black and white or do they convert later?)
Does the photographer use Adobe or Lightroom? What are the reasons for using them? There is a few more minor questions to ask them here as you can see. Is it hard to use these programs?
Be sure to listen carefully; the key to a photographer’s style is sometimes hidden in the smallest of details!
IS THERE A PHOTOGRAPHER WHO HAS INFLUENCED YOU?
One of the worlds most famous photographers: Ansel Adams
Out of all the questions to ask photographers on this list, the “influence” question is the most difficult to answer – but if you have the time and the photographer is willing, it can lead to outstanding insights into their work.
See, all photographers have influences. And while most work is original to some extent, by understanding how a photographer developed, you can nail down certain aspects of their thought process, such as:
What they’re trying to say with their photography
How they approach composition
How they think about light
CONCLUSION:
One of the key steps to learning photography yourself, is to ask another photographer. Make sure the photographer is a good one, and not your brothers father-in-law. Get a hold of a good photographer. You usually can tell if they are really in to photography by the equipment they carry.
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Your camera has lots of features that most photographers—including yourself—never use. You might not even know they exist or what they’re for. Aperture, shutter speed, and focus are fundamental and very important, but there are many more features that can help you be a better photographer and spend less time retouching and fixing your average photos. There are functions like multiple exposure, time-lapse, mirror lock-up, and metering, just to name a few. Take your time to learn about them and get creative. Creativity will change your photography. Do you know where your camera’s manual is? Time to take it out, go through it, experiment with each function, and learn what you can create. You’ll be amazed.
THE BEST WAY TO LEARN ABOUT YOUR CAMERA IS TO GET OUR NEW BASIC COURSE ON PHOTOGRAPHY! THIS WEBSITE WILL HAVE AN ALL NEW COURSE TO LEARN ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY, AND IT COMES OUT JANUARY 20TH. WE WILL COVER IDEAS LIKE: “UNDERSTANDING LIGHT”, “HOW TO BUY A CAMERA”, THINK ABOUT “WHAT KIND OF PHOTOS YOU WANT TO TAKE“! COME BACK TO THIS WEBSITE ON JANUARY 20TH TO GET YOUR NEW PHOTO COURSE!
JOIN A PHOTO CLUB, AND MINGLE WITH OTHER PHOTOGRAPHERS:
Photography is lots of fun when you can share the experience with others. Look for local photographers or a local photo club and plan outings. Going out with several photographers allows you to experiment with other cameras and lenses, learn new techniques, and practice. It’s fun and a great way to learn.
LEARN NEW PHOTO TECHNIQUES
This website, this year, is going to have a lot of different ideas of how to take different types of photos. Different ways to take photos. And also learn about things you can do with your camera you may not realize you can do. Should be an exciting new year of learning here at 123photogo.
Try something here now by going to this search engine and just type in a subject you want to learn about. With over 1,000 different blogs on this website, I may already have something new to try out. Try it here now:
TRY SHOOTING SOME NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY:
Shooting at night is probably the best way to learn photography. Automatic does not work. You have to learn how to balance ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. You are forced to use a tripod, and by doing so, you learn how to use it properly and reinforce proper shooting techniques. Also learn how to focus on the light. In the end, you will be rewarded with amazing images.
Photo by Lanny Cottrell – 123PhotoGo
FIND A WAY TO SHOW OFF YOUR WORK MORE:
There is no better feeling than someone commenting on your image and liking it. There are many ways in which you can show off your work. Post it online. For example, on SmugMug you can have your own mini-website. Enlarge and print a couple of your images and hang them at home or at the office. Build a photo page of your work on Facebook. Instagram was originally set up for photographers to display their photos online. Plush, you can learn a lot from photographers there as wellThere are many options, and at the end you will feel proud of your photography and motivated to do better.
123PhotoGo has it’s own “photo group” in which you can share your photos. I find that the serious photographers are trying to post new photos almost every day. It makes you think that you need to take more photos, and as you do so, you become a better photographer. Details below:
THIS IS GOING TO BE AN EXCITING YEAR FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS AS WE CONTINUE TO MODIFY THIS WEBSITE SO WE CAN HELP YOU AND OTHERS BECOME BETTER PHOTOGRAPHERS. KEEP COMING BACK! IT WILL BE EXCITING!
I admire people who have taken the plunge to buy a DSLR camera or a new Mirrorless camera system. Somewhere in my mind, I think that you are an artist, or want to become an artist. That is why you bought that camera, because you want to create something more than what your cell phone can do.
But, what does all this mean on my camera? How come my photo didn’t turn out like I thought? What kind of lens should I use? Why does this flash system make my photos look worse? And on, and on? Questions are how we learn.
123PhotoGo has different options to get in touch with someone.
If you want to try to just search for a subject, there is the most incredible search system on this website. Just type in your subject here, and watch how many related articles come up to your subject or question:
2- You want more than just a search program, I have an email in which you can contact me for any questions related to photography: Email me at: question.123photogo@123photogo
3- If you would like to advertise on this website, we can help you with that now. Why? check out these stats as of this writing:
Facebook followers as of today (12-03-2021): 40,352 followers
Instagram followers (mostly all photographers): 320
Also recently joined Pinterest, so numbers are not available yet, but, I have done some advertising on Pinterest, and over 9Million people viewed the ad.