I have had a lot of people asking me for photography advice - followed by the popular burning question, "What school did you go to for photography?" I thought that since these questions have been raised so many times that I should get 'my secret' out there in the open.
It's been a hobby for a long time, and there is still so much I want to learn. I am self-taught but am lucky to know a lot of great photographers. Having a nice DSLR camera helps, but I still believe that a beautiful image comes far more from a photographer's eye, passion, an interesting angle and a little bit of good light than formal training and technology. I do what works for me and have learned a lot by a little bit of reading, a little bit of Googling, but mostly from practicing a ton and playing with my camera.
Don't care what other people think. Believe in yourself and let passion and what you love take over. Don't try too hard and know that you will get better with practice. Trying to know everything right up front will only put pressure on you and take away your passion. Learn from others. Ask questions. Photograph what you love--whether it's your kids, home decor, food, etc. and don't forget... details are everything! :-)
Also, the very popular question of what I use to shoot with... I am a Sony Alpha 900 DSLR camera body shooter. (Click the links) I like to shoot anywhere between 2.8 and 1.4 for the sharpest image possible. I shoot in manual and RAW settings and when shooting people I always focus on the eyes. I have a wide collection of lenses, but the ones I use all of the time are the 70-200mm f/2.8 TelephotoZoom Lens, Carl Zeiss 24-70mm f2.8 Zoom Lens, 35mm f/1.4 G-Series Wide-Angle Lens, 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens, and16mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens.
All images and content are ©2010 Bonnie Herschmiller Photography. Do not copy or reproduce in any way
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