Tag Archives | photography

From the day I bought my first camera I’ve learnt many new lessons relating to photography, and I still have loads to learn.

Forget to Always Bring a Camera

I can remember certain scenes in my mind; places I have experienced, food I have eaten, people I have met , and I almost regret not bringing a camera. I want to have those moments captured, not merely in my memory. If you always want to take great pictures on your travels, do consider photography classes.

Not Backing Up Pictures

While living in London in 2005, my camera, including my nearly full 512mb memory card, got stolen during a burglary. I hadn’t even bothered to copy the pictures, and now I’ll never know how all my photos from London, Paris and Lyon would turn out. Sometimes I still think about that morning shot from Sacré Coure and wonder how it would look on a computer screen.

Double-Check the Door’s Locked When Developing Films in Dark Rooms

In high school I had two full films with images I’d taken during a recent weekend trip to Stockholm. Halfway through my work in the dark room, some guy opens the door. I couldn’t blame him since it was my responsibility to lock the door, but I felt pretty thoughtless for not double-checking it was locked.

I remember that weekend in Stockholm as clearly as yesterday. I photographed, among other things, an old couple dressed in black strolling along an empty street in Östermalm, two teenage girls who had painted stars in different colors around their eyes, three brats on Stureplan, and a lady watching over her one-year-old granddaughter.

Photograph People Rather than Places

Taking photos of people make your photographs more alive. I realized this after my last trip to London when looking through my pictures. I had mostly photographed buildings and empty cafes, restaurants and hotels. I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Where is everyone!?”

Walk Around With a Shiny New Camera

One last tip, if you have a new expensive camera, read the part below from My Ugly Camera by Jimmie of Jimmie’s Project Journal to prevent it from getting stolen.

Back in 2005 I went to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to do some volunteer work. Within the first week my camera was stolen. Being that I was volunteering in some of the communities there, I spoke with some people about it. They said that all digital cameras are worth money, but none of the film cameras are unless it’s an SLR.

One of the other volunteers has this model of camera, and I thought that with the LCD closed, it almost looked like a film camera. So I bought one in the US, had it shipped over, and then I covered it in tape and sharpie marker. I also took off anything shiny.

I would take a picture or two, and then check the light levels with the LCD. After that, I would then close it, and would proceed to take pictures with it as if it was a film camera until light levels would change. The camera lasted me the remaining five and a half months in some of the most impoverished areas of Rio. Just about every picture in my Flickr is from this camera.

What’s the biggest photography mistake you’ve made so far?