Introduction to Photography: Moving Beyond Snapshots by Travis Bumgarner

Goals Beginner Pitfalls Get Inspired Shooting Tips Questions to ask: Raise your hand if your main camera is a phone, film camera, P&S, DSLR or Mirrorless, Other kind Know what aperature, shutter speed, and/or ISO is? Beginner pitfalls – going to touch on some mistakes that beginners make Get inspired – finding time to take pictures Shooting tips – tips to immediately start improving on your photography Goals Beginner Pitfalls Get Inspired Shooting Tips

My Background My Background Most of my life I’ve had a camera, never really took good pictures Buy my first DSLR in 2011 while backpacking Don’t take it off automatic mode, barely use it when I go back to States Leave it behind when I join peace Corps, but get family to bring it when they come to visit Carnival P&S stolen June 2014 decide to start learning photography Read lots, watch lots, photograph lots Two years later

Beginner Pitfalls “My camera isn’t good enough…” Don’t blame your camera Time between first complaint, valid complaint – 8 months dedicated learning Google is your friend: “Why is my picture blurry” “Why is the sky white” If only I had Photoshop Originally against photo editting Good photo editing shouldn’t be noticeable I don’t have time to take photos… Beginner Pitfalls “My camera isn’t good enough…” Youtube: DigitalRev TV - Pro Photographer, Cheap Camera Challenge Gear Acquisition Syndrome Buy books, not gear “If only I had Photoshop” “I don’t have time to take photos”

Examples of commute photos Get Inspired!

Examples of commute photos

Examples of commute photos

Rule of 3rds Keep an eye out for it in all of my other photos Try to avoid putting things dead center Rule of 3rds

Rule of 3rds

Portrait, Landscape, Square Talk about square photography - Read your camera manual, to see if your camera supports 1x1 4 Lines of symmetry vs 2 lines of symmetry Goes against the rule of 3rds, can put things right in the middle Landscape Square Portrait Portrait, Landscape, Square

Portrait, Landscape, Square

Fill the Frame

Fill the Frame

Where do you think 99% of photos are shot from? Change your Viewpoint

Where do you think 99% of photos are shot from? Change your Viewpoint

Scan your Borders and Simplify Your eye focuses on the subject, and maybe you missed it in this shot, like I did when taking it… Photography is one of the few mediums where you’re removing instead of adding Scan your Borders and Simplify

Scan your Borders and Simplify - Going back to what I said about viewpoints… Scan your Borders and Simplify

Simplify & Scan your borders I stress learning the rules first Have a reason to break them break them! For example: Rule of thirds, put something right in the middle, or right in the corner Simplify & Scan your borders Learn the rules and then break them!

Next Steps Pick a subject that interests you and run with it More exciting to learn about shooting the stars than aperture size and shutter speed Join a community Instagram, Flickr, National Geographic: Your Shot (mention photo challenges) By joining a community follow interesting people that you think have skills you want to learn about Shoot what interests you Join a community Imitate Others Get back to the Basics

Resources travisbumgarner.com Google Travisbumgarner.com – uploading this presentation there Google – you can find answers to any questions Lynda.com \Buy me a coffee or beer and I’d happily review photos Resources travisbumgarner.com Google Lynda.com Foundations of Photography courses Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson

I could talk for hours. I wanted to just give a brief introduction to the world of photography I’ll leave it open for questions Questions?