Over the past year, i have realised how much my style of photography has changed. I now understand more than ever the importance of quality equipment, for example when trying to recreate a style of image creating using natural and tungsten lighting, it was important to use a fast lens, i have a few lenses but none are particularly fast and i only have one prime lens which if i had it my way i would always choose a prime over a variable zoom lens anyway, i love the quality of the image and the clarity.
I recently read somewhere about a guy who learnt how to photograph using a prime lens only which really enhanced his understanding of what the lens actually does for you. By using a prime and physically moving yourself closer or away from the subject you develop an understanding of how variable lenses work.
While i love all kinds of photography, recently i have realised i only really like Landscape photography when it suits me to take this kind of images, when i am somewhere different and want to create a memory of that place rather than for an assignment brief with time scales. I love to be able to let that side of my photography be unenclosed, whereby i am free to capture the image in my own time.
Looking back at my images from when i first started out to the kind of photography i shoot now, there is a huge difference and of course this is down to experience and learning new techniques and having a far better understanding of the key areas within photography. I have always known the importance of lighting but never before really understood how to control it when out on location without using bracketing and creating multiple images to then post produce.
I must admit i have a new admiration for landscape photographers as there is so much to consider when heading out to capture that image. You have the elements, the lighting, the equipment to contend with and even possible any wildlife which could “make” or “hinder” an image depending on your exposure times.
Finally i have realised how easy photography has been made with digital photography, thats not to say that because you own a digital camera that you are a good photographer, it just, in my opinion, makes it easier to learn from your mistakes. Having shot on film and scanned in the negatives, the images i have created are not to a standard i personally could ever be happy with but having a student budget, terrible weather and deadline timescales i have on this occasion been beaten and had to accept defeat with substandard images i feel i have created.
jenjenmarie 