It's so easy…

1. Take pictures.

2. Take more pictures.

3. Take even more pictures.

4. Take even more than more pictures.

5. Take pictures when you don’t want to.

6. Take pictures when you do want to.

7. Take pictures when you have something to say.

8. Take pictures when you don’t have something to say.

9. Take pictures every day.

10. Keep taking pictures.

This cute little 7:35 video comes from Canon Australia (emphasis mine):

Chris McLennan talks about his experiences as an international wildlife photographer and gives hints and tips about flash photography, using natural light, macro shots and how to shoot wide angles for some amazing results. Join in, find the inspiration for your photography and share at www.canon.com.au/worldofeos

A quick video lesson about shooting events by Jay P. Morgan of The Slanted Lens:

Shooting events can be very hard and in this lesson I will share some insights that will make it a bit easer. I learn every time I shoot and this was no exception. One clarification I want to make about camera settings that was not as clear as I would have liked it in the video. I shoot in aperture priority when I shoot stills and in shutter priority when I shoot video. When shooting video in shutter priority I set the shutter at 1/50th of a second and allow the aperture to fluctuate.

Interesting article by street photographer Eric Kim about how concepts and ideas taken from the domain of cognitive sciences can help you shot better (read: more interesting) pictures. The article is well made, has a comprehensive introduction and still manages to be not too long. The article tries to tackle the following issues:

What makes a photograph memorable? What makes a photograph so powerful and so magical that it burns itself into our memories? Why do certain photographs withstand the history of time? Why do certain shots that are perfectly composed and framed are easily forgotten or dismissed? What makes a great photograph? How much of it is subjective vs objective? Is there a “science” behind making a memorable photograph?

These are important questions every photographer thought about at least once during his or her (photographic) life. The article is well-researched (though the author says it is not enough) and I think it is easily understandable also for those who don’t have a background in psychology or cognitive science. I won’t anticipate too much since I think this article is absolutely worth to be read. Let me just say that it goes over three main concepts that may be precious aids for your (street-) photography:

1. We communicate with stories
2. We seek patterns
3. We look into the future

Each concept is analyzed and discussed with regard to photography. Sample images are provided. If you are into street photography (I am) then this article is a real must.