Both Rick and I have recently posted on what makes a good photo. But what about the other side? What makes a good photographer? See how many of these traits you possess.

1. You need passion.

2. You need to be dedicated to the craft of photography.

3. You need to be a story teller.

4. You need to care about your subject.

5. You need patience and lots of it.

6. You need a sense of wonder and imagination.

7. You need to share.

8. You need to be the kind of photographer who makes OTHER people want to become a photographer.

9. You need to try a little bit harder than the next guy.

10. You need to develop a recognizable style – even if that style is – no style!

Wow! What a list. Re-reading this it looks like it’s hard to be a good photographer. Guess what – it is. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would be a good photographer.

Copyright Scott Bourne 2009 - All Rights Reserved Read more at photofocus.com

over the years, Rick and I have compiled a bunch of sayings we use to help people improve their photography

1. The name of the game is fill the frame. (Rick)

2. When in doubt, leave it out. (Scott)

3. Light illuminates, shadows define. (Rick)

4. Before shooting, look up, look down, look all around (LUDA).(Scott)

5. Make pictures, don’t just take pictures. (Rick)

7. Don’t photograph the world as it is, photograph the world as you’d like it to be. (Scott)

8. 99% of all lenses are better than 98% of all photographers. (Scott)

10. Beware (be aware of) the background – it can make or break a photograph. (Rick)

11. When you think you are close, get closer. (Rick)

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Copyright Scott Bourne 2002 - All Rights Reserved Read more at photofocus.com

by scottbourne

If you’re struggling with your photography, it’s possible you’re feeling insecure. If you want to change that, here are three distinct steps you can take to get you on your way.

1) Shoot, Shoot, Shoot. Shoot all the time. No matter what just keep shooting.

2) Start a project.

3. Don’t get hung up on gear.

Try these tips and see if you can get yourself into a place where you feel good about yourself and your work. Read more at photofocus.com

Copyright Nicole Young – All Rights Reserved

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When you are taking a photo it’s important to be aware of the foreground and background of the entire scene, and not just the main subject. This is something you hear over and over, especially when you are just starting out as a photographer, but it’s also what can make-or-break your image.

In the two photos above I was using very shallow depth-of-field (a Lensbaby Composer at f/2.8) so I knew that I would have good bokeh and a soft background, but an out-of-focus background won’t always be the only way to get the best image. The photo on the left has several flowers directly behind the main subject – the image isn’t horrible, but in my opinion it looked to cluttered. So I inched over to my left and took a photo of the same flower, but with a slightly different scene directly behind it. The difference is very subtle but produced a better, cleaner image with a background that allowed the subject to pop-out of the frame. Read more at photofocus.com

by scottbourne

I’ve studied all the great photographers. People like Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz, Paul Strand and Imogen Cunningham to name a few.

They and others like them seem to have three common traits.

1. They are all committed. These are people who lived their art.

2. They were all story tellers.

3. Each of these photographers were not only committed to photography, they loved it.

When I find myself lacking direction in my photographic work, I think about these three traits and try to find a way to inject more of them into my life, my thinking and my craft.Read more at photofocus.com