# The First Rule of Photography is....



## drmikeinpdx (May 3, 2015)

Have a camera!

I regularly ride my bicycle in an area between the Columbia River and Vancouver Lake. (Near Portland Oregon USA) It is a great area for bird watching. Today a Bald Eagle carrying a fish flew right over me.

It would be great to carry my 5D3 with me, but it's a lot more practical to have my S100 along. I rarely get any good pix, but I carry it on general principle.

Today there just happened to be a search and rescue helicopter from the local Air Force Reserve unit doing training in one of the fields next to the road where I ride my bike. I know the area well and figured that I could get to a spot where the helicopter would be right in front of Mt. St. Helens.

The Air Force guys were very cooperative subjects. 

It was great fun for me and reinforced my belief that I should always have a camera.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (May 3, 2015)

I bought a refurb SX50 last Christmas when they were $189 for just that reason. I find that its difficult to use at long focal lengths, and will be interested in the new super zoom with 1 inch sensor once it is released. 1200mm is nice, but I find the IQ to be lacking.

200mm is not enough, but 400mm equivalent would be great.


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## Click (May 3, 2015)

Very nice shot, drmikeinpdx. Well done.


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## Gnocchi (May 3, 2015)

Good shot. 
I agree about always having a camera at hand.


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## East Wind Photography (May 3, 2015)

...those with the most expensive toys win!


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## jdramirez (May 4, 2015)

I tend to go with, first do no harm.


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## drmikeinpdx (May 4, 2015)

When pocket or Point & Shoot cameras become obsolete, they aren't worth much, so rather than selling them, I keep them around as emergency cameras. I like to keep one in my bicycle seat bag or in the glove compartment of my car, for example. Mine (S90 and S100) are Canons so the menus will always stay familiar. I like the pocket form factor of these little cameras and the fact that they shoot RAW is a big plus for me. Your mileage will vary, of course! 

The modern batteries hold a charge for a really long time and you don't have to worry about the film getting cooked when you park your car in the summer sun.

A decent case helps to keep them from getting scratched up in storage.


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## AcutancePhotography (May 4, 2015)

jdramirez said:


> I tend to go with, first do no harm.



I like that. It should be Rule Zero.


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## Don Haines (May 4, 2015)

And the second rule is "stop taking pictures of your lens cap".

We all have them. Some of us have been taking pictures of our lenscaps all the way back to the good old days of film..... We have them in Kodachrome 25 and tri X 1600.... from 320x200 pixels to 40 megapixels...


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## mackguyver (May 4, 2015)

The First Rule of Photography is...._we don't talk about photography_. Oh wait, that's Fight Club


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## Kristofgss (May 4, 2015)

Don Haines said:


> And the second rule is "stop taking pictures of your lens cap".
> 
> We all have them. Some of us have been taking pictures of our lenscaps all the way back to the good old days of film..... We have them in Kodachrome 25 and tri X 1600.... from 320x200 pixels to 40 megapixels...


I vote for this one. It's usually also when your subject tries to hide a smile when you notice this.


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## Orangutan (May 4, 2015)

jdramirez said:


> I tend to go with, first do no harm.


+10

That pretty much applies to everything in life. Regarding photography, I try to remember that other humans are not my paid models.


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## sanj (May 4, 2015)

No photo... Want to see...


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## PureClassA (May 4, 2015)

First Rule of Photography is..... Buy a camera! (iPhones don't count)


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## distant.star (May 4, 2015)

.
There are rules???


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## digital-jesus (May 4, 2015)

Be there!


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## MintChocs (May 4, 2015)

Make sure you put a memory card in the camera before you leave the house with it!


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## NancyP (May 4, 2015)

At least one camera in the house should be charged fully, have an empty card, be set to its "routine" setting , and be sitting out (or whole bag sitting out) ready to go. That way you don't lose shots, and can't roll over in bed and whine to oneself- "it's too EARLY.."


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## jdramirez (May 4, 2015)

You can buy a new sd card from a grocery store or pharmacy, but the battery... Hoodlum trying to find a place that sells the lp-e6... Or whatever it is called. 



MintChocs said:


> Make sure you put a memory card in the camera before you leave the house with it!


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## MintChocs (May 4, 2015)

jdramirez said:


> You can buy a new sd card from a grocery store or pharmacy, but the battery... Hoodlum trying to find a place that sells the lp-e6... Or whatever it is called.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have had to run into a supermarket and buy one, just lucky that there was one nearby and it was open, fortunately as well I use SD cards.


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## Busted Knuckles (May 4, 2015)

drmikeinpdx said:


> Have a camera!
> 
> Today there just happened to be a search and rescue helicopter from the local Air Force Reserve unit doing training in one of the fields next to the road where I ride my bike. I know the area well and figured that I could get to a spot where the helicopter would be right in front of Mt. St. Helens.
> 
> ...



Does this qualify for "Bird In Flight"


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## slclick (May 4, 2015)

Don't listen to the rule makers


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## Steve Williams (May 4, 2015)

digital-jesus said:


> Be there!



Amen!


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## troppobash (May 5, 2015)

Next is to enjoy the experience.


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## sanj (May 5, 2015)

PureClassA said:


> First Rule of Photography is..... Buy a camera! (iPhones don't count)



Err. They they do! (Photo not mine)

https://www.apple.com/in/iphone/world-gallery/?cid=wwa-in-kwg-iphone-com


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## bholliman (May 5, 2015)

NancyP said:


> At least one camera in the house should be charged fully, have an empty card, be set to its "routine" setting , and be sitting out (or whole bag sitting out) ready to go. That way you don't lose shots, and can't roll over in bed and whine to oneself- "it's too EARLY.."



+1. I learned this one the hard way by missing too many shots of the kids doing something interesting and the two minutes it took me to get my camera ready: retrieve camera case from closet, open camera case, install right lens, speed light, adjust settings, etc.

Now I always have one body ready to go for shots around home that I can access in seconds, not minutes. I change my cameras back to fairly standard settings before I shut them down. Nothing worse than grabbing a camera for use on the kids and find out you left iit set for 20 second exposures with mirror lock-up on and 2 second delay shutter.


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## AcutancePhotography (May 5, 2015)

sanj said:


> PureClassA said:
> 
> 
> > First Rule of Photography is..... Buy a camera! (iPhones don't count)
> ...



Those are some nice pictures!


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## DominoDude (May 5, 2015)

Learn all rules, then break them.


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## AcutancePhotography (May 5, 2015)

DominoDude said:


> Learn all rules, then break them.



Well, learn the rules so that one is knowledgeable enough to make the decision when and how to use the rules appropriately.


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## DominoDude (May 5, 2015)

AcutancePhotography said:


> DominoDude said:
> 
> 
> > Learn all rules, then break them.
> ...



Yeah, I know what you mean. It was a superquick reply. Perhaps I should have rephrased it to something like "...and then don't be afraid to break them".
A hint at that creating one's own style might require a few broken and circumvented rules.


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## GP.Masserano (May 5, 2015)

Learn from the masters, 
experiment in freedom, 
be patient


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## sanj (May 5, 2015)

AcutancePhotography said:


> sanj said:
> 
> 
> > PureClassA said:
> ...



My city - Mumabi - is filled with HUGE hoardings of "shot on Iphone" with some fantastic photos. I felt tempted to get rid of my Sony Rx100 and to just use my Iphone. One less camera to deal with. But I won't do that yet, the IQ does not match. And Iphone does not shoot RAW... and never will I feel.


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## jdramirez (May 5, 2015)

How about this one...

In six months you will realize that you aren't as good today as you think you are... So show some humility.


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## KeithBreazeal (May 5, 2015)

jdramirez said:


> How about this one...
> 
> In six months you will realize that you aren't as good today as you think you are... So show some humility.



Spot on! I look back at older pics that I want to revive and, at times, wonder why I didn't think the shot through enough.
My biggest 'take-away' from starting out with a DSLR - shoot raw.
If you edit photos before owning a camera, you'll have the obsession to get the shot right the first time.


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## sanj (May 5, 2015)

jdramirez said:


> How about this one...
> 
> In six months you will realize that you aren't as good today as you think you are... So show some humility.



Is this directed at me?


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## jdramirez (May 5, 2015)

I didn't shoot raw for years because I didn't have a program that would edit or recognize the image, so there's not much I can do with the shots moving forward... 

There's one in particular, where I over exposed the whole scene, and it was one of those bursts where only one image is good... And note I thin... I could have easily reduced the exposure in post and it would look... Not great, but much better... :/



KeithBreazeal said:


> jdramirez said:
> 
> 
> > How about this one...
> ...


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## jdramirez (May 5, 2015)

No, but I do feel as though I keep learning stuff... I thought about saying 1 year rather than six months, but months is practically a lifetime when it comes to understanding and applying a myriad of techniques... 



sanj said:


> jdramirez said:
> 
> 
> > How about this one...
> ...


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## NancyP (May 11, 2015)

Second and third rules for outdoor nature photography: 
2. Check weather. It is nice to know if there is risk of tornado/ high winds, lightning storm, hail predicted.
3. Check hunting season. I didn't do the latter a week ago, and was alarmed to see a turkey hunter walking out while I was hiking and NOT wearing hunter-orange vest or other loud-color clothing.


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## AcutancePhotography (May 11, 2015)

NancyP said:


> 3. Check hunting season. I didn't do the latter a week ago, and was alarmed to see a turkey hunter walking out while I was hiking and NOT wearing hunter-orange vest or other loud-color clothing.



Depending on how drunk the hunters are in your area, it probably won't make a difference.


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## martti (May 11, 2015)

"Don't Panic"...?


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## serendipidy (May 11, 2015)

Don't let a monkey use your camera to take a selfie ;D


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## NancyP (May 11, 2015)

I am pretty cautious about going places during deer season and duck firearms season. Bow season, not so much, though I am still cautious (they are better hunters). Turkey season - the gobblers are more challenging than either deer or ducks, and the hunters seem better than the run of the mill deer hunter.


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## Orangutan (May 11, 2015)

AcutancePhotography said:


> NancyP said:
> 
> 
> > 3. Check hunting season. I didn't do the latter a week ago, and was alarmed to see a turkey hunter walking out while I was hiking and NOT wearing hunter-orange vest or other loud-color clothing.
> ...



"Two game wardens, seven hunters and a cow." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfW2tYIn8-Q


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## bholliman (May 12, 2015)

NancyP said:


> I am pretty cautious about going places during deer season and duck firearms season. Bow season, not so much, though I am still cautious (they are better hunters). Turkey season - the gobblers are more challenging than either deer or ducks, and the hunters seem better than the run of the mill deer hunter.



My experience with hunters is similar. Around here shotgun season for deer is when all the idiot hunters are out shooting at anything that moves (and some things that don't...). The bow hunters and turkey hunters in general are much more skilled and less likely to shoot something that isn't their intended game.


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## JonAustin (May 12, 2015)

MintChocs said:


> Make sure you put a memory card in the camera before you leave the house with it!



Been there, done that. Nothing more embarrassing that discovering on site that you have NO cards in your camera, bag, pockets, etc.!

When I first got into dSLR photography, I refused to accept the storage requirements for RAW images, so I shot JPEGs for a couple of years. Finally came to appreciate the superior latitude RAW provides and switched over. Then, when I bought a 5D3, I stingily set it to mRAW. _Then_ I discovered that mRAW isn't kind to colors in dark situations (at least on the 5D3; black tuxedos came out green), so I'm back to full RAW. Have I finally learned my lesson?


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## anthonyd (May 12, 2015)

jdramirez said:


> How about this one...
> 
> In six months you will realize that you aren't as good today as you think you are... So show some humility.



+1

Although I'm a much slow learner than that. It takes me a couple of years to realize that most of the pictures I took "back then" could have been better if only I knew how to recognize and fix this or that problem (and I'm not even going to talk about the HDR stage).


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## ninjapeps (May 12, 2015)

JonAustin said:


> _Then_ I discovered that mRAW isn't kind to colors in dark situations (at least on the 5D3; black tuxedos came out green)


Is this also true of sRAW? I used to shoot in sRAW until I finally decided to buy a bigger memory card.


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## rpt (May 12, 2015)

I think it should be "take off the lens cap".


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## Starfox (Apr 26, 2016)

So many lens, so many techniques, so many things when it all boils down to having that eye for a great shot


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## slclick (Apr 26, 2016)

So it's not 'Go on Canon Rumors and start an angry rant about the industry'?

Ok, then I'll go with 'Understand Light'


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