Tools of the trade...

With the proliferation of smartphones and tablet devices that have built in cameras the population of photographers has grown exponentially over the years.  Just take a gander at Facebook and Google+ for proof.  I know there are many professional photographers out there that bristle at these wannabe artists intruding on their craft. I for one welcome these new expressionists because everyone has an artistic side that's just dying to come out and today's photography landscape offers us that outlet.  Now to be clear not everyone that posts photos is trying to be an artist.  Most just want to share what they had for dinner or show off that planter box they created from Pinterest.  But there are those that take and post photos throughout the day as if the social media world is their personal gallery.  No discriminating between the quality of the photographs. Just point, click and post.  Its with many of them I question their artistic integrity. It seems there's this sense of urgency to post as much as they can with little to no thought on producing something meaningful and interesting.  I'm not saying these folks need to stop taking pictures. On the contrary, I really want to see their work. What I hope to see are more folks putting just a little more effort in their art. 

There are far too many tools and resources available at the touch of a touch screen to account for such shoddy pictures being splashed across social media. Aside from the duck face bimbo mirror shots, the semi-scenic and portrait photos are the most popular and it kills me that if the photographer would've taken just 60 seconds to crop and auto-enhance the picture (these tools are embedded in every camera phone), they would've had an "Oh!" instead of an "eh" photograph. 

Listen up, folks.  If you're going to take the time to photograph everything in front of you, then you owe it to you, your viewers and your craft to take the best photos you can. Now you may argue that you don't have time or money to take classes or buy all this great gear and software but I'm here to tell you you DO have time and as far as money goes damn near everything you need to be a good photographer is virtually free.  There are scores of how-to photo sites on the Internet and most all decent photo apps are either free or a couple dollars. Trust me you're blowing more money on foofy coffee drinks then you would on a simple enhancement tool.  

Photo apps are only one part of the equation. Knowing the fundamentals of photography is key to taking good pictures.  Now you don't necessarily need to know all the technical details of ISO or how to adjust your shutter or f-stop settings. With your camera phone most of that is all auto mode any way. But knowing a bit about composition, the rule of thirds and perspective will go a long way in helping you capture the best image possible.  I subscribe to a couple of free photography newsletters, Digital Photography School is my favorite, and the amount and quality of info they provide would've only been available to paying college students 10 years ago. This stuff is free (donations accepted) so there's no excuse for not using them.  

So many of you have a great artistic eye and knowing the tools available to you and using them in moderation will definitely take your art to the next level. Never stop taking pictures but more importantly never stop learning and growing in your craft. Share your very best so that we all can enjoy the experiences you've captured.  

Be creative, be you!!

NOTE:  The attached photo is an example of what anyone can do with their photos. Yeah, the subject is blah. I took this from my hotel room. All I did to bring a little pop to the pic were a few minor cropping, exposure, saturation and sharpening adjustments using a tool called Snapseed ($1.99). Took me less than a minute to process.