Most Important Thing you Learned?

[DOYLE THOMAS]

There are Photographs almost everywhere almost all the time. The better you understand what you are looking for the more you will find.

Doyle

[John Berry]

I always spend a little time looking at a prospect with one eye closed. Things that look good in binocular view lose it in mono. Saves time setting up to discover it on the ground glass.

[photographs42]

I learned long ago that when I go to THE place to photograph THE thing, it almost never works out, but sometimes I find some fascinating stuff along the way.

Jerome

[Don Wallace]

Stop chasing the magic bullet: use whatever gear you have and just make some photos.

Bingo, Tony. That is the most important thing I have learned. Here are a few more.

Keep notes.
I have learned immeasurably from looking at my notes before and after developing the negative. You can learn from what you observed in terms of light, contrast, etc.

Keep track.
Far too many times, I have forgot to turn around the dark slide and wasted film. I have got too excited at a particular moment and re-used holders I just put in the "exposed" bunch in my backpack. Maybe most of you have more presence of mind than I do - I confess to a bit of ADD - but I really really have to be meticulous in my methods in order to stay organized and focused.

Also, if a sheet is exposed but not developed yet, and you need that filmholder, make sure you keep track of what you put in boxes to keep in the fridge. Once you lose track, there is of course no way of figuring out what the hell is what.

Don't chase the light
Most of the time, you cannot respond to rapidly-changing light conditions. It isn't like smaller formats. You can't observe some unique yet passing phenomenon and leap from the car to capture it. At least, I sure can't. I know Ansel Adams did. Good for him. When I can do that, I will let you know. But as someone else said, you can get there early and anticipate the light.

[David_Senesac]

Before I regularly used my view camera, I had shot 35mm many years and 6x7 a few years both of which had spot metering. Both used typical automatic exposure sensors one merely adjusts compensation for. With a view camera I needed to use the digital exposure meter I'd bought and decided to use it in a non-traditional way that just read EV levels in order to simplify the perception of light levels. The most important thing I learned was how to expose a single sheet of the pricy to buy and develop film and get it to come out right most of the time without bracketing. Actually I have to believe I've been rather quite lucky as most of my difficult low light shots the last couple years were nailed. Certainly the most difficult task for a view camera landscape photographer. ...David

[John Powers]

Show up early.

Show up!

When you see the perfect picture, take it. Then walk all around that subject as much as the terrain will let you and see if there was a better picture there. Take that. Imagine how it will look with the sun at a different angle. Take a compass in your kit. Figure out what time it will be when the sun is hitting the subject from that more interesting angle and come back. As Bruce suggested look around for that other interesting picture. Teach yourself to see. Shoot with a friend who sees differently from you and compare ideas.

John

[vann webb]

Keep trying even when things are going badly. Disappointment is part of photography, even when you get better at it. Like baseball, if you are really cooking, your success rate is still a fairly low percentage. Over time, your definition of success changes, and you see things differently. Don't judge yourself too harshly. To be really good at anything, you have to be willing to be really bad at it first.

[RDKirk]

Have a camera with you. Any camera. The camera you have with you is 1000% better than one you don't have with you.

[Leonard Metcalf]

Tighten up all your bits before shutting the lens...

Double check everything.

Enjoy the process and the view.

Relax.

Work out where the camera will go before setting up the tripod, get the tripod set up so that it is secure.

Record and evaluate what your doing until you can predict your results.

Start with one film / developer / printer / paper combination

[JPlomley]

Get a backpack from Photobackpacker. You'll hike further, see more, and experience much less discomfort navigating difficult terrain.