TikTok, the video-based social media app, usually conjures visions of teens mimicking the latest dance craze, but it’s probably better described as short attention span YouTube. In 2017, ByteDance, the Chinese-owned parent company of TikTok, acquired the Musical.ly app, which had gained a toehold with an under-18 demographic by becoming a replacement for the comedy-oriented Vine app along with a burgeoning lip synching community.
Kit lens masterclass for new shooters – Part 3
Now that you know more about your mechanics and attributes of your kit lens, the time has come to look at the creative use of the wee plastic beasty and we’ll start with macro first, this is by far the longest of the three Kit Lens Masterclass articles so grab a cold drink and some snacks.
Kit lens masterclass for new shooters – Part 2
In Part 1 we looked at the potential issues and problems relating to kit lenses, now tis the time to turn our attention to the terrific upsides of owning and using the cheap as chips but under-rated kit lens, this section will be the shortest not because there are problems I want to skirt around but because there positives are easily explained.
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Kit lens masterclass for new shooters – Part 1
So your kit lens is rubbish, you know this for a certainty because numerous photo blogs and camera test sites have told you so. It’s been confirmed repeatedly by a wide array of couch based photo experts on all the forums of great repute and finally the first shots you have taken with it seem to be less than fully impressive. Besides that, there was this nice guy in the camera shop told you that you’d really need a better more expensive lens if you were going to get even half serious about your photography.
Don’t worry most kit lenses are not brilliant when measured or assessed in any empirical way, but realistically your kit lens was almost a freebie so what have you got to moan about. In any case, without meaning to insult anyone, most kit lenses are capable of better results than most photographers are capable of delivering.
This nifty interactive tool will help you learn photography basics
According to the results of a survey Sony published in 2012, as much as two thirds of non-professional DSLR users have never or rarely taken their camera out of auto mode. There may be plenty of reasons for this, such as buying a camera for fun or as a status symbol. But one of the reasons is that the initial learning process can be way too confusing for the beginners. A London based animator and designer, Simon Roberts, created a fun solution to this problem.
How to Be a Zen Photographer
I’m a big fan of Zen/Taoist, Eastern philosophy.
Even though I am very pro-American at heart (in terms of our love for risk-taking, for individuality, and for freedom), I see a lot of negatives of the American/Western line of thinking. There is too much focus on “profit”, “success”, and externalizing your self-worth in terms of material markers (having a lot of money, a big house, a nice car, etc).
I discovered “Zen”/Taoism by chance. I was mostly stressed out, fed up with the bullshit of life, and wanted more peace, tranquility, and happiness in my life.
Zen/Taoism was the solution for me. It helped me loosen up, walk slower, worry less, and mellow out.
Why do I use Zen/Taoism interchangeably? To me, there are far more similar than dissimilar. Honestly, I am not the expert in Zen/Taoism (I only know it from a pop-culture perspective), but my practical learnings is that they preach the same philosophy.
To move on, the more practical question — how can we learn how to be more “zen” in our street photography and life? Here are some ideas:
What I’ve learned in my first year of photography
December 3rd, 2015 was the day I bought my first camera. I carefully chose one body and one lens (Nikon D5300 and a prime 50mm).
These are some of the things I’ve learned throughout my journey:
Free Photography Classes for DIYP Readers – Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
I’m feeling very Christmasy today – shopping is done, gifts are wrapped, projects are mostly complete for the year and I’m looking forward to a little time off before re-booting in the New Year.
I thought that it would be fun to kill two birds with one stone – I have a nice Christmas present for our loyal DIYP readers, and you have the chance to learn something new for the New Year – so here are a bunch of FREE enrollment links to all of my seven Skillshare photography classes.
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