Can I Take Great Photos Without Learning Photography?
Do you need to learn anything before you can take good pictures? Read on to find out.
I got this question a lot — Keith, what do I need to learn before I can take nice photos? Today, I will share my thoughts on this exact topic. This is mostly in the context of Street Photography because that is the genre I am specialized in (and very passionate about).
To start, I would say that some kinds of photos do require a lot of technical knowledge to shoot right, like this photo of the Vessel from NYC. You need to know how to use a super-wide lens, know your exposure settings, understand perspective, have a good idea of what is a good time to shoot, and know your color chart for editing to get to this warm/cold tone combination. On the other hand, check out the next photo of the cool-looking gentleman. It was a completely random shot when I took it during my lunch break, with an old iPhone that I don’t even remember the model number. Do you need to know anything technical to shoot a photo like this? Absolutely not (maybe some ninja street photography skill would help, which will be discussed in a different story).
