Professional photographer Sue Nicol recently staged her first solo exhibition. Here she explains a few tips on how to critically analyse your photos.
It has taken six decades for Nicol to become a full-time working photographer, but her interest in the craft stems from her school-age years. She remembers her father buying she and her brother a Box Brownie camera each, and she also recalls developing film in their laundry. But because she never planned to make photography her career, Nicol never undertook full-time professional training in the technicalities of the craft. However, she did do a number of CAE (Council of Adult Education) courses over the years, and in 2006 and 2009 she did a course at Melbourne’s Photography Studies College part time. In 2008, she decided “enough was enough”. She had worked at a number of occupations, but her current business of being a pharmacist was becoming more and more complex. She decided to follow her ambition and become a professional photographer, mainly shooting outdoor images, but specialising in intimate details, rather than broad landscapes. Late last year she staged her first solo exhibition, and it was a great success.
Most
of her knowledge has come from hard-won personal experience in the field. As such, her advice is grounded in an overall philosophical approach.
Here
Sue Nicol outlines some tips for new photographers she has learned by
experience.
01
Know your camera!
Read
the manual and play with the different settings. Keep a scrapbook or visual
diary of your results. This helps develop your knowledge of shooting
conditions, and allows you to review particularly difficult shooting situations
and think about them afterwards.
02
Shoot what you love and shoot often.
Whilst
it can pay to shoot a wide range of subject matter when you’re starting out, so
you can get used to a range of subject matter, as you get more confidence,
you’ll find you are drawn to certain subjects more than others. At this phase
of your development it can often pay to concentrate on a certain subject and
work at all its imaging possibilities – whether it be for a day, a month, or
even a year or more.
03
When you see something that catches your eye, analyse why.
Could
it be the light or the colour or the subject matter? Use a critical eye to
dissect what makes an image work – or not work! Do this often, with a range of
photos, be they from friends, or in galleries, or even from the great
photographers. Really push yourself to understand why a picture works, or
otherwise. Observing images with an inquiring mind can be just as useful to a
new photographer as taking their own pictures.
04
Try to frame the final shot in the camera.
Carefully
consider the layout, depth of field, position of subject, etc. If it’s not an
action subject, take your time. Slowing down can be counter-intuitive, but it
can really help you in working out how to set up your image. Aim for perfection in every frame. You won't achieve that every time, but try to!
05
Improve your skills.
Read
about photography in magazines, books and online. Join some short courses if
necessary to develop your knowledge. Do everything you can, on top of regularly
practicing, to broaden your skill base. Then try out your new-found knowledge.
With digital photography, especially, you can shoot as much as you like, and
simply delete any failures. But more importantly, before you hit the delete
button, keep your mistake for a while, and think about why it didn’t succeed.
06
Look at one good photo from a famous photographer per day.
Find
a great photographer, preferably one you admire. Each day, look at one of their
images, and consider what its key features are. Repeat the process with other
top shooters. It will help to stretch your creative capacity and teach you what’s
possible.
Sue Nicol’s exhibition images and profile can be seen in
Australian Photography’s January issue. Also, for more of her images see www.suenicol.com
Read your manual! Learn what all the controls on your camera do, then learn a software program. Canon 7D, 90mm lens @ 90mm, f/2.8 @ 1/3200s, ISO 200, no tripod. Cropped and added feathers from the body as a background to the head in Photoshop CS5. Photo by Sue Nicol. 
Over the years different subjects will attract your eye. Better images come when you concentrate on certain subjects for a longer period of time. Canon EOS 7D, 90mm lens with macro, f/2.8 @ 1/320s, ISO 200, no tripod. Colour adjustments in Photoshop CS5. Photo by Sue Nicol.
Make a big effort to get each composition as correct as you can - it's time well spent! Wood fungus. Canon 7D, 90mm lens with macro @ 90mm, f/16 @ 1s, ISO 400, tripod. White balance and exposure in Lightroom 3; cropping and sharpening in CS5. Photo by Sue Nicol.
Some subjects are much tougher than others, but don't be deterred! Nicol spent a lot of time photographing pub singers, and learned to cope with the particular challenges of these very difficult shooting situations. Singer-songwriter Deborah Conway playing in Brunswick, Victoria, at ‘Don’t Tell Tom’ in 2008. Canon EOS 30D, 28-200mm lens @ 108mm, f/5.6 @ 1/60s, ISO 1600, no tripod. Cropped, adjusted red balance & lightened the head in Photoshop CS5. Photo by Sue Nicol.