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you’re surrounded by good pictures, pick a bird—stay with that picture for
a while. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes. All photographers make
mistakes, but the key is to look at your mistakes and see what makes them
interesting so that you can learn from them in the future.
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beyond your original expectations. You need to be able to react quickly to
these situations. You should also remember to keep looking and moving the
elements in your picture. Don’t make the same picture over and over again.
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of inches. Bend your knees or take a half step to the left. And always get
rid of anything extraneous in your photographs. Think of a photograph as a
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Assembling the Puzzle
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some image that sets a tone, presents a place, or announces a theme. This
is the image that might best bring a sense of place to the story. Then, look
for an image that seems suitable to bring the essay to an end. In between,
think of yourself as assembling the pieces of a puzzle—one that might
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together differently because we don’t all see in the same way.
- Take your camera to a place that you have never been before and
where there are people you don’t know. Try a city block, a store, or
a public park. Do a photographic essay on that place and the people
who are there, making sure to get permission from the people you will
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you choose doesn’t seem to work out, try another, but only if you think
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and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.
Assignment