What makes someone a good photographer?

Question

What makes someone a good photographer?

1. Skill with the camera?

2. Artistic eye?

3. Theoretical knowledge?

4. A lot of practice?

The reason I am asking is that my photographs don't look nearly as good as I wish it to be. When I see photos on deviantArt and then when I look at my photos - there is just no comparison.

I am frustrated because I can't achieve the photo results I want and I am not sure what's wrong - is it just me, or my lack of skill with the camera, or perhaps both.

Answer

Patience and persistence.

"Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." - attributed to Henri Cartier-Bresson

I'm amazed how much you learn simply by taking more pictures. I started a photo a day project last October, and I can tell a huge difference in the quality of my photos now compared to when I started.

Also, take an evening and spend a few hours observing one scene, perhaps a park or something. Especially during the "golden hour" before sunset, you can see huge changes in the scene, and each moment gives a different mood to the scene.

Technical skill is important, but you don't really need to focus to much on it, because you will improve your skill as you take pictures that aren't quite right. The ones that turn out pretty well except one little flaw are the ones you can learn the most from, because that one flaw will drive you nuts and force you to figure out how to fix it the next time you encounter a similar situation.

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