What’s Your Preference?

#1 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 02:17 PM

So, you want to get better?

Don't we all? I want to get better as a photographer. You should too.

There are lots of books and fancy-pants people on the internets and googles who really want to try and "help" you. But, all they really do is lose you and confused you with technical data. They try to tell you that all you need to do is to "learn to see things differently" (whatever the hell that means) or to use the "rule of thirds" and magically you'll be amazing just like them!

What a load of crap.

I'm going to go against the grain and tell you some useful tidbits that may have been obvious but will ultimately be infinitely more useful than trying to understand the rants of some one trying to get you to "see" like them.

#1. Put down the books with words and start thinking like a child

Some people might make fun of you for looking at picture books because it's not real reading, but to hell with those snobs. I might give you a little ribbing for it, but hey, I'm kind of a jerk sometimes.

Answer this - How does one become a better writer? Not by writing. By reading. Yes, that's right. How would you know if you wrote a grammatically correct sentence if you had no context?

It is thus concluded that looking at "good" photography will help you become a better photographer. But, don't stop there. Keep moving on to film. Movies are great examples of wonderful photography. No, I'm not talking about Harry Potter or Twilight, those have horrible examples of photography and have a certain nerd factor that needs to be addressed. Ok, look I'm not saying that if you watch the movies that you are in-fact a nerd, but if you go to costume parties and the terms "Muggle" and "Apparate" in your day to day vernacular, you are in fact a nerd. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

I'm talking about actually good movies that use photography, color, shot selection, character movement, plot and carefully picks and chooses what part of the frame is filled with what. These things portray mood, events to come and make you invested in the characters.

My suggestion - Anything from the 60's and 70's. Especially anything in that era from Martin Scorsese - the man is a genius of film. He didn't have fancy special effects or a 100,000 mhz computer to do all the work for him. He used color to portray emotion and shot selection to make you care... it was subtle and it worked. Beautifully.

Photography is an art form, you can't use some mathematical formula like the "sunny 16" rule and suddenly get great results every shot, it just doesn't work that way.

#2 - Emulate the amagalmate

Hehe, I knew I could find a rhyme for "emulate". LOLOLOLOL!

This is no time for comedy! This is serious business.

*ahem*

Ok, here's a big fat secret that people don't want to tell you or admit to. Steal. Yea, rip off others. *cough* I mean to say, "Emulate others".

I know what your going to say, "But, Eric, I don't steal ideas from others, I want to be original!"

Oh, friggin please! Get over yourself, nothing you have done or will ever do hasn't already been tried by 1,000 other people a year ago.

Find photos you like and redo them or try to replicate it. It will help you learn a lot about photography. You are now in the trial and error phase of your education. You will learn more here than you will in any stupid "art of seeing" book.

What photographer do you like? Ansel Adams - Don't we all? How about Robert Kubica (Pronounced KOO-BEET-ZAH)?

I certainly hope not. Robert Kubica is a Formula 1 driver, and not doing all that well this year in the standings. So much for my fantasy racing team.

Anyways. Find someone you like and replicate their work. I once heard an interview with the lead singer of Fuel; Brett Scallions and someone asked him how to start making new songs and he replied with, "Just take a song you like and change it a little bit".

That's it folks. Ever notice how music doesn't dramatically change over a short period of time? People constantly trying to take others work and change it to their liking. Hell, even speed metal can trace it's roots to classical works by Bach and Pachelbel.

#3 - Figure it our for yourself

I'm not you. I don't go home with you. I don't sleep in your bed and I certainly don't watch your TV.

So, why in the hell would you want me to tell you what to do? It's your art. You need to have a style of your own. The only person who can tell you what you like is - dun dun DUNNN!!

YOU!

Look to classical art. Look through a picture book. Watch classic movies and film. Go to a museum.

Do anything! But, for the love of god, do not read! Experience.

~Eric

kencaleno · #2 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 02:59 PM

My advice to becoming a better photographer-

1.Get hold of a manual Film SLR and buy 3 films

2. Use up film #1-probably will be 75%crap -study the resultant prints, and work out what you should have done

(Don’t use the next film until you get the prints from the last one)

3.Film # 2 Should hold a better percentage of maybees

4. By the time you get the resultant prints from film #3, you will be on your way to becoming a better photographer

5. Now grab that Dslr and get to it!

(Buying films and paying for processing should slow you down and make you think before you waste a frame)

Ken

Joey the girl · #3 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxharvard

It is thus concluded that looking at "good" photography will help you become a better photographer. But, don't stop there. Keep moving on to film. Movies are great examples of wonderful photography. No, I'm not talking about Harry Potter or Twilight, those have horrible examples of photography and have a certain nerd factor that needs to be addressed. Ok, look I'm not saying that if you watch the movies that you are in-fact a nerd, but if you go to costume parties and the terms "Muggle" and "Apparate" in your day to day vernacular, you are in fact a nerd. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

A little off topic but- you use the word nerd like it's a bad thing

Most of us nerds are under no illusions that we are anything but nerds, and we're quite proud to be so, lol. Long live Gryffindor!

All kidding aside, after I started getting into photography a few months ago, I started noticing a lot more things in movies- the way the shot was set up, the use of colors, the composition, how the rule of thirds was being applied even on film. Like you said, "movies are a great example of wonderful photography".

kencaleno · #4 (**permalink**) 08-24-2009, 09:31 PM

What you can learn from movies,is lighting techniques-Best examples are old Alfred Hitchcock black and white movies-(Hitchcock was known as the "Master of Suspense") but he was also a master of lighting.

Free · #5 (**permalink**) 09-07-2009, 11:00 PM

Hey, great post!

It reminds me of a couple Piccaso Quotes:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pablo Picasso

All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.

And

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pablo Picasso

Bad artists copy. Good artists steal.

I read a great article about "stealing" in web design @ sitepoint - Good Designers Copy, Great Designers Steal [Design Principles]

I think all art / design can look for influences in other art forms, look to the 50's pop art, TV, movies, Renaissance artists for great inspiration.

However, as a music (especially metal) fan, I do have a problem with your statement...

Quote:

Originally Posted by you

"Hell, even speed metal can trace it's roots to classical works by Bach and Pachelbel."

Bach and Pachelbel are both Baroque composers. Apart from the real Neo-Classical speed metal loonies (Think Yngwie J. Malmsteen and even some static x) most metal pulls it's classical roots from the Classical period and a little from the Romantic period, 50-100 years later than Baroque. Baroque (especially late baroque) is a bit too ornate and tricky for most speed metal guitarists, they generally like to stick to a chromatic scale as much as possible.
//end tounge in cheek lecturers tone

windrider86 · #6 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 08:11 PM

Very interesting and thought provoking thread.

#7 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Free

However, as a music (especially metal) fan, I do have a problem with your statement...

Bach and Pachelbel are both Baroque composers. Apart from the real Neo-Classical speed metal loonies (Think Yngwie J. Malmsteen and even some static x) most metal pulls it's classical roots from the Classical period and a little from the Romantic period, 50-100 years later than Baroque. Baroque (especially late baroque) is a bit too ornate and tricky for most speed metal guitarists, they generally like to stick to a chromatic scale as much as possible.
//end tounge in cheek lecturers tone

Minor details, the point is still relevant and poignant

Free · #8 (**permalink**) 09-08-2009, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxharvard

Minor details, the point is still relevant and poignant

Very much so mate, I really thought this was a great post! Being a noob, I'm still quite focused on the technical aspect and often forget about the artist side. I look to other sources for web design inspiration and this post has reminded me that I can do the same in photography. I can all my old books on artists coming out in the near future.

Just in regards to Kens comment about using film?

Is there really any difference between turning of your image reviews and only allowing yourself a certain number of shots a day on digital? As much as I'm hoping to get an old film body in the future, I'd like to think that it's the user, not the technology that makes a photo (be it old or new technology).