by successfulbob | photography, photography - art quote, photography education
John Sexton creates exquisite black and white photographs. He worked with Ansel Adams for a number of years through 1984 at the time of Adams passing. Today’s quote invites us to think about the creation of an image after the capture. Unless you have complete control over the lighting there is no way a camera can replicate what the eye can see and work after teh fact can help express what was seen by the photographer.
“For me the printing process is part of the magic of photography. It’s that magic that can be exciting, disappointing, rewarding and frustrating all in the same few moments in the darkroom.” John Sexton
I understand this well. I remember trying to pull a good print after hours of trying differing amounts of dodging and burning in the darkroom. And as they said on the ABC sports commercial feeling, “…the thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat…”
We now have the ability to be able to process the images in a repeatable fashion using the computer and software programs. The possibilities of creating the image in our ‘minds eye’ is better than ever. I often hear newer photographers say I want to have the image ‘natural’ as it comes out of the camera. Using artificial lighting or Photoshop techniques is ‘cheating’. I suggest that these photographers have yet to understand that the camera does not record as the eye sees and that there is a need to make allowances for that in order to get the 3 dimensions in front of our eyes represented in two dimensions on the print.
There is also the point that many decisions have already been made that distort reality by the photographer choosing what lens to use. How the view is cropped in camera. What aperture and shutter speed were chosen. The time of day the image was made. All of these choices are already ‘cheating’ what another person would see if they were on the scene. Also remember the eye has the magnificent ability to open and close its aperture (pupil) depending upon where it is looking in the scene. If it looks to the sky it instantaneously closes down to see detail in the bright white but will immediately open up to allow shadow detail to come forward. The camera only has one aperture to look through.
So I ask this question. Are you a natural light photographer who doesn’t want to cheat as I was when I first started? Or, are you a professional photographer willing and able to learn and use all the tools available?
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | photography - art quote, photography education
I believe this Sunday’s Photo Art Quote has to do with being in the moment.
Taking everything that the photographer has learned, experienced and been exposed to over a lifetime and bringing it to the table to create the strongest image possible. It’s when we aren’t in the now that our work can become trivialized. If you are thinking about lunch or dinner or a fight you had over breakfast or an upcoming vacation or how you are going to pay a bill you will not be producing your best work because you don’t have access to your brain’s immense resources.
“It is the artist in photography that gives form to content by a distillation of ideas, thought, experience, insight and understanding.” Edward Steichen
It is with this in mind that I am trying to be aware of everything I put into my brain. I try to spend quality time in front of great art, good books and all types of images photographic and otherwise. Think of this process as you might a computer axiom of GIGO. GIGO equals garbage in – garbage out. The more solid information that is packed into the brain, and accessed in the moment the better image making becomes.
Think about it before you do mindless things. Watch the magazines you read, the television shows you watch, movies and art you view along with books you read. Remember… GIGO.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | art books, photography, photography - art quote, photography books, photography education
I’m reading a book.
Actually I’m reading several as I tend to do. But the one that pertains to today’s Photo/Art Quote is Inspiration on Photography, Train your mind to make great art a habit by Brooke Shaden is the title and while I haven’t gotten too far I’ve already found new ways to think about my art and creation in making images. So I thought I’d grab a quote from Brooke for today.
“Creativity, just like inspiration needs to be examined and nurtured.” Brooke Shaden
Brooke has hit the nail on the head with this one line. How do you come up with your ideas? Where are they from? What turns you on? And, even more important how do you act upon your thoughts and inspiration? How many times have you had a wonderful idea then delayed on the follow-through and never made the image? Shaden shares lots of ideas how you can get a handle on your creativity.
Lots of photographers I talk with feel they are not creative when they try to see their work verses another. Try not to compare. Think of it this way. You are watching someones fully edited and scored motion picture to your raw footage.
Inspect your ideas. Expand on them. Go shoot. Learn. Fail. Shoot again. Small successes lead to bigger ones. Work it. But work it with thought and a plan.
And, by the way it wouldn’t hurt to get Brooke’s book to help you think about inspiration in a new way. I’ll be doing a more detailed review of the book after I finish reading it. I can tell you right now that this is one that has already earned a permanent place on my photography reference bookshelf.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
by successfulbob | fine art photography, Lumix Lounge, photography, photography education, success education
From the Biography page of Jay Maisel… After studying painting and graphic design at Cooper Union and Yale, Jay Maisel began his career in photography in 1954. While his portfolio includes the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Miles Davis, he is perhaps best known for capturing the light, color, and gesture found in every day life.
I grabbed a quote from Jay today because many times I talk with photographers who are not making the images they would like. I feel part of the reason is they don’t have their camera in their hand making images. They are not studying light. They are not studying shadows. They are, however, afraid to make mistakes. And that is the biggest mistake. That is where learning comes from. Jay is a big proponent of having a camera in your hand and trying many different things. Oh! And getting off your butt and out shooting!
“If you are out there shooting things will happen for you. If you’re not out there, you’ll only hear about it.” Jay Maisel
Making excellent images is a skill. Skills take practice. If you keep looking, firing frames, studying, learning AND have your camera with you will recognize more often the gifts that are in front of us in the name of a beautiful photograph.
Since becoming a Lumix Luminary I’ve had a camera with me almost constantly (working on getting the almost adjective out of there) and I’m finding I see more opportunities for making interesting images because I’m training my brain to always look. It’s become easy to have a camera with me all the time because the micro 4/3rds mirrorless cameras are so lite but the files are so robust. I often left my DSLR camera and lenses behind because of the weight and PIA factor. Now my entire everyday kit has more range and weighs less than a DSLR body equipped with a single zoom lens.
I salute technology and the freedom it is giving me to become a better photographer.
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
Here a link to some more Jay Maisel quotes written by Derrick Story… You’ll see such things as “On preparing for a shoot… “Try to go out empty and let your images fill you up.” “When finding the right angle for a shot… “Move your ass.”” Check it out.
by successfulbob | photography, photography - art quote, photography education
Today we reach out to the writing world for today’s theme in the Sunday Photo/Art Quote here on Successful-Photographer. Some of the best work I have created was inspired by or because of taking on personal projects…
I believe that if you don’t explore what your heart tells you is important or a subject that you haven’t tackled before you will take a long time to grow as a photographer.
When pursuing an impressionistic art look for my work I had no idea that it would morph into a paying project creating work for a nightclub. The techniques have become one of my most requested teaching programs called ‘Photo-Sythesis’. I also believe that the artistic techniques I am now using as a result of advancing personal projects to create art images led to my being named a Lumix Luminary by Panasonic. (of course it didn’t hurt that I was already yelling to all my photographer friends how much I liked the new format! But I digress…)
If I see an interesting face with character on the street I will engage that person and then ask if I might make their portrait. Making a total stranger comfortable in front of your camera makes it much easier to pose and photograph people you know or have come to you for a portrait.
That brings us around to today’s quote from Jack London.
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go meet it.” Jack London
Update… 9/22 I found another version of Jack’s quote, “You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” I like it!
Go get it! What are you waiting for?
Yours in Creative Photography, Bob
PS – I can’t remember the full story of one of the first books that grabbed my attention but I have a memory of being scared reading London’s ‘Call of the Wild’ What’s wild about you? go meet and embrace your inspiration
