PHOTOGRAPHY ADVICE I GIVE EVERY TIME

Never having used film for photography, I never found myself bound by the restrictions that came with film. Aside from the fact that you never really knew whether the images you spent all day creating were going to come out. Unless you had your own darkroom, it could be a month or more, and then, if the images weren’t good, there was nothing you could do.

Never having had to work under those constraints, I learned one of the most important lessons a photographer could learn: The only bad image is the one you don’t create. The one you pass over because it couldn’t possibly work. I did that once – I stood behind JD as we photographed a model in a burned out house in Greensboro and told myself there was no point in even trying to create an image. And I was wrong. I vowed never again to think myself out of pressing the shutter.

In fact, that one photograph caused me to rethink everything I thought I knew about light – and it changed the way we do photography forever.

Second, learn to use your camera in manual mode – yes, I know, sounds overwhelming, but once you do, your images will improve dramatically. Third, your camera has two settings which determine how an image is saved. Don’t use JPG – 80% of what the camera “saw” will be lost if you do. Always select RAW. This will provide you with the best image quality. Fourth, digital photography isn’t free. In fact, you can’t create an image for less than about $1.50. The more expensive your camera and lenses, the more expensive an image costs you. So, if you think you can do a wedding for $500 and make money, think again. If you create just 500 images, and each costs you $1.50, that wedding will cost you $750 – not including your time……

YOU DON’T TAKE A PHOTOGRAPHY, YOU CREATE IT

The implications of that statement might not be obvious, but they are important. Capturing an image implies that you are merely there, a kind of objective witness to what is happening. But photography isn’t objective at all. In fact, just be selecting a particular lens, you are making a decision that interprets the world around you. An 85 mm prime lens sees the world very differently than a 24-105 mm telephoto. Once you have selected a lens, how you set your camera further interprets the world…. and even when you work in automatic, someone has made a decision about how best to create an image.

Post by Falcon