There's been some discussion here about how many of us have felt
that our photographs are not of the quality we'd like them to be. I
have some thoughts on that, which, I hope, will lead to further
discussion and help a few list members improve their skills and
creativity.
I firmly believe that using AF gear and automatic metering does not
help one to really learn about making photographs (notice I said
"making", not taking). Recently I've returned to using 100% manual
cameras - they don't even have light meters. The first thing I've
become more conscious of is light, and the quality of light. Not
that I didn't think about it before, but now I must pay more
attention to it. I've been using a hand held spot meter and paying
careful attention to what's in the shadows and where the specular
highlights fall. My negs are looking a lot better, and my ability
to read the light has improved to the point where using a meter is
no longer as necessary as it had been.
There are those who will argue against my position, and that's all
well and good. However, to those people I'd say go out and start
shooting with fully manual cameras again, eliminate the use of TTL
metering and eschew autofocus and zoom lenses. It'll be some work,
but in time I can almost guarantee that your pictures will improve.
Why? Well, when you better understand the light, you'll get better
images. But more than that, you'll be able to concentrate more on
composition rather than being distracted by lights, needles, and a
plethora of information in the viewfinder, and the need to fiddle
with knobs, dials, and buttons to put the camera into the correct
mode. You don't need all that stuff to make a photograph.
And when you better understand focus and DOF - by focusing yourself,
which I believe you can do more critically with a fully manual
camera - and you start to understand where the zone of sharp focus
is, you can begin to become more competent and creative.
Stay away from zoom lenses with variable apertures. You never know
for sure what the aperture is, or the focal length is, and how can
that help your creativity in the long run. Sure, those lenses make
taking a picture easier, and built-in meters make taking a picture
easier, and autofocus makes taking a picture easier, but it doesn't
always help you to ~make~ a superb photograph.
Grab a fully manual camera, a prime lens, and go out and practice.
Shoot every day. Process the film quickly and review the results.
Learn from your mistakes, and go out and shoot another roll, and
another, and another. Don't rely on the latitude of the film to
carry you through. Learn to understand what the perfect exposure is
for each frame you shoot, even if it means that you have to work
slowly at first, and perhaps miss some "great" shots. Most of our
great shots are crap anyway.
When I returned to a fully manual camera I was surprised at how lazy
I'd become. Somehow it seemed easier to let the camera's meter set
the exposure, but then I had to think about the metering pattern,
and how that might effect the exposure I wanted. How much simpler
it is to read the light first and then just concentrate of shooting,
and finding the best way to capture the subject.
Look at photographs. Not the crap in most magazines, but carefully
examine the work of the great photographers, regardless of their
style. Look at the work of photo journalists, those who do
documentary work, fashion photographers, and the like. Look at
their prints whenever you can rather looking at their books or
photos in magazines. I'm willing to bet that there are people on
this list who have never seen a photograph made by Gene Smith or
HC-B, or Helmut Newton, or photographers of their ilk, other than in
books or magazines. Look at the work of less experienced
photographers, too. Go to galleries and exhibitions. Examine the
prints not only from a contextual POV but from a technical
perspective as well. Are your prints as sharp? Do your prints have
the detail in the shadows? Are your highlights blown out? Why is
their print less/more grainy than yours - you both use the same
film?
Be critical of your work, and of your gear. Don't settle for pretty
good. Your reach should exceed your grasp. Think about making
large prints instead of those 4x6 mini lab photos. Why? Because
you'll never be able to tell how good your photography is by looking
at those itty-bitty images.
Of course, you can settle for mediocre pictures and great family
snap shots. But if you want to excel, you must push yourself, sort
of like a fighter training for a title match. What's good enough
for a club fighter isn't always good enough to move up a few
notches.
--
Shel Belinkoff
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"... there is no point in pressing the shutter
unless you are making some caustic comment
on the incongruities of life" - Phillip Jones Griffiths
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