So, What’s New?
Towering Twice - click to view larger on Flickr
What’s new with you?
You are exploring new things with your photography, right?
A good photographer is constantly exploring. New techniques, new equipment usage, even just shooting new subjects will reveal opportunities for creativity and improvement.
I have two things on my photography horizon. As the days get shorter and we move into winter, I’ve made it a goal to spend more time shooting at night. The photo in this post was taken last weekend. My other goal is to simply explore new areas of the city on my lunch breaks. The light sucks, but I can find areas that are worth return visits.
So, what’s new with you?
Most of Your Photos Suck
Most of your photos suck. Most of my photos suck too.
John Nack on Adobe points out that most of everyone’s photos suck. The reality is that regardless of whether you shoot digital or film, you’ll create a lot more “garbage” photos than ones which are truly outstanding. It’s a reality of photography that needs to be accepted.
Don’t believe me? Upload all of your pictures to Flickr and look at the stats.
We learn from experience. The “garbage” photos are learning tools and shouldn’t necessarily be viewed as wasted shots.
From the fact that most of your photos suck, it should follow that when deciding which work to publish and show off, only publicize your best work. Don’t make folks wade through a bunch of mediocre photos; show them the money shot. I have a friend who routinely goes out and shoots 50-70 photos in a day, then comes home and uploads and shares 50-75% of those. His perceived photography strength would go up if instead of showing 40 average photos, he cut it down and only showed the 5 or 10 best shots (if that many).
Your photos suck. Mine do too. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.
New Material in Familiar Places
Most photographers have their typical “haunts” where they hang out and shoot a lot of material. For me, because of my interest in railroading, I have shot a lot of material around the train yards and Amtrak depot in my hometown.
Despite the fact I’ve been down there literally hundreds of times, and shot several hundred photos, last week while browsing Flickr I found a shot that someone had taken that was new to me. It was a simple composition looking down the tracks onto the drawbridge while the bridge was open. I’ve used my eyes to look at that same scene a hundred times. How come I never snapped the shutter?
Read more, and see the photo, over at Dogcaught.
Photography as a Business: Shooting the NFL
Shooting a National Football League game would be a career highlight for many sports photographers. With the supply of photographers exceeding the demand of the NFL, the league is in a powerful position to dictate the behavior of those chosen to shoot the events.
Now, the NFL is flexing their muscle and requiring photographers to wear a vest bearing advertising. Not just any advertising however… one of the advertiser logos to be featured is none other than Canon. Regardless of whose gear you’re using, sideline photographers will be sporting Canon on their backs. Folks from the National Press Photographers Association are up in arms, but when it comes down to it, the logo on a vest will have zero impact on the quality of the photos produced.
Shooting the NFL is a business. The client has set their terms. Photographers can either work within those terms, or pass on the business and the market will determine if others will meet the demands of the client.
Carry Some Prints in the Field
As you’re out in the field taking photographs, you’ll likely run into other photographers or just curious members of the public as you are shooting. One way to share your photography with them is to have a few prints on hand they can look at. It’s easy to carry a small flipbook of 4×6 prints, but several 8×10s would make a more lasting impression.
The cost for the prints and a small album will be small but the ability to show some of your best work in the field (to potential clients) is very valuable.
Film vs. Digital
Whether you think that film is the only way to create a good photograph, or digital is the only way to create a good photograph… you’re wrong.
Lose Any Photo Knowledge Credibility in One Sentence
Today I observed something on an internet photography mailing list that irritated me. Why? Because in the first sentence of a reply, someone instantly lost all credibility.
How did they do it?
The query to the list was one of processing RAW files. Someone new to the digital world was hitting some speed bumps in dealing with the RAW files from their Nikon D80.
Can you guess the reply that made someone look like an idiot?
Yep… that’s right. The individual responded that the poster should “get a real camera that uses film” and that would solve all of his RAW file issues.
Here’s a hint to avoid making yourself look like an ass on the ‘net: telling someone to switch from film to digital, or vice versa, is never a good first-sentence response to any problem.
Organization: Just Do It
I’m going to borrow a slogan from Nike and suggest it as a mantra for organization of photographs. Just Do It.
Whether your photography medium is film, slides, or digital, as you take more photos you’re going to end up with storage and organization needs. I know a couple guys who have gradually accumulated thousands of photos which they organize simply by burning them to CD and writing on the CD. I suppose that’s better than a complete lack of any system, but when you need to find a photo, it’s a challenge to guess when it was shot and to figure out which disc it might be on.
When it comes to storing digital images, there are several programs specifically for that purpose. I use IMatch and will likely write about it in the future. Regardless of the organization system you choose, here are four things you should keep in mind:
- The system should allow for images to easily be found my multiple criteria. Those criteria might include date taken, subject matter, photographic style, time of day, and other information specific to the types of photos you take. For example, I take a lot of photos of trains, and I can easily find those of a specific railroad.
- The system must scale. What works for keeping track of 100 photos might not be practical when that collection grows to a few thousand. Choose an organization method that allows for expansion both in the quantity of photos, as well as the types of material being tracked, that is, to have new categories or ways to find the material.
- The system should be easily backed up. If you’re using a software program, there should be a feature to backup the database. If you’re storing something in the physical sense (slides, prints, negatives, etc), your organization scheme should allow for a duplicate set of material.
- The system should be able to be used fast enough to be effective. If you avoid cataloging your photos because it’s too hard or too time-consuming, the system won’t get used, and you might as well not have any system at all.
Spending a few minutes to develop an organizational system will pay off in reduced frustration and time spent looking for photos in the future. In a future post, I’ll dive further into the world of digital asset management software and offer some specific information on my program of choice, IMatch. Regardless of the system you choose, the important thing is to have system, and use it.
Conveying a Message: Packed to the MAX
A photo should convey some sort of message, mood, story, or feeling from the photographer. Last weekend was Portland’s annual Rose Festival and our family attended a nighttime parade in downtown Portland. Following the event I was standing at one end of a packed light rail train and snapped this image, hopefully conveying the feeling of the crowded, bustling evening ride.
The Most Important Thing
As I look at the various topics I have in mind for Photoschooled, I’d like to offer a variety of information, tips, tricks, and lessons learned. But to kick it all off, I want to explicitly state what should be obvious:
Take photos. Lots of them.
Taking photos (nearly) every day, instead of only on special photography trips, is probably the number one thing I have done to improve my skill. Practice might not always make perfect, but it usually leads to improvement. Why aren’t you taking more photos? What might be a barrier to photography?
- Impractical Photo Gear: When my only camera was my DSLR (and assorted lenses) it wasn’t always convenient to lug around my photo backpack so that I could easily take photos. I purchased a relatively inexpensive, yet decent quality, point-and-shoot digital camera that I try to carry with me everywhere. You can’t take a photo if you don’t have a camera.
- No Time: Even when you’re not explicitly making time, you can take photos. Have a few minutes at a bus stop? Look around. Waiting for a friend or co-worker to meet you somewhere? Look around. Taking your garbage can out to the curb? Look around. Going out to eat? Look ar… well, you get the idea.
- Routine Locations: If you’re tired of shooting the same things, try a bit of variety. Spend your lunch hour walking in a direction you haven’t explored. A lot of interesting things are often located just out of sight of your normal routine.
There’s an old photojournalism adage that states the most important thing in photography is “f/8 and be there” — you can’t take a photo unless you’re there with a camera. Be there, have your camera, and take more photos.
