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| That's me. |
I’m not
the best photographer in the business. In fact, I’m not even in the business as
a business; it’s a passion that I share with my clients. Photography is a lot like art. It’s an
extension of my creative self. Sure, I could be making a lot of money doing
this full-time. But once it becomes a job, it loses something for me. I like to
collaborate with my clients and come up with ideas that tell their story with
my camera – in no less than one thousand words.
Anyone
can take a picture. Not everyone can capture a moment in a way that makes it
more than a just a picture of a person, family or place. If you get a chance to
look through photographer portfolios online, take note of your response to
their work. Really good photographs elicit an emotional response. Did you smile? Feel sad? Want to touch? Laugh? Cry?
It’s what
I strive for in both my portraits and experimental concept shoots. But I don’t
set up a shot just to do that; I just know if I can look at an image and see
more than just an image, I’m happy. That's not to say it's a complete success all the time.
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| Old school Nikon! |
When I
look back at my digital progression, and occasional regression, of work, I can
see I’ve come a long way from the Nikon CoolPix point and shoot camera with the
flip screen. My first ‘real’ camera was a Minolta film camera I eventually
passed on to my little brother. I think that anyone who wants to be a better
photographer should learn using a film camera first. It will force you to learn
to take a technically good picture so when you switch to digital, you’re not
relying on Photoshop as a Band-Aid for bad lighting and composition.
If you’re
not a Photoshop Wizard, that almost never ends well. I am a Photoshop Wizard
and I can tell you, it’s not a cure-all for bad technical skill. Just because
you own it, doesn’t mean you have to use it; just like owning six studio lights
doesn’t mean you have to use all of them at the same time. Moderation is a good
term to learn.
I was not
good at film and it took me a long time to learn what I was doing. A really
long time. I concluded that I did not, in fact, know enough about what I was
doing at the time. When I bought my first DSLR, a Canon Digital Rebel, what
little I had learned about film was tossed out in lieu of instant
gratification, less cost and the comfort of knowing I could fix anything in
post - digitally. False confidence – GAINED.
Until I
shot my first wedding. FAIL.
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| My first camera, the Digital Rebel. |
That was
a humbling experience. Out of 200 digital photos, I might have been able to
salvage 25 using Photoshop. Luckily, I had shot two rolls of film and all of
those came out decent, but I had decided to shoot all the important stuff
digitally.
I might
have cried. But it was then that I decided I should learn to consistently take
good pictures regardless of what format, digital or film, I was using.
Photoshop and Lightroom should be an option, not a necessity. Photography is as
much about skill as it is about creativity. Unless you’re either one of my
brothers, in which case, you’re just gifted and talented in one-upping your
sister with tech knowledge. But I digress.
It may
have set me back, but starting over was the best decision. From square one, I
learned how to take a picture. A good picture. Digital retouching is awesome,
but after spending too many hours in front of a computer, editing hundreds of
pictures in post, it was a great feeling to know if I handed a CD to a client
right after a shoot, the photos were print-ready. Minus the test shots.
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Canon 20D - what I use now.
Photo courtesy www.KenRockwell.com |
It is
also amazing to have free time.
What had
misled me in the beginning, as far as my work is concerned, was the positive
feedback. No one critiqued my work as being terrible or even mediocre so I
thought I had it all figured out. I had to take a step back and fail a few
times to see it for myself. I don’t consider myself to be the best, but I’m
also still learning new things all the time and stepping out of the “box of
conformity.”
That
means, while it’s nice to look at someone else’s work as a learning point,
don’t try to copy their style. Have your own. If your work looks like everyone
else’s, what is there to set you apart? I learned that the hard way.
My
biggest mentors are my brothers and other photographers. I learned most of what
I know from some of the best in the business working as a model and, between them
and my two brothers, figured out technical issues as they arose. My only real
advice to give anyone who picks up a camera either as a business venture or a
hobby is to learn to shoot so that you don’t need Photoshop, and find your own
niche and style.
There is no formula to your success other than the one you come up with for yourself. Having all the best equipment won't do anything for you if you don't know how to use it. Photoshop should be an option, not a necessity. None or all of this may apply to you. Good luck.
(Editor's note: All you sensitive photographer-types out there reading this thinking none of this applies to everyone: don't be an asshole. My blog = my story. However, for a small fee, I will tell your story, too. I'll even post it on my blog. Deal?)
