This is a "re-post" of an article. Many of you have been reading my blog for a while now, thank you. I'm posting this particular article again because some of you are new here, and I want you to enjoy this information too. And remember, I post a free Ebook dedicated to Photography weekly.
So you have decided you might like to try getting into photography, you have either just acquired a new camera or are about to, where do you begin?
Here are some photography tips for absolute beginners to help get you started:
Buying gear
Your gear does not make you a good photographer. If you are just starting out, a top of the line camera is likely to not ony be be a waste of money for you, but also make your learning process a bit trickier. A bit like buying a formula one race car to learn to drive.
When you do want to buy gear, research first. It’s really helpful to take a look at some photography forums or articles here on dPS to find tips on beginner cameras. Once you find something that sounds viable and fits your budget, read reviews, and again look to forums such as Flickr, where there is a chat group for nearly every brand or model of camera, and they are often more honest about any issues.
The same applies to other gear like lighting. You don’t need to set yourself up with professional soft boxes to try studio lit portraits, you can try some of these DIY lighting tips, or find some cheap beginner setups on Amazon or Ebay.
Take lots of photographs
“Your first ten thousand photographs are your worst” – Henri Cartier-Bresson
As with any skill, the more you use it, the better you get. As you progress with your photography and look back on those early beginner shots you thought were fabulous, you’ll be able to see Mr. Cartier-Bresson was very right.
Read the manual
Camera manuals are at best, the most boring thing you have ever read in your life, with the possible exception of that friend that wanted you to read all 600 pages of their poetry about love and skin rashes.
Camera manuals are not exactly a riveting read.
It’s a good thing both in the beginning, and to refresh down the track, to know how this wonderful instrument (your camera) actually works. Even if you don’t recall all of it, that doesn’t matter, you will learn or be reminded of something helpful.
Yet it’s such a hard thing to read that manual! So it’s best to place it somewhere where you can push through it in small instalments while you are passing some time such as: the bathroom, in the car if circumstances have you often sitting there waiting for the kids, or at work during lunch break. Just as long as you give that thing a good going over.
Workshops and courses
So you’ve got the photography bug. You might be thinking, “Ooooo! I’ll sign up to a bunch of courses, workshops, buy online courses.” It might seem like a good idea and while they can be fantastic, I don’t recommend going nuts with your enthusiasm, and signing up for courses and workshops the moment you get the photography buzz.
You are currently reading one of the most useful photography sites on the entire internet. There is more information, tips and tutorials on this site, and others, than you will ever need to get you started and beyond. Once you get the hang of things, then you will have a better idea of the type of courses and workshops that would suit you. So I’m not saying don’t take a course – just wait until you know what suits your needs.
Connect with other photographers
This is invaluable, whether you sign up to an online group that use your brand of camera, or join a local camera club, your photography will progress faster, and it will be more fun with the help of fellow shutterbugs.
Connecting with other photographers is a great way to learn more and get inspired.
Camera clubs often have monthly competitions to practice with and sometimes organize photo tours, exhibitions and other activities. Talking with knowledgeable photographers or even fellow beginners can not only inspire, but also keep you motivated.
Sign up to some reputable photography newsletters and Facebook pages, or even approach photographers you admire to ask questions. Most professional photographers don’t mind answering a few questions, as long as you are respectful and polite, and don’t demand too much of their time.
Try everything
You may have taken up photography with a certain style or subject in mind, but it can be helpful to try all styles. You never know what you might have a knack for, or what you will learn along the way.
Getting feedback
Your friends and family may love you but they will lie to you about your photography. Unless you have a very honest friend or family member who actually knows a bit about photography, it’s often more beneficial to get feedback from strangers.
Signing up to a photo sharing site where others can comment on your work will get you mostly honest feedback, sometimes brutally so. I posted the image below on a feedback site some years ago. Aware the image had faults, I was keen to hear what someone else could point out for me, that I might not have seen after working so closely on the image.
A fellow submitted a lengthy comment , basically pulled it apart, pointing out several (million it seemed) faults, he really went to town on it. But while the comments were brutal and borderline unkind, it was useful advice. All of which I ignored in regards to that image, but was useful for later attempts.
Enter free competitions
If you have loads of money to spend, and confidence in your work, by all means as a beginner enter some of the big competitions. You wouldn’t be the first to take out a major prize in the first few months of picking up a camera. But there are loads of free competitions out there for you to throw some images, at and see how they go. Have a read of this helpful guide to entering competitions.
Aim to get off Auto settings
If you really want to be a good photographer, this is vital. No rush though! Just enjoy photographing in Auto Mode, and experiment with the settings as you go. Manual settings are not nearly as difficult as some beginners think. It can be a bit like learning to drive. In the beginning, it can be challenging to manage gears, indicators, and steering, all the while trying not veer off the road. But, with a bit of patience and practice, it becomes second nature. When you are ready to try manual settings there are plenty of beginner guides and cheat sheets here on dPS.
The digital darkroom
If you are really into your photography, you will need some sort of editing program. In the days of film photography you needed a darkroom and the use of heavy chemicals. But these days, thanks to modern technology, you can edit almost anywhere.
These days your darkroom can even be in bed with some accompaniments.
There are free and simple programs like Picasa, which have their limits, but are good for those just starting out. Then there are the big guns like Photoshop and Lightroom, which can be daunting for beginners, but it’s worth learning even just the basics of these programs, if you intend to get serious about your photography at some point. As with getting off Auto settings, it’s not as difficult as it may seem at first, and the internet is bursting with free tutorials on pretty much any program you choose.
Have fun
This is the best and most important part of photography, the enjoyment of it.
Don’t get bogged down by unsuccessful attempts, or by comparing yourself to professionals. Even the best photographers in the world were beginners at some point. Just keep taking photographs, keep learning, keep challenging yourself, and above all keep enjoying the fun you can have with photography.
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Wednesday, May 29, 2019
What to Do When Your Camera Won’t Work and You Wanna Scream
You love your camera and care for it with due diligence. You (hopefully) clean the sensor and wipe down your lenses, being careful to keep them dry and avoiding high humidity. But what happens when no matter how careful you’ve been, your camera won’t work and starts to act funny? What if that dear, dear equipment of yours stops working the way you try and expect? Then what?
Easy Fixes
There are some fairly common problems that you can fix yourself. They involve a little bit of fiddling with your camera, but you don’t always need to run to your local camera store for repairs. So before you go running to the experts consider these options if your experience the following issues with your camera.
1) The lens won’t focus
Check that the autofocus is turned on – This is a fairly easy fix most of the time. The first thing you should always do is check to make sure you have the lens’s autofocus turned on. There have been a few times when I didn’t realize that I had pushed the switch to manual focus and I can’t understand why the lens won’t work. Always, always check this button first.
Try removing the lens and reattaching it. Sometimes when changing lenses you may not quite connect the camera and lens properly. In this case, the camera and lens can’t communicate and the camera can’t send a message to the lens to start the autofocus adjustments. Make sure you hear a click and the lens is attached tightly to the camera body (if not it can also fall off!).
Try using compressed air or a blower. It may be that there is some dust that is interrupting the proper workings of your camera use a blower to clean out the attachment area for both lens (metal contacts) and the area on the camera.
Try using a blower to clean the attachment area for your lens. Just remember don’t ever touch the little gold squares with your fingers. They can corrode and then your camera cannot communicate with the lens. I will apologize for the camera shake on this image. It’s not easy holding a camera while shooting using a blower tool.
Take out your trusty user manual and see if the there’s a troubleshooting section. Most camera user manuals will have a section where you can find solutions to common problems.
You’re too close – Every lens has a minimum focusing distance. If you get too close to your subject, the lens will not be able to focus. For example, if the minimum focusing distance for your lens is 18″ and you try to do a macro shot of a flower and get right into about 8″ away from it – you lens physically cannot do that job. Try adding a close-up filter or using extension tubes to solve this issue.
2) Memory Card Errors
Check it’s not locked – If your camera won’t allow you to take or to delete photos it may be because you’ve not removed the write protect on your card or you’ve locked it. If the memory card is locked you can move the switch to unlock it. Sometimes the switch will break off. This is an easy repair. Place a piece of tape over the space where the switch should be and the card will once again be unlocked.
Format – If nothing is working, it may be time to consider formatting the card. You will lose all pictures currently on the card (download them first) but this may be the only way to get the card working again.
Here you can see the little switch on the SD card. If you can’t write to the card check here.
3) Weird Exposures
It can happen sometimes, you read the exposure correctly, and somehow everything comes out way too bright or too dark. The first thing to check is your exposure settings.
Perhaps you’ve got exposure compensation turned on. This means that the camera will alter the value selected when the camera is set in various automatic modes (with some models it even applies in Manual Mode, like most Nikons). Check to make sure you haven’t accidentally turned on exposure compensation.
Oops, yep definitely did not look at camera settings when I shot this. Always check those
when you consistently get a weird exposure.
Also, check what metering mode the camera is set to use. Often, issues can be caused by using Spot Metering mode if you are not careful and understand how to use it. If in doubt, use Average or Evaluative Metering Mode as a safe fall-back.
Check you haven’t activated Auto Exposure Bracketing (AEB) by mistake. This is a common accident and you may not even realize it’s happened, but auto bracketing will take a series of images both under and overexposed that could be throwing off your exposures. If one shot is dark and the next is too bright this could be the culprit, check your bracketing settings.
Know when it’s time to put your camera to rest
There are times when there’s nothing you can do. Your camera is just like other tools and eventually, it will wear out. So let’s talk about the signs that you may have a camera on its last legs.
The ISO grain on your camera has become way more sensitive. In this case, it’s time to consider a new camera. If your camera’s ISO 400 is starting to look grainy in good lighting then you may need to go shopping.
The shutter is very slow. A camera usually has a lifespan of maximum shutter actuations. Once your camera reaches its limits, there’s nothing you can do. You will know if you’re reaching the end when the shutter on your camera starts to become very slow and there is often a delay after you press the shutter button before it takes the photo.
The dark band at the top is a sign that your camera shutter isn’t functioning properly.
You’ve surpassed your camera’s limits – There’s another factor that has nothing to do with the proper workings of the camera. Sometimes you may outgrow the capabilities of your equipment. I used a Canon 50D for years. But then when I became much more serious about my photography, and I needed something with a higher megapixel count I knew it was time to put my lovely camera to rest. Sometimes we need better equipment. It’s okay to accept this fact and move on. I know this sounds like you’re breaking up a relationship of sorts. Well, the truth is you are. Do what’s best for you and the goals you have for your photography.
So go ahead and tell us more about your camera. Give us some nice anecdotes about your frustrations with your gear. Tell us about the quick fixes you’ve found and tell us about your love-hate relationships with your older gear and why you moved on.
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How to Create and Use a Light Skin Smoothing Action in Photoshop
When you photograph portraits, you’ll spend time editing the photos so your clients look their very best. A lot of that time is often spent smoothing out the skin. But while some smoothing is okay, doing it too much can change the look of the person.
Here’s how to create a simple and easy Photoshop action that will have you smoothing out skin faster without over-retouching it.
Before and after using this light skin smoothing action.
What is a Photoshop Action?
A Photoshop action is where you record various steps in an editing process and save them so you can then reapply those steps simply by ‘playing’ the action.
In this case, the action will have three steps. When you press ‘Play’ it will apply those three steps quickly and automatically so you can get to the fun part – the retouching.
Create the action
Step 1: Open a photo (any photo will do) so you can create the action. Step 2: Make sure the Actions panel is open. If it isn’t, go to the Window menu and make sure Actions is selected. If you can’t find the Actions panel on your workspace, deselect and re-select it in the menu. Step 3: Create an Action Set, which will create a master folder for your action to live in and help you organize your actions. (You can skip this step if you already have one.) Click on the three lines in the Actions panel and select New Set. You can also create it by clicking the folder icon at the bottom of the Actions panel. You can give it any name you like. (In this example I named it “My actions”.) Step 4: Now it’s time to record the action. Select New Action from the Actions panel menu, or click the New icon at the bottom. Choose a name for your action, select the set you want it stored in, and click Record. Note: Once you hit record, everything you do in Photoshop will be recorded – including the things you did accidentally. Fortunately, you can click the Record and Stop buttons at any time while you’re recording the steps. Step 5: Once you start recording your action, duplicate your layer in the layers panel or by hitting CMD/CTRL+J. Step 6: From the Photoshop menu select Filters ->Blur -> Gaussian Blur and choose a value between 10 and 25 pixels. (Don’t worry. Your photo won’t stay blurry.) Step 7: Create a mask layer, then hold down the Alt/Option key and click on the mask. This will add a black mask on your blur, and your photo will be back to normal. We’ll be using this mask to add the smoothing rather than erase the blur, which is a lot more work. Step 8: Select the Brush tool (or press B on the keyboard), and choose an opacity between 10% and 20%. Make sure your foreground color is set to white so you can paint back the smoothing. Step 9: Hit Stop to stop recording.
Your action is now ready to use.
To test your action, open a new photo and hit Play in the Actions panel.
You’ll see the actions you recorded re-applied to the new photo.
How to use your action
Open a photo with the skin you want to smooth out. It’s best if you retouch any imperfections or blemishes beforehand. This action simply smoothes out the skin lightly to make it look natural and clean.
Hit Play on your action, choose a brush size that’s best for your photo and start painting in the smoothing in small strokes. Make sure you paint in the mask layer or you’ll be painting white onto the skin.
You should see the difference after a few strokes. You can also change the opacity if you need more or less smoothing.
Tips
If you accidentally record extra steps, simply stop the recording and then delete the steps that aren’t part of the action.
You can also delete the action and start over. So don’t worry if you don’t get each step right the first time.
Retouching skin can often take time away from photographing clients. But by using actions, you can streamline your editing by automating steps you use regularly.
This action also helps you retouch photos lightly and more naturally.
Let us know if you find it helpful.
You’ve probably heard that the absolute best time for taking gorgeous portraits is before sunset at golden hour. I love the golden hour as much as the next photographer. But I’m also a mom, and I know the importance of being able to capture photographs of your kids throughout day-to-day life, not just when the lighting conditions are ideal.
Let’s face it – birthday parties, parades, celebrations, and field trips often happen in the middle of the day when the light is harsh and more difficult to work with. How do you capture those special midday moments?!
You can absolutely take amazing photos of your kids no matter the time of day! In this article, I’ll share three quick and easy tips for those times when you want to capture memories and are photographing kids in harsh lighting conditions.
1. Find or Make Some Shade
One of the easiest ways to approach photographing kids in harsh lighting conditions is to find or make some open shade.
If you’re outdoors, look for a group of trees, a small hill, a tall building, or even part of a play structure that can provide you with a bit of shade for your photo. When you’re looking at the shadows on the ground, try to find a patch of shade that doesn’t have “hot spots” of sunlight mixed in with the shade. Mottled light is generally not the most flattering type of light for photographs.
If you aren’t able to find open shade, you can also create it. I’ve used everything from a sun hat to a couple of friends holding a beach towel in the air to create a small patch of shade for a photo of my kiddos. Be creative!
2. Find Your Light
Unless you’re shooting right at high noon, the light from the sun will still have some direction to it. If you’re familiar with the circle trick, this is a great time to utilize it so that you can easily visualize the direction of the light.
Snapping photos without taking the direction of light into account often results in lackluster images with squinting subjects and uneven unflattering lighting.
This is an example of what NOT to do when shooting in harsh lighting conditions. See how the
girls are squinting and the light is uneven across their faces?
However, spending just a few seconds thinking about the direction of the source of light makes for a much better image in exactly the same location. One simple way that I often communicate this to kiddos is to ask them to stand with their feet pointing towards the head of their shadow.
Nine times out of ten, this simple instruction quickly orients kids so that the direction of light (backlit) is most flattering. You may still end up with some hot spots across their shoulders and the tops of their heads, but typically the light will be nice and even across their faces, which is really my goal when shooting in harsh light or full sun.
3. Try a Fill Flash
So, what if the background you’re trying to capture doesn’t allow you to orient your child in the best way given the direction of light?
Whether you’re taking photos of a historical landmark or a hometown parade, there is another trick you can utilize in harsh lighting conditions. That is to use your on-camera flash as a fill light to help diffuse any harsh shadows and brighten your subject’s face.
For example, the above image was taken at a local lake. Because of the location of the dock coupled with the time of day, I wasn’t quite able to get the sun all the way behind my daughter, resulting in a bit of a hot spot on the right edge of her face, while the rest of her face is just a bit dark.
If this effect bothers you, give fill flash a try!
This second image (above) was taken at the same time, in the same place. But this time I used my camera’s flash to soften some of the highlights near her face. You’ll notice that the coloring of the water is entirely different when using a fill flash versus without it. Additionally, her eyes seem to have more pop with the flash compared to without it.
Whether or not to use fill flash in harsh lighting conditions is really a matter of aesthetic preference. But it’s certainly worth a try if something feels a bit off when you’re shooting in harsh light.
In a nutshell, don’t be afraid of photographing kids in full sun – it’s easier than you may think. Give it a try, and chime in and share your best images with us below.
10 Things You Can Learn About Photography from Elliott Erwitt
I’ve always been a huge fan of the photographer Elliott Erwitt. His photography is sharp, often very funny and captures a sometimes silly, sometimes ridiculous part of our human experience.
His way of talking about photography is wonderful. He is a super pragmatic person who doesn’t go in for all fuss of talking about photography as if it’s some kind of sacred experience.
He does, though, have extraordinary photographic talent, which has been honed over a 60-year career. So I thought I’d share with you some of the many things we can learn from him. After you read this I encourage you to look up his work and investigate for yourself.
Finding a mentor
I make a point of learning from people I admire. It takes me out of my own little bubble of creative work, the hustle I do as a photographer and creative entrepreneur – and offers me interesting perspectives that are totally different to my own way of doing things.
There are always very cool and interesting ideas to be sparked, new ways to do things, new thoughts and inspirations to be gathered from some of the amazing creative talents in the world.
In this article, I’ve used some of my photos that are a little Elliott Erwitt inspired and paired them with some things you can also learn from this legendary photographer.
Lesson 1: Learning to use your camera is actually the easy bit
“There isn’t much to learn about photography,
everything you need to know you can find out by reading the instructions
in the box. The rest is practice.” – Elliott Erwitt
Okay, okay, I know this sounds flippant and probably frustrating if you are knee deep in confusion about how to use your camera. But even though it can be challenging and difficult, your camera is a machine with very clear and logical instructions. That’s the easy bit.
Learning how to compose interesting, unique photos, developing your eye for striking compositions, or bringing artistic and captivating elements into your images – those are the challenging parts!
So if you can trust that with some perseverance you will learn the mechanics of the camera, then you can dedicate yourself to the other part of photography that really makes the difference between an OK photograph and an amazing one. And that is…
Lesson 2: Photography is all about learning to see the world in new ways
“To me, photography is an art of observation. It’s
about finding something interesting in an ordinary place… I’ve found it
has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the
way you see them.” – Elliott Erwitt
I think one of the reasons Erwitt is so successful is that he is totally an observer. He watches the world from a state of complete presence. I cannot overstate the importance of becoming an observer.
You may think you are always observing the world, but I would counter that. What you likely do is see a little, but mostly you are lost in your mind, in your thoughts and ideas – usually about the past. “Why did I do that?! Why did he say that?!” Or in the future. “I have to remember to send an email about that meeting!”
We all do it! Then, with the small amount of attention we have left, we are looking at the world, but are so lost in ourselves that what we see is very limited, just tiny measures of what is actually there.
Our brain processes billions of pieces of visual information every second (crazy right?!) but in an effort to make sure we don’t get overwhelmed, we only ever see a few hundred segments.
So when we are lost in our own minds, our own thoughts, we are seeing even less.
But when you decide to stop paying attention to your never-ending rush of thoughts and ideas and to-do lists and decide to become fully present in the world, fully aware of what is happening right now – then you will be truly observing the world.
Notice the feeling of a light breeze on your skin, the harsh sunlight on your eyelids making you squint, the deep blue of the sky, the way the movement of undulating water is shimmering under the bright sun.
You may notice people laughing in a cafe, a dog barking in the distance, the people walking past you with a rhythmic thud. The rolling drone of cars passing.
This is what it is to observe the world – to step into the world of now. To step out of your mind and into the present moment.
Elliott Erwitt’s photography is such an amazing display of observing. It shows that when you are in a state of observation, particularly of human beings, you’ll find gems everywhere.
Lesson 3: Don’t stop taking photos – you’ll get a good one eventually
“The ratio of successful shots is one in
God-knows-how-many. Sometimes you’ll get several in one contact sheet,
and sometimes it’s none for days. But as long as you go on taking
pictures, you’re likely to get a good one at some point.” – Elliott Erwitt
I like to think of photography in terms of balance. It’s always good to keep learning and developing your skills, but without practice, without getting out there and doing it – all the learning means nothing.
You also don’t want to get stuck in the learning cycle where you never feel like you have enough information, or that you must learn more or upgrade your camera before you can take better photos.
No! Nothing – literally nothing – beats just going out and actually taking photos.
Lesson 4: Technical skill will only take you so far
“Good photography is not about ‘Zone Printing’ or any
other Ansel Adams nonsense. It’s just about seeing. You either see, or
you don’t see. The rest is academic. Photography is simply a function of
noticing things. Nothing more.” – Elliott Erwitt
When I was starting out in photography I bought all of Ansel Adams’ books about Zone printing. I studied them and used them in my work. Through them, I become an excellent printer, both from film and then digital. I am pretty into technology, and I’ve never met a camera manual I didn’t want to read.
But I do, however, have to agree with Elliott Erwitt here. Technical skill can help you capture the photo you see in your head. It can give you the tools to make a photo work, but it is not what makes a photo successful.
There are examples of many famous photographers who were completely untechnical.
Diane Arbus would say that if her camera stopped working she’d just press all the buttons until it started functioning again. Her portraits, though, are breathtaking. She used her ability to connect with people to draw out the most extraordinary expressions and portraits.
So, although I love to draw on strong technical skills as a background for my work – I know it’s not what creates the magical elements, the je ne sais quoi, that makes an image interesting or memorable.
I have seen more than my share of technically perfect, but instantly forgettable images, to know this to be true.
Again it comes back to balance. My ideal goal is to have enough technical skill to be able to execute to my standard, and then focus on that emotion, inspiration, observer part of myself that finds the arresting scenes and subjects to photograph.
Lesson 5: Passion never gets old
Elliott Erwitt is a very prolific photographer. As well as photographing hundreds of advertising and commercial campaigns, he has produced more than 80 books and countless exhibitions.
I love that he has done eight books just on dogs! Isn’t that cool? What that tells me is that you are only done with a subject when your passion for it fades. And Mr. Erwitt is currently 89 years old as of the date this article was published!
If you still get excited about a subject, if you still want to photograph it – then you still have something more to say about it. As you get more familiar with your subject, your narrative, your feeling and your observations about it change. Things are always changing and developing with you, the world, and your creativity.
I have been photographing London during the blue hour, sunrise hours, for almost 20 years – and I have never been bored in the city. Often I go to the same spots over and over (East London) and I always find something interesting, because it inspires me.
So always follow that excitement, that inspiration – because passion never gets old.
Lesson 6: People reveal a lot about themselves when they think nobody is watching
Elliott has taken some brilliantly absurd shots of people doing bizarre things. You would think that being in public would make people more self-conscious about their behavior. To an extent it does. But most of us aren’t as open as when we are alone.
And yet people are always revealing themselves. It seems impossible to hold onto our mask, our veneer, as humans for very long. Especially when we think no one’s paying attention.
This is one of the key tenets of street photography. Watch closely enough, and for long enough and someone will do something crazy or funny or weird. It’s just human nature.
Lesson 7: A good photograph is all about the emotions it invokes in the viewer
“I observe, I try to entertain, but above all I want
pictures that are emotional. Little else interests me in photography.
Today, so much is being done by unemotional people, or at least it looks
that way… I mean, work that’s fascinating and fun and clever and
technically brilliant. But if it’s not personal, then it misses what
interesting photography is about.” – Elliot Erwitt
This reminds me of a beautiful Maya Angelou quote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
It’s the same with photography and all art. If someone feels something when looking at your photos, that creates much more of an impact and connection than a photo that simply looks beautiful or interesting, but doesn’t invoke any emotion.
That is easier said than done right?! How do you go about doing that? How do you create a feeling in your images?
The main thing is you, as the photographer, must be in a state of feeling first. If you are feeling bored by your subject, you will not translate an emotionally impactful sentiment into your photos.
If you are looking at your subject and feeling, for example, deeply calm, then you are more likely to convey that feeling in your images.
Like Henri Cartier-Bresson said, “To photograph: it is to put on the same line of sight the head, the eye and the heart.”
Now, I don’t want to say that happens automatically. Just because you feel something when you are taking the photo doesn’t mean it will immediately be translated into the image. It isn’t. It does require some technical abilities to be able to capture the image that you want – getting good exposures on your light, etc. But that is just learning and practice.
The state of feeling – of always putting yourself in front of things that make you feel something – that is the thing that elevates your images overall.
For example, I spent seven weeks in a castle in Tuscany over the winter and much of my time was spent wandering the hills and forests taking photos. One beautiful, crisply cold afternoon I came upon a deserted building. It was huge and looming, with a cold and scary facade. The gardens were overgrown, and nature had begun its reclamation of the stone statues and walls.
It was really eerie. Although terrified of exploring it, I pushed through my fear and went inside. The whole time I was there I was anxious – too many scary movies perhaps running through my mind – and my photos reflect that feeling of fear.
But that’s great because it works for the subject. The subject was scary and creepy. So my photos feel scary and creepy. A job well done, I’d say!
As I mentioned, I spend a lot of time photographing cities at dawn – particularly in summer when sunrise is so early in many places that there is no one around. You really get to observe the city as it is, without crowds of people.
So here’s the second example, above. I have hundreds of photos of sunrises, in beautiful places like Venice or Istanbul, that have filled me with awe. The combination of the sky breaking open from deep blue to explosions of pinks, purples, yellows and oranges and the incredible buildings and architecture in the cities is so exciting for me to experience.
The feeling you get from viewing these photos matches the epic feeling I experienced taking them. I had a feeling of total awe while I was taking the photos. I capture the images technically well – but the impact comes from that feeling.
In another example, I love finding peculiar things stuck on the ground or on walls. I love making funny compositions of odd shapes that you can find on pavement or the shapes created by torn posters.
There are so many ways to play with shape, form, and texture in these subjects.
To me the feeling I have when I find something like this is one of intrigue. I think that translates into the images I capture as well.
So there are many ways to approach this sense of feeling. The most important factor is finding the things that exhilarate, intrigue, or inspire awe within you.
Lesson 8: Interesting things happen all the time…you just have to wait
“I rarely stage pictures. I wait for them… let them
take their own time. Sometimes, you think something’s going to happen,
so you wait. It may pan out; it may not. That’s a wonderful thing about
pictures– things can happen.” – Elliot Erwitt
The world is magical, things will happen regardless of what you do. In fact, the less you do the better. I find that the less you try to control the world around you the more effort you make to observe and be in that state of awareness.
The world, and we humans, always do funny things.
Lesson 9: It’s easy to create something original if you don’t follow the crowd
“After following the crowd for a while, I’d then go
180 degrees in the exact opposite direction. It always worked for me,
but then again, I’m very lucky.” – Elliott Erwitt
I spend a lot of time photographing some of the most photographed places on earth – cities like Paris and London. You might think it’s hard to capture something original in such over-photographed places, but that’s not the case.
Most people are photographing the exact same things. A bit like how tourists are always to be found crowded around the same spots. The trick is to go (or shoot) in the opposite direction to everyone else.
One evening I was on Westminster Bridge in London. There was a gorgeous sunset setting behind the Houses of Parliament. It was really incredible – lots of purples and pinks.
On the bridge, hundreds of photographers had their cameras pointed at the scene. This is understandable, of course.
I grabbed that shot (above), which was pretty but not very original. Then I started to look around. The light wasn’t just the sunset, it was affecting everything around us. I turned 180 degrees and there was a really cool scene of almost metallic colors. I got a great shot of that scene, see below (and no one else seemed to have noticed.)
Almost everyone will shoot the obvious shot, and not look around to see what else there is to photograph.
Lesson 10: Stay curious!
“I don’t think you can create luck. You’re either
lucky or you’re not. I don’t know if it’s really luck or if it’s just
curiosity. I think the main ingredient, or a main ingredient for
photography is curiosity. If you’re curious enough and if you get up in
the morning and go out and take pictures, you’re likely to be more lucky
than if you just stay at home.” – Elliott Erwitt
Keep it simple.
This is another piece of Elliott’s simple advice that I love. Don’t overthink photography. Use your passion and instinct. Go out, take photos. Look at the world around you. Then shoot some more.
Last bonus tip – be yourself!
“The dedicated photographer works with his own
sensibility, instincts, and experience. He stays curious about
everything visible. He looks, looks some more, and then looks again,
because that is the fundamental basis of photography. And that’s all…
just looking and making your own unique connections.” – Elliott Erwitt
We each have totally different ways of seeing and capturing the world around us. I couldn’t emphasize enough the importance of not worrying about what everyone else is doing and just focusing on you!
Your photos, your passions, your personal curiosity. That’s how you’ll create something unique and interesting.
I hope this has inspired you to take a look at the work of one of my favorite photographers and given you some ideas for your photography.
I’d love to know what you think of these gems of wisdom from Mr. Erwitt and the lessons I have interpreted from them. Please share your thoughts below.
This is a "re-post" of an article. Many of you have been reading my blog for a while now, thank you. I'm posting this particular article again because some of you are new here, and I want you to enjoy this information too. And remember, I post a free Ebook dedicated to Photography weekly.
