We have all made mistakes and assumptions about photography that we have eventually come to realize were wrong, and the sooner we can recognize those and correct them, the better. This excellent video essay features a professional photographer discussing 10 things he got wrong about photography and what he did to fix them.
Coming to you from John Gress, this great video essay discusses 10 things he got wrong about photography and what he did to correct them. Of all the lessons I have learned about photography, the most important by far has been always keeping an open mind, staying humble, and always being willing to learn. The beauty of photography is that no matter how good you become, there is always more to learn and always new ways to experiment and expand your creativity. Even top professional photographers are always pursuing personal projects to find new ways of expressing themselves. And of course, being humble opens you to those things. I made the mistake of becoming full of myself when I first started learning photography, and it came back to bite me in the butt when working with clients eventually! Nonetheless, it was a lesson I needed to learn that has served me well since. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Gress.
This is a surprisingly informative and useful video. Kudos to John for sharing his experiences honestly and with the intent of helping the viewer.
It's great to learn from our mistakes...but, even greater to learn from someone else's mistakes! Thanks John! Sometimes it takes many years to realize the error of one's ways. The only part of this video that I'd ease up on is other people's choices for gear. Just because John did not have a positive experience with his Leica (shooting film) doesn't mean anyone who uses one is a loser...I say that more so because I am a Leica user (and do not consider myself a loser)...and a Sony user...and a Canon user. Why so many different systems? Different tools for different purposes. I don't use the Leica for really anything other than the fun of shooting with a rangefinder and manual focus lens combination. That's why we all have opinions and make our own choices in life I suppose. Live and learn...