You can learn all the techniques behind the camera and in post-processing that you want, but if you are not making compelling images, all that work will not matter much. If you have been struggling a bit with creating interesting images, check out this fantastic video tutorial that will show you five habits that will help you create more eye-catching work.
Coming to you from Deanne Fitzmaurice with B&H Photo and Video, this excellent video tutorial will show you five habits that will lead to creating more compelling images. This can be a difficult skill to develop, as it is a bit more nebulous than something easily quantified like camera settings. One habit that gets a bit overlooked these days is studying the work of master photographers. We certainly idly scroll through Instagram quite a bit, but how often do we truly stop and study a single photo, or perhaps even more importantly, a series of images? Taking the time to really study, analyze, and digest a series of photos can be highly instructive and offer some deep lessons you can apply in your own work. Check out the video above for a lot of great advice from Fitzmaurice.
Ok, so somehow get a photography gig at the Super Bowl or travel to places I've never been to like Cuba or go on a cattle drive or try to meet and photograph really interesting but grumpy people who don't want their pictures taken. Got it, thanks.
Sir, you forgot SERENDIPITY. lmao. "Wait to take photos you don't expect to take", I said peace after the first one...
Good tip about shooting in layers.
Thanks, nice find, Deanne Fitzmaurice's confessional self-analysis is NOT a 'tutorial', but a review of their own works, and helpful in sharing the experience of looking at our own processes and results, raising awareness - what are we doing and why?
I know of a painter who 'creates' color any number of ways, by tube selection in the store, mixing on the pallet, mixing on the brush, mixing on the canvas, even moving the canvas around the studio at different times of the day - all useful reminders for other painters to keep exploring, keep experimenting ... and of course someone from Pantone might suggest color control with a completely different structure and discipline, maybe.
Same with photographers, and this video goes a little deeper than merely saying what one photographer 'teacher' said to me, "... cull, cull, cull in daily post, quickly decide what you like, and toss the rest ..." and instead suggests trying to understand what we are seeing as we review our shots. and remembering what can we take into our next day's shooting.
Everyone's got a list, aware or unaware, of "... Hmm, now that you ask, the top few things I seem do in my art all the time ... well, at least at the current moment ... are ..." ... and this photographer is paying attention and sharing a few, at the moment, for now ... so far.
There's probably not a precise and perfect list ever, but more of a reminder to keep paying attention and keep raising our own awareness of what we are doing, and why, and things we need to work on, things that benefit from new attention may rise to the the top of our ever-changing list, and we end up with a top-10-list of top-10-lists, I've got more than a hundred ... so far.
#1 Serendipity - be prepared to take advantage of photography unplanned ... but planning may raise up our list when that becomes a skill we need to exercise.
#2 Layers - the subject may be everything all over the place, and conversely, on other occasions, we may remember to consider isolation of one subject out of context.
#3 Juxtaposition - show things that exist only by combining other things, versus ... what's an alternative, isolation again?
#4 Rapport, trust - between photographer and subject, versus what, candid, unaware, or even conflict - all can be exercised.
#5 ... and #6 ... and #7 Light, color, moment - hey, give names to whatever qualities we are exploring, and play with those qualities every day, think about them, let our self-review inform our next shooting.
All useful insights.
Stop any photographer and ask them to share the top important things right now, and everyone's got a different list, and the same people have different lists at different times.
I know the distilled handful of what we can control in our photographic storytelling, we all do them, aware or unaware, and this photographer is pausing to explore and share where they are in their own photography at the moment, and I kind of like the mystery in stopping occasionally as asking, "... hey, what am I paying attention to this season? ...".
It's all good.
And different every season.
There is nothing new here, and yet we get copyright on everything we create, because, yes, everything we do is new.
More, please.
.