Is it just me, or has there been a seismic shift in how people consume landscape photography—and even how they approach it?
For years, the fundamentals of photography have remained unchanged. There’s only so much that can be said about settings and camera gear. The real value lies in how to compose an image, and that applies across all photography genres.
Yet, as a landscape photographer, I’ve noticed a shift. There seems to be less interest in field-based YouTube videos and more focus on shiny new gear. I see it everywhere—thumbnail after thumbnail showcasing the latest cameras, lenses, and accessories. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course. Understanding your gear is essential. But I can’t help but feel that something is being lost along the way.
Think about it. We all start photography with a desire to capture moments, to tell a story through images. But more and more, photography seems to be reduced to specs, settings, and the latest firmware updates. Yes, these things matter, but they aren’t the soul of photography. The real magic comes from seeing, from understanding light, from waiting for the right moment—and that’s where composition and creativity take center stage.
Why the Shift?
The process of taking a photograph hasn’t changed. The goal remains the same: control light. Whether it was Ansel Adams meticulously metering exposure, Galen Rowell, high up a mountain, or a modern photographer dialing in settings, the fundamentals are unchanged. The difference? Today’s technology does much of the heavy lifting for us.
We no longer carry external light meters or wait weeks for film to develop. Instead, we get instant feedback on the back of our cameras or in an electronic viewfinder. Exposure bracketing, autofocus tracking, and real-time histograms mean we have more tools at our disposal than ever before. But has this made us better photographers, or has it just made things more convenient?
Maybe that’s part of the shift—photography consumption has sped up just as the process itself has become more immediate.
The Social Media Effect
We live in a world that moves fast. Our brains are bombarded with images, sounds, videos, and choices at an increasing pace. We scroll endlessly, barely pausing to appreciate the work in front of us. So why is photography, an art that should encourage patience and immersion, falling into this trap?
Instead of being an opportunity to slow down and absorb a moment, photography is becoming another part of the fast-consumption cycle. We see it in the way content is presented—quick edits, rapid transitions, and bite-sized tutorials that prioritize efficiency over depth.
It’s easy to blame social media. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and X thrive on short attention spans, designed to hook us in and keep us scrolling. TikTok has perfected the algorithm, feeding users content they can’t resist, keeping them in an endless loop. But this doesn’t encourage focus or creativity. Instead, it overwhelms.
And yet, photography should be the antidote to this, not another casualty of it.
Are We Shooting for Ourselves?
Heading out with a camera should be a chance to disconnect, immerse ourselves in nature, and create for the sake of creating. But more and more, photographers seem to be shooting with one goal in mind: feeding the social media machine.
- Are we capturing images we truly love, or just producing content that fits the algorithm?
- Are we choosing locations based on what inspires us, or because they’re trending online?
- Are we taking the time to refine our craft, or rushing through it for the sake of engagement?
As someone who regularly creates both images and videos, I find this shift hard to fully grasp. Personally, I still enjoy watching photographers take us into the field, show their process, and share their thought patterns as they compose a shot. Seeing the final edit at the end of a video makes it feel like a complete journey. But that style of content seems to be fading in favor of quick, high-engagement gear reviews and fast-paced edits.
The Power of Print and Slowing Down
This brings me to something I’ve been thinking about more: the value of print and books. Unlike endless scrolling, physical prints and photography books force us to slow down and appreciate images in detail. There’s something special about sitting in a chair, flipping through pages, and studying the work of others—something that simply doesn’t happen when consuming content the way we do now.
Think about how different it feels to:
- Hold a fine art print in your hands vs. seeing it on a tiny screen.
- Study a photography book for inspiration vs. flipping past dozens of images on Instagram.
- Take time to digest and appreciate a composition vs. scrolling past it in a second.
Instead of letting photography be another high-speed, disposable piece of media, shouldn’t we encourage a return to slower, more intentional engagement?
Why Field Photography Still Matters
Gear will always be part of photography. There’s no denying that. But there’s something about being in the field, dealing with unpredictable conditions, and making creative decisions on the spot that can’t be replicated in a studio.
When you’re out in nature:
- The light is always changing. You have to adapt.
- The conditions are never the same. Weather, tides, and seasons all play a role.
- The creative process is fluid. You can’t just rely on presets and formulas.
And yet, field photography is taking a backseat to controlled, scripted content that’s designed to sell a product rather than teach a craft. That’s what worries me the most.
My Questions to You
Slow down. Appreciate photography for what it is, not what algorithms want it to be.
If we let social media dictate the way we consume and create, we risk losing something valuable—the ability to truly connect with an image.
Otherwise, the future of photography might not be photographs at all, but AI-generated composites and viral videos of teenagers dancing. Don’t believe me? Just look at how Instagram has shifted its focus away from photography and toward video content.
So, I’ll leave you with this:
- When was the last time you truly studied an image?
- When was the last time you shot for yourself, not for social media?
- When was the last time you let a photograph sink in, rather than just swiping past it?
What are your thoughts? Am I off the mark, or do you see this shift happening too? Let’s discuss in the comments.
Hi Darren,
I think you summarized pretty well the current state of photography.
As an amateur photographer, I shoot for myself, family and friends, except when I travel which is the occasion to connect with local mates.
But related to your article, there are three things I want to do in the near future :
- Slow down on GAS.
- I'm on the edge of totally leaving Instagram and use another way to share my images.
- I really want to invest in a simple specific printer like the Canon Selphy to have paper version of my best shots or to share physical souvenirs with friends.
There is another aspect of photography that permit to reconnect with the essence of it. Few years ago I scanned a lot of old B&W family photos and spent hours with my parents to write down where and when those photos were taken and who are pictured on them.
A good way to slow down, study the images, rediscover family's history and use photography for what it's best : Freeze a specific moment in time.
If you wish to get into printing can I recommend watching Keith Cooper who in my opinion offers some of the best straightforward no frills or fancy advice out there on printing.
https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/keith-cooper-photography-videos-index/
Hi Eric
Thank you for the tip !
Why is there so much written about gear? Why do some photographers go on and on and on about certain camera brands? Why?
Because it’s easy. It’s easy and requires little in the way of any real thought to write about a new lens or why M4/3 is better than sliced bread.
It takes much more thought to write about the act and process of photography. I say photography as though it were some homogeneous lump but of course it’s not.
The fundamentals of macro photography are very different from sports or studio photography. Ok they all use a camera and a lenses but the thought process and approach required for each are very different.
I’m a member of a photographic society and what has struck me over the years meeting with and talking to other photographers, seldom if ever about gear, is how photographic approach is driven by the individual with each photographer going about it in their own almost unique way.
I find the most interesting photographers out there are those who talk about not the camera they use but their approach and the thinking behind their photography which is not so easy. Disassembling one’s thought processes and analysing how you go about things and then organising all that into some coherent narrative that will have meaning and make sense to others takes a great deal of effort.
While articles on gear may well interest the novice and those just starting out for those who have been pressing that button for more years than they will admit want something more meaningful. They want some insights into ways of working or thinking that they can adopt that will help to improve their own photography. That is not so easy to write about. With many column inches to fill its so much easier to fill it with stuff about the latest and best gear or those annoying articles from those M4/3rds photographic evangelists who keep proclaiming ‘my gear is better than yours!
The reason is simpler than that: they need advertisers to generate income, and promoting the latest and greatest new widget is key.
Me yapping about my bulletproof D500 or long discontinued Sigma 50-150 isn't very helpful.
I still absolutely love my Sigma DG 50-500mm ƒ4.5-6.3 APO HSM. Is it my RF100-500 ƒ4.5-7.1 L IS USM? No, but it also cost ⅓ as much & paired with one of my older 6D Mark IIs it produces excellent results.
What YouTube pushes out and where actual interest lies may be 2 differnt things? Recently, I have seen in my feed, videos on vacuum tube audio amplifiers. Have never bought one or clicked on a video and get 5 or 6 videos pushed out daily ???
Also consider many presenters in/on media are just shills. Generally getting free gear in some way or making money from your purchases. Not so many affilate links selling used gear, so fewer videos.
Darren Spoonley asked:
"When was the last time you truly studied an image?"
This morning, just 45 minutes ago.
A friend of mine posted an image of a wild turkey in full strut, all puffed up and tail fanned out in the throes of his mating display. The woods were "clean" and free of any emergent vegetation because the herbaceous plants have not yet budded in his northern latitude. The way he blurred the tree trunks behind the turkey is masterful; you can easily tell they are tree trunks, and thereby convey the feel and mood and character of the habitat that the turkey was in .... yet they are blurred to the point that they are not a distraction at all, and the turkey quite "pops" out in the scene.
Depth of field was masterfully employed by my friend, as it usually is with his superlative wildlife imagery.
I shoot, print and frame my landscape imagery of Maine and sell through 4 or 5 outdoor art shows a year and gallery showings.
After 15 years, 2024 seemed to reach critical mass. It was done by being consistent and sticking to my vision steadily improving processes and giving my clients real value for their investment in my artwork.
Social media is criminally over-rated. Youtube videos are just ads now and most of the advice ladled-out has no relevance from an artist-standpoint.
I have a website and have passed out 100's of business cards at shows, but I can count on one hand the times those first contacts resulted in sales afterward. The real driver of success is the person-to-person venue where they can talk to you and walk up to a piece and immerse themselves in it. Everything else is background noise. But first and foremost, I learned early on that true photography for its own sake is a solitary journey. Photography is not a team sport.
Darren Spoonley asked:
"When was the last time you shot for yourself, not for social media?"
Wednesday morning. I shot a trio of Barrow's Goldeneye, a love triangle of two drakes competing for the right to mate with the hen that was with them. One drake drove the other off, and he and the hen courted for about 10 minutes before finally giving in to their desires and breeding, right there in front of my camera and I ..... a rare and special opportunity to photograph one of my favorite species.
Honestly, I do not know anyone who shoots FOR social media. I personally know dozens, if not hundreds, of wildlife photographers. Most of them shoot for themselves - for their own fulfillment and enjoyment. A couple dozen of them shoot for their clients, as they shoot wildlife professionally. But not one of them shoots "for social media".
Sure, many of them post their images on Instagram and Facebook. But they do not shoot with posting in mind. They are like me - they shoot what they love to shoot, what gives them satisfaction ..... and then later they may post a couple of the images to social media. Or not.
I am extremely active on Instagram, but hardly ever post any images. The main thing I use Instagram for is to network with other photographers who love wildlife the same way I do, NOT to get people to see my photos. I use Insta to message other wildlife photographers and to communicate with them about what they are shooting and what animals they are finding in their area and what the shooting conditions are.
Perhaps you are overestimating just how big and how influential social media is ..... many very good photographers that I know never post anything at all, or take huge year-long breaks from posting. It just isn't important to many of us.
Darren Spoonley asked:
"When was the last time you let a photograph sink in, rather than just swiping past it?"
About an hour ago. I don't think I ever just swipe past any image that interests me. I take time with pretty much every image that resonates with me. I often write detailed comments about the aesthetics of the image or the subject matter. And I often send a DM to the photographer to ask about some detail of the image that interests or intrigues me.
If I spend 20 minutes on Instagram, I will usually look at a half dozen images in that time, and often come back to one or two of those later to study them further.
Darren Spoonley asked:
"What are your thoughts? Am I off the mark, or do you see this shift happening too?"
You are off the mark inasmuch as my viewing habits are concerned, and the habits of those dozens/hundreds of photographers who I know personally.
But there are probably a number of photographers who quickly scroll thru lots of images, so you are not off the mark completely. I just think you're looking at one type of viewing habit and thinking that it is much more prevalent than it really is.
Sure, "regular people" may scroll rapidly and indiscriminately, but I don't think that most actual photographers use social media this way.
Basically, I spend as much time and attention to detail when viewing images as I do when I read articles here on Fstoppers.
I have spent over a half hour carefully reading everything you wrote, reading every question you asked at the end, and responding to each question in depth and detail. This is the normal way that I consume content, as evidenced by my thousands of carefully written comments here on Fstoppers.
I do likewise when viewing photos, whether they be online or in print or in some other tangible form.
This rapid, mindless scrolling that you speak of is not done by me, nor by those like me, of whom there are many.
I agree one most problem areas is Social Media postings, where you share with the world and images can be copied and taken if wanted( I think do not know fore sure). But with Social Media outlets there are so many images and so much video (what to do with video anyway). I am a hobbyist and capture for myself and share with SmugMug ( for prints and share with family) but with ViewBug just to get feed back I guess but have not won a contest yet over 10 years, just one of those things you can do! One thing I found recently on ViewBug was a person copied 4 of my images and set me a message in ViewBugs communication thing and then an email wanting a copy to use in a Micro Stock thing I think.
But a point back years ago people had painting in there living rooms that could be bought in most furniture stores or stores selling framed painting. Now if ever in Costco there will be a person selling Photos framed of many things but no buyers seen when I looked and asked about. Just saying so many ways to market but sells am maybe for and few between. The person wanted to buy each image for $5k each, I thought SCAM!!!!
I just a hobbyist where I capture image where ever nature puts me to test a skill making self satisfaction of results.
Yes today cell phones and photographers who do not have the time for editing get images for self!
Google and others must have the count of how many images are on the WWW, compete with that, drive yourself crazy!!!
The first line of your article: "Is it just me, or has there been a seismic shift in how people consume landscape photography—and even how they approach it?"
Obviously with the internet, the answer is yes, otherwise you and I, a world apart, would not be having this conversation. Until the internet, we were mostly limited to showing our photos to people in our local community. Camera clubs used to be popular... not so much any more. I suppose most people prefer the manner of distribution which social media offers. With the click of a button, everyone in the entire family, spread across five states, can see the pictures of little Johnny's first birthday party. No doubt that's an important purpose of photography for many people. Regardless of whether it's a person, place or thing, photography serves a more documentary function for about anyone with a cellphone in their pocket. Not everybody sees photography as something to create a work of art with proper leading lines and highlight detail.
As far as the obsession with gear is concerned, you can't make a picture without a camera body and lens, so I suppose it serves as a valid subject for discussion. It might not be so relevant for me because my Nikon D800E from 2013 still serves my needs perfectly, but many people do indeed enjoy reading about new features. I don't see why discussions of gear, technique and philosophy can't coexist. By the time you've eliminated everything that somebody thinks is dumb or irrelevant, there's nothing left to talk about.
In answer to your questions:
"When was the last time you truly studied an image?"
I do it all the time. I have a printer that needs constant use or print heads get clogged, so I print several times a week. I can sit with one print in my hands for a half-hour or more. I can work for hours on one photo in post-processing. If you're talking about other people's images... I do take the time to study a few, particularly those photographers whose work I admire and am inspired by. Obviously that can't be every image by every person, so there's naturally got to be some mindless scrolling past stuff that seems ordinary. But there are some images which stop me in my tracks. The question is: Why, and what do I like about them?
"When was the last time you shot for yourself, not for social media?"
I don't have a Facebook or Instagram account. I shoot 100% for myself. The related question is how much I shoot in the style I most appreciate vs. what sells. Those are typically two different things. People mostly buy grand landscapes in color; I gravitate toward macro black and white. But I enjoy shooting it all. No need to feel like I'm selling my soul for an order. It's all satisfying.
"When was the last time you let a photograph sink in, rather than just swiping past it?"
Pretty much the same as your first question about studying an image. I am a member of a group of about a dozen people who meet once a month. We each bring a couple prints for discussion. No electronic devices permitted. It's a perfect setting for doing as you suggest: let the photograph sink in, talk about what the individual is trying to accomplish, printing issues, critique, don't rush. Appreciate someone else's work instead of being obsessed with your own.
PS to last... if you're wondering how I could sit with one print for half-an-hour. Here's why: Holding a print and staring at it for an extended period of time is a technique I use for meditating. I have a really hard time calming my busy mind, and that's probably not good for my health. So quite often late at night when it's quiet around the house, I'll pull out a print... something which brings me back to a relaxing moment in time, fairly minimalist, and focus my attention on just a small part of it. Not trying to analyze it so much as just becoming aware of a few lines and shapes. It's sort of like listening to relaxing music but with even less of a distraction.
Social media is fast and furious and a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately environment. It is a reflection of the audience and our lack of attention span. Unfortunately the genie is out of the bottle. But you have excellent points.
When was the last time you truly studied an image? Today
When was the last time you shot for yourself, not for social media? Today
When was the last time you let a photograph sink in, rather than just swiping past it? Today (several)
Those are good questions. While selectively doing social media on sites and channels that I respect, it doesn't influence me. All of the shooting that I do is for me. I don't do photography for a living. From my catalog of images, I will print the appropriate ones to frame and display at local art galleries. I do contribute to a couple of media sites that I enjoy. I take pride in looking at the work of others and not just "scrolling through". I take time when looking at the work of others including those who are not serious about photography, especially for the youthful ones. The bottom line in all of this is that we have freedom of choice. This is true of any form of media, politics, religion, sports etc.... If we become obsessed or guided by these externalities, we only need to examine ourselves.
Your answers do not surprise me at all because the things you say are reflected in the extraordinarily good images in your portfolio. People who make great images slow down and embrace the process. They take time to study and reflect on what they see... not just of their own work, but that of other people too.
Thanks for your kind observation.
A thought-provoking article Darren.
To answer your questions:
I study images all the time, it's the best way to learn.
I shoot for myself, unless it's a client shoot.
If I see a good photo in a social media feed, I stop to study it.
One thing I realised recently, is we complain about the algorithms on social platforms like YouTube, but we created it. It's just giving us what we're looking for.
One person here suggested the reason we see lots of gear-related content is people are lazy.
This is not the case, it's people are trying to make money from their accounts, and promoting gear allows for commissions and sponsorships. It's all about money.
I think the change you're writing about happend back in the mid 00's already. Bracketing, histogramming, checking focus on screen after that fact, etc. made photography a much more post-shoot endeavor. It may have gotten worse because of bigger memory cards, more capable sensors, and more camera automation, but essentially it's the same.
The problem is the rule of "do the reshoot at the shoot. It's much easier than doing it later." Why wouldn't you shoot ten different exposures just in case you want to do some light HDR compositing? Why wouldn't you focus bracket just in case that leaf is slightly out of focus? It just makes sense.
IMO the biggest difference between shooting analog or as-if-analog is that you make 80% of the decisions before the click. With the machine gun approach you make 80% of the decisions after the click.
Both are fine, whatever tickles your pickle I guess, but one thing that shooting 200 exposures of the same scene does is keep you in one place, fiddling with a gadget. Moving on is a harder decision to make.
In my own experience and opinion, forcing myself to do only a few shots of one scene before rethinking and walking around to follow another rule: "Your best shot is your next shot" — is easier when I don't think about all the options. If I decide to shoot fast to get the sky detailed, loosing some detail in the trees, then that's what that shot is, instead of doing all possible things to capture one single idea, I'll move on to another.
Nice writing. I have railed against the inane equipment ridiculous discussions about toys and tools for the longest time, then find a like mind. Thanks! Just get out your camera gear, learn how to get maximum result fro the too.
In response to Darren's question, "When was the last time you truly studied an image?", I offer a quote from a friend and guide: "A photograph freezes an event for eternity, even when the event lasts for only an instant, allowing us to savor that event slowly, like a fine wine, enjoying every detail of that event; even those that were not observed when the event occurred." - Zygmunt W. Hrozsmencko.
Thanks everyone for the detailed and excellent comments ! It seems I’m not alone in my thought process which of course is encouraging! I will add one final question, is it a generational thing more so? For example I got into photography a number of decades ago, before social media even existed and I assume many of the readers here would be the same, however if we ask the same questions to photographers who have started recently (since social media) would the responses be different ?
Darren Spoonley asked:
"I will add one final question, is it a generational thing more so? For example I got into photography a number of decades ago, before social media even existed and I assume many of the readers here would be the same, however if we ask the same questions to photographers who have started recently (since social media) would the responses be different ?"
To some degree, but not entirely.
My nephews are teenagers and budding nature photographers. So is a 20 year old in my church who is a close friend. I also know a 21 year old who specializes in finding and photographing owls here in Washington.
None of these 4 youngsters are ones to scroll mindlessly thru pics on Instagram or Facebook. They all find content that interests or informs them, and then they delve deep into it.
None of these 4 care much about gear. At the very beginning, when they didn't have a camera and wondered which one to buy, they researched gear online, but only to make that initial decision about which camera and lens to get. Once they got their kit, none of them have spent much, if any, time talking about cameras or lenses. They spend their time thinking and talking about the subjects that they photograph and those they want to photograph, not about gear.
When these kids are on day trips going out into nature, to find and photograph wildlife, they are not constantly looking at their phones. Their phones generally stay in a pocket or a backpack for hours at a time. When we stop for dinner at a restaurant on the way home from a venture, they are using their phones to research the things that we found that day, learning more about the animals that they photographed, searching for documentaries about them, reading about their biology and lifecycle, etc. They're not just going to social media and flipping thru stuff mindlessly.
These kids really aren't much different than I was when I was a teenager in the 1980s, inasmuch as how they use their time and what they are interested in.
Tom, where are Siskel & Ebert when you need them! Definitely a two thumbs up reply.
Somehow I feel you have been a good mentor and great influence on your nephews, you “late boomer” ;) Yay!
Darren that’s a very simplified or loaded question and to use a very generational phrase, a “copout”. It is a lot more complicated than generational. Different times, apples and oranges, different methods of education, more art, less tech, patience and perseverance verse instant gratifications and bad habits, and once again quality verses quantity. I could go on and on.
But once again to paraphrase or quote “you ani’t going to learn what you don’t want to learn” - John Barlow
Darren, I feel this is you best article I’ve read to date and some impressive samples of your work!
What was it Ansel Adams said “Nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept.”
Capture, that word has always bothered me in context to photography. Waiting, watching for the most opportune moment today’s digital photographer haven’t a clue. Try going into the field with a finite number of frames on x amount of 36, 24, 12 exposure rolls or said sheets of film, you’ll learn about selective/intentional shooting real quick.
As to waiting for the light or the right moment well the light makes the image and like you said, the photographer has to adapt to many things while in the field. “… real magic comes from seeing, and understanding light…” Totally. For me when I encounter quality light in the field that’s when I kick into high gear looking for appropriate subjects and compositions. The way to do this is being tuned into your surroundings and I mean everything, sight, sounds, weather. As a nature and landscape photographer, no distractions, no time restraint to assure success.
Too many (bad) YouTube videos and getting worse by the day. Outside of post-processing techniques I question how much one can learn form about field photography from a YouTuber more concerned with their video than the making a photograph. Often while watching YouTuber / Photographer attempting to teach during a field sessions I find myself saying more and more often, shout-up and shoot!
No gear really doesn’t matter what does matter is knowing the gear you have available. And knowing your gears limits is the best way to avoid trying to exceed them … that’s what matters!
Gearheads who talk features and spec need to understand information is not knowledge that comes through experience. A good way to tell if someone is just a babblehead about gear and photography just try and setup a joint shooting session with them in the field, if their are more talk than experience it will never happen.
A lot of “rules” taken and practiced as gospel rather that using with common sense. Lets talk “depth-of-field” years ago shooting with a wide open aperture was called selective focus not shallow depth-of-field, also a lens’ sweet spot and lens refraction. There are so many variable to when light refraction occurs lens design, quality of light and how it enters the lens, etc. When did you even here the term sweet spot used with a view camera lens with are often spotted down to their smallest f/45 - f/64. With analog photography the lens was the most important piece of gear, camera body not so much. In days of ole in times of financial stress a photographer pawned or sold camera bodies not cherished glass.
What’s the old adage “garbage in, garbage out” and quality over quantity is an old and true mantra! So yes some people are overwhelmed by social media these days.
As to your 3 parting questions?
Every time I raise a viewfinder to my eye to all of the above. This is when having a critical eye is most important.
So I leave you with this why the outpouring of focused community response to it?
when was the last time anyone shot to validate their existence as a photographer or simply as a person?
in our minds we all seek happiness and happiness means a shot we know other people will appreciate beyond our own selves. "wow, this is great and I hope it gets viewed, goes viral!" is raw human emotion, a selfish hope so to be honest you can't call yourself not human. Make it about pursuing profit as opposed to joy? That's more like any change social media has created. I see that and I sense that, the passion and joy of photography without an angle or any other need? I see that lacking because social media distracts, phones are sterile and both create a competitive environment. With Joy and Passion that part has no meaning, no need for it because it's not business designed like SM is geared. I see it on flickr because the top camera choices used 1 through 9 are phones and 10 is a camera? A phone really reflects a lot of raw emotion in snapshots and selfies, can't you tell because I know I can't see it? "passion" vs "social acceptance"
I shoot for myself. It’s a learning experience I started a few years ago with inexpensive fixed lens cameras. It’s allowed me to learn how to see, and to take in the entirety of my surroundings, such as the knobby, ancient roots of a tree and its gnarly bark, not just the leaves and branches. I will be seventy in a few months, and I’m grateful to have these experiences.
Very nice article. Well written and well said. I love the phrase "The Power of the Print and of Slowing Down". My background goes back to the time when the only method of communicating our photography was the print, so everything had to be done with the print in mind. There was no interweb, there was no digital, there was no electronic communication. In my mind the positive side of electronic communication is that it is far reaching and very immediate. The down side is that people don't have to master the craft, since many times the camera does all the exposure math for us, no thinking involved. I have said often that if I were designing a photographic curriculum I would require each student to take at least their first two semesters using film and large format cameras only. They would be taught as class work, and as classes. That would help tremendously in students - soon to be photographers - in finding their own voice. Your writing here is spot on. Learn to photograph for what you want and like, not to be a clone or an imitation of anyone else.
”The fact is that relatively few photographers ever master their medium. Instead they allow the medium to master them and go on an endless squirrel cage case from new lens to new paper to new developer to new gadget, never staying with one piece of equipment to learn its full capacities, becoming lost in a maze of technical information that is of little to use since they don’t know what to do with it.” - Edward Weston
Edward Weston was a hero.
I think our photography was better when our equipment wasn't.
It was simplicity of photography in the truest form. The fundamentals of light, space and time. While shooting with feelings, intention, mindfulness and dedication to the art and our psyche. Know that if our vision wasn’t successful at the time of exposure it became a mire memory to our minds alone.
“To make good photographs, to express something, to contribute something something to the world he lives in, and to contribute something to the art of photography besides imitations of the best photographers on the market today, that is basic training, the understanding of self” - Edward Steichen