Photographers today study the masters of the past all of the time. I am always amazed by the Photographers of today and their knowledge of the Master Photographers from a “bygone era.” Please do not misunderstand me. I value the teachings from the past.
I was always taught to revere my elders. After all if it wasn’t for them, I would not be here. However not only for that reason. What about their experiences? What about all the mistakes they made in order to succeed? What about their vision?
I’ve always prided myself in being different as well. I’m not one to follow the status quo. I am most always the one to take the path less traveled. I accept the fact that I think differently than most. I also accept the fact that my command of the English Language is rudimentary at best, so very often I am completely misunderstood.
However please do not misunderstand my thinking now, when it comes to our Photography! What is the key element all of the Master Photographers of the past held dear? They ALL pushed the bounds of “normal” or accepted! They all Photographed subject matter they held dear, not someone else’s opinion of “good.”
The Cream Rose To The Top!
Some of the artists of the past developed lighting concepts we revere today, Like Chiaroscuro Lighting. The image above is an example of Chiaroscuro Lighting. Pay particular attention to the bright portion of the sphere against the dark background, and the dark portion of the sphere against the light background. This creates three dimensional depth with a two dimensional medium.
Some of those masters invented totally new procedures in the processing of their imagery, like the “Zone System.” Some of them explored subject matter that was shocking for the times, like Helmut Newton.
Today Annie Leibovitz is probably the best known current Photographer for stretching the boundaries. I would dearly love to see her private collection of images no one has ever seen!
So Why This Subject Garrett?
It’s simple… today in the most photographically prolific time in our history, everyone seems to have an “opinion.” Many Photographic “Competitions” have rules so convoluted they are more complicated than the United States Tax Code!
Every single amateur Photographer out there has an opinion on someone else’s Photography
now-a-days. Those amateur Photographers study intently the masters of the past. They study all sorts of technical points in Photography. All the math. All the Photographic facts and technicalities in order to become “good.”
Yet most all of those Photographers that have spent thousands on gear, and on knowledge, or on trips or seminars, can’t wait to argue the finest points of Photography, especially in online social networking sites.
Really? A medium that has so many flaws? A place where it’s impossible to know what others might be viewing your images with? A place where very few have the where-with-all to actually have an educated opinion? Most importantly… a very large portion of those “opinionated” Photographers are NOT relying on Photography for their living!
Also? A very large portion of Photographers now a days do not print their work!
Printing Your Photography & Selling Your Work
This separates the “men from the boys” (or ladies from the girls, I’m not sexist ^_* ) All the opinions amateurs might have go right out the window unless they are deriving their full time living from their work.
Printing your work raises you a bit higher in my regard, as a very advanced amateur, because now you really understand that few can afford to print all of their work. The Printed Photograph is truly special. There is a lot less physical wall space than there is virtual wall space. Plus the correctly printed and lit Photograph, hanging upon a wall, provides the viewer exactly how the artist wished you to see their work.
Somebody valued your work so much that they reached into their pocket and gave you hard earned money for the privilege of placing your art upon their wall and viewing that image every single day. (yes I am well aware this can also be accomplished with a virtual image, but is that “art” or advertising?)
Virtual images can really hide flaws in their capture. Also virtual Images can be viewed with many different monitors in several different color spaces that might not represent the true Photograph! So arguing technicalities in online social networking sites , with thousands of varied opinions is truly a waste of time and energy!
Don’t even get me on the subject of Artificial Intelligence created images that do not even come close to the actual scene! These images are used as click bait. Sadly many of those images get a lot of “action” online. People actually believe what they are seeing is reality. They do not have a reference because they’ve never been there or “seen that.”
I Think A True Judge Of Your Work Would Buy It
Now my opinion and five bucks might buy you a cup of coffee, however this is my website, and here I can state my opinion freely. It’s not gospel. You are welcome to your own opinion.
I do not expect someone to buy all of my work. Most of the time now-a-days I’m shooting for me. The fireworks shot above was a blast! (pun intended ^_^ ) I highly doubt someone would buy it. Yet back in the day when I was shooting more for a living, I sold my work all the time. Today I concentrate more on large images in commercial locations.
Not long ago I had a very large Photography Group in Las Vegas with over 700 members! I also had the most popular photography message board on the internet. Managing that message board was a horrendous task! It was 24/7! I could not keep up, so I eventually shut it down.
However with that group I also had a very successful Photographic Competition. That competition was based upon “which image would you buy?” for the judges. In my humble opinion this matters far more. I think every single outstanding, starving artist, out there might agree. Blue ribbon’s will not pay the rent. They are also very difficult to eat.
What was the last outstanding image you saw on the internet? Can you go find it again? Did you take a screen shot of it? Can you find it way back in your image library on your phone? Why was it outstanding in your eye?
Was it vastly different?… Probably… Did it foster a memory?… Probably… Did it impact you in a meaningful way?… Most definitely! In all likely hood yes, because you screen shot it. But now where is it? Digital dust it has become.
The image above means something to me. It depicts my son Justin, when he was 17, on one of our trips to the Grand Canyon. Is it some work of art? No, it’s also not best portrait I’ve ever composed of him either. However it has impact for us. Will it sell? Nope! Will it do well in a Photography competition? Nope! But it was a totally awesome day…
How about that last outstanding Picture you composed? You spent weeks planning it. You worked hard to organize the trip. You set up your tripod and painstakingly worked every angle to capture your vision. Then you could not wait to get back into your office and workup the image in your darkroom…
Then you posted it online, in a world controlled by someones computer algorithm and you received a few “likes”…Worse than that maybe you posted your image in a large FaceBook group and it received thousands of “shares?” I’ve personally done this one. What a mistake! Now thousands of people are using my image for free!
This practice did not increase my FaceBook following like I hoped it might. It was simply a very popular image in a group of over 500,000 members. The group becomes larger but not my personal following. This is the frustrating part of social networking sites.
Those sites make a fortune, and we gave them our content for free. Would that be it for you?!? Now your image has become the one someone likes and can’t find again? On my own website everything is copy right protected. Use it and I get to sue for damages. It’s also easy to find.
Let Me Teach You To Be Different!
In my Photography Group “ByWinslowCampfire” I teach Photography from the heart. Photography with passion. Photography Editing for the print, which completes the circle. To hold your art in your hand is a feeling I cannot describe, even if I was a wordsmith! To give that art to someone, forms an unbreakable bond!
To go out and practice your Photography, in this realm is absolutely different! You become one with the universe. You absorb your surroundings. Yes we discuss some technical aspects, but always with heart and soul in mind, over technicalities.
When you are shooting how does it make you feel? It’s fun, isn’t it? It fills your soul… yes sometimes it can frustrate us when we can’t seem to capture what we might be seeing or feeling. Yet when everything clicks into place? Perfect! ( I’m full of puns today…) When perfect happens it wipes out all the frustrations.
When you associate with others that have your same commitment and passion?… isn’t that cool? Only another Photographer truly understands. No politics. Zero clicks. (unless its with a camera ^_^ ) Lots of advice and cameraraderie. (yup I spelled that wrong on purpose)
I can’t tell you how many times I pissed off people when I stopped to take an image of a door or something. They’re always trying to hurry me along. “you took forty shots of that damn door Garrett!” Geeeezzz let’s go!” Then I tell them I don’t have the right shot yet…
Now that I’m charmingly antique, I only associate with people that understand this. I try and live a more meaningful and simplistic life. My Photography portfolio has changed as well. I’m also data mining a lot these days. That’s the practice of going back through your images with a “different eye.” I’m also working up old images too. Programs have changed. Paper choices are even larger and more improved.
I’m different too. I look back at some of my work and think “what?” I’ve found some really nice images in my files that I’m working on now, using new techniques. I can’t buy back the time I spent capturing some of these images, and in many cases I can’t obtain the same light. This is also one reason I don’t delete many images. Storage space is cheap, time isn’t!
The image above is a great example of what I’m talking about. It was captured in March of 2019 on a quick trip to go Photograph Chocolate Falls. The main reason for the trip was to capture Chocolate Falls which doesn’t flow very often. So when I looked at my images the falls were my main concern.
Well guess what? On the same trip we were at the Grand Canyon with a storm and this kind of light is rare too. I completely forgot about this image until I was data mining the other day. I’ve been to the Canyon many times, however when I looked in my portfolio files for Canyon images I was surprised at how few there were in that folder, so I went data mining.
Is this the best shot I have of the Grand Canyon, no I don’t think so, but it isn’t bad. The shot below is the one I went on this trip for of Chocolate Falls.
Now the Chocolate Falls image is pretty special for two reasons. It’s a rare occurrence and it’s no longer open to the public, even when it does flow. Yes it sells because it’s different and very seldom seen.
So you might wish to rethink joining my Campfire group. This group alone will make you different. However different styles are also supported! Not some “photo contest” where they want your images to look the same. But freedom of artistic expression, and passion in your work. This group also goes on PhotoSafaris together.
So being different is also a trend. Why not join in? To be part of the group click the link below.
Don’t wish to join the group? No Problem… However group members get notified first of PhotoSafaris and big discounts on them too! We also do free, group only PhotoSafaris as well!
