Landscape, Nature and Travel Photography

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Invariably when you visit a photography forum these days you’ll find active discussions centered around camera gear whether its Canon vs. Nikon or the merits of medium vs. 35mm formats. At the root of these and many other debates on photography forums is the underlying question…

Do high-end cameras make you a better photographer?

The answer might surprise you…

Yes! Unequivocally high-end cameras do make you a better photographer.

Wait isn’t that counter to my comments in the most recent episode of PhotoNetCast? It certainly is, but don’t plan on blowing your savings on a high-end camera just yet. There are numerous factors that play into making someone a better photographer and certainly a top of the line camera is one of them, but not necessarily the most heavily weighted factor. One could argue either of the following two factors is more important than the other in taking great photographs… technical skills/knowledge and creativity.  As I mentioned in PhotoNetCast episode #6 a camera whether top of the line or entry level is just a tool. How you choose to use that tool makes the world of difference.

High-end cameras in general offer a variety of technological advantages through expanded functionality, increased rates of frame capture, greater resolution, mirror lockup, improved build quality/weather sealing, expanded color ranges, etc. In this regard it’s easy to get sucked into camera gear envy, but what really makes the biggest difference is what is in your head. Great photography remains dependent on expanding one’s knowledge and experience, a much more difficult process than saving up for and buying the best camera on the market.

Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO) - Learn it and remember it!

No matter what you use whether the best camera in the world or not if you’re photographing junk you’re going to get junk. This speaks to so many levels of photography whether discussing choice of photographic subjects, lighting, technical settings, creative vision, use of a tripod, lenses, reliance on Photoshop or other software applications, etc. Certainly a top of the line camera has the ability to give you superior image quality, but sub-par photography will result in sup-par photographs regardless of the camera body used.

The Mystery of Creativity

Creativity is by far one of the most elusive subjects when discussing photography. The creative process is a personal one and is often unpredictable. Two things are consistent when it comes to creativity and that is vision and ingenuity. Great photography seldom happens randomly. It begins with a vision of what the photographer wants to create and is followed by ingenuity, in the sense of problem solving, to map a course to achieve that vision. That course can face infinite obstacles, but the more knowledge and experience you bring to the table the more likely you as a photographer will be able to achieve your vision.

In that regard becoming a better photographer is as much about “It’s got to be the camera!”, as being a great basketball player is as much about “It’s got to be the shoes!” (a la the classic Nike Michael Jordan/Mars Blackmon Commercial).

Technorati Tags: photogaphy, photo, gear, camera, dSLR, philosophy

Sunday night I took a few moments to look at my copy of Eliot Porter’s "In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World". For those that are unfamiliar with Eliot Porter he was one of the first photographers focusing on nature and wildlife in color versus black and white. His work has proven to be quite influential inspiring several of today’s iconic wildlife and nature photographers including Art Wolfe.

In fact it was Art who urged me to pick up a copy of "In Wildness is the Preservation of the World" and I’m really happy that he did. In viewing the photos with in this book and his other work on display in various museums across the country I’ve come to not just appreciate Porter’s fine eye , but the incredible influence technological advances have had on this genre of photography.

For most modern day photographers looking at Eliot Porter’s work it may likely be anti-climactic as many of the photos will likely seem common by todays standards. In fact over the past year, although not directed at Eliot Porter, I’ve read more than one blogger claiming that modern amateur photographers are worthy of being considered artists and their work “art” as their work is as good if not better than past photographers. Personally I find such claims to be a joke and easily discarded. Why?

What people lose track of when viewing older, historically relevant, photography regardless of genre is that the artist in question often pushed the technology of the day to its edge if not beyond. Looking at Eliot Porter’s work in “In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World” I’m reminded of this with each turn of the page. At first glance the photos will appear to be common and perhaps unfocused. Yet a closer look at the composition, lines, and arrangement of color and texture tells another story. Considering how easy it is for modern photographers to generate color images digitally or with modern film the difficulty in attaining such images 20, 30 and even 50 years ago is completely lost. Seeing as how most photographers are off the cuff shooters these days an appreciation for technique is almost nil.

Sadly in this day and age contemporary photographers assume the work of past greats was as easy to capture as it is today. Larger cameras, reliance on technical knowledge versus in camera light meters, the lack of preview, etc. are but a few factors many easily look past. When I look at each of Porter’s images I don’t just see or appreciate what has been captured, I see the challenges to how it was captured. It is that facet of appreciation that transforms an every day image into a great image.

For those making the claim many of todays modern photographers are on par with those considered photographic greats I most certainly laugh at the claim. Photographic greats whether historical or contemporary are not defined by access to audience alone, but by how well they combine aesthetics and push modern photographic technology & technique to its limit. Something to think about the next time you view a photograph from your favorite photographer.

On that note I’ll end this entry with my favorite photograph with in “In Wildness Is the Preservation of the World’.

Spruce Trees in Fog, Maine, 1954
courtesy of Off the Coast, A Landscape Chronology

Technorati Tags: Eliot Porter, nature, landscape, photography, philosophy

I had an interesting conversation a couple weeks ago with a neighbor, Saïd Nuseibeh, who is a professional art photographer. Although I have known Saïd is a professional photographer we’ve never talked at great length all that often and until recently, we never talked much about photography itself. While catching up, Saïd and I ended up talking about use of the term “shooting” or “photo shoot” and it struck a nerve.

This all started as we were discussing what we had been recently working on. At the time I had just wrapped up a trip to Yosemite. In casual conversation I mentioned I had just been out to shoot Yosemite and had a great photo shoot. Saïd, with his dry sense of humor, then asked me what I shot it with and started naming guns. Mind you Saïd has photographed a lot of subjects in the Middle East so perhaps he’s a little more sensitive to the term than most. As we talked about this more I started to give it more credence.

Ever since this conversation I’ve been consciously working to avoid using the term “shoot” when I describe photographing something. To my surprise I use variations of this term quite heavily both when talking and writing. “Photographing” a subject is far different than “shooting” it and I can understand where Saïd is coming from.

How about you? Do you “shoot” or do you “photograph”?
My challenge to you… if you use the term “shoot” try to avoid using it for a week in speech and writing. After a day or two you’ll catch on to how often you use it and after another day or two you’ll feel quite liberated in no longer using the term.

n

Technorati Tags: photography, philosophy, shoot, photograph, term, terminology

From time to time a lot of buzz will surface about GPS devices for photographers that will track, map and embed GPS coordinates in the EXIF metadata of captured images. I use a GPS in the field when I’m out in remote locations not just for safety but to mark locations I’ve either photographed or plan on revisiting. To date I can’t say that I’ve missed having this information embedded in my EXIF metadata. I suppose it would be of benefit so that I wouldn’t lose the information, but a good photographer is also a good note taker.

This weekend I started to ponder, assuming this information were more commonly embedded, would photographers really be open enough to reveal it on a regular basis for geotagging? I can’t talk for others, but I can talk for myself and I more than likely would not be an open book with this information. For obvious locations I wouldn’t have a problem in sharing the information, but for special areas I’ve spent a great deal of time researching and/or exploring to find I’d likely keep it to my private notes. There is always the possibility of exceptions and I might open up for some friends, but even still it wouldn’t be the general public. Of course I run the risk of playing my cards here and looking like a real hardcase, but I’m just telling the truth. The more effort I’d put forward to find a location the less likely I’d be willing to share it.

What about you?

n

Technorati Tags: photography, GPS, EXIF, metadata, geotagging, gadgets, philosophy

I have to admit when I see a beautiful landscape or nature photo I instantly think two things:
1. “I’d love to visit this location and get this shot.”
2. “How would I strive to get my very own perspective of this scene.”

In fact when I do visit certain locations its tough not to snap the classic perspective captured by greats such as Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, Edward Weston, and contemporary artists like Art Wolfe, John Sexton, James Kay and William Neill. In fact this repetition of classic shots is a common event that all photographers do at some point. For some it is part of the journey of self-discovery and for others its a means of collecting scenes on a to-do list.

One concept I’ve been throwing around in my mind is the concept of “Creative Debt”. This concept again came up when I was admiring the latest work of Bert Stern who just completed a shoot titled Lindsay Lohan as Marilyn Monroe in “The Last Sitting” for the New York magazine. The gallery contains (6) six images of Lindsay Lohan nude or in partial dress as Marilyn Monroe had been photographed by Bert Stern some 46 years earlier in the original “Last Sitting” (termed as such because it was the last time Marilyn Monroe was photographed before she died). The photography is no doubt art in my mind and hardly pornographic. (Note: You’ll still want to refrain from viewing it at work.) Over the years other fashion photographers have taken images similar to Bert Stern’s original Marilyn Monroe set just as countless landscape photographers have taken similar images to Ansel Adams.

“Creative Debt” what is it?

“Creative Debt” merely translates to a creative state where its easier to fall back on something safe, something done before and something with a known level of interest by viewers. More succinctly it is when creative components of an image whether composition, perspective, styling, etc. are owed to another photographer or even an older photo shoot completed by the same photographer. Great examples of this include numerous photos taken by other photographers of Ansel Adams’ Yosemite Valley from the tunnel view lookout or the Snake River view of the Grand Tetons and as just exemplified the Bert Stern ‘Lindsay Lohan as Marilyn Monroe in the “Last Sitting”‘ photo set. “Creative Debt” is hardly something to knock, but merely something to be conscious of as a photographer.

“Creative Debt” is the middle ground between the pit that is “Creative Block” and the pinnacle of finding your own perspective. Personally I dread “Creative Debt” as much as I dread a “Creative Block” simply because I’ve grown addicted to the high of capturing something unique. As with most highs it’s a fleeting sensation, hence the lure to keep pursuing truly unique photos. If I’m lucky the few unique photos I capture are equally appreciated by those that view them.

Something to think about the next time you head out with your camera or view photographs.

Technorati Tags: creative debt, photography, philosophy, landscape, Ansel Adams, Galen Rowell, Edward Weston, Art Wolfe, John Sexton, James Kay, William Neill, Bert Stern, Marilyn Monroe, Lindsay Lohan, nude, portfolio, New York, magazine

The 14th episode of EXIF and Beyond has been released.

Unlike previous episodes a lot of debate and controversy has been swirling within the online photography community and blogosphere in regard to various cases of copyright infringement (see my previous articles Will The Real Flickr Please Stand Up among others) and the use of Creative Commons (Creative Commons: A Great Concept, I’ll Never Employ among others & Black Star Rising’s Why Photographers Hate Creative Commons / Protecting Your Images: The Myth of Creative Commons). As use of Creative Commons grows and copyright infringement cases surface more frequently it’s become clear a lot of the discussion around Creative Commons has become quite polarized and often riddled with inaccuracies. In an effort to keep this debate as accurate as possible I thought it would be beneficial to go straight to the source for the most accurate information about Creative Commons.

This episode features an interview with Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Lessig, co-director of the law school’s Center for Internet and Society, author of “Free Culture: How Big Media Uses Technology and the Law to Lock Down Culture and Control Creativity” and founder of Creative Commons. In this conversation Professor Lessig, with a focus on photography, discusses the purpose & objective of Creative Commons, his perspective on copyright law, addresses the question “How if at all the adoption of Creative Commons is hurting photographers? and shares more information about the recently announced CC+ license.

Download the latest episodes:
EXIF and Beyond: Lawrence Lessig Interview

For the non-iTune listeners a streaming version of this podcast can be accessed here.

Technorati Tags: EXIF and Beyond, podcast, interview, Lawrence Lessig, Lessig, Creative Commons, Stanford, law, copyright, license, photography, infringement, piracy, CC+

The 12th and 13th episode of EXIF and Beyond has been released.

These episodes feature an interview with Ken Light, the famous social documentary photographer and professor at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Whether you’re interested in pure photojournalism, street, portrait, event and even nature or landscape photography this interview is one you’ll not want to miss. Discussed in Part I of the interview is how Ken started in this field, the transformation of social documentary photography, and the impact & life of a photo project. Discussed in Part II is Ken’s perspective on the state of photography and issues facing modern photographers.

Note: Referenced in this podcast is a discussion about Ken Light’s photograph of John Kerry and how it was illegally altered and distributed on the Internet. More information on this can be found at Snopes.com
“Photograph shows Senator John Kerry and Jane Fonda sharing a speaker’s platform at an anti-war rally.”

Download the latest episodes:
EXIF and Beyond: Ken Light Interview Part I and II

For the non-iTune listeners a streaming version of this podcast can be accessed here.

Technorati Tags: EXIF and Beyond, podcast, interview, Ken Light, photojournalism, social documentary, photography

I was a hold out when it came to digital photography. I love shooting wide so the prevalence of magnification factors was very unappealing. When I could afford a digital SLR that enabled me to get into the realm of 20mm equivalent, even if not enabled with a full frame sensor, I broke from my film camera.

That was in 2004 and since that time I’ve shot less than a dozen rolls of slide film versus tens of thousands of digital images. As much as I enjoy the immediate gratification of digital it still has its short comings (ex. extreme long exposures) and I’ve always intended to shoot film. The reality is that as much as I’ve intended to do this it’s never happened. As a result my film has sat idle in my refrigerator for a very long time. You might say this is the most unused portion of my fridge.

It’s not like I haven’t tried to use it. I’ve taken pre-packaged sets of film with me to use on trip. A little background to what that means… to make things easy I group film into Ziplock bags that are aimed at specific photo outings such as landscapes or night photography. At a moments notice I can grab a bag and be set for a particular type of shoot. In the end digital has just been too convenient.

I suppose another factor that contributed to my nearly complete immersion in digital photography is that the week I ordered my dSLR my slide scanner died. I think I’ve had the same 16 slides waiting to be scanned on my desk for 3 years. Someday just like I’ll use my film, I’ll scan these slides.

Curious to know what film I’m sitting on? Here is the breakdown (see photo below):
(3) rolls of Fuji T-64 Tungsten film
(7) rolls of Fuji Sensia 100
(2) rolls of Fuji 800 negative film
(1) roll of T-Max 400 B&W film
(1) roll of Kodak E100VS
(4) rolls of Fuji Provia 400F
(2) rolls of Fuji Provia 100F
(7) rolls of Fuji Velvia 50 (original chemistry)
(2) rolls of Fuji Velvia 100F

I’d love to make use of this film, but it never seems to happen. Am I the only one with this “film dilemma”? I can’t imagine. I’m curious what other people are doing when in this situation. Did you sell it? Give it away? Lock away your dSLR and shoot film for a week/month? Do tell…

Technorati Tags: film, slide, digital, photography, dSLR, dilemma