When I was studying photography in the mid-1970s at Rhode Island School of Design, the school president, painter Lee Hall, welcomed the incoming freshmen students at a special dinner on our first night there. I have totally forgotten what she spoke about except for this: She said that almost none of us would graduate in four years as fully formed artists (we'd almost all be in our early 20s by then). She told us to spend our time not focusing on exiting as "great successes." Rather, our time would be much better spent concentrating on learning the intricacies of the creative process. How true. That advice is the most important part of my RISD experience that I carry to this day. Process, process, process. It has guided my photography endeavors for 40-years-plus. In fact, process has guided most aspects of my life as an adult. It has given me permission to make mistakes, learn from them and then recast my efforts. It has "pulled me out of the mud," allowing me to move forward after getting stuck. Process is the framework that facilitates success.
I live in an African city known for massive crime which means I cannot linger in a spot to compose for fear of ending up with a knife embedded into my back so a small point and shoot (Canon G5 X) in my palm is better than a smart phone. I set shutter speed and aperture and turn ISO to auto which allows me to see something, shoot and move off before attracting unwanted attention. My hit rate is low but it is quite amazing how my best photos are not the photos I initially thought would be good. Fortunately my photos only end up on Facebook where my friends cannot tell a good from a terrible photo. Love the square crop.
Personally, i don't see "mistakes"... mistakes imply error... I tend to subscribe to Edison's perspective (to paraphrsse) that one simply discovers "things that don't work" on the path to discovering the things that do. :-) Love your programs... they make me think. They are, simply, a thing that works. This particular edition lead to a 45 minute conversation with my "better 3/4's" on this topic... Lovely...
About photographing people. I really like to take pictures of people when I have been asked to do so. Portraits, weddings, meetings, vernissages and so on. I take time to try to make people feel more comfortable and natural even with a camera pointed at them. It is really rewarding to make those shots that capture a unique moment, that single shy smile or the glow in someone’s eyes. Street photography is a different matter. I always have to fight the feeling of intruding on other people’s privacy and although the reactions are seldom negative, I always dread the moment someone will object in a rather unfriendly tone. Street photography including children is practically impossible for reasons I do not need to elaborate on. All in all I would like to do more street photography but the difficulties involved, are sometimes prohibitive.
I have the same problem with street photography though it's my favorite form of photography.. catching the raw public human is always intriguing. Children I NEVER take
Firstly, it is hugely refreshing to happen upon your channel and find videos that actually help make sense of the challenges and processes of photography. Thank you. As for photographing in public - it’s something I still struggle with after over 20 years of amateur dabbling. I find it harder in my home town and easier the more foreign the setting.
"A clever man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others.", somebody famous and wise once said (I forget who). With the internet, there's no end of source material. Personally, I don't have a problem photographing in public. I'm so intent on what I'm doing that things going on around about me fade out of existence. Sometimes it leads to interesting conversations. I was trying out some puddle reflections - a bin lorry reflected in a puddle full of litter - and a passer-by stopped and asked why I was taking a photo of a blocked drain. I explained to him what I was trying to do and had him crouch down to see what I was seeing. I often think that some folk must think I'm a bit mad. 😁 I think it helps enormously to be a people person and being confident enough to engage, and be at ease, with complete strangers.
Some men learn from reading, even fewer men learn from observing, The rest have just got to piss on the electric fence and find out for themselves... 🤣
A competent film photographer such as Dorothy isn't correcting mistakes, she can't tell whether it's a mistake at that time. She can't review the images until she has the contact sheet. She is giving herself alternatives from which to choose the best. I expect her best often isn't the last, it could be the first. I give myself a lot of alternatives too, and I have lots of collections like yours. A big difference, I don't often shoot people as Sean Tucker does, but I don't exclude them either. Sometimes I wait for someone to play a minor role. I think you were giving yourself alternatives. A mistake might be out of focus, fired at the wrong time, and rarely has any redeeming features.
I do this often. I often shoot a location multiple times. For example, I had several pictures of this set of subway stairs. I couldn't find a composition I liked but one day a subject came down the stairs and I found the composition I liked. (I actually posted that picture to the TPE site :) ). Also, I go back to my "mistakes" from the past and see if I had missed anything, or can look at those pictures differently. It's a great way to get ideas before I go out on my walks.
I like the theme and the flow of this video. I am one who doesn't take photos in a manner shown here. I am always concerned with the 'correct' photograph rather than just capturing an interesting image. In a sense, I am more like the film photographers not wanting to 'waste' an image. I would ike to be more relaxed about making images and put more fun in the process and so this video really appeals to me. But I wonder, after taking so many images that might not, dare I say probably won't have significance, what does one do with so many uninspiring images? They can be as easily deleted as taken, is that the flow through process I need to keep in mind. As a computer engineer I keep thinking of the images going around in circles taking up space on my hard drive and questioning the significance of and the value of keepting them. So here I am back to the beginning, why take them willy nilly to begin with. There must be something, some artistic bent that I am missing in all of this. On another note, I am uncomfortable taking pictures in pubic, more so or esepecially if I am making images of people such as in the case of street photography. Yet, I find images of people the most fascinating of all. It is a bit of a challenge for me. Maybe I have a sense of guilt for invading someone elses personal space.
Shooting with a (smart) phone is a choice that I respect. I have this phone with 5 Zeiss lenses and 5 sensors (2x B&W and 3x Color, IIRC) and the images of these are superposed into one raw shot and next converted into JPEG. Works well. Has ~pro control options. Tap screen to focus and shoot, done. Dynamic range is limited though, and both low light and high ISO are pretty bad, so graininess lurks (that can be an artistic choice, though). Cartier-Bresson (HCB) would say that "sharpness is a bourgeois concept" and in here, "bourgeois" is a euphemism for "petit bourgeois" - or the upper class HCB that went to art school's qualification of the "petty middle class" with narrow minded opinions and zero appreciation for art. So, that great smartphone of mine - LrC/CR can actually raw process its shots - generally has no seriously "sharp" shots, even when the shots are excellent for a smartphone. What's my alternative? A Nikon Z 7ii - 46MP - with e.g. a Z 28/2.8 ~pancake lens that does not look imposing. Switch on, tap on the display as if it is a smartphone, it focuses on that point and fires the shot. A shot that I can blow up to very big print sizes, as I have the best neutral raw file, very wide dynamic range, largest color space, excellent low light performance and very good high ISO. No, it's not a prerequisite to use that tool and I frequently use the smartphone as a conscious choice. But still the better tool has my preference and with highlight-weighted metering I never have blown out highlights, I can leave the big lightmeter at home and set the tool to aperture preselected auto. First time right. From there on, I can focus on making as many artistic mistakes as possible and avoid a few. As I shot Hasselblad with the chimney finder (in which left and right are swapped), the first time I realized I could flip out the display, look down on it with the camera looking forward and tap on it to shoot, muscle memory from decades ago made me pan-rotate the wrong way. I laughed out loud.
I like seeing your own photos. I noticed that all of them are in color even thought they have very little color interest to them. To really emphasize the interesting shapes, lines and textures that you are drawn to I would convert them to black & white. This would allow you to push the images further into abstraction in the editing and also make them look more cohesive as a whole.
I’m still a beginner, but I find that when I play like this, and then leave the photos for awhile, I learn more. In other words I’m less concerned with the mistakes because I’m removed from them with time. So it gives me a feeling of seeing the good in the photos instead of critiquing myself.
My best mistake was in the film days, I took a photo of an old '40s Cadillac, out of focus accidentally. Turned out that it looked like a photo from the era. I'm glad I did it
A great complement to the video about minimalist photography. You can't make a masterpiece on command but you'll never make it if you don't try, and a try is just a try. Great transition to the sponsor which leads to another subject : how do you make your choices, what do you keep and what do you toss in the garbage (oops) ? Like you I used to photograph people and now I photograph things. Maybe the next step would be to shoot my shoes.
I do like going around my local town I tend to go out with a idea in mind. But it often goes on the back burner as I start to see different things You have some very nice images there. I sometimes just go out with a nifty fifty on a Nikon D600 and a spare battery in pocket other times I might just take out a Olympus SP 560 UZ, this one will fit in my pocket it a nice little camera rather than take the Nikon which is quite heavy for me to lug about when I have to use crutches. I am disabled and have walking problems and I have arthritis in my back shoulders. 5 times out of 10 I can get away just using walking canes. Happy New Year to everyone out here I hope 2022 will be better for all.
The vibe of your photos gives an abstract, minimalist feel. I think you are bringing out 2 related points; bring any camera with you and if you see something interesting - take a photo. If you do not have the time to do things 'properly' still take a photo, for this case a simpler camera may be better; less tempting to try for 'perfection'. I think you are asking a question, what makes a great photograph? And too many think technical perfection (whatever that is) is the goal. To me technical perfection is poorly defined and it misses the point of photography. To me photography is more about capturing images that I find interesting at that moment. Many of these images will not be very good but they also bring back memories of when I took them.
If those "casual observations" are "mistakes" then the bulk of my work is comprised of mistakes! It's almost scary how familiar many of your images are--maybe we (and a lot of photographers) are simply fascinated by what most people would overlook (or dismiss if it were pointed out), but I look at it like mining for gold--it's sometimes not evident until you start playing around with it onscreen that you appreciate the importance of sifting through all of that ore. I'm not saying the "spray and pray" is a valid approach--it's still necessary to carefully consider how to best record each pavement crack, rotting tree stump, or building detail you find visually compelling, but when in doubt, take the shot--it's easy enough to delete it later. That said, I nearly always carry a "proper" camera as if I happen to capture lightning in a bottle, I want to be able to make the most of it and I've never felt comfortable relying on a phone-based camera. BtW, I really like the image at 13:25--airports are great. I also view people as distractions in most photos and feel a bit awkward about photographing them (at least if I think they're aware of it!). I have on rare occasion asked someone if they don't mind and have yet to get a negative response.
Certainly reassuring to know you do this. I often feel that I’m odd for taking seemingly random pictures, but now I know to keep going and I will find the “winner”
I always feel like I'm betraying photographers if I post a iPhone image vs a Camera Capture. Thanks for this as I grab most my shots while working and honestly my canon won't fit into the wings of airplanes and such. Also, Yes, I get truly nervous to capture people while doing street photography. Its hard to overcome but I feel as if I should be asking for permission first.
I am super at ease Photographing in public. In two weeks I will be driving into Seattle to the Art Museum to see the Imogene Cunningham exhibit. While there I will be bringing my camera and doing some street photos.
I greatly appreciate this video. As someone here commented, I too felt your describing me, in the way I experiment, try different compositions, different angles. In regards to street photography, I like to photograph architecture, the play of light and shadow, and when I do photograph people I try to be as unnoticed as possible. I don’t like confrontation or making others feel unease. On the other hand, when I am on the street with my camera, some people approach me and ask me to take a photo of them. For me it’s a win win situation.
I feel this may be your most important video to date. Also I love seeing your work--it takes balls to show the mediocre along with the great (there are quite a few!)
I understand about your aversion to street but, from the time I discovered Cartier-Bresson and the early photojournalist/documentary photographers, I wanted to try my hand at pj work. For me that goal was reached when , at the age of 50, I hooked up with a small weekly newspaper that was very photo-friendly. For the next decade, I got to enjoy the experience until the print industry failed in 2008. Shooting people has always been at the top of my interests even though I have not had another image published since 2008. I still try to give myself assignments/subjects to try and photograph. For me, that is a goal in itself.
Regarding photographing in public, in my case in NYC, I find it quite intimidating. I want to capture quite moments in the city (not an easy task) but I'm also shy and feel uncomfortable doing it. Also, there's the internal pressure of "I need to capture something memorable and visually stunning," which is a very "blocking" attitude, which doesn't promote spontaneity.
When I started down the road of infrared portrait photography, there was very little in the way of resources. Pretty much everything I did was trial and error. It's an amazing way to learn.
I have my own favourite places in the city. Few of them I am constantly drawn to. With specific lenses I'm able to take pictures that I want to have, that give IMHO the vibe of the location. If I'm not happy with the result, I try to return and approach the object from the other side or on different hours (light conditions). I have loads of photos that only lead to the final "perfect" one. I never delete them. Maybe some day I will see something interesting there. When I take pictures in public I'm completely focused on the task. I don't care about the people at all. I just need to be sure that no one stumbles on the tripod or on me ;-).
I love working in public, but I seldom photograph people, I try not to have recognizable people (that I don't know) in my images. I was walking a forest trail over the weekend, there was a water color artist painting, I photographed her from behind. I love textures, and patterns.
Excellent video as always. I took more pictures after watching your videos and experiment with the phone. Somehow taking photo with the phone feels less pressure or stress. It’s fun to try and eventually a good one would show up. Great exercise of creativity and composition. Thank you. 👍👍👍
I absolutely LOVED this video!! The fun of playing, experimenting and discovery makes me want to go play with my phone camera right NOW😊😊😊 totally loved seeing your photos!
One alternative is to take an actual camera instead of your phone if your phone is like mine, basically two generations old. It has one perspective that flicking your fingers to zoom doesn't correct. Having a generic mid zoom gets you to looking and analyzing what if I compress this view, what if I include everything my eyes see but don't notice, what if I distort the colors, what if I eliminate the colors, what if I shrink the depth of field all the way for this lens, etc
I like seeing your meaningless, nothing special photos you made. A lot of those I personally would not waste my time stopping but I understand why you do it. I think I need to lighten up, and explore more. Thanks a lot for sharing😁👍
This video is a very good message, and reminder, that we can all improve on what we do. Another great video my friend, been a bit AWOL last year, but I'll get to catch up on your videos this January
Very inspiring video! It's nice to see photographers talking about subjects that are not present in hundreds of other videos. Inspiration and exploration are so important! Switching to black and white in the city can do that for me sometimes also. Best of luck to you and happy shooting!
I agree that we need to make mistakes to learn, but where I think some of the "Don't make mistakes" come from too is careless mistakes, such as with exposure. Not paying attention perhaps and seeing your camera is set to 1/500s in a night scene when you know it has to be at least, say, a 1 second exposure, and thus ending up with a blank or very dim frame. So I think there may be a bit of a difference. Obviously when it comes to things like composition or some technical things, yes that's how we learn (making mistakes and learning from them) but when it comes to careless mistakes or just being lazy, I think that's also not beneficial and people SHOULD avoid those mistakes when possible, and some of that has to do with slowing down and being a bit meticulus with your work (unless you're shooting street, then maybe you cannot always "slow down" but it will teach you to be familiar with your gear, its settings, buttons, etc so you can focus on shooting and less on gear/how to use your camera).
You say "oh, a dog's had a pee here" ..... But looook at the pee on the post ... It is in the shape... of a cat . I just love finding..... something else in the details..thank you.
I love the pic at 3:24 - partially because I am from this country and live several years abroad, so it's nice touch with my home, but perhaps I like it more as it shows the less polished reality. When you google czech republic, you would get all those middle age scenes, old buildings and everything, but this pic shows it more real and more actual :)
I run and gun in public because I am with family most of the time and they are rushing me or I have limited time and need to hit many places. I overthink things before I get to the place but once I am there I am in the flow of things.
Thanks for the encouragement. I have many discarded shots like this lol. BTW your video quality has improved massively, not the content, which is always good, but the clarity etc. 😀 Thanks Alex.
Very nice "thought perambulation". Experiments are not mistakes, they are increments that may (or may not) lead to a result. I like the process you've described, perhaps because it is similar to my own.
Thanks for sharing this and all your bright, inspiring videos this otherwise not so funny year Alex! Wish You a great new year! Looking forward to follow You and take part in your photographic life in 2022 YNWA 👌👍🔝📸
Interesting video. I was reminded of two pieces of advice from other you tube channels, .. Maarten Heilbron, Do something wrong that as photographers we must never do. Put the camera into full auto and take your pictures, freeing yourself from Depth of field, shutter speed. Mark Wallace, sometimes it helps to give yourself "Permission to fail," If you are out or in a studio trying something different, on a walk, if you have given yourself "Permission to fail," you can concentrate on the journey not the result. If you don't have the masterpiece, it does not matter, nothing is lost or wasted.
I "hate" Street photography as I'm really nervous about what somebody's reaction for it... I strongly prefer city photography and the "abstract" parts...
Ha, I’ve photographed those modernist lamps at the football stadium in Brno. I took a dozen pictures of the actual stadium, but none of them were very good.
Like you I like the shapes and light in places I go. I do photogrpah people but stick to people I know. I use an early 80's autofocus compact camera loaded with B&W film for people. For other photographs I like a camera made of metal with metal dials and controls with a bright viewfinder. I like the tactile nature of an old metal camera.
I have to pretend warm-up when I am out in public shooting. I start off slow and I sneak shots here & there. When starting I just feel like a fake photographer, and I ask myself what would I do if I was approached for work? But after a few minutes of walking I get swallowed up in the awareness of life around me and I no longer care. At that point I crave for interesting shots and time just ticks on by and I do not even notice it. 📸🤳
When I photograph people I feel guilty…maybe that don’t have their permission. But I make myself do it by asking much like IA’s Dino Serrao. But my favorite things to get are still life’s and nature such as insects and animals! Thanks for this video! Cheers!
There is an adage …. ‘You only learn from your own mistakes, seldom from other’s misadventures or teachings!’ All the RUclips channels that are available, for example; ‘x Tips for Better yyyyyy’, ‘Do these things to avoid making the same mistakes as me!’, etc. etc - are basically futile!
Speaking of mistakes, today I put the Ilford HP5 Plus in a borrowed Rolley 35, walked the streets and parks, carefully adjusting the parameters on the camera, took care of the composition, tried to measure the light correctly, to finally realize that the shot counter worked but the film didn't wind up on a take up spool at all! I was angry at myself for a few seconds, but then I thought: hey, well, this was a great exercise, tomorrow I'll put the film in the take-up spools correctly, I'll repeat today's walk, and maybe I'll discover some new compositions along the way 🙂
Forgive me, but even a lot of these kind of abstract, minimalist images that you took in Brno would have had more visual potential if the light wasn't so flat that day. Otherwise, they seem kind of drab and lifeless.
one of your best videos candor, honesty with excellent advise. I have always caaled this process you've described as me (playing) as I will say, hmmm how would this look.
"Taking photographs without worrying too much about the result." That's a quote every photographer should hear at least once.
When I was studying photography in the mid-1970s at Rhode Island School of Design, the school president, painter Lee Hall, welcomed the incoming freshmen students at a special dinner on our first night there. I have totally forgotten what she spoke about except for this: She said that almost none of us would graduate in four years as fully formed artists (we'd almost all be in our early 20s by then). She told us to spend our time not focusing on exiting as "great successes." Rather, our time would be much better spent concentrating on learning the intricacies of the creative process.
How true. That advice is the most important part of my RISD experience that I carry to this day. Process, process, process. It has guided my photography endeavors for 40-years-plus. In fact, process has guided most aspects of my life as an adult. It has given me permission to make mistakes, learn from them and then recast my efforts. It has "pulled me out of the mud," allowing me to move forward after getting stuck. Process
is the framework that facilitates success.
I live in an African city known for massive crime which means I cannot linger in a spot to compose for fear of ending up with a knife embedded into my back so a small point and shoot (Canon G5 X) in my palm is better than a smart phone. I set shutter speed and aperture and turn ISO to auto which allows me to see something, shoot and move off before attracting unwanted attention. My hit rate is low but it is quite amazing how my best photos are not the photos I initially thought would be good. Fortunately my photos only end up on Facebook where my friends cannot tell a good from a terrible photo. Love the square crop.
Personally, i don't see "mistakes"... mistakes imply error... I tend to subscribe to Edison's perspective (to paraphrsse) that one simply discovers "things that don't work" on the path to discovering the things that do. :-) Love your programs... they make me think. They are, simply, a thing that works. This particular edition lead to a 45 minute conversation with my "better 3/4's" on this topic... Lovely...
About photographing people. I really like to take pictures of people when I have been asked to do so. Portraits, weddings, meetings, vernissages and so on. I take time to try to make people feel more comfortable and natural even with a camera pointed at them. It is really rewarding to make those shots that capture a unique moment, that single shy smile or the glow in someone’s eyes.
Street photography is a different matter. I always have to fight the feeling of intruding on other people’s privacy and although the reactions are seldom negative, I always dread the moment someone will object in a rather unfriendly tone.
Street photography including children is practically impossible for reasons I do not need to elaborate on.
All in all I would like to do more street photography but the difficulties involved, are sometimes prohibitive.
I have the same problem with street photography though it's my favorite form of photography.. catching the raw public human is always intriguing. Children I NEVER take
Firstly, it is hugely refreshing to happen upon your channel and find videos that actually help make sense of the challenges and processes of photography. Thank you. As for photographing in public - it’s something I still struggle with after over 20 years of amateur dabbling. I find it harder in my home town and easier the more foreign the setting.
"A clever man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others.", somebody famous and wise once said (I forget who). With the internet, there's no end of source material.
Personally, I don't have a problem photographing in public. I'm so intent on what I'm doing that things going on around about me fade out of existence. Sometimes it leads to interesting conversations. I was trying out some puddle reflections - a bin lorry reflected in a puddle full of litter - and a passer-by stopped and asked why I was taking a photo of a blocked drain. I explained to him what I was trying to do and had him crouch down to see what I was seeing. I often think that some folk must think I'm a bit mad. 😁 I think it helps enormously to be a people person and being confident enough to engage, and be at ease, with complete strangers.
Some men learn from reading, even fewer men learn from observing, The rest have just got to piss on the electric fence and find out for themselves... 🤣
A competent film photographer such as Dorothy isn't correcting mistakes, she can't tell whether it's a mistake at that time. She can't review the images until she has the contact sheet.
She is giving herself alternatives from which to choose the best. I expect her best often isn't the last, it could be the first.
I give myself a lot of alternatives too, and I have lots of collections like yours. A big difference, I don't often shoot people as Sean Tucker does, but I don't exclude them either. Sometimes I wait for someone to play a minor role.
I think you were giving yourself alternatives. A mistake might be out of focus, fired at the wrong time, and rarely has any redeeming features.
I do this often. I often shoot a location multiple times. For example, I had several pictures of this set of subway stairs. I couldn't find a composition I liked but one day a subject came down the stairs and I found the composition I liked. (I actually posted that picture to the TPE site :) ). Also, I go back to my "mistakes" from the past and see if I had missed anything, or can look at those pictures differently. It's a great way to get ideas before I go out on my walks.
I like the theme and the flow of this video. I am one who doesn't take photos in a manner shown here. I am always concerned with the 'correct' photograph rather than just capturing an interesting image. In a sense, I am more like the film photographers not wanting to 'waste' an image. I would ike to be more relaxed about making images and put more fun in the process and so this video really appeals to me. But I wonder, after taking so many images that might not, dare I say probably won't have significance, what does one do with so many uninspiring images? They can be as easily deleted as taken, is that the flow through process I need to keep in mind. As a computer engineer I keep thinking of the images going around in circles taking up space on my hard drive and questioning the significance of and the value of keepting them. So here I am back to the beginning, why take them willy nilly to begin with. There must be something, some artistic bent that I am missing in all of this. On another note, I am uncomfortable taking pictures in pubic, more so or esepecially if I am making images of people such as in the case of street photography. Yet, I find images of people the most fascinating of all. It is a bit of a challenge for me. Maybe I have a sense of guilt for invading someone elses personal space.
Shooting with a (smart) phone is a choice that I respect. I have this phone with 5 Zeiss lenses and 5 sensors (2x B&W and 3x Color, IIRC) and the images of these are superposed into one raw shot and next converted into JPEG. Works well. Has ~pro control options. Tap screen to focus and shoot, done.
Dynamic range is limited though, and both low light and high ISO are pretty bad, so graininess lurks (that can be an artistic choice, though).
Cartier-Bresson (HCB) would say that "sharpness is a bourgeois concept" and in here, "bourgeois" is a euphemism for "petit bourgeois" - or the upper class HCB that went to art school's qualification of the "petty middle class" with narrow minded opinions and zero appreciation for art.
So, that great smartphone of mine - LrC/CR can actually raw process its shots - generally has no seriously "sharp" shots, even when the shots are excellent for a smartphone.
What's my alternative? A Nikon Z 7ii - 46MP - with e.g. a Z 28/2.8 ~pancake lens that does not look imposing. Switch on, tap on the display as if it is a smartphone, it focuses on that point and fires the shot. A shot that I can blow up to very big print sizes, as I have the best neutral raw file, very wide dynamic range, largest color space, excellent low light performance and very good high ISO.
No, it's not a prerequisite to use that tool and I frequently use the smartphone as a conscious choice. But still the better tool has my preference and with highlight-weighted metering I never have blown out highlights, I can leave the big lightmeter at home and set the tool to aperture preselected auto. First time right. From there on, I can focus on making as many artistic mistakes as possible and avoid a few.
As I shot Hasselblad with the chimney finder (in which left and right are swapped), the first time I realized I could flip out the display, look down on it with the camera looking forward and tap on it to shoot, muscle memory from decades ago made me pan-rotate the wrong way. I laughed out loud.
Hi Alex, I like the photo at 4:52. Looking up a peeling lamp post to what looks like the top of a tree made me pause for a while.
I like seeing your own photos. I noticed that all of them are in color even thought they have very little color interest to them. To really emphasize the interesting shapes, lines and textures that you are drawn to I would convert them to black & white. This would allow you to push the images further into abstraction in the editing and also make them look more cohesive as a whole.
I’m still a beginner, but I find that when I play like this, and then leave the photos for awhile, I learn more. In other words I’m less concerned with the mistakes because I’m removed from them with time. So it gives me a feeling of seeing the good in the photos instead of critiquing myself.
My best mistake was in the film days, I took a photo of an old '40s Cadillac, out of focus accidentally. Turned out that it looked like a photo from the era. I'm glad I did it
A great complement to the video about minimalist photography. You can't make a masterpiece on command but you'll never make it if you don't try, and a try is just a try.
Great transition to the sponsor which leads to another subject : how do you make your choices, what do you keep and what do you toss in the garbage (oops) ?
Like you I used to photograph people and now I photograph things. Maybe the next step would be to shoot my shoes.
I don’t make mistakes… I like to say that “I create opportunities of learning”.
Always amazed me that for me the last three frames on a roll of thirty six are the best. Great video.
I do like going around my local town I tend to go out with a idea in mind. But it often goes on the back burner as I start to see different things You have some very nice images there. I sometimes just go out with a nifty fifty on a Nikon D600 and a spare battery in pocket other times I might just take out a Olympus SP 560 UZ, this one will fit in my pocket it a nice little camera rather than take the Nikon which is quite heavy for me to lug about when I have to use crutches. I am disabled and have walking problems and I have arthritis in my back shoulders. 5 times out of 10 I can get away just using walking canes. Happy New Year to everyone out here I hope 2022 will be better for all.
The vibe of your photos gives an abstract, minimalist feel. I think you are bringing out 2 related points; bring any camera with you and if you see something interesting - take a photo. If you do not have the time to do things 'properly' still take a photo, for this case a simpler camera may be better; less tempting to try for 'perfection'.
I think you are asking a question, what makes a great photograph? And too many think technical perfection (whatever that is) is the goal. To me technical perfection is poorly defined and it misses the point of photography. To me photography is more about capturing images that I find interesting at that moment. Many of these images will not be very good but they also bring back memories of when I took them.
3:37 the 'garage' was a Go-Kart arena in Brno
If those "casual observations" are "mistakes" then the bulk of my work is comprised of mistakes! It's almost scary how familiar many of your images are--maybe we (and a lot of photographers) are simply fascinated by what most people would overlook (or dismiss if it were pointed out), but I look at it like mining for gold--it's sometimes not evident until you start playing around with it onscreen that you appreciate the importance of sifting through all of that ore. I'm not saying the "spray and pray" is a valid approach--it's still necessary to carefully consider how to best record each pavement crack, rotting tree stump, or building detail you find visually compelling, but when in doubt, take the shot--it's easy enough to delete it later. That said, I nearly always carry a "proper" camera as if I happen to capture lightning in a bottle, I want to be able to make the most of it and I've never felt comfortable relying on a phone-based camera. BtW, I really like the image at 13:25--airports are great. I also view people as distractions in most photos and feel a bit awkward about photographing them (at least if I think they're aware of it!). I have on rare occasion asked someone if they don't mind and have yet to get a negative response.
Certainly reassuring to know you do this. I often feel that I’m odd for taking seemingly random pictures, but now I know to keep going and I will find the “winner”
I always feel like I'm betraying photographers if I post a iPhone image vs a Camera Capture. Thanks for this as I grab most my shots while working and honestly my canon won't fit into the wings of airplanes and such. Also, Yes, I get truly nervous to capture people while doing street photography. Its hard to overcome but I feel as if I should be asking for permission first.
I am super at ease Photographing in public. In two weeks I will be driving into Seattle to the Art Museum to see the Imogene Cunningham exhibit. While there I will be bringing my camera and doing some street photos.
I greatly appreciate this video. As someone here commented, I too felt your describing me, in the way I experiment, try different compositions, different angles. In regards to street photography, I like to photograph architecture, the play of light and shadow, and when I do photograph people I try to be as unnoticed as possible. I don’t like confrontation or making others feel unease. On the other hand, when I am on the street with my camera, some people approach me and ask me to take a photo of them. For me it’s a win win situation.
I feel this may be your most important video to date. Also I love seeing your work--it takes balls to show the mediocre along with the great (there are quite a few!)
An option to phone pics is carrying small compact digital camera, even an old cheap - and set to program mode and totally focus on content.
I understand about your aversion to street but, from the time I discovered Cartier-Bresson and the early photojournalist/documentary photographers, I wanted to try my hand at pj work. For me that goal was reached when , at the age of 50, I hooked up with a small weekly newspaper that was very photo-friendly. For the next decade, I got to enjoy the experience until the print industry failed in 2008. Shooting people has always been at the top of my interests even though I have not had another image published since 2008. I still try to give myself assignments/subjects to try and photograph. For me, that is a goal in itself.
Regarding photographing in public, in my case in NYC, I find it quite intimidating. I want to capture quite moments in the city (not an easy task) but I'm also shy and feel uncomfortable doing it. Also, there's the internal pressure of "I need to capture something memorable and visually stunning," which is a very "blocking" attitude, which doesn't promote spontaneity.
When I started down the road of infrared portrait photography, there was very little in the way of resources. Pretty much everything I did was trial and error. It's an amazing way to learn.
I have my own favourite places in the city. Few of them I am constantly drawn to. With specific lenses I'm able to take pictures that I want to have, that give IMHO the vibe of the location. If I'm not happy with the result, I try to return and approach the object from the other side or on different hours (light conditions).
I have loads of photos that only lead to the final "perfect" one. I never delete them. Maybe some day I will see something interesting there.
When I take pictures in public I'm completely focused on the task. I don't care about the people at all. I just need to be sure that no one stumbles on the tripod or on me ;-).
I love working in public, but I seldom photograph people, I try not to have recognizable people (that I don't know) in my images. I was walking a forest trail over the weekend, there was a water color artist painting, I photographed her from behind. I love textures, and patterns.
Only channel i watch with commercials. Im also drawn to ceiling photography :)
16:25 You've captured an "eye in the sky" in the upper right quadrant!
Thank you. Merry Christmas and all the very best for 2022. 👍📷😎
Excellent video as always. I took more pictures after watching your videos and experiment with the phone. Somehow taking photo with the phone feels less pressure or stress. It’s fun to try and eventually a good one would show up. Great exercise of creativity and composition. Thank you. 👍👍👍
I enjoy your photos.
I absolutely LOVED this video!! The fun of playing, experimenting and discovery makes me want to go play with my phone camera right NOW😊😊😊 totally loved seeing your photos!
One alternative is to take an actual camera instead of your phone if your phone is like mine, basically two generations old. It has one perspective that flicking your fingers to zoom doesn't correct. Having a generic mid zoom gets you to looking and analyzing what if I compress this view, what if I include everything my eyes see but don't notice, what if I distort the colors, what if I eliminate the colors, what if I shrink the depth of field all the way for this lens, etc
I like seeing your meaningless, nothing special photos you made. A lot of those I personally would not waste my time stopping but I understand why you do it. I think I need to lighten up, and explore more. Thanks a lot for sharing😁👍
This video is a very good message, and reminder, that we can all improve on what we do.
Another great video my friend, been a bit AWOL last year, but I'll get to catch up on your videos this January
This is exactly how I shoot. Most of the time it results in nothing, but sometimes I find something great.
Very inspiring video! It's nice to see photographers talking about subjects that are not present in hundreds of other videos. Inspiration and exploration are so important! Switching to black and white in the city can do that for me sometimes also. Best of luck to you and happy shooting!
I agree that we need to make mistakes to learn, but where I think some of the "Don't make mistakes" come from too is careless mistakes, such as with exposure. Not paying attention perhaps and seeing your camera is set to 1/500s in a night scene when you know it has to be at least, say, a 1 second exposure, and thus ending up with a blank or very dim frame. So I think there may be a bit of a difference. Obviously when it comes to things like composition or some technical things, yes that's how we learn (making mistakes and learning from them) but when it comes to careless mistakes or just being lazy, I think that's also not beneficial and people SHOULD avoid those mistakes when possible, and some of that has to do with slowing down and being a bit meticulus with your work (unless you're shooting street, then maybe you cannot always "slow down" but it will teach you to be familiar with your gear, its settings, buttons, etc so you can focus on shooting and less on gear/how to use your camera).
You say "oh, a dog's had a pee here" ..... But looook at the pee on the post ... It is in the shape... of a cat . I just love finding..... something else in the details..thank you.
I love the pic at 3:24 - partially because I am from this country and live several years abroad, so it's nice touch with my home, but perhaps I like it more as it shows the less polished reality. When you google czech republic, you would get all those middle age scenes, old buildings and everything, but this pic shows it more real and more actual :)
I run and gun in public because I am with family most of the time and they are rushing me or I have limited time and need to hit many places. I overthink things before I get to the place but once I am there I am in the flow of things.
Thanks for the encouragement. I have many discarded shots like this lol. BTW your video quality has improved massively, not the content, which is always good, but the clarity etc. 😀 Thanks Alex.
I felt you were talking to me personally. Our "eyes" are similar. Loved this one!
Very nice "thought perambulation". Experiments are not mistakes, they are increments that may (or may not) lead to a result. I like the process you've described, perhaps because it is similar to my own.
Thanks for sharing this and all your bright, inspiring videos this otherwise not so funny year Alex!
Wish You a great new year!
Looking forward to follow You and take part in your photographic life in 2022
YNWA 👌👍🔝📸
Interesting video.
I was reminded of two pieces of advice from other you tube channels, ..
Maarten Heilbron, Do something wrong that as photographers we must never do. Put the camera into full auto and take your pictures, freeing yourself from Depth of field, shutter speed.
Mark Wallace, sometimes it helps to give yourself "Permission to fail," If you are out or in a studio trying something different, on a walk, if you have given yourself "Permission to fail," you can concentrate on the journey not the result. If you don't have the masterpiece, it does not matter, nothing is lost or wasted.
I "hate" Street photography as I'm really nervous about what somebody's reaction for it... I strongly prefer city photography and the "abstract" parts...
Ha, I’ve photographed those modernist lamps at the football stadium in Brno. I took a dozen pictures of the actual stadium, but none of them were very good.
Inspiring (definitely food for thought). Thank you for sharing.
Our minds and subject matter are very similar.
Like you I like the shapes and light in places I go. I do photogrpah people but stick to people I know. I use an early 80's autofocus compact camera loaded with B&W film for people. For other photographs I like a camera made of metal with metal dials and controls with a bright viewfinder. I like the tactile nature of an old metal camera.
I have to pretend warm-up when I am out in public shooting. I start off slow and I sneak shots here & there. When starting I just feel like a fake photographer, and I ask myself what would I do if I was approached for work?
But after a few minutes of walking I get swallowed up in the awareness of life around me and I no longer care. At that point I crave for interesting shots and time just ticks on by and I do not even notice it. 📸🤳
Do you keep your camera phone on a square crop? Love this video, thanks.
thanks
When I photograph people I feel guilty…maybe that don’t have their permission. But I make myself do it by asking much like IA’s Dino Serrao. But my favorite things to get are still life’s and nature such as insects and animals! Thanks for this video! Cheers!
Thanks for watching
When out with my SLR, I do worry about having to explain why I am there with a big camera and having to face why I am there with a big camera.
It is possible to inadequately perceive an image in one location, realise it, and nail it in another.
I've been to that house in Brno, it was quite interesting.
I actually get excited taking photos in public
A nice video again, Happy Birthmas for tomorrow!
Spot on ;)
There is an adage …. ‘You only learn from your own mistakes, seldom from other’s misadventures or teachings!’
All the RUclips channels that are available, for example; ‘x Tips for Better yyyyyy’, ‘Do these things to avoid making the same mistakes as me!’, etc. etc - are basically futile!
To find a way back to the highway is to navigate the cul-de-sac with an open heart without expectation.
If I worried about mistakes, I wouldn't ever take a single photograph
You like the square format I see. Isn't it causing problems if you want to print your pictures?
Speaking of mistakes, today I put the Ilford HP5 Plus in a borrowed Rolley 35, walked the streets and parks, carefully adjusting the parameters on the camera, took care of the composition, tried to measure the light correctly, to finally realize that the shot counter worked but the film didn't wind up on a take up spool at all! I was angry at myself for a few seconds, but then I thought: hey, well, this was a great exercise, tomorrow I'll put the film in the take-up spools correctly, I'll repeat today's walk, and maybe I'll discover some new compositions along the way 🙂
I get very nervous to shoot in public
What's harder, photography in public or giving up smoking 🤔 I could easily take up the ciggies again...😁
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏👍👍👍👍👍👍
Forgive me, but even a lot of these kind of abstract, minimalist images that you took in Brno would have had more visual potential if the light wasn't so flat that day. Otherwise, they seem kind of drab and lifeless.
Saddened to see your brand is now cheapened by the introduction of ads. What’s next, Squarespace?
Feel free to send cash directly. Or do you expect everything to be free?
@@troporobo That won’t stop the ads, especially when ads become more lucrative as the number of followers rise
one of your best videos candor, honesty with excellent advise. I have always caaled this process you've described as me (playing) as I will say, hmmm how would this look.