Masters of Photography – their thoughts and ideas

Please read these quotations, think about what these supremely gifted photographers have to say, what do you think? Leave a comment and start a debate. Or find a quotation of your own and post it and start the conversation going

1. “ You don’t take a photograph, you make it. – Ansel Adams

Full awareness of what makes a good photo is essential in taking great photographs.

Why would anyone be interested in this photo and what elements can be included or excluded to make it truly great?

2. “ Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst. – Henri Cartier-Bresson

Do you know how many photos you have taken up until now? You will have to take thousands of pictures to reach a point where you can begin to evaluate them objectively. Looking upon your photos as if you were looking at them through someone else’s eyes is a good way to give yourself constructive criticism. Comparing your first photos with your most recent, do you see improvement? Do you remember how you loved some of your first photos – do you still love them or are they now not so good anymore?

3. “ Beauty can be seen in all things, seeing and composing the beauty is what separates the snapshot from the photograph. – Matt Hardy

You often don’t or can’t see beauty in the world until someone shows it to you. Take a look around you just now – even without moving from the computer. Can you see something in a new way, a different way of presenting something common? Just take a look again…

4. “ Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times I just shoot at what interests me at that moment. – Elliott Erwitt

When the world is your canvas, so to speak, you need your tools with you to capture everything around you. Make a habit of always carrying a camera with you—you will never suffer the regret of wishing you had.

5. “ Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow. – Imogen Cunningham

Never be fully satisfied with what you’ve done.

Never stop photographing. It is very likely that your best photograph has not yet been captured.

6.  “ You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take. You’ve got to take the tools you have and probe deeper. – William Albert Allard

We are always looking for reasons for not taking good pictures. Cartier-Bresson used film camera, same lens, no flash, same shutter speed – he didn’t need the newest digital equipment to take great photos.

We all have access to some subjects that no one else has access to – look at your friends’ hobbies, the workplaces of friends and family, and any place you have access to to find a vision that comes uniquely from your access. Many people would dream of having the same access you have, and you might not have considered how valuable your access is.

7. “ If I saw something in my viewfinder that looked familiar to me, I would do something to shake it up. – Garry Winogrand

How often have you seen a photo that is missing something, thinking, “This is a good photo but I’d make it different somehow.”? Sometimes small things make a big difference. Don’t be afraid to shake things up.

8. “ I always thought good photos were like good jokes. If you have to explain it, it just isn’t that good. – Anonymous

Sometimes it is interesting to hear the story behind the photo and you see the photo in a new light. But in most cases a photo shouldn’t need a story to back it up. It has to speak for itself.

9.  “ Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop. – Ansel Adams

Even one of the masters in photography, Ansel Adams, didn’t expect to get more than 12 great photographs each year.

How can anyone expect more?

Take a look at your last year in photos – do you really see 12 photos that stand out from the rest?

10. “It can be a trap of the photographer to think that his or her best pictures were the ones that were hardest to get. – Timothy Allen – On editing photos

Editing photos can often be the most difficult but also the most satisfying part. Sometimes taking a quick look at all the photos and then going away for a while before taking a closer look lends a fresh eye to your viewing. You may see things you did not notice previously. Stepping away from the mass of photos can make certain images stand out in your mind’s eye, leaving a memorable impression that can characterize a good photo.

 

Well……..

20 Invaluable Tips for the Aspiring Wedding Photographer

You’ve heard there is big money in wedding photography and you want a piece of the action. After all, it sounds like a good gig, right? Five hours of work one evening on a weekend and a $1000+ payday! What could be simpler?

Before the dreams of grandeur and big pay checks start clouding your vision, here are 20 tips I hope will help steer your growth so you are an asset to the happy couple entrusting you with their fond memories.

20 Invaluable Tips for the Aspiring Wedding Photographer.

 

 

Michael Kenna: Traces of the Past

Michael Kenna is sort of local to Oxford, having taught in Banbury so not quite a home town boy but  one of the most experienced black and white photographers still active. This really illuminating interview is worth your time.

“Michael Kenna’s beautiful black-and-white images have been described as haunting, minimalist and ethereal. And by his admission, he chooses to examine one or two elements in a scene, “instead of describing everything that’s going on.” His unique approach to the environment results in simple but powerful photos of architecture, landscapes and the sea.”

The 7 Common Habits of Remarkably Talented Photographers

This article by Tiffany Mueller is on Lightstalking. Tiffany Mueller is a professional music and fine art photographer. She has been published in multiple publications including magazines, art journals, and various photography books. She blogs at Life Is Unabridged.

One of the best ways to improve yourself is by observing the habits of those you find to be inspirational and talented. In doing so, we hope to learn what it is they have done that helped them achieve success. Of course, there’s no set route to the top of the photography game, but if you were to do a case study on the habits of some our favourite photographers chances are you’d find some very similar habits among them.

Dedicated photographer by paukrus, on Flickr

Click Here: The 7 Common Habits of Remarkably Talented Photographers

 

Photo Democracy Summer Exhibition

An exhibition showcasing the winning work from The Photo Democracy Award for Fine Art Photography 2013 – a selection of the best up and coming photographers showing a diverse range of exciting new photography.

Chris Beetles Fine Photographs

3-5 Swallow St

London

W1B 4DE

Nearest tube: Picadilly Circus/Green Park

Click Here for directions

12 – 17 August 2013

Sebastião Salgado: Genesis Exhibition at The Natural History Museum

The world premiere of Sebastião Salgado: Genesis unveils extraordinary images of landscapes, wildlife and remote communities by this world-renowned photographer. These pictures depict the majesty of nature and the balance of human relationships with our fragile planet.

Salgado’s Genesis is the culmination of 8 years work exploring 32 countries. It is Salgado’s 3rd long-term examination of global issues, following his previous acclaimed collections Workers and Migrations.

The photographs in this exhibition capture some of the furthest corners of our world. They portray indigenous communities that continue to live in accordance with their ancestral traditions and cultures, and show rare insights into their lands and lives.

Sebastião Salgado has been awarded many major photographic prizes in recognition of his accomplishments, most recently receiving the Gold Medal Award for Photography from the National Arts Club in New York.

 

Image: © Sebastião Salgado/Amazonas Images/nbpictures

Sebastião Salgado: Genesis
11 April – 8 September 2013
Waterhouse Gallery

Ticket prices* £10 adults, £5 child and concession, £27 family
Free for Members, Patrons and children under 4

Full details here

 

 

Travel Photography – A Different Point of View

By tom dinning, Tom is one of my favourite writers on photography and here on the Lightstalking site he gives some of his tips on travel photography, as he says

“Who doesn’t like to travel. Certainly none of the photographers I know. New experiences, new opportunities, new photos with which to bore the relatives on your return home…….

But are they boring? Are they purely descriptive? This is where I went, this is what I saw, this is what I did. How many shots of London Bridge or the Opera House have you seen already? So, then you go searching for the new angle and find another dozen or so photographers are also there. “

Here are some suggestions that might make your photographic experience just that bit more enjoyable as a photographer.

 

©Keith Barnes

When I travel I try to have an idea or theme that I keep an eye open for. Often it is satellite dishes, they are everywhere, these are just a few from my trip to Laos, you can see more here

Photography galleries in London

There is nothing better for the keen amateur photographer than to spend time in photographic galleries looking at the work of great photographers. If you are in London then this guide to galleries on the Time Out website might help you find your way around

London has produced many of the twentieth century’s greatest photojournalists and fashion photographers – Terence Donovan, David Bailey, Don McCullin and Norman Parkinson among them. And although the medium sometimes struggles to be accepted as fine art, the first (and so far only) photographer to win the Turner Prize, Wolfgang Tillmans in 2000, was also a Londoner, albeit an adopted one.

 

The capital’s thriving and ever-expanding art scene is home to galleries that show and sell photography in all its forms, from the earliest nineteenth-century daguerreotypes to limited-edition fine-art prints and documentary shots of celebrities and pop stars.See all the galleries listed here

Voies Off Prize – Photography Competition for young photographers

Since 1996, Voies off presents a wide vision of the international emerging photography through the selections for the Voies off Prize. The Voies Off prize is awarded to an artist for the clarity of his/her vision and the high quality of his/her work. The laureate receives a grant of 2,500 euros during the Voies Off festival of « rencontres d’arles », at the beginning of July.

Acclaimed by internationals experts, the Voies Off Prize represents a real opportunity for the career of a young photographer. Aware of the wealth of the students photographic works, I request your collaboration to be able to communicate at best this call to application within your school.

Concerning the modalities, the students can submit an application on their proper name, if they need. In this case, the participation fee is 25 euros.

Please be also aware of the possibility for a school or a group of students to deposit a collective application. The participation fee is 25 euros for the collective and then 10 euros per student.

You can download the call for submissions and the rules at the following address:

http://www.voies-off.com/inscrire/documents/Candid-2013-EN.pdf

Vouchers for Photography Courses

We start a new term in January and have a mix of our most favourite and some of the more unusual courses we run. You may not know what to buy someone who is interested in photography but, well frankly, needs help. A voucher that can be used against any of our courses or for 121 tuition can be purchased and downloaded on line, here is a link OSP VOUCHERS