Hello again. It has been a while since my last blog. Things have
been rather hectic. But, here I am again back on the trail of
discovering how to become a better photographer through the gems of
wisdom imparted by some well-known masters of light.
© Photographer: Abdul Sami Haqqani | Agency: Dreamstime.com
I came across a few quotes from Sam Abell which I found to be intriguing. To be honest, I was not familiar with him before, but the fact that he has worked for the National Geographic (to my mind one of the best showcases for exquisite photography) was enough to get me hunting for examples of his work. I was not disappointed. If like me you are not familiar with his body of work, definitely check him out.
It matters little how much equipment we use; it matters much that we be masters of all we do use.
I bought a Canon 5D MkII at the beginning of the year, a
few months before the MkIII made its appearance. A friend of mine
teased me about it “Aren’t you behind the times a bit?”, “Wow you bought a new camera 4 years after it came out!”
Actually, I wouldn’t have bought it at all if something hadn’t gone
wrong with my 5D. I am not one of those who make owning the “latest and
greatest must have gizmo” an objective in life. In this high speed
world where nearly anything you buy is obsolete a month after you plunk
down your hard-earned cash for it, I prefer the familiarity and comfort
of holding on to the “devil” I know (now isn’t that a comforting thought
for my wife). This never ending vicious cycle of craving the latest,
biggest, best and billion feature (99% of which will most likely never
actually be accessed) packed camera simply bemuses me (OK so I am easily
confounded, but at least it helps me save a little money now and then).
© Photographer: Abdul Sami Haqqani | Agency: Dreamstime.com
© Photographer: Abdul Sami Haqqani | Agency: Dreamstime.com
But most importantly, this phenomenon only seems to help
propagate that pet peeve of anyone who considers him/herself an artist
or crafts-person (I am being political correct just in case).
© Photographer: Abdul Sami Haqqani | Agency: Dreamstime.com
How many times have you gone to a family gathering or walked around on the street with your shiny, big DSLR and telephoto zoom and had people come up to you and remark:
“Wow, that’s a really great looking camera. It must take really great pictures.”
And upon hearing that how many times have you said to yourself
“Must stay calm. Must not unleash the fist of death now. Must not forget to breath.”
© Photographer: Abdul Sami Haqqani | Agency: Dreamstime.com
I suppose it is only to be expected. In this consumption driven society, we are endlessly preached at and encouraged to believe that there is some technological gem that can do everything for us and do it better than us. For the previous generations it was all about making life that little bit easier: a vacuum cleaner was there to “help” clean the house, a washing machine was there to “help” you save time… But nowadays, everything seems to be there to “do it for you”. A calculator will multiply 6 by 2 for the kiddies so they don’t have to use their brains, a Xbox is there to entertain your children so you don’t have to spend any time with them, so on and so on. The list is seriously endless. Hell, there are even people sitting in some dark room who will make sure that your character gets to level 70 with all the brilliant weaponry in the “World of Warcraft”! Hello people, you paid cash to play that game for your entertainment, and now you are paying even more cash so someone else plays it for you!!!! What the bloody … (expletive censored because this blog will be converted to audio so that no one has to learn how to read).
© Photographer: Abdul Sami Haqqani | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Ummm… sorry I forgot to take my fried pelican pills. Feeling much better now.
So yes, back to Sam Abell’s first quote. In brief, it
isn’t the device you hold in your hands that makes a great picture. It
is you and your skill that makes the picture. The emotional reaction
you have, the details your eyes and brain focus upon, the framing that
speaks to you… True creation comes not from the tool, but from the one
wielding the tool. A true creator is one who works out what and how to
do something using what is at hand and deducing how to break through the
limitations that may be imposed by the tool. A machine, as of yet
(thank God), has not been devised that can replace any of the
complexities that allow the human being to be a creator.
Because photographers... think things through and... it isn't luck, and it isn't random and it isn't accidental. It isn't.
© Photographer: Abdul Sami Haqqani | Agency: Dreamstime.com
OK,so what took me a page to rant, Sam Abell said it in one sentence. Good photography is not just the tool; it is about working out a problem. Art is also science. Photography is a set of complex equations with a ton of variables: size, speed, light, distance... It is about adding elements and subtracting elements, setting boundaries while trying to remove others. If I had known, I would have paid more attention in physics class.
A mad, keen photographer needs to get out into the world and work and make mistakes.
© Photographer: Abdul Sami Haqqani | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice… did I already mention
practice? Oh did I? Ah, but did I say it enough? Don’t think so…
practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice...
© Photographer: Abdul Sami Haqqani | Agency: Dreamstime.com
But seriously, that’s the only way any of us are going to get better. I went to a photography workshop. One of the instructors was running around snapping away with the camera like mad. And I was thinking to myself, I wonder how many times she has run this workshop? I wonder what she is going to do with the pictures. Why isn’t she bored snapping the same subjects over and over again? In my experience, curiosity has very rarely been lethal to me, so I asked. And she replied that she didn’t know what she was going to do with the pictures, it didn’t really matter but if there was a really great one, she might think of something, but otherwise it was just practice. Silly me.
Weeks later I was watching a series of YouTube videos about photography
after having just relegated a whole bunch of shots taken earlier to the
virtual dustbin of my computer, and the instructor’s reply came back to
haunt me. I was amazed by the ability of photographer in the video to
figure out what to do and take quick-fire decisions during the shoot,
and was wondering how he knew what he had to do to get the shot just
right. Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice… wait for it…
even more practice.
Above all, it's hard learning to live with vivid mental images of scenes I cared for and failed to photograph. It is the edgy existence within me of these unmade images that is the only assurance that the best photographs are yet to be made.
© Photographer: Abdul Sami Haqqani | Agency: Dreamstime.com
Practice, practice, practice… oops sorry, was running on automatic.
Ye Gods, isn’t that one just so familiar? How many times have I arrived
home with an invisible hand squeezing and twisting my guts because I
had not taken a camera with me and had just seen something that I would
have loved to commit to my digital memory storage (which seems to be
more reliable than my organic one these days). Doom, despair, gloom,
darkness, hopelessness. Ah but old Sam Abell is not so pessimistic… an
opportunity missed may not be lost to him forever, but is a promise of a
more glorious photograph to come. Amen.
As always, I end with a personal request. Please, if you have enjoyed
this blog or like my portfolio, please visit my Facebook page Shadow69 Photography
and click on “Like” to show your appreciation and support.
© Photographer: Abdul Sami Haqqani | Agency: Dreamstime.com
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