Wide angle lenses in small spaces
Everyone always thinks about using their wide angle lens in wide opens spaces. It is the traditional use of a wide angle lens- get close to the foreground, include the background and blast away. While this is a great use for this lens it isn’t the only use. I find that I use my ultra wide angle lens (Nikon 12mm-24mm) in ultra close, small spaces as well. This is also a traditional use of a wide angle lens but most people don’t recognize it. If you have ever seen close photos of people doing something and where they are doing it is clearly shown that photo was taken with a wide angle lens within arms length of the person. This type of photo is called environmental portraiture because it is a portrait of someone and the environment where they are. You can try this with longer lenses but the longer the lens the farther away from the subject you have to be and thus the less impact the photo will ultimately have. Get in close and you will be amazed at how strong and compelling the pictures can be. This is my friend Roger fixing the feed cart in his dairy barn. To show both Roger and the feed cart I got right behind him photographed as he repaired it. I used just the available light because I didn’t have time to set up a flash. Roger again in what he calls the Oil House. I call it, well never mind what I call it. I have always wanted to get a picture of Roger in the Oil House because the environment is so colorful and chaotic. I waited 4 years before I caught him there. He is only about 4 feet away from me but with my lens all the way down to 12mm and my back pressed against the wall I was able to get both Roger and all the stuff around him.
A Nature Photographer’s View of Photographing People
I know, it is an oxymoron; nature photographers photograph nature because they don’t want to photograph people. If nature photographers wanted to photograph people then they would be called people or travel photographers. But they are called nature photographers because they like to photograph nature and by most definitions that means without people. I will even go so far as to say that most nature photographers regard people about as well as a germ regards penicillin; it is best avoided. But bear with me a moment, I might change your mind. You have all the photographic skills to photograph people. Taking a picture of a person is no more difficult than taking a picture of an elk or bird or dog or flower. Control the background, find nice light and don’t annoy the subject and, voila, you have a nice people picture. The skill you lack as a nature photographer are those pesky social skills that allow most people (those other than ax murders and nature photographers) to interact with their fellow kind in a genial, non-threatening manor. This gap in our development in large part explains why we do what we do; we would rather be stuck in mud than at a cocktail party. And don’t argue with me, you know it is true! But it is actually fun, no really, to take pictures of people. We all have tried it and we were initially thrilled with what we got but then we saw the photos of the pros such as Bob Krist and Nevada Weir and we vowed that we would never take pictures of people again. Give me a flower any time! This is how I felt about taking pictures of people. I took them because I had to for my various projects but they were at best serviceable. Then I started teaching with Bob and Nevada and I was forced to admit that my people pictures were dreadful. They all looked like I took them secretly peeking out through a drawn curtain or cleverly as I walked by so no one would notice. One reason Bob’s and Nevada’s pictures are so good is because they get great access to people, they make them relax and they are accepted right away. This is in large part because they are Bob and Nevada. Bob, with his goofy hair and overly friendly face, is about as threatening as a Labrador retriever puppy and Nevada, with her blazing blue eyes could get you to do just about anything, anytime, happily. I, on the other hand, am burdened with the face of a mutt and the personality of a cold sore. Not the best combination when you are trying to gain the good will and take a picture of a stranger. So what is a fella to do? The first rule is to take your time. Find a potentially photogenic subject and then just chill in their vicinity. Sit on a bench, lean against a wall, have a beer, daydream, whatever. Just do nothing. You can hold your camera but you can’t use it. You are trying to be part of the scene, not a photographer on the prowl. In 15 or 20 minutes you will be invisible and no one will think of you as the odd, potentially murderous stranger. Then you can take out your camera and slowly begin to move around the area taking pictures. While you are doing this don’t approach your subject with your camera up and your face hidden behind it. People respond to faces and eyes and smile, none of which can be seen if you are hold up your camera as you move around. Be sure to stop and hang out some more as you are starting to take pictures. Eventually, you will gain the trust of whomever you are photographing and they will relax. That is your goal; to be so ignored that you are invisible while you are photographing and your subject is relaxed. The second rule is to make sure the pictures you take are good ones. This involves thinking ahead of time about the light and the background and the perspective from which you are going to shoot. It also involves making sure your camera is set correctly and that all the gear you need handy and ready to go. The last thing you want to do is fiddle with your gear while your subject is getting antsy. The first pictures I took of the Bromleys for my farm book project were almost nauseatingly bad. I was using a 70-200 zoom so I could stand far away and the pictures looked more like mug shots than intimate portraits. As time went by and the family became used to me my pictures started to get better but they still weren’t great. The reason for this is that even though they accepted me taking pictures, I was projecting my own ill at ease about photographing them on to them. As soon as I stopped thinking they were uncomfortable because I was my pictures improved dramatically. I realized that they didn’t mind having their pictures taken. If they didn’t mind, why should I? It was then I started getting the pictures I wanted by using wide-angle lenses and getting up close and personal. This was when my pictures finally took on a Krist/Weir look. So give it a try. Go out and find some people doing something in nice light and have a sit, a good long sit. You could even try talking to them. Not about photography, about them. Everyone always loves talking about themselves. Shine a little spotlight on what they think is their ordinary life and you will find a very willing subject most of the time. Then take your camera out and slowly start taking pictures. Your images will be much better and the experience will be much more satisfying. Of course, you could always get a goofy haircut or electrify your eyes.
Critique-speak
Critique Speak I spend a lot of time looking at student images and giving my opinions. I enjoy it and most of the time I think it is a beneficial learning experience. But there are some times when the critiquee seems to be talking a different language than me, the critiquer. After 25 years of careful study I have finally translated critique-speak and have figured out what the critiquee is really saying. “I don’t photograph flowers” means “I can’t bend my knees.” “I don’t photograph wildlife” means “I am too cheap to buy a good telephoto lens.” “Some noise is good” means “I hand hold.” “Editors are idiots’ means “I can’t sell a thing.” “I meant it to be that way” means “I never noticed that before now.” “I shoot black and white” means “I’ve taken a vow of poverty.” “Night shots are clichéd” means “I’d rather be eating/drinking/sleeping.” “Sunsets are clichéd” means “I don’t miss happy hour.” “I use VR/IS lenses all the time” means “I’m too lazy to get my tripod.” “I can fix it later in photoshop” means “I’m an idiot for not noticing it.” “I’m a whiz at sharpening” means “I can’t focus to save my soul.” “I need a new lens” means “I want a new lens.” “I shoot in program mode” means “I haven’t a clue what I am doing.” “I shoot in manual mode” means “I am a dinosaur and proud of it.” “I love autofocus” means “I’m over 50.” “I used HDR” means “The light was terrible.” “I love workshops” means “I still don’t get it.”
RMSP and Me
I have decided to end my long professional relationship with the Rocky Mt. School of Photography. I will keep the details as to why confidential but I will say that I could not longer tolerate their rigid, narrow policies limiting my ability to earn money and grow my career. I am still going to teach my very popular Going Pro class that I started teaching with RMSP in 1996. It remains to my knowledge they only class of its kind being offered- a detailed and personalized road map to earning money as a photographer. And I am thrilled that my co-teacher, Scott Rouse, is going to join me once again. Together we make a terrific team and make this class a very worthwhile undertaking. For details on my Going Pro class please go to either my website or go to the website of Photographers Alliance Workshops – paworkshops.net. If you have any questions please, please contact me and I will be glad to answer them for you. I am sorry if this decision has caused any problems for any potential participants. But the class will still be taught, the same material will be presented and Scott will be there to co-teach. I can say that the plans are for the class to be taught in Kalispell, MT in late August but the class will now be 7 days long instead of 10 and it will be about $800 less expensive. And we will still go to Triple day for a morning of photography. Stay tuned for more details about this class.