Photography

Provided by: David Hessell

I am always looking for an excuse to take pictures. Truth is, it doesn't need to be much - a nice sunny morning, a foggy evening, a new filter, the way the light hits the wall in the living room, whatever. Starting the new year out with a new camera just makes it all that much easier for me to drop everything and plan a few minutes getting away from it all and learn what this new toy is all about.

Photography is more than taking pictures. For me, it is an activity that makes me think, makes me learn, and makes me get out - or stay inside - and actually forces me look for things I would normally not see. Seeing is much more important than looking. Seeing is opening yourself up to new experiences and attitudes towards light and space. Seeing is more of having a new outlook than it is about looking.

Even if you did not receive a new camera for Christmas, unwrap your old camera and begin the new year with a new photographic outlook. As a college photography instructor who is just beginning a new semester, the first class is really me thanking students for showing up and giving me the excuse to work on becoming a better photographer myself. I start out by getting them to begin thinking about photography as more than mere picture taking. It is an adventure. It is the start of a new way of sharing their thoughts, vision, and ideas on film with others. My role is to motivate them to get out and explore the artist within. In doing so, I must push myself even further than before, which for me, is the greatest gift of all, and the reason I do what I do. It is just another excuse to try something new, to see the common in a new light, to see light transform the common into the spectacular, to make a photograph, not just take a picture.

The key to a new photographic outlook is not, as I might of suggested, a new camera, or even a new piece of equipment. It is simply telling yourself that photography is more than the photograph and that the secret is more attitude than aperture.

To help you start the new year with a new photographic attitude, I have a few ideas and concepts I would like to share with you. Whatever camera you have, be it digital or conventional, the first step is to learn what your camera can and can not do. Yes, it could be as easy as reading the manual, but the fun begins by actually using all those cute little buttons that you have no idea what they are for. Try them. It is safe to say, if you are anything like my photography class, that your camera does much more than you think it can. Even a point-n-shoot camera is capable of more than just pointing and shooting. Clean the camera off, put in new batteries, and spend a few hours learning about your camera.

If you have never tried slide film before, this is your chance. Nothing tricky here, just go out and buy a roll of 100 speed slide film - the word CHROME will be on the box someplace. My favorite is Fuji Sensia 100, but any flavor will do. The reason I suggest slide film is that it makes you work harder. Or should I say it makes your camera work harder. Photography is not work, you just have to work hard at it. Slide film comes back to you as your camera took it, good or bad. Nobody, or nothing, fixes your mistakes, corrects your exposures, or crops the images. Shoot a roll of slow speed slide film and you can see what you and your camera need to work on.

Purchase a tripod. It is the one piece of equipment that will make you a better photographer. The key is that it does not breath. We, as humans, do. We breath, therefore we move. If you want a sharper image, either stop breathing or buy a tripod of some sort. My suggestion? Buy the biggest, heaviest one you will be willing to carry, the key word being "willing". Take that for what it is worth. Anything, a fence, a rock, a can, anything that does not breath, is better than hand holding a camera. Trust me. The reason deals with shutter speeds. Your camera must let light reach the film. The shutter must open, let the light in, then close. The time it is open is the time you don't want to be breathing. If that time is quick enough, no problem. The problem is that every so often, that amount of time is not quick enough for most of us to hold steady. You know what the results are - Blurred images, fuzzy pictures, a waste of paper. Unless you photograph in sunny, bright light all the time, try a "support device" of some type. One tip - Make sure you buy a camera tripod, not a video tripod. Just make sure you can "flip" the camera up to take a vertical shot before walking out the store.

That is all you need. A camera of some sort, slide film, if using a 35mm camera, and a tripod. Now get off the computer and begin seeing your world in a new light. Read all you can about your camera and take pictures. Try using all the buttons and knobs your camera has to offer. That is photography. Forget about all the rules, just shoot. Photograph anything and everything. You can't go wrong, that is the whole idea. Learning is trying something new and different.

It is also taking the time to review your work and seeing what the results tell you. Only half of the learning experience is making the images. The rest comes from looking at each slide and seeing what works and does not work. Yes, many new students write down what they did while they did it. Cool. It helps. I did that once. I tend to be more of a "seat of the pants" learner/teacher. I just remember what I did for each image and go from there (big tree - double exposure). That said, I do recommend writing things down for that first role or two. Once you get the concepts, the images will be all the proof you need.

I have my new camera, I'm ready. The year is off to a new start all on its own. Why not get yourself, your new, or not so new camera, and your new photographic outlook off to a new start and share your new vision with others. That is photography. It all comes down to attitude. New Year, new camera, new outlook. Enjoy.

Email questions, comments or inquiries to: David Hessell dhessell@caa.k12.nc.us

View All >>>