Believe it.
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F/8.0 And Be There
The real way to learn photography
So the other day I was hanging around with some of my mates from my platoon, ya know, like fighting a war and stuff. One of them, let's call him John, decided to bring up the topic of cameras, and how he'd like to get a DSLR after seeing some of the pictures I took with my Nikon and comparing them with some of the pictures others took with their point-and-shit cameras.
"Hey, JS, I wanna get a DSLR camera too," said John, "What do you recommend?"
"Nikon."
"Why?"
"Everything else kinda sucks."
"Okay."
When we all got out of camp that weekend, off he went to Peninsula Plaza to procure for himself a Nikon D80 and, under my recommendation, a Nikkor AF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G VR super-zoom lens. In addition to a plethora of other necessities such as camera bags, memory cards, tripods, lens filters, extra batteries and a dry box.
The Nikkor 18-200mm VR: Zooming in with this lens explains erection.
"Hey, JS, I wanna get a DSLR camera too," said John, "What do you recommend?"
"Nikon."
"Why?"
"Everything else kinda sucks."
"Okay."
When we all got out of camp that weekend, off he went to Peninsula Plaza to procure for himself a Nikon D80 and, under my recommendation, a Nikkor AF-S 18-200mm f3.5-5.6G VR super-zoom lens. In addition to a plethora of other necessities such as camera bags, memory cards, tripods, lens filters, extra batteries and a dry box.
The Nikkor 18-200mm VR: Zooming in with this lens explains erection.The next week, John approached me again to report back on his new acquisition.
"JS! How the f*** (fool, remember?) do you use this crap? I don't understand a thing!"
"Did you read the manual?"
"Yes, but what the f*** is shutter speed? And what's all these numbers on the lens?"
So for the next few weeks, I proceeded to instruct John on the magical mechanisms of a camera. How shutter speed, aperture size and sensitivity work in tandem to control the exposure. How focal length and aperture can affect depth of field and the perceived depth of perspective. What each dial and button on the camera does. Et cetera.
Soon, John began to understand the inner workings of the world of Photography under my tutelage.
And so, I realized something.
If you were to liken photography to the educational system, photography would not be a subject, but a university instead. And within the Hogwarts School of Art and Photography are the various Faculties of Studio Photography, Creative Photography and Reportage Photography. Further down the educational hierarchy would be the individual subjects of Technical Skill and Aesthetics.
Instead of swishing a wand and mumbling Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo (please do not look this up.), using a camera is inherently more difficult because there are buttons on it. And it doesn't have voice activation. Yet.
This has a camera and voice activation inside
And the breadth of knowledge, technical and aesthetic, that is current in photography is too wide, too detailed and too expansive for any normal person. It's good enough to understand the basics, like how to control your exposure level from a technical standpoint, and also how to control it from an aesthetic perspective. But then again, there always comes a point of time when you'll begin to wonder if there's something out there you don't know, but knowing it would indelibly improve your photography.
So you start going to Wikipedia and Britannica. You visit specialty sites like dpReview or The Luminous Landscape. You answer online polls that asks you what ratio does the F-stop number represent. Or if you're a technodunno like some people I know, you go to the library and get books on photography. If you're rich enough, you could buy such books from Kinokuniya and Borders, or, for convenience sake, just download it off the net. Er, legally, of course.
Then, you start reading.
Eventually, you become so saturated with information, you find yourself spending more time reading and learning rather than getting some real experience taking actual photos. In fact, the more you read, the more you fear taking photos because you compare the new photos that you took after all the intensive self-improvement programmes with the old ones taken when you barely knew a thing, and find no change at all to your level of photography.
These are actually related to photography.
Or, you could also become well-equipped with the knowledge you gained, and become able to mould it to your advantage. When you take photos of landscape, you consider advanced techniques like hyperfocal distance and bracketing in order to maximize depth-of-field and dynamic range. When you photograph a wedding, you consider your vantage, the lighting, the mood. You decide to wield off-camera flashguns triggered by optical slave, with flashgun 1 oriented towards the stage at 1/2, number 2 towards the podium at full and number 3 on-camera as flash commander.
Even when you go home to review your pictures, you are able to use your newfound abilities in Photoshop to enhance potentially good photos.
Here, my photographs all received a cyan/magenta duotoning.
The thing to note here is that people have differing styles. To achieve the final photograph, people swear by different means.
Some prefer the Path of the Fearless Warrior; to head out bravely, using whatever little they know to get that elusive shot. He only bears the basic weapons of Photography: a simple camera, fundamental knowledge of exposure control and what not to do. If the photo doesn't work, he takes another one. And again another one, until he is satisfied with the result. With only simple tools but a quiet determination he captures a masterpiece.
Some prefer the Path of the Powerful Mage. He casts magic on the computer, making a photo look impossibly beautiful. He takes the photograph on the field as proper as he knows, but his magic works best in front of the screen. The mouse is his weapon, and his saving grace. With the digital darkroom he conjures a masterpiece.
Then, there is the Path of the Masterful Architect. He builds an image in his mind, he imagines the scene. Subject, he places it. Light, he controls it. Composition, he arranges it. From nothingness, he spawns an impactful scene, and the resulting photographs holds his true intentions, his desired message. His weapon is his creativity. With his brain he constructs a masterpiece.
Still others go the Path of the Wise Scholar. He is filled with information and knowledge; of the minutest details; of the vaguest technicalities. He is the potentate of data and the savant of facts. When he sees a good photographic opportunity, he doesn't start shooting straightaway. He analyzes first, plans his move, contemplates the shot, then moves in with his camera. He constantly seeks to improve his equipment and opportunity limitations. One shot, one kill. With his knowledge he creates a masterpiece.
Photography, therefore, is a multi-faceted art that can be done with multi-directional approaches.
And this leads me to my main point.
Even if you don't know a thing, it doesn't mean you're not a photographer. You don't even need to own a DSLR to be a photographer.
All you need is a passion for photography; a perdurable desire to take good photos coupled with the sempiternal quest for it.
So in the Hogwarts School of Art and Photography, also known as the MJC Photography Club and Alumni, we help you achieve that goal. We are only a supporting force, a guida di luce, but the true learning comes only from yourself.
And I thought of this when John approached me to ask about Photography. I fear that maybe I've taught him wrongly, that explanation of the basics is necessary, but everything else should be done at his own pace, at his own time. Because it is up to himself to decide what are the knowledge he needs to equip himself with, and not be burdened by a wealth of information that he probably doesn't need to know.
True education emanates from oneself. It's the same for every kind of learning, whether it be Maths or Geography; or Basketball and Tennis. The purpose of textbooks, sport coaches and, in our case, the Club and Alumni is to act as transports to fast-track your learning process. You can learn from these provided transports, or go source out new ones on your own. Self-learning is the most effective educational tool, and can only be spurred on by the passion for it.
Derivatively, passion is a consequence of your want for taking great photos.
Learn photography through practice.
So, I believe that every lesson in Photography should end when the basics are learned. The joy of Photography is in experimentation, so the rest of the lessons is up to you really. You can choose to enhance your photography with new knowledge and skills, but don't think for one moment that you can't achieve what the so-called Masters in Photography can with what you already know.
With only the basics, you are fully equipped. But you are not fully trained, and that part comes from going out and taking more photos. Whether you are the Warrior, the Mage, the Architect, the Scholar or something else altogether, it doesn't matter, really.
There's a famous phrase in photography that goes like this.
"JS! How the f*** (fool, remember?) do you use this crap? I don't understand a thing!"
"Did you read the manual?"
"Yes, but what the f*** is shutter speed? And what's all these numbers on the lens?"
So for the next few weeks, I proceeded to instruct John on the magical mechanisms of a camera. How shutter speed, aperture size and sensitivity work in tandem to control the exposure. How focal length and aperture can affect depth of field and the perceived depth of perspective. What each dial and button on the camera does. Et cetera.
Soon, John began to understand the inner workings of the world of Photography under my tutelage.
And so, I realized something.
If you were to liken photography to the educational system, photography would not be a subject, but a university instead. And within the Hogwarts School of Art and Photography are the various Faculties of Studio Photography, Creative Photography and Reportage Photography. Further down the educational hierarchy would be the individual subjects of Technical Skill and Aesthetics.
Instead of swishing a wand and mumbling Pedicabo ego vos et irrumabo (please do not look this up.), using a camera is inherently more difficult because there are buttons on it. And it doesn't have voice activation. Yet.
This has a camera and voice activation insideAnd the breadth of knowledge, technical and aesthetic, that is current in photography is too wide, too detailed and too expansive for any normal person. It's good enough to understand the basics, like how to control your exposure level from a technical standpoint, and also how to control it from an aesthetic perspective. But then again, there always comes a point of time when you'll begin to wonder if there's something out there you don't know, but knowing it would indelibly improve your photography.
So you start going to Wikipedia and Britannica. You visit specialty sites like dpReview or The Luminous Landscape. You answer online polls that asks you what ratio does the F-stop number represent. Or if you're a technodunno like some people I know, you go to the library and get books on photography. If you're rich enough, you could buy such books from Kinokuniya and Borders, or, for convenience sake, just download it off the net. Er, legally, of course.
Then, you start reading.
Eventually, you become so saturated with information, you find yourself spending more time reading and learning rather than getting some real experience taking actual photos. In fact, the more you read, the more you fear taking photos because you compare the new photos that you took after all the intensive self-improvement programmes with the old ones taken when you barely knew a thing, and find no change at all to your level of photography.
These are actually related to photography.Or, you could also become well-equipped with the knowledge you gained, and become able to mould it to your advantage. When you take photos of landscape, you consider advanced techniques like hyperfocal distance and bracketing in order to maximize depth-of-field and dynamic range. When you photograph a wedding, you consider your vantage, the lighting, the mood. You decide to wield off-camera flashguns triggered by optical slave, with flashgun 1 oriented towards the stage at 1/2, number 2 towards the podium at full and number 3 on-camera as flash commander.
Even when you go home to review your pictures, you are able to use your newfound abilities in Photoshop to enhance potentially good photos.
Here, my photographs all received a cyan/magenta duotoning.The thing to note here is that people have differing styles. To achieve the final photograph, people swear by different means.
Some prefer the Path of the Fearless Warrior; to head out bravely, using whatever little they know to get that elusive shot. He only bears the basic weapons of Photography: a simple camera, fundamental knowledge of exposure control and what not to do. If the photo doesn't work, he takes another one. And again another one, until he is satisfied with the result. With only simple tools but a quiet determination he captures a masterpiece.
Some prefer the Path of the Powerful Mage. He casts magic on the computer, making a photo look impossibly beautiful. He takes the photograph on the field as proper as he knows, but his magic works best in front of the screen. The mouse is his weapon, and his saving grace. With the digital darkroom he conjures a masterpiece.
Then, there is the Path of the Masterful Architect. He builds an image in his mind, he imagines the scene. Subject, he places it. Light, he controls it. Composition, he arranges it. From nothingness, he spawns an impactful scene, and the resulting photographs holds his true intentions, his desired message. His weapon is his creativity. With his brain he constructs a masterpiece.
Still others go the Path of the Wise Scholar. He is filled with information and knowledge; of the minutest details; of the vaguest technicalities. He is the potentate of data and the savant of facts. When he sees a good photographic opportunity, he doesn't start shooting straightaway. He analyzes first, plans his move, contemplates the shot, then moves in with his camera. He constantly seeks to improve his equipment and opportunity limitations. One shot, one kill. With his knowledge he creates a masterpiece.
Photography, therefore, is a multi-faceted art that can be done with multi-directional approaches.
Photog: The Role-Playing Game
And this leads me to my main point.
Even if you don't know a thing, it doesn't mean you're not a photographer. You don't even need to own a DSLR to be a photographer.
All you need is a passion for photography; a perdurable desire to take good photos coupled with the sempiternal quest for it.
So in the Hogwarts School of Art and Photography, also known as the MJC Photography Club and Alumni, we help you achieve that goal. We are only a supporting force, a guida di luce, but the true learning comes only from yourself.
And I thought of this when John approached me to ask about Photography. I fear that maybe I've taught him wrongly, that explanation of the basics is necessary, but everything else should be done at his own pace, at his own time. Because it is up to himself to decide what are the knowledge he needs to equip himself with, and not be burdened by a wealth of information that he probably doesn't need to know.
True education emanates from oneself. It's the same for every kind of learning, whether it be Maths or Geography; or Basketball and Tennis. The purpose of textbooks, sport coaches and, in our case, the Club and Alumni is to act as transports to fast-track your learning process. You can learn from these provided transports, or go source out new ones on your own. Self-learning is the most effective educational tool, and can only be spurred on by the passion for it.
Derivatively, passion is a consequence of your want for taking great photos.
Learn photography through practice.So, I believe that every lesson in Photography should end when the basics are learned. The joy of Photography is in experimentation, so the rest of the lessons is up to you really. You can choose to enhance your photography with new knowledge and skills, but don't think for one moment that you can't achieve what the so-called Masters in Photography can with what you already know.
With only the basics, you are fully equipped. But you are not fully trained, and that part comes from going out and taking more photos. Whether you are the Warrior, the Mage, the Architect, the Scholar or something else altogether, it doesn't matter, really.
There's a famous phrase in photography that goes like this.
"F/8.0 and be there."
It's a photo-journalistic saying which means that the scene is more important than the technicalities. Just set your aperture to F/8 and be there when the opportunity arises. You can choose not to care about the fine nuances of techniques, whether you should be using the telephoto lens or the prime lens. You can choose to be content setting the camera to Program mode and let the camera decide for itself what settings to use. You can even choose to use a point-and-shit camera instead of those large DSLR bodies and lenses that cost as much as a HDTV or a Gucci.
Just make sure you are there; that through the viewfinder, you see the scene.
And that pretty much sums up this whole essay actually.
----
That's me trying to be cool.
It's a photo-journalistic saying which means that the scene is more important than the technicalities. Just set your aperture to F/8 and be there when the opportunity arises. You can choose not to care about the fine nuances of techniques, whether you should be using the telephoto lens or the prime lens. You can choose to be content setting the camera to Program mode and let the camera decide for itself what settings to use. You can even choose to use a point-and-shit camera instead of those large DSLR bodies and lenses that cost as much as a HDTV or a Gucci.
Just make sure you are there; that through the viewfinder, you see the scene.
And that pretty much sums up this whole essay actually.
----
That's me trying to be cool.
