friedeye Loc: Los Angeles

My Photography Manifesto.

I guess I’m encouraging everyone to join me and state where they stand in this diverse and expanding world of photography. Here are my thoughts:

First thing: Photography is about 1) light, 2) subject matter, and 3) composition. It doesn’t matter what instrument you use, DSLR, rangefinder, iPhone, P&S - as long as you use it well. I have to bite my tongue when I read posts that ask “what can I do to make this better?”, then open the post to a photo that has flat light, and a centered, dully framed object - be it truck, bird, barn, or flower. The answer is not a new lens, or a tripod, or “your focus is a little soft” - which may all be true but dodge the point. The answer is find an interesting subject, frame creatively and wait for or create good light. I actually think the subject is the least of it - I’ve seen great photos of rusty soup cans. In fact, I’ve seen spectacular abstracts where I have no idea what the subject is at all. There was a great shadowy shot posted here the other day.

Second thing: While I love the digital world and am amazed by what it can do, I fear it creates lazy photographers (and newbies who will never understand the underlying craft). Anyone can point a Canon whatever into the setting sun, put it on automatic, and get perfect silhouettes and exposure. I’ve done it a million times. Computers are amazing. Three cheers for that - I get it. It’s the democratization of photography. And, if you have a DSLR and want to really learn how to shoot , you can go to manual - although I’m not sure how many people really do. Aperture priority, AE and AF are just too easy and tempting. The result is too many folks using their expensive, high resolution instruments as point and shoots. Although, obviously, this doesn’t apply to sports or wildlife photography, where you need all the help you can get.

I believe (remember this is my manifesto) that there’s nothing more satisfying than learning Sunny 16 and being able to nail an exposure without a meter on film. Or digital, for that matter. I love to focus myself - it connects me to the image - and I’m primarily a rangefinder guy. I know that there are shots that I’ll blow to operator error - I’m good with that. I improve with every shot, and with every miss. It’s a journey I accept and love.

And I agree that that’s my problem. Call me a Luddite. In this day and age, I would never push it on anyone else (other than to give it a try).

Third thing: Digital post processing is a miracle. Its very ease is why I’m back to shooting film. No chemicals - and mind boggling results that are limited only by my imagination and skill. And, hey - this is an art form, folks. Nothing is sacred. Manipulate all you want. But personally, I hate overcooked HDR and etch-a-sketch edge work. Makes everything look like a Thomas Kincaid painting. There. Said it.

Fourth and final thing: the siren call of new equipment and chasing pixel counts. Honestly? Unless you’re making huge prints, 8 or so megapixels is fine. How much detail do you need? If you’re into very large prints, or shooting professionally, fine. But, in the real world, 18+ megapixels is overkill. We have reached the point where the equipment far exceeds the requirements and talent of most photographers. So we need to face....

That it’s an addiction. And, man - I am as guilty of this as anyone. I spend way too much time reading camera reviews and on eBay cruising for old Leica glass and LTM mount lenses. (And, as I’ve said before, the Leica thing is actually a fetish). Thank God, I’m disciplined enough to back off most of the time. But what a waste of time. I have fine lenses. I have fine cameras. I should be out shooting.

... instead of writing this manifesto.

MsJ Loc: Northern Indiana

You said it well! Now go out and shot! :wink:

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

friedeye, thanks for the manifesto. It will not change the world as much as Mr. Marx's but it sums up a lifetime in photography. The digital tools are sure wonderful but the basic art and science of photography has not change one iota. Just the tools.

And how true your point upon the endless buying.

Turbo Loc: Raleigh, NC

Well written indeed.

Yet, I just feel a sense of helplessness or nostalgy somewhere in that write-up.

The way photographers express themselves in creative ways is unique to each of us and we don't all agree on which way it should be done .............

As in any sport or discipline, some of us are more successful than others. It might be due to skills, hard work, luck or a combination of the above. Or maybe some new and imaginative way to do it ! That is why records are always broken, or a new fashion emerges.

As far as I am concerned, I learned the basics of photography the old fashion way, with a rangefinder and film.

I delight in the ease with which I can take 100s of pics today without having to wait for the results and then I can PhotoShop and customize my best pics any way I see fit.

I don't miss the old days of slide rules and film ...........

noknees438 Loc: NYC

good words well said

Eblong Loc: Colorado

I think one needs to view Post Processing as tweaking a well-captured reprsentation or the subject you photographed.

One quote from Ansel Adams that kind of says it all: "The negative is comparable to the composer's score and the print to its performance. Each performance differs in subtle ways."

What comes back on our memory cards is the negative. PP is about the print. However, it is the job of the photographer to capture the soul of the subject in the negative.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

Well said and hits home although I tried my own darkroom once then kids, money and time dried up and photograohy was not even high enough to make the bottom of the list. I like the digital equipment because its capabilities give me something to grow into - just like those who grew into filtering, developing, enlarging and printing their own film images

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

..........you didn't really just put down america's favorite painter - Thomas Kincade did you??

.....as you said: "it's a journey we accept and love."

:thumbup:

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

Hard to argue, except that I'm a skeptic of 'sunny 16', which actually (once you go beyond the simplest limits of f/16 for digital/transparency or f/11 for negative, all in bright sunlight) is more than a little complicated.

And hey, what's wrong with writing instead of shooting? I've needed both to earn a living for the last 30+ years.

Cheers,

R.

senad55verizon.net Loc: Milford, NJ

OK, you're a Luddite.

(Psssst: you're not the only on on this forum)

Dan821 Loc: Traveling........

"It’s a journey I accept and love..."

Agreed!

dame_wolf Loc: Oregon

Wonderfully written!

papakatz45 Loc: South Florida-West Palm Beach

Wow, let's all go back to Matthew Brady's time and shoot with his type of gear. No need to use anything more than my old Instamatic. Let's bring back the dark room full of chemicals. Time marches on and so does technology.

RMM Loc: Suburban New York

All the features on today's cameras tend to be overwhelming. That's probably one reason why so many people let the camera's automatic features take over. Pick subject, frame, shoot, hope for the best! I know I'm struggling with what I consider just the basics with the refurbished Nikon D5000 I just bought. I'm sure there are features I'll never use. If I can master those basics so that I can choose my focus, speed, aperture and ISO without prepping for the SATs, I'll be happy. But I won't give up Photoshop, because there so often is room for improvement, whether it's just cropping, or bringing out the details in the highlights and shadows. Sometimes, I can take one photo and see several very different images I can capture from it, each pleasing on its own.

Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

People are, however, sometimes inconveniently in the way of 'progress'. The failure of communism is rather a good example of this.

Cheers,

R.