I truly believe that photography is as much craftsmanship as it is art, and that a skilled craftsman makes for better art. To that end, I'm always looking at different ways to improve what I shoot, how I shoot and pay attention to the little stuff that sometimes gets in the way- so that it's intuitive by the time I need it. A recent thread got me thinking about something that also came up recently in a PM conversation with another MR user- improving shooting by slowing down.
When I first switched from small-format (35mm) to medium format film cameras- the biggest change was that it forced me to slow down a lot. To get results that made the medium worth-while, I needed to shoot off a tripod. My first MF camera was a Mamiya C330 TLR, where the image was upside-down and reversed and it took me about a month to get to the point where I was comfortable framing hand-held shots.
What I noticed when I got back the huge slides and negatives was that I went through a phase- the first few days was more about trying to find a place to shoot with the tripod than anything, then it was about leveling and framing the shot- and with smaller rolls of film, knowing each shot counted made me more careful. Finally, the increased resolution and resultingly larger prints made small details that I never really paid much attention to, like trash, or the effects of wind movement really stand out.
After a while, I moved from medium to large format- both 4x5 and 5x7. Dealing with a view camera is an experience- bellows extension factors, Scheimpflug focal planes, tilts, swings- lots of things to worry about- and even more issues leveling and worrying about the details. Fewer shots too- the light changes quickly when it's good, and shooting sheet-by-sheet is never a quick thing.
Anyway, to bring this to the challenge- one of the things that I think you can do to improve how you "see" a shot the most is to slow down and have to shoot methodically. Every photographer I've ever known who's switched from small to a larger format has benefited from the experience because of the pace more than anything else.
So, here's my challenge- shoot for one week exclusively from a tripod. It doesn't matter if your tripod sucks, you're shooting in daylight, or whatever. But for each subject, take no more than 3-5 shots- and try to do it when the light is good. Pay attention to leveling your tripod, pay attention to framing your subject, pay attention to the details in the image- don't shoot the first image in less than three minutes from arriving at a location- slow, deliberate shooting is the goal here. No tilted horizons, no cut off subjects, no mis-placed poles- and no not taking the gear if it's a fair distance. Try not to take any bad shots- each location should produce keepers, think about depth of field, preview it- use two shots to chimp it out if you have to (think of it as a Polaroid) but that counts against the 5 shot maximum.
A full week is best, but I think less than 5 days shooting in the week is probably too little. One shoot inside is fine, but this is really best done outside at differing locations, it's about seeing the shot, previsualizing it, and then nailing it.
Anyone up for the challenge?
Paul
When I first switched from small-format (35mm) to medium format film cameras- the biggest change was that it forced me to slow down a lot. To get results that made the medium worth-while, I needed to shoot off a tripod. My first MF camera was a Mamiya C330 TLR, where the image was upside-down and reversed and it took me about a month to get to the point where I was comfortable framing hand-held shots.
What I noticed when I got back the huge slides and negatives was that I went through a phase- the first few days was more about trying to find a place to shoot with the tripod than anything, then it was about leveling and framing the shot- and with smaller rolls of film, knowing each shot counted made me more careful. Finally, the increased resolution and resultingly larger prints made small details that I never really paid much attention to, like trash, or the effects of wind movement really stand out.
After a while, I moved from medium to large format- both 4x5 and 5x7. Dealing with a view camera is an experience- bellows extension factors, Scheimpflug focal planes, tilts, swings- lots of things to worry about- and even more issues leveling and worrying about the details. Fewer shots too- the light changes quickly when it's good, and shooting sheet-by-sheet is never a quick thing.
Anyway, to bring this to the challenge- one of the things that I think you can do to improve how you "see" a shot the most is to slow down and have to shoot methodically. Every photographer I've ever known who's switched from small to a larger format has benefited from the experience because of the pace more than anything else.
So, here's my challenge- shoot for one week exclusively from a tripod. It doesn't matter if your tripod sucks, you're shooting in daylight, or whatever. But for each subject, take no more than 3-5 shots- and try to do it when the light is good. Pay attention to leveling your tripod, pay attention to framing your subject, pay attention to the details in the image- don't shoot the first image in less than three minutes from arriving at a location- slow, deliberate shooting is the goal here. No tilted horizons, no cut off subjects, no mis-placed poles- and no not taking the gear if it's a fair distance. Try not to take any bad shots- each location should produce keepers, think about depth of field, preview it- use two shots to chimp it out if you have to (think of it as a Polaroid) but that counts against the 5 shot maximum.
A full week is best, but I think less than 5 days shooting in the week is probably too little. One shoot inside is fine, but this is really best done outside at differing locations, it's about seeing the shot, previsualizing it, and then nailing it.
Anyone up for the challenge?
Paul
