Author: The Photographer Clay

I could list dozens of reasons why Ansel Adams was a master of photography, but the single biggest reason I believe he was a master is that he was not afraid of post-processing. He spent hours in the darkroom getting the best possible print to match his vision of a scene. He was meticulous in both the exposure of the negative, its development, and the final print. I seriously doubt the majority of us are as meticulous. We go out and point and snap. Yeah, I know we have some tools that he didn’t have, we have autofocus, we have built-in light meters, blah, blah, blah. But are you really using these tools to their fullest? Probably not, and in fact, I would say most times, absolutely not.

Thinking about how haphazard I have come to depend on technology to instantly give me the results I think I want I have decided that I need to slow down, and set up my photographs and truly utilize the tools I have available.

Edward Steichen once said, “No photographer is as good as the simplest camera”. Edward Steichen died in 1973. The first digital camera was created in 1975. It was the size of a printer, weighed 4 kg, used 16 batteries, and recorded images on a digital cassette tape. The first mass-produced autofocus camera was the Konica C35 AF which came to market in 1977. Why all this history? In Edward Steichen’s time cameras were much more simple than today’s modern cameras. So if no photographer is as good as the simplest camera in Edward Steichen’s time we’re not even close nowadays.

We obsess over gear. We talk about all the features and high ISOs, about the video capabilities of our still cameras, The ability to use more than one memory card where we can store thousands of photographs. We talk about the clarity of the electronic viewfinders, and the sharpness of the lenses with the modern coatings.

What we should be obsessing over is our ability to take photographs. I watch photographers when they are out doing their thing. They see something point the camera snap the picture and hope for the best. They don’t meter the light, examine the subject, check their position, set up the focus. Yeah, I know, there is a meter in the camera, there is autofocus, but how are they metering, what are they metering, what are they focusing on, why? So many photographers also never leave the standing position. Stand, snap, move, stand snap.

I think I can do better. I think you can do better. Let’s start to obsess over results rather than gear. Let’s start to plan our shots, do a better job at metering the light, controlling the focus, making sure we have the best perspective, study our subject. Let’s work to get closer to the ability of our gear.

Do you really want to improve your photography? If not do you think your photography is the best it can be? If you do what have you done recently to improve? These may seem like simple questions but I believe if we really dig and ponder they aren’t necessarily simple. For instance, if I say yes, I really want to improve my photography but I haven’t done anything to improve then maybe I don’t really want to get better. If I say no, I don’t want to improve my photography because it is the best it can be then am I saying it is the best, or am I not capable of improving?

Maybe it’s just me but I always want to improve. While I may not have shared many new images doesn’t mean that I’m not shooting photographs. A good number of things I photograph are never intended to be anything more than experimenting or testing. I read loads of articles and listen to photography podcasts. I study photographs of others. I don’t want to copy another photographer’s style but may use bits and pieces of many styles to build my own.

There are many great photographers nowadays. We have loads of resources available at the tips of our fingers. We have access to vast amounts of knowledge and experience in photography and we have technology built into our modern cameras that the masters of the past could only dream about.

I hope everyone really wants to improve their photography and if you haven’t already actively done something to improve your photography, start today. Let’s grow and improve together!

.