How can anyone possibly generalize about a subject as diverse and personal as a practice regimen?
There are at least as many variations as there are individuals doing it.
- Leigh
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How can anyone possibly generalize about a subject as diverse and personal as a practice regimen?
There are at least as many variations as there are individuals doing it.
- Leigh
Far from making me angry, I simply disagree with the premise of your article, and with your assumptions about photographers, in general. You don't provide any support for your claims about what "we" do, or don't do, you just state your opinion as fact, and proceed. I suggest you're the one who is "seriously deluded".
You make the following claims:
Who is "we"? How do you know?Quote:
We*expect*to*make*great*art*every*snap*of*the*shutter.
Again, are you speaking for yourself? I practice a lot, and always have.Quote:
We*do*little*or*nothing*to*practice*photography.
The above is not true for me, or any serious photographer I know.Quote:
For*photographers,*practicing*involves*either*working*with*equipment*to
become*more*familiar*and*comfortable*handling*it*(the*mechanics),*or*making
photographs*in*a*studied,*conscious,*intentional*way*(the*creativity).
In what way? How do you know?Quote:
It*is*highly*beneficial*to*practice*the*mechanical*aspects*of*photography....
Is there any evidence to support this claim?Quote:
Composition?* * Best* practiced* by* making* lots* and* lots* of* pictures.*
I suppose the above depends on your definition of "really", but it's not been true for me.Quote:
However,* we’ll* really* only* improve* if* we* spend* time* examining* “practice* picture”* proofs,* and* deciding* why* they* succeed*or* fail.
Perhaps you should consider writing also worthy of practice?
Well said, I just wish I could follow you in doing all that practice. Too many irons in the fire right now.
Great article! It got a lot of people talking and considering it's merits, good or bad.
By coincidence, Rachmaninoff lived in the same apartment building as the Avedons, and Richard Avedon later recalled listening to the Russian musician practising hour after hour - "Maybe that's where I learned about discipline and what's beautiful about rigour, what's compelling about craft." This from the Telegraph obit of Avedon.
You succeeded in writing a very thought provokeing article. Thats fantastic and much more than all of us commenters have done.
If a toddler wants to become a great writer, they will spend what appears to be a disproportionate amount of their time learning how to read before are able to write.
If their reading never progresses beyond the level of a tabloid newspaper then I would suspect that their writing would be unlikely to.
If we want to become better photographers, should we not spend a lot of time looking at and studying great art in order to understand what is great about it? That way, we can apply similar principles (not necessarily copy) to our own practice.
I doubt that blowing a roll of film a day will not make ME produce significantly better photographs. Thoughtfully contemplating an artwork that I admire, or even considering the reasons why I do not particularly admire one, may help to make my next photograph better.
Practice is only one element of developing ones abilities. I do agree that it is an important one, though.
Sorry, Dan, not stupid at all. I wasn't discussing quality of teaching, I was discussing what performers understand that it takes to be successful as performers. Because they've done it. Many (but not all) teachers haven't done it, and so may not understand what it takes, certainly at the pure gut level. That's all.
Cheers!
Hi, Jay, glad to hear from you.
"Who is "we"? How do you know?"
Because I read forums like this one and APUG. Because Richard Ritter and I have workshop students. Because I read what people blog and write. And in all of that, few that I see ever mention disciplined practice. Interestingly, the better photographers I know talk about it, and Richard Ritter is amazing. He really does it, every day. But my artist and musician friends talk about practice all the time. Then I struggle to see the difference between them and photographers. So I try to think that through. It brings me to a conclusion that many photographers don't understand the idea of structured, disciplined practice as a means of improving their images. Silly me. Artists and musicians seem to understand it. But it must not be the same for photographers. Hell, anybody can be a photographer, or so I'm told.
"Again, are you speaking for yourself? I practice a lot, and always have."
I certainly don't practice enough. Life has a way of getting in the way of many things I'd like to do more of. Most workshop students and photographers I talk to don't follow any practice regimen of any kind. Understanding that I don't practice enough, I've tried to think through how to practice well.
"The above is not true for me, or any serious photographer I know."
I wish I were as gifted as you clearly think you are. And I'm puzzled, because you didn't enlighten us with your wisdom in any constructive sense - if you're not practicing the mechanics or the creativity of image-making, what are you practicing when it comes to photography? It's not clear to me what's left. How do other "serious photographers" practice?
"In what way? How do you know?"
Because I've done it, and found benefit. Because we've had workshop students do it, and they've said that they found benefit. Because people write me after reading my book and tell me how valuable the practice exercises are.
"Is there any evidence to support this claim?"
My own experience. The experience of many photographers who are far better than I am, who have repeatedly coached me that it's ridiculous to think that one will become a fine photographer without making a lot of images. Read Ted Orland. Read David Bayles. Read Bill Jay. Most, but certainly not all, of the feedback I have gotten in this thread can be offered as evidence. If the aforementioned are all wrong, at least I'm in good company. And if I am wrong, hand me a cello. I've never played one, but I'm clearly ready for Carnegie Hall. You're clearly ready for a one-man show at the Met.
"I suppose the above depends on your definition of "really", but it's not been true for me."
We should all bow to your obvious intrinsic greatness. Many of us unfortunates cannot conjure world-shaking images without doing a lot of work. I wonder why Steiglitz, when people would approach him to teach them, would tell them to go make 3,000 images and then come back, and he would decide whether they were worth teaching? Why not only one or two? Steiglitz obviously didn't know what he was talking about, and so is unworthy of respect.
"Perhaps you should consider writing also worthy of practice?[/QUOTE]"
It didn't occur to you that this was an example of just that?
I wrote an article describing my ideas for systematic practice designed for mere mortals to improve their photography, and offered it, for free, to those whom I thought might benefit from some of the ideas. Practical ideas that many have found worthwhile, and which have helped me improve faster than I would have were I more willy-nilly in my approach. No, I have no evidence for "faster," other than it feels that way, which is good enough for me.
You restore my faith in the notion that no good deed goes unpunished. I was worried there, for a while.