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Thread: Do you practice?

  1. #1

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    Do you practice?

    In my youth I was a serious student of music and hence spent MANY hours practicing my instrument so that when I needed to perform, my "chops" were there at my fingertips. When I moved to the US in 2003 I bought my first camera, a digital Canon (G3) and shot like mad for a year or more (literally 10s of thousands of images taken in the little parks around my apartment) which allowed me to learn about photography and get a feel for it. Since then I have gotten more serious and started learning about different cameras and techniques and started shooting only when inspired. Now I am starting to feel the urge to practice in a more disciplined manner like I used to in my music days. I have pulled out some volumes on portraiture and still life so I can painstakingly reproduce the images as practice. Please tell me I am not the only insane individual out there who does something so mind numbing. Hopefully it'll pay off! I'll post an update down the road.

  2. #2

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    Re: Do you practice?

    I don't 'practice' per say...that is, take shots specifically to maintain technique. Instead, I just try to shoot as much as possible, because my memory has a way of forgetting that which I don't do all the time.

    On the other hand, if I haven't used a specific camera or technique recently and I plan to use it soon, then I will break it out and quickly refresh my memory.
    Mike Boden

    www.mikeboden.com
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  3. #3
    Whatever David A. Goldfarb's Avatar
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    Re: Do you practice?

    Sometimes I do when I'm trying to learn a new thing--usually lighting related.

  4. #4
    Darkcloth Fumbler
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    Re: Do you practice?

    as a fellow musician-turned-shooter, i can relate. i do practice, and like David Goldfarb, it's mostly for lighting. if there's a new technique i'm trying to figure out, then the wife or kids often get subjected to living room portraiture.

    the difference between music and photography is that with music, you're often performing the same piece of music over and over, and have formal performances that have to go right the first time. with photography, every shot that you throw away was 'practice'. every shot you keep is the performance. so there's less of a need for formal practice in this medium. that said, it can still be beneficial!
    - matt haines


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  5. #5
    Michael E. Gordon
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    Re: Do you practice?

    Isn't every photograph in theory "practice"? You can relate that like music, some "practice sessions" turn out considerably better than others.

  6. #6
    Vaughn's Avatar
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    Re: Do you practice?

    I photograph as a way to better See...so this I practice as much as I can (no camera needed).

    Vaughn

  7. #7

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    Re: Do you practice?

    Quote Originally Posted by rippo View Post
    as a fellow musician-turned-shooter, i can relate. i do practice, and like David Goldfarb, it's mostly for lighting. if there's a new technique i'm trying to figure out, then the wife or kids often get subjected to living room portraiture.

    the difference between music and photography is that with music, you're often performing the same piece of music over and over, and have formal performances that have to go right the first time. with photography, every shot that you throw away was 'practice'. every shot you keep is the performance. so there's less of a need for formal practice in this medium. that said, it can still be beneficial!
    Well I played a lot of jazz so I'm not sure I ever played the same piece twice , even in practice. In music I would spend a lot of time making sure I had the repertoire of techniques to get the creative idea on tape when I needed to. I guess with photography that is what I am after too. LF portraiture seems to be a world of it's own and practice is involving tons of film, and it isn't like you can practice the techniques with digital. I want to be sure that when I come up with an idea I'll be able to execute it as I picture it without screwing around too much. I always have this fear of wasting a model's time trying to achieve what I am after due to technical buffoonery and general incompetence. After all, photographing someone is really a performance of sorts.

    I must say LF practice is expensive though. I have broken a guitar here and there over the years due to accidents, and stupid stunts a la "Spinal Tap", but I sense LF photography will cost much more than a few guitars in the long run!

  8. #8

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    Re: Do you practice?

    Quote Originally Posted by Michael Gordon View Post
    Isn't every photograph in theory "practice"? You can relate that like music, some "practice sessions" turn out considerably better than others.
    It depends. If you have an unlimited time to execute your vision then yes, however I can imagine situations where you need to perform rather than practice: a landscape with dynamic lighting or a model you are paying x dollars/hr. In both of these cases I would think having some prowess technically and visually will pay off huge. I suppose one could argue that every session is practice for a later session, but I chalk that up as experience rather than practice. Of course this can become an exercise in semantics.

  9. #9
    Resident Heretic Bruce Watson's Avatar
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    Re: Do you practice?

    Quote Originally Posted by Vaughn View Post
    I photograph as a way to better See...so this I practice as much as I can (no camera needed).

    Vaughn
    Yes, exactly. I "photograph" (that is, practice seeing) all the time. When I see something particularly compelling I return with the camera to record it. But I have to see it first which is why I'm always composing, framing, checking where the sun is,... camera or no.

    Haven't driven my wife over the edge yet, but every once in a while she does give me that "look of concern" that lets me know that she's wondering about my sanity. I haven't told her yet that I wonder about it too!

    Bruce Watson

  10. #10

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    Re: Do you practice?

    I find if I haven`t photographed for a while, I need a few days to get back into it again. I just started shooting again after a month break and have given the trash bin a workout the last few days...
    Amund
    _________________________________________
    Digital is nice but film is like having sex with light.

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