An Unusual question fro all of you - part II??

[Jonathan Brewer]

Stephan.....One of the most 'feel good' and 'battery recharging' moments I've ever had was running around the house 'shooting/catching' images of my wife and kids with my sons SX-70 and time zero film.

The best one of these I caught as my wife, son, and daughter sprang out of the closet, with all three made up with my wifes gree/quacamole/mudpack in the morning in their pajamas.

Sentimentality aside the shot is carefree and uplifting, and more importantly the shot stirs something in me in that it has a quality I want to add to a few Portraits that I do with my gear.

The point I'm trying to make, is that you can snatch from any part of your lifes experience, any number of little vignettes/inspirations, the creativity/Artistry that you would mold/weld together to use for your craft.

Living your life with fun/Panache, a sense of humor, with a joy for it all, and the ability to laught at yourself(I need practice on this) will serve your Art as much as anything.

Fooling others is mean spirited, fooling yourself is downright cruel. I don't mean this as a personal statement to you, I'm saying this to everybody including myself.

[Sandy Sorlien]

Some master said (anyone know who?) that if you make ten "masterpiece" photographs IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE you are doing all right. The catch is that you don't usually know which ones will be the enduring masterpieces (to yourself or anyone else) until months, years, or even decades later.

[Stewart Ethier]

I just cannot comprehend the level of obsessive behaviour which forces you to go and buy a seperate 10 inch cable release for each lens, pre-attached for speed. Many people do this, including such well known landscape photographers as Tom Till. Obsessive? Maybe, but also very convenient. .

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

So you really want to save time and make 6 masterpices a day? Ok, I see you got all the gear, all the advice. All that I really think you are missing is sitting down and think what you want to photograph. In my case I just moved to Mexico and I am building my house and darkroom. Since I am unable to use my LF cameras, I already scouted the are and have at least 5 or 6 pics in my mind I want to do, When I get the rest of my equipment it will be only a matter of going to the site and set up and click! Easy...:-))

[Peter Brown]

Stephen,

You've asked an interesting question and for me the methods and techniques to produce those successful images come from within, not from the equipment or the technique. Creativity is the key. Having a sound knowledge of technique and having good quality equipment is certainly a help, but if you are not able to be creative then all the equipment and lastest techniques in world will only produce mediocre images at best.

To be "productive" you must first love your subject with a passion and have the ability to express that through images that will provoke strong emotions in yourself and in others too. Turning your photography into a numbers game is, in my opinon, non-productive. After all, it's not about how many images we produce, it's about how many unforgettable images we produce.

So to answer your first question, I would say that "the art of seeing" and "the art of creativity" are the techniques and methods I employ the most.

And I think the text below best sums up my thoughts to your second question:

" I have always liked landscape photographers, people who make their living from vistas of nature, whose hands are familiar with the feel of the camera, whose eyes are trained to distinguish the different varieties of the land, who have a form memory.

Their brains are not forever dealing with vague abstractions; they are satisfied with the romance which the seasons bring with them, and have the patience and fortitude to gamble their lives and fortunes in an industry which requires infinite patience, which raises hopes with each new image and too often dashes them to pieces with each change of the light.

They are always conscious of sun and wind and rain; must always be alert lest they lose the chance of seeing at the right moment, shooting at the right time, circumventing the vagaries of nature by quick decision and prompt action.

They are manufacturers of a high order, whose business requires not only intelligence of a practical character, but necessitates an instinct for beauty which is different from that required by the city dweller always within sight of other people and the sound of their voices. The successful landscape photographer spends much time alone among his rocks, his trees, his nature, away from the constant chatter of human beings."

Peter Habens-Brown 1953 -

Photographer & Explorer

[James Phillips]

Stephen,

I must say that I have read this post and your previous with much interest. I am not going to tell you the kind of LF photographer I am, nor will I try to evaluate why you do what you do. You asked a simple technical question in looking for ways to improve your productivity.(this is important to you)

What I will say is that I am totally amazed at the many replies that need to judge/evaluate your reasons while still not contributing any answers to your original question.

I am able to offer only the simplest of answers and that is be prepared with your knowledge of the terrain as well as the expected weather. This may help to maximize your chances of shooting some wonderful shots when the opportunities present themselves.

Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment. Baltasar Gracian

Regards

[Robert A. Zeichner]

"I believe that imposing a goal of 1-6 exhibition quality images per day is absolutely essential for you to grow as a photographer."

This is just my opinion, but I believe that in order to "grow" as anything, it is essential that you sometimes fail at your attempts. It is from examining those failures that you can really learn something. If you are looking for a "formula" for producing exhibition quality work, your work will probably take on the appearance of such....formula art! I think an important thing to do is to frequently look at a lot of great photographs made by others. Actual photographs, not just ones in monographs. It's a bit like playing tennis with someone who's better than you... your efforts to keep up will help you to improve.

Here's some questions for you. Do you sell your landscape photographs? How many? How frequently? Through galleries? Is the demand for your work so great that you need to come up with new images at such a fast rate just to keep up with that demand? Do you bring Hershey with you on wedding jobs? If so, does he wear a tuxedo?

[Ted Brownlee`]

Steve,

I am not so much as an equipment junkie as a solution junkie. I like to mix things up to keep me on the edge. A change in venue or formats. Shoot medium format for awhile in a particular location. I go along the San Mateo coast in california. Now dump the medium format & start dragging along the 4x5 & suddenly you have to think very differently.

Jim Brandenburg published a book recently where he traveled in the northern woods for a specific time & allowed himself one meaningful image per day.

I turn that around a bit & pick an area ~ say a local park & make your goal to produce a single photograph that will capture the essence of that park. Do you start at the North or South entrance? What season? Start walking around without a camera on a regular basis...

You get the idea.

The goal is to have fun & once you do that, the quality of your work follows.

~Ted

[Neal Shields]

Get on Ebay and buy every Grafmatic back you can find.

[e]

Many people are way too busy/active !Thats cool but there is another way too...Try moving very slowly...taichi style without a camera while in the forest or while doing regular activities around the house.Real....real...real....SLOW.The unknown/universe might open up to you and then perhaps to photograph...If you reach the STATE...but you may not need to at that point!Most people are overactive to avoid something they dont want to encounter inside themselves. The other way is to do something with extraordinary speed and risk outside of the comfort zone. This can lead to the STATE but through another door if the first one dosnt work or becomes stagnent.Its all really about you...not some stupid exibition or anything else your mind can decieve you with.