Perfect Photowalking Quote
There are some good things to be said about walking. Not many, but some. Walking takes longer, for example, than any other known form of locomotion except crawling. Thus it stretches time and prolongs life. Life is already too short to waste on speed. I have a friend who’s always in a hurry; he never gets anywhere. Walking makes the world much bigger and thus more interesting. You have time to observe the details. The utopian technologists foresee a future for us in which distance is annihilated and anyone can transport himself anywhere, instantly. Big deal, Buckminster. To be everywhere at once is to be nowhere forever, if you ask me” ~ Edward Abbey, from The Journey Home (1991)
Photowalking is a joy precisely because we take our time, we walk mindfully, aware of our surroundings, looking deeply. This is such basic work of mindfulness — we should practice it constantly. Friends and students often ask me what equipment I recommend they purchase next. I often respond with, “do you have a tripod.” Now, a tripod is annoying to carrry, and perhaps not useful in all instances, but it has its virtues. One of those virtues is to slow you down. Slow down, take your time, look around you. A good photowalk does the same. It facilitates our slowing down, looking at our surroundings, savor the moment.
Thoreau called it sauntering. Here’s a wish that you find more time to saunter this year, and bring your camera along!
Read More »Sketching the Shot
A few days ago I started thinking about what was the one thing I learned in art school (back in 7th grade!)
that has had significant influence on my photography. Hmmmm… that was a long time ago, but the answer came pretty quickly: how lines shape contours of a figure. Why that? Because my interest had always been drawing human figure. I spent a lot of time with Andrew Loomis's book practicing figure studies. At school I spent a lot of time drawing little figures, painting vague human shapes, doodling heroes, etc. (notwithstanding all my efforts my sister was so much better than me at drawing!).
So, what I remember vividly is working at drawing lines that would be smooth and powerful in conveying shape and contour. I was not happy if I had to draw and draw, erase, and go back over lines trying to fix them.
What do you need? First, you need to take your time. You are not going to get the full benefit of it by rushing through the process. But you already knew that. Second, you don't need to draw a masterpiece. Look at the scene, what do you want to capture? What moves you? Where do you want to train your eye and imagination? Got it? Good, now sketch simply the main lines that delineate what's present and what you want to capture. Look deeply. Can you see those lines clearly enough in the scene itself? The more you stop to look deeply at such, the better you will become at sketching in your mind also. Practicing with landscapes and still life will help you in any other type of photography. A not so obvious benefit is that you will deepen your ability to look deeply at a scene and ignite your photographic imagination that much quicker.
Photography is Not a Crime
Just a quick note to highlight a blog that should be required reading for all photographers: Photography is Not a Crime (Carlos Miller, Photographer). Carlos, a multimedia journalist, was arrested by Miami police for taking photos of them. Unfortunately, that arrest has led to a lengthy court battle, and more abuse directed at Carlos. Fortunately for the rest of us, we have not just an object lesson but Carlos's blog to help track this kind of situation, and clarify matters when it comes to our rights as photographers. These are not isolated events.