 Roy Blinston |
Speciliast Photography? Photography is such a wonderful media, yet there are so many aspects to it (and levels of expertise). Personally I am into graphics and photography and in my travels and work have come across people who have a totally different leaning in their photographic field. One of my clients is a scientist and his sole photography interest is in photographing "wasps". Can you imagine. Another client only takes shots of "tattoos". I suppose one would not expect a "builder" to be able to build "anything" but if people know you are a photographer they seem to think you can photograph "anything" - and under any circumstance without any reference to your particular field or interest. Each would have a specialist level of knowledge and talent. It would be interesting to hear from photographers who specialise in some unusual aspects of photography and offer some insight into techniques and pitfalls.
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Bob Cammarata |
Interesting concept Roy, and I'm sure this post will illicit many responses. Asking a "bug guy" to assemble a portrait session or shoot a wedding makes about as much sense as contracting a proctologist to perform brain surgery. My "specialty" is nature in all its forms. As to the techniques and pitfalls:
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Roy Blinston |
Good answer Bob. I suppose the same goes for a photographer who specialise in say weddings, but is asked by an advertising agent to come up with an "arty shot". He may sitll be able to do it, but it is not his specialty. Some people have a good "eye" for "candid's" yet have no interest or desire to do any studio or planned photography (set-ups etc).
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Samuel Smith |
well bob,with some people I think that a brain surgeon might have to perform surgery in that area. yeah
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Roy Blinston |
Admittedly all photographers know the "basics" but unless one has a leaning towards a particular type of photography then the final outcome will be "basic". Specialists however can become very very goos at say "portraiture" but be very very ordinary in say "landscapes" or "candids". Not sure if I agree with Bob's comment about "problem solving"... maybe a wrong choice of words. I see it more as a "discipline" followed with a "challenge". I don't see any photography as a "problem". It's just a course of action followed by some flair or to find or create that something special (or unique).
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
That's always been a marketing ploy to me. And maybe a different angle on ego. Favorite subjects aren't anything profound, but the notion of being one way and not another is a myth. It's just photography. You can specialize in something like computer related things and not carry it over to auto mechanics because it's an actual matter of concrete knowledge of how something works.
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Roy Blinston |
Ego does not come into it. It's called preference and leaning. Would you get a scientific photographer to take your wedding pics. No way. Even though they both understand the same photo principles.... there's more to it than that. It's called creativity (not ego). Some people have it, and some will never have it (no matter how technical they get). I've seen some photographers that are absolute experts in the technical side of things... but all their pics are boring as hell. In contast to this some rank amateurs have produced some fantastic shots (though technically by fluke). I suppose it all depends on your own personal outlook of what photography is about. If you see it as a purely technical thing, then that is all it wil be for you.
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Kerry L. Walker |
"Asking a "bug guy" to assemble a portrait session or shoot a wedding makes about as much sense as contracting a proctologist to perform brain surgery." I knew I had hired the wrong doctor.
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Roy Blinston |
Ha ha Kerry. Very funny. Here's one for you.... I was cleaning out the attic the other day and found a Rembrandt and a Stradivarius. Unfortunately ... Rembrandt couldn't play the violin... and Stradivarius was a lousy painter!
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Kerry L. Walker |
LOL
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Roy Blinston |
This is one way of brightening up the photo discussion. Here's another... "A girl once asked me to photograph her in the nude. I said OK, but I asked if I could leave my Ugh Boots on ... because I needed somewhere to put my film.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
If said scientific photographer only wants to do scientific, then it wouldn't matter because he'd turn down a wedding. But if he's good at taking pictures, shooting a wedding isn't something that should be beyond his scope of seeing what makes a good picture and what dosen't. So hire away if he's free. Ego is involved when you think that there's something is supposedly so exclusive. And you really see it expressed when you encounter other people who try to use examples of a like subject, and try to turn that into a label of "that's all they can do".
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Bob Cammarata |
You need to have people skills along with your photographic prowess when shooting a wedding or when doing portrature. Beyond that,...Greg is somewhat correct in that its all about light and composition. Rather than ego, I think that a photographer who is uncomfortable inter-acting with strangers might feel that his or her work will suffer for it.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
that's not want I meant by ego. I meant too much ego.
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Roy Blinston |
I liken it to a Soccer Team. Eleven men go onto the field of play. They are all trained and disciplined in the same manner. They all know the basics of the game, ball control, passing, court craft, rules, etc. But.... each position on the field has different talents or specifics. A centre forward will be very good at say scoring goals, but not very good at stopping them. A midfield player will be very good at lots of general positions, but not an expert in any of them. Artists can all paint. They all know the basics of how to work the canvas and mixing colours. But there are huge differences between each. It's all in the eye (or the brain). Can you see my comparison? Even though all photographer's have the same knowledge of light and composition the end results will be different. Bob's mention of "people skills" is but "one" such consideration.
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Roy Blinston |
I have heard it said that the notion of a photographer "capturing" an image is also wrong. Anyone can capture an image (being in the right place at the right time) and just pressing the button. But good photographers actually "create" the image with their brain (or eye).... then press the button. Many wedding photos will be the same (ie: bride, groom... groom. bride, etc). A creative photographer will give that something extra... beyond the aperture, light, exposure, click syndrome.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Creativity wouldn't stop at weddings, if creative is an accurate description. Nor do I buy in to the notion that creativity dosen't carry over from other things to weddings. There shouldn't be anything that stops somebody from seeing that lighting something this way, turning it this way, or using a certain point of view, or knowing when the right moment is, that they can't do the same because of a change in location or because it a person wearing a certain type of clothes. I see the point you were trying to make with soccer, but I don't think it's a solid one. A sax player may not be able to play drums, but if he's a good musician, he'd be able to play jazz, country, and rock. It all makes me think of the art expert who gave high praise to abstract art as long as you kept it secret that it was actually finger paints from an elementary school.
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Roy Blinston |
Imagine a photographer looking through "Best Photos of the Year Book"... seeing the No.1 pic and saying to himself... "I could have done that". It's true, anybody (almost) could have taken that picture.... but they didn't. Only the winner did. All the rest would have walked past the scene (or moment in time) and not even seen the possibilities. This is what I call "creative". It's not in the science, it's in the mind.
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
Never said it wasn't in the mind. Whatever that number one picture was, if it came from his creativity, he'll be creative with something else. "seen the possibilities" with that and other things where there are possibilites. If he can see whatever it was in that scene, it sure isn't going to stop just because he's at a wedding.
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Roy Blinston |
It's one thing to "see it" in someone else's picture.... but a totally different matter to create/capture it without fear of copying. If he can see it, that's good.... but he didn't think of it first. After that he's just copying other creative people. There's lots of copying going on out there.... under the guise of creativity. In some ways we are all guilty of it, as it can't be helped in some respects. We all subconsciously lean towards something we have seen before... except of course the genius. But they are few and far between. Even Pablo Picasso was influenced by somebody... though he never admitted it. Genius can get away with arrogance. After all said and done, maybe we should agree to disagree?
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- Gregory LaGrange Contact Gregory LaGrange Gregory LaGrange's Gallery |
I meant the one who saw it was the one who took the picture.
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Justin G. |
Of course we copy. When I copy off someone and try to recreate their photo, I shall assume they are complimented. I'm not trying to outdo them, just learn from their creativity to have already captured it. Byron in my photo guild said:
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Roy Blinston |
That comment is "spot on" (Justin). Creative people are always looking for that unique picture. Mechanical people just capture what is there, but do it as technically perfect as they can. I think this is the difference. The mind's eye is where it's all at ... the science is by the way.
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