Articles in the Category: Editorials and More

You know what they say about opinions...

The Biggest Myth in Photography

Submitted by David Middleton on Tue, 05/04/2010 - 11:41am

Myths in photography are about as common, some would say rampant, as dimples on a golf ball. No matter how you look at photography, myths pop out from every angle. Of course most people don’t recognize them as myths. They take them for granted, as gospel, and think nothing of them.

The problem is that some myths can take control of you and your outlook and negatively affect your photography. They cause frustration, consternation and evil considerations that make your photography less enjoyable and less productive.

There are many photography myths from which to choose. The biggest and baddest:

  • the more megapixels the better
  • more expensive equals higher quality
  • pros are the best photographers
  • focus 1/3 of the way for hyperfocal landscapes
  • you can always fix it in Photoshop

But for me, the worst photo myth is probably something you have never even thought about yet it greatly influences all of your photography. I call it the Myth of the Pretty Picture. Let me explain.

The Myth of the Pretty Picture is the belief that the ultimate goal in photography is to get a pretty picture. Not just any pretty picture, the prettiest of pretty pictures, the most beautiful of the beautiful, the most stunning of the stunning, the most jaw dropping of the dropped jaws photos. The bestest ever.

That is everyone’s goal—yours too, admit it. That is why we always go out for yet another sunset or sunrise. This might be the sunset that beats all other sunsets, you think and if that happens you’ll be there and, even better, you’ll be set for life. You’ll be celebrated by all your photo buddies and envied by all your photo competitors. You’ll be recognized as that guy or gal that took the best shot ever and money and fame will surely follow wherever you go. Gotta get going, the sun is coming up!

This myth is especially prevalent for people trying to step up and make a name for themselves in photography or earn money taking pictures. Everyone does it, everyone tries to out pretty the next and everyone is disappointed that a certified spectacularly beautiful image is a) much harder to get seen or published than was thought b) mostly ignored and seldom remembered by the public c) ultimately not very satisfying and d) all of the above.

A single image is hard to get seen or published because it is just that—one image. There it is, all by itself, alone with no other pictures to support it or give it a voice to sing. Plus, everyone, and I mean everyone, has what they think is a fantastically pretty picture. Most photographers have several, if not a whole portfolio of them. And what do they do with them? They send them to calendars, note cards or magazines and there they sit in the company of thousands of other fantastically pretty pictures going nowhere.

There is no more competitive and least profitable publishing strategy than submitting unrelated single images to a photo buyer. Let me repeat that: There is no more competitive and least profitable publishing strategy than submitting unrelated single images to a photo buyer. You have the smallest chance of success and the smallest possible potential paycheck. How does that sound to you?

Actually there is a more competitive and least profitable publishing strategy—putting images up on your website and hoping by some act of God that a photo buyer will come along and recognize the genius that is you. I’m not counting this because anybody who does this really isn’t looking to be published.

So what is the answer, the antidote to the Myth of the Pretty Picture? You have to change your thinking, your entire way you go about your photography. And it is easy, less expensive, more profitable and far more fulfilling. Interested?

Instead of chasing and taking single pictures, start finding and developing stories. Stories are nothing more that a group of related pictures. It can be the seasons at a pond, what you found in your garden, following a stream from source to mouth, a day/month/season/year in the life of _____, it can be anything as long as the images share a common theme. The theme is your story.

Stories are powerful and compelling by their very nature. People remember stories, they share them, they come back to them and everyone loves a good story. This includes magazines by the way. You want to get published? Submit some pictures around a common theme and you’ll have a far, far better chance of being published. Want to have a gallery show? Show them a set of images that are linked, that make sense together rather than "these are my favorites." I promise you will, at the very least, get the gallery’s attention.

You know who follows this approach to photography? Pros do. Pros go out and photograph around themes—wilderness, summer, wildflowers of California, rock climbing, dairy farms, whatever—and then sell these images as stories. That is why pros get published all the time and amateurs don’t. Amateur’s pictures are just as good, just as pretty as pros but their approach is flawed.

If you photograph around a theme you can always sell the individual image to a calendar or website or whomever, but if you take only single, unrelated images then you will never have the proper images to tell a story—you’ll be missing essential images needed to tell the story.

So the next time you go out to photograph try thinking of a theme and photographing it. Themes/stories make your photography better, it is fun and it is wonderfully fulfilling. Don’t argue, try it for a bit and see what happens. You won’t be disappointed.

If you would to know more about this approach to photography and all the possibilities it opens up to making money and getting published sign up for David’s Professional Photography class held in Vermont June 20-26, 2010. He will go into further detail on capturing stories and getting published and his digital guru co-teacher, Scott Rouse, will explain the ins and out of showing and processing your work. It’s a great workshop. Hope to see you there!

Comments

Submitted by Guest on Fri, 05/07/2010 - 1:45am.

Another aspect for your consideration.

You've raised an interesting point. But -- more to it than just finding a central theme or a different theme. A good photographer will be willing to tell a story. It may not be pretty -- heck, it may be gross and ugly. But it tells the story. Take a look at what photographers like Pete Turner, David Turner, James J. Lee and others do. National Geographic was never just about the "pretty" photos.

One of my most telling images was one that was bloody, messy and very unpretty. It told the story of an accident. And later, I learned, it even told a deeper story when the fire fighter I captured pulling a person out of a car died. His family wanted that image -- in all its gory glory -- displayed large at his funeral because it spoke volumes about what his life and determination were about. He died five days after the accident where he helped save a life -- and when his family saw the look in his eyes that had been captured, they knew what he was about.

The image Eddie Adams shot of an execution. The image of Bobby Kennedy dying in the arms of a waiter. And thousands more.

Taking this to a different level, weddings. Everyone wants the pretty picture. And many can capture it. But, what sets apart the best is capturing not just the pretty, but the mundane, the boring and the just plain unattractive images. We need to tell stories.

Great Egrets

Submitted by Jeff Wendorff on Tue, 03/30/2010 - 9:34am

This time of the year the Great Egrets become anything but the “plain white” birds you see around most lakes and ponds for the majority of the time. Every spring that transform acquiring their magnificent breeding plumage. In the early 1900s these birds were almost hunted to extinction for their tail plumes… Fortunately the plumes went out of style and so we can enjoy a very regal bird at least for a couple of months a year.

Check out some Great Egret images in the gallery below.

You can also see more of my Great Egret images in my portfolio….HERE.

Top 10 Lists Again!!

Submitted by David Middleton on Fri, 03/26/2010 - 5:21pm

Top 10 Words that have Lost their Meaning

10. Congressional Oversight

9. Essential

8. Lite

7. New and Improved

6. Unique

5. I Promise

4. Good for You

3. Special

2. Age Appropriate

1. Trailer Hook-up

Top 10 Lists!!!

Submitted by David Middleton on Thu, 03/25/2010 - 12:00pm

The Top 10 Photo Myths

10. f 32 and f 22 are not sharp

9. You can handhold at 1/15th

8. Computers make photos better

7. Focus 1/3 of way for hyperfocal landscapes

6. The better the camera the better the picture

5. Film is dead

4. It’s already been done

3. Different is always better

2. Zooms are softer than prime lenses

1. Pros are the best photographers

The Top 10 Things I Really Don’t Like

10. Top 10 lists

9. Jelly beans

8. Peanut butter cookies

7. Sushi

6. Waiting in line

4. Line jumpers

3. Ticks, leaches and all blood sucking parasites.

2. Congress (oops, see #8 above)

1. People who can’t count

The Top 10 Worst Things for My Dog to Roll In

10. Cow

9. Old cow

8. New cow

7. New cow shit

6. Turkey shit- new or old

5. Anything else slimy

4. Anything else dead

3. Anything at all dead and slimy

2. The Grateful Dead

1. Rose petals (he’s a dog after all!)

The Top 10 Things People Shouldn’t Wear Out in Public

10. Antlers

9. Curlers

8. Red pumps with overalls

7. A family picture t-shirt

6. Pajamas on airplanes

5. A sneer

4. Pants with more than one zipper

3. Tights

2. Photo vest

1. Their welcome

Comments

Submitted by Guest on Tue, 04/06/2010 - 4:53pm.

Missing one from your photo Top 10

HDR really means the like sucks!

Submitted by Guest on Tue, 04/06/2010 - 4:54pm.

Should read....HDR means

Should read....HDR means light sucks, stop photographing

More Top 10 Lists!!!

Submitted by David Middleton on Thu, 03/25/2010 - 7:47am

The Top 10 Things You Probably Shouldn’t Say

10. “I probably shouldn’t say this but…”

9. “ You’ve gained some weight.”

8. “I just spent a hour reading Top 10 lists.”

7. “Oh, I thought you were a man.”

6. “Wow, my fungus is really spreading!”

5. “Did you just fart or are you cooking something?”

4. “Put that back on, I’m begging you.”

3. “You’d be surprised what you can hide in your body.”

2. “My mom is a better kisser.”

1. “Is that as big as it gets?”

The Top 10 Ways to Waste Your Time

10. Making it bigger

9. Hiding things in your body

8. Reading Top 10 lists

7. Listening to Sarah Palin

6. Waiting to procrastinate

5. Making resolutions

4. Discussing resolutions

3. Arguing about ridiculous resolutions

2. Fighting with that idiot about resolutions

1. Disposing of the bodies of idiots

0. Thinking about new Top 10 lists

The Top 10 New Top 10 Lists

10. Top 10 Ways to Better Spend Time

9. Top 10 Ways to Better Spend Money

8. Top 10 Ways to Better Spend Your Money

7. Top 10 Wives to Spend Your Money

6. 10 Top Guys to Spend Your Money

5. One Sneaky Bastard and One Wife to Spend Your Money

4. One #%&!#@% ex-Wife to Spend Your Money

3. Top 10 Estate Planners to Hide Your Money

2. Top 10 Wonderful Off-shore Banks

1. Top 10 Ways to Live in Paradise with a Top 10 Babe

The Top 10 Things You Shouldn’t Say to Photographers

10. “That’s actually just a decoy.”

9. “It was really good here last week.”

8. “ Yep, everyone comes out here and gets the same shot.”

7. “This is the first time it’s been closed.”

6. “I won. I said your camera wouldn’t float.”

5. “My 8 year old boy has a picture just like that.”

4. “Well, I’m sure when you come back it’ll be just the same.”

3. “Do you mind if I ask you some questions while you’re shooting?”

2. “No, really, you’re gonna love shooting this wedding.”

1. “Yep, that place is owned by a guy in the mob.”

The Top 10 Worst Photographers

10. Filter Guy

9. Mrs. Talker

8. Dr. I Know Better

7. Mr. Name Dropper

6. Obsessive equipment Guy

5. King Forever Film

4. Mrs. Not Pay Attention

3. Professor Blowhard

2. Been There, Done That Bozo

1. I Made This Much $$ Guy

The Top 10 Things Not to Do on Vacation

10. Call home everyday

9. Look at the weather at home everyday

8. Bring your laptop to the beach

7. Stare at women in bikinis (unless you are over 80 yrs. old)

6. Bring toddlers to restaurants (unless they are on the menu)

5. Admit your name is Muffy, Buffy, Itsy or Bitsy

4. Buy a home there

3. Drive like you drive at home

2. Wear your bathing suit to go grocery shopping

1. Wear a Speedo anywhere (other than under something)

Winter? What Winter?

Submitted by David Middleton on Sat, 03/20/2010 - 10:54am

So I have officially given up on winter this winter. There might be winter this spring or winter this fall but last winter was a lost winter with no winter to speak of so I have turned toward spring and but the winter of no winter away.

This hasn’t been a particularly difficult thing for me to do. This may be in part because as I write this I am in Florida where everyone is whining about how cold the 65 degree temperatures are or it might be because in 9 days I will be in Bhutan and lobsters and the Maine coast will be replaced in my small but perfectly formed brain by exotic landscapes, bright colors and photogenic monks. Or it might be because I just don’t want to think about the disappointment of the last few months. Did someone say winter?

So I leave you for the time being with a picture from the Maine coast that can’t be taken anymore. It’s not that it is difficult to take, the problem is that it is difficult (impossible) to find. I took this photo almost 20 years ago when there were a few lobstermen still using wooden traps. Today there are none. The only wooden traps you see now are those used for decoration or those dumped into the ditch out back to rot and fade away. Enjoy!

Wooden Lobster Traps

My Favorite Image of 2009

Submitted by Rod Barbee on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 11:05am

Sometimes a favorite image just sneaks up on you.

Upper Tipsoo Lake and Mt. Rainier

At last year’s Mt. Rainier workshop when my small group and I left for Upper Tipsoo Lake to photograph the sunset, I had something very specific in mind. I was hoping for more clouds around Mt. Rainier. I also wanted amazing sunset colors with deep reds. And I wanted it all reflected in the lake too. I wasn’t asking for much, was I? Anyway, so much for preconceptions.

When the light I was counting on didn’t materialize, we went exploring, climbing above the lake to see what that might hold. But I wasn’t excited by what was going on in the sky; I was still stuck in my preconceptions (fantasies, actually…). However, I was there and the foreground light was looking nice so I gave it a try.
By now it’s just a matter of habit for me to get the best possible image in the camera, even if I’m not all that excited about the picture. As the sky here was so bright I knew I’d need to either take more than one exposure and blend them in the computer or use a graduated ND filter. Since at the time I was admittedly disappointed in the sunset I decided to “just” use a graduated filter.

What do you know, this image ended up being my favorite of 2009. There must be a lesson in there someplace about turning lemons into gift horses or ditching preconceptions or some such. What I can say is that I’m damn glad that I’m such a geek about image quality and getting good results in the camera.

And that’s part of what we try to teach at PAW. We strive to help you to get the best images you can. A big part of that is learning the technical aspects of photography. For this image I knew I needed a graduated neutral density filter and in less time than it would take to explain it, I determined which strength filter I needed, placed it in front of the lens, and took the shot. I’ve done this so many times that it is now second nature and requires very little thought. In other words, the technical process doesn’t get in the way of the creative process and that is something I really try to stress at my workshops.

We’ve all got stories about the one that got away, the picture that would have been great except for (insert your particular technical malady here). Work on mastering the technical aspects of your photography and you’ll have fewer of those stories to tell. At a PAW workshop we’ll help you with that.

Still At It

Submitted by David Middleton on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 3:07pm

You would think that after two mostly unsuccessful times chasing winter storms on the coast of Maine that I would have had enough. This winter is not winter on the coast. The Maine coast was stuck in November until January and now it jumped ahead and is stuck in March. Either way the result is the same- cold, dreary, wet and no snow. All in all the perfect mix for miserable photography.

But last week I tried once again, this time with Brenda, and this time trying to get out in front of the storm so I could be at a location when the Nor’easter hit. That all worked out fine. The only problem was that the storm was all rain, not a speck of snow. It was some storm- 60 mph winds, driving rain, 36 degrees- and it made for truly dreadful photography conditions but it wasn’t wintery.

Boat stranded in a foggy Maine Harbor

So what do you do when you are somewhere looking for a particular kind of shot and it just doesn’t work? You do the best you can. We shot November scenes, March scenes (they are the same) and some conceptual winter scenes. What does that mean? It means photograph scenes that could only be taken in winter even though it may not look like winter. In a Maine harbor that means photograph lobster boats with stacks of lobster traps in the background or photograph people in heavy winter clothing. Both of these imply winter even though they are not obviously so. Are these pictures as good as a winter wonderland harbor scene? Nope. but if the Gods eventually do smile on me and I get the shot I dream of then these other pictures will fill in rest of the winter story. It is the old lemon/lemonade deal. You just have to learn to appreciate lemons.

Lobsterman with traps

At it Again

Submitted by David Middleton on Fri, 02/19/2010 - 10:33pm

Well, I’ve been at it again, chasing the weather in hopes of getting some wintery lobstering shots. Once again a storm was forecast to come up the coast and hit the Gulf of Maine. Not a big storm but big enough. What I learned from my last trip was that even if there is snow in the air for the photograph to look ‘wintery’ there has to be snow on the ground. This means that you have to wait for enough snow to accumulate before you start shooting.

_dsc8081But here is the catch- you have to have light in order to photograph! I know it seems obvious but sometimes even though it is obvious to you and me Mother Nature is still in the dark. I mean literally, in the dark because when the storm hit and it was snowing hard it was obvious that by the time there was going to be enough snow on the ground it was going to be too dark to photograph.

So what do you do? It is snowing, there are lobster boats out in a pretty harbor but there is no snow on the ground and I just drove four hours to get the shot. I decided to shoot long through as much falling snow as I could to obscure the background (and its lack of snow). There were a couple of landscape shots with nice foregrounds but without snow on the close stuff the entire shot would be a bust. When the boats all lined up (from the wind and tide) I had my shot.

_dsc8148The harbor is Cape Porpoise, a few miles east down the coast on Rt. 9  from Kennebunkport. It is a beautiful spot with lots of photographic possibilities. Cape Porpoise is also about the closest harbor to me that has a good number of lobster boats still in the harbor in the dead of winter.

So why did I only get one shot? I got others but they weren’t as nice. Also I was losing light rapidly. When I came back in the morning before sunrise I got another shot of the snow covered dories but the sky was getting blue, the sunlight was becoming harsh and the shooting was done at 7:15. So I caught some breakfast and headed home.

There is another storm that is supposed to show up and cruise down the coast next Tuesday. Yes, I’ll be out on the coast trying to catch winter once again. This time I am going to try to find some people to include in my pictures. I’ll keep you posted.

Winter-Arrrggghhh!

Submitted by David Middleton on Sat, 02/13/2010 - 10:08pm

I know that it seems ridiculous to write this but I am having a very hard time getting winter lobstering photographs. Yes I know that you all are thinking that I live in the eastern US and the news has been telling all who listen that the east has been getting nailed with snow. Well, not all the eastern US!

In northern New England we have been having a cold but very dry winter. Here in Vermont we didn’t get any snow from the last two big storms that walloped Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia. In fact, I have more bare ground around my house than snow-covered ground. _dsc8045

What this means for the Lobstering Life book project is that it is very hard to get winter lobstering shots or I should say wintery looking shots. Wintery shots require snow on the ground at the very least and snow in the trees  at the very best. Without snow the photographs look like a very dreary day in November or April.

So I sit and wait for storms. A week ago I watched the weather maps and dashed off to the Maine coast ahead of the last storm. Forecasts called for 4 to 6 inches but when I got to the coast there was no snow! No snow on the ground, no snow on the trees, no snow in the air, no snow. Arrrggghhh!

So I went to Sanders Lobsters in Portsmouth, NH for a lobster portrait (I had to do something!) and then played with some gear on a private wharf. Both shots are okay but both can and will be done better. I didn’t really have time to shoot the gear properly (the owner of the wharf was standing there waiting for me to finish-can’t blame him, the wharf was slippery) and besides, the last thing we need is another shot of lobstering gear. The portrait was also okay but the background could be better and I think I need to  be off to the side more and not so much in front of the lobster.

_dsc8037And so now I sit and wait and wait. I came home after just one night. No sense hanging out and spending money when there is nothing to shoot and no weather on the horizon to give me hope. I expect some snow in a week or so. If it comes Brenda and I will go and shoot our collective brains out! Brenda is going to Monhegan Island and photograph that iconic isolated lobstering community and I will go to Vinalhaven (its warmer there) and see what I can get. Wish us luck!  I’ll keep you posted.