BETTER PHOTOGRAPHY

Photography - the act of recording light (photo - light/ graphis - to record).

For centuries man has used many means to record the details of his life. From flint scratched across sandstone to the latest LCD computer monitor, images have been the legacy of our lives here on Earth. Cave drawings, painted pottery, charcoal sketches, oil masterpieces, acrylic paintings, engravings, the printed page, photographs; the list just goes on and on. There is no limit to man’s creativity when it comes to preserving a record of his existence.

In today’s high paced world we are bombarded by images everywhere we go. We see images on signs, billboards, television, the internet, books, magazines, DVDs, video tapes (for the stone aged), video games, you name it and there is a picture of or on it. With the advent of digital photography and the internet, it should come as no surprise that the world is shrinking. Someone can take a picture of a tornado in Kansas on their cell phone and within minutes a friend on a boat in the middle of the Indian Ocean can see it. The world is becoming smaller at the rate equal to the growth of technology and connectivity.

The camera is presently by far the most popular form of recording light in a two dimensional medium and digital cameras are by far the mainstream. Able to employ the modern equivalent of all the traditional gear that could be imagined, a digital point and shoot, let alone a single lens reflex digital camera, can take thousands of pictures in the span of days without replacing the batteries. All one needs is a means to store these images, which varies as greatly as the choice of digital camera, to keep clicking endlessly. This has made imagery for the communications and news industry more accessible and has, if not totally, at least partially rendered obsolete the film camera for preserving our world for posterity.

With the greater amount of automation afforded with today’s cameras, digital and analog alike, it is easier to be swept along with the tide of convenience and forgo learning the nuts and bolts of photography in order to get straight to picture taking. And, though logical and now to a large extent necessary, computer software has replaced the darkroom, bringing image editing more in line with the image’s electronic mode of transfer. It seems as though the art of printing is slowly receding into the realms of hobby. This is not to paint a grim picture for the future of film photography. Rather this is intended to define its new role in today’s culture.

The camera employs various mechanisms to expose light-sensitive film, thus preserving the latent image that, through processing with chemicals, brings the photographic image into being. However none of this is possible without vision and the ability to translate that vision in a way that communicates with the audience, regardless of what equipment might be employed. A program cannot replace human intuition and anticipation. It never will. The photographer must practice endlessly in order to be able to communicate the desired emotion through his images, to strike a resonant chord with the viewer. It is difficult to record a three-dimensional world onto a two-dimensional medium with effectiveness. But it can be done, a fact attested to by the great photographers over the years and the photographs they have made that inspire us to this day. It takes practice to be able to visualize your subject as it will appear on a flat surface rather than with the depth perception of the human visual sense. A photographer that wishes to remain singular and surprising in their work must continually expand their photographic knowledge in order to better their craft. And visualization is tantamount to successful photography. Without it, a photographer’s art can only suffer and lack the inspiration that is integrated into the work of the greats. A musician cannot compose a symphony without the knowledge of legato and allegro. A carpenter cannot build himself a home without being familiar with a miter saw or a ten-penny nail. A sailor could not wish to circumnavigate the globe if he never saw a jib or a mainsail. Knowledge and proficiency are absolutely necessary in any chosen craft or field if success is to be a fruit of that person’s labors.

Of greatest importance is repetition. Not the trial and error that produces lackluster results for a long period before the tenets of photography are learned. Rather the creation of a visualizing system, a photographic rhythm if you will, that can accompany the photographer on their journey through their life. Learning to ‘see’ your subject, familiarity with the characteristics of light and film, a command over your equipment and full knowledge of its capabilities; all of these contribute to better the final product of a photographer’s creativity, the photographic image.

Though this book contains information that is applicable to all walks of photography it tends to gravitate toward my own experiences in shooting black and white film in 35mm and 6x4.5 cm medium format single lens reflex type cameras. However the outlined procedures for exposure and aperture and shutter speed and the Zone System is applicable to all forms of photography as they pertain to recording light and should be mastered by any photographer if successful photography is their main goal.

It is my hope and intent for this information, not to make your photographs better, but rather to transform you into a better photographer.

Christopher A. Walrath