Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 32 – 35

This Week’s LIDLIPS

32. Be open to your camera capturing realities that you did not see.

33. Just because someone has a strong opinion, does not mean that he’s right.

34. The hardest time to create is when you have to.

35. Look at other photographers’ work more than you look at your own.

Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School 32 – 35

32. Be open to your camera capturing realities that you did not see.
Sometimes we just try too hard to make photographs. We juggle the rule of thirds, the inverse square law and depth of field. We fret about focus and exposure. Rather than flow, we falter. Sometimes, it’s better to just push the shutter button. Push it and see what happens. Push it and discover that the camera sees a reality all of its own. Sometimes the camera’s vision is empty. Sometimes its vision is enchanting.

33. Just because someone has a strong opinion, does not mean that he’s right.
One of the great challenges in growing as a photographer is knowing when to embrace what others say and when not to. The world is full of people who will tell you what they think about your work – often because you asked them to and occasionally when you did not. Either way, these insights can be valuable because it’s hard to see ourselves from afar. Understand, though, that the intensity of the message is no measure of its validity. Plenty of people have strong opinions but no clue. If a comment comes back to you again and again, listen to it. It’s returning only because you’re allowing it to come back. It’s returning because somehow it resonates with who you are and who you are to become.

34. The hardest time to create is when you have to.
The writer stares at the blank page. The painter stares at the blank canvas. The blogger stares at the blank screen. Being creative when you don’t have to seems easy. Creating on demand is hard. If you’re blocked, just start. It really does not matter what you do. Starting is the key. Create and don’t edit. Then keep on creating. Your drops of inspiration will merge into a stream and then into a river. Your creativity will be unleashed and flow freely. The difference between creating spontaneously and creating on demand is that the former starts without notice and the latter has to be jump-started. Not being afraid to start are your cables.

35. Look at other photographer’s work more than you look at your own.
Like Narcissus staring at his reflection in the pool, sometimes we spend way too much time looking at our work. If you want to improve your photography, spend more time looking at the work of other shooters. Decode the light. Think about what’s in the frame. Think about what’s not in the frame. Study the gesture, the expression, the nuance.  Put yourself in the moment, the situation, the set. Close your eyes and be that other photographer for a bit. Open your eyes and be yourself.

Previous Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School

LIDLIPS 28 – 31, LIDLIPS 22 – 27, LIDLIPS 18 – 21, LIDLIPS 13 – 17, LIDLIPS 1–12