Pros: Please Be Kind Part III

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Readers of my blog know that I am big on pros being kind to aspiring photographers. Here are two of my previous posts on that topic:


First post
and
Second post.


Well, unfortunately, it's time for Part III in this series. Below is an email I received from a very serious and disappointed  student who had participated in a photography workshop. She did not want to be named and did not want to name the instructors or the school (in this post). I did a search on the school. Shocked.


On the topic of naming the school and instructors: I am respecting the wishes of the photographer who contacted me. 


Darn lucky for the instructors and school/workshop that she did not want to mention them, I'd say. And, I guess they never heard the expressions: "People want to know how much you care before they care how much you know." And, "If you have the choice to be right or kind, be kind."


One of her photos opens this post. It's probably not the best picture ever taken in the history of the world, but I like the mood and feeling of the image. More important, it's an important image to the photographer.


Check out the photographer's email. But first, after reading the Comments here, the photographer wrote this:


I will confess that I had considered just putting my camera down after this experience for many reasons.
 
Reading the posts on your blog from other pros has been a healing experience for me and I can't thank you enough for renewing my faith in there being the right people out there to teach those of us who desire to learn more. I may not have a gift but I have a longing and teachers like you probably don't even realize how important you are or what a difference you make.

THANK YOU!


• • • • •


This was supposed to be a series of multi-day classes with a.m. instruction in the classroom and a shoot in the p.m. with two instructors. They were "celebrity" instructors from out of the country. They actually stated in class that what they would teach would be "life changing."

In the classroom we were told things like "don't take too many shots because your camera only has so many clicks in it and then you will have to buy another." Yup, they were dead serious.


They said camera stores encourage you to take a lot of shots because they want you to have to buy a new camera.

If you don't shoot crap you won't need things like Photoshop, Nik or Topaz.

They said a friend of theirs had just returned from a trip to the Outback for 3 months and only took 6 shots the entire time.

Never shoot in RAW - it is a waste of time.

They would ask the students in each class how many other of their classes they had signed up for, and then dress them down for not attending more.

In the field I had one instructor choose a lens for me and then the other a few minutes later berated me for my stupid choice of lens.

I had one tell me the composition on one of my shots was "crap" only to find a nearly identical shot taken by the other instructor on their FB later that night lauded as great composition.

I have never had any instructor in the field actually step into students' shots to take shots themselves – as we were supposed to be taking our turn shooting a model. You would just hear from the instructor, "oh, that's good" and then there would be their back in your view.

The final blow was when my friends called me from a restaurant they were the instructors were also dining with some other folks. The instructors were trashing the students they had that day (that included me) calling them names and making jokes loudly about how stupid the students were. My friends asked their server if the loud group might be asked to tone it down and were told, "They do that here every night and I can't imagine why anyone would pay such awful people to teach them anything."

I called and cancelled the rest of the classes the next morning.


Rick, thanks for being the excellent teacher you are.  When someone can make learning fun, that makes all the difference!
 
• • • • • 

As always, I'd like to hear from you in the Comments section here on my blog. So would the student. Please use your real name.


Explore the light,
Rick

One Light Wonder

Photograph © Rick Sammon
My friend, Dutch photographer Frank Doorhof, has a great expression:

When you think you need two lights, use one light. When you think you need three lights, use one light.

I agree with Frank.

I took this this shot (actually before I meet Frank) with with one light (Canon 580EX II) in a Westcott Apollot soft box . . . carefully adjusting my exposure to include some of the background light.

Keep it simple, use one light . . . unless you need 87 speedlites like our friend Joe McNally. :-)

For more people photography tips, check out my book, Face to Face.


Explore the light,
Rick

P.S. You'll also find lots of lighting tips in my apps.

Chasing and Capturing the Light


As photographers, we are light chasers and light catchers. After all, a photograph is all about light - the main element in every photograph. That's the topic of my next class on Kelby Training, which I'm recording in July. Stay tuned for the release date.

Often times, we need to chase the light, which means being prepared for the chase. Being prepared means having the gear, knowing how to use that gear, making the right exposure decisions . . . and envisioning the end result.

Speaking of exposure: my #1 tip is this: Exposure for the Highlights! So, keep your camera's highlight alert feature turned on, and check your histogram.

Above is the end-result image I envisioned when I first saw the giraffe in the scene below. The giraffe is hard to see in the frame, but it's there in the center by the horizon line.


To get the shot I envisioned, I worked with the driver of our safari vehicle, saying: "move this way, no that way, now just a bit to the left, now to the right, please back up, inch forward, stop!"

So the next time you look through your viewfinder, keep in mind that you are recording light. And keep these thoughts in mind about shadows:
• Shadows are the soul of the photograph.
• Shadows are your friend.
• Light illuminates, shadows define.

Explore the light,
Rick

What I Have Learned From My "Tough Love" Portfolio Reviews - Lots of Talent Out There

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About six months ago, I started a new service here on my blog: "Tough Love" Portfolio Reviews. Since then, I have reviewed the work of photographers in Finland, Italy, Vietnam and in the United States. Check out the comments in my original post.


What's interesting to me is that the majority of the photographers are creative - including George Howard, whose images from his shadow series lead off this post. You'll see more of George's work, along with his wife's work, here on my blog in the future. George's wife, Marion, is a talented painter, and this dynamic duo helps each other with their art. What fun meeting these guys on line!


I have found that the photographers, including Adam Allegro, a Navy officer based in Italy, just needed a little reassurance and confidence about their photography. What's more, we may do a workshop together in the future. Adam knows a few very cool shooting locations.


Some of the photographers, including a travel agent, needed business advice on how to better market their work. Others just needed a few Photoshop or Lightroom tips to give their pictures more impact.


Some of the participants just wanted ideas on how to have more fun with their photography.


Of course, there were beginners and student photographers who needed some real "Tough Love." With a few tips, they are on their way to becoming better photographers.


Anyway, I think I am enjoying my "Tough Love" Portfolio Reviews as much as the photographers. I am learning a lot – and learning is health (as the Buddhist say).


Explore the light,
Rick