civilized ku # 769 ~ figure it out
Friday, November 12, 2010 at 10:26AM 
Sauniere Quebec ~ Old Montreal, Montreal, CA • click to embiggenIn a comment on civilized ku # 771, A. Cemal Ekin referred to an entry / essay on his site titled Rules, Learning, and Experts. He refers to this essay in defense of his other comment - "Does one have to be gifted to do something? I don't think so."
Let me respond to the ideas in his essay - not about how he writes or whether or not I consider it to be self-promotional.
In his essay Ekin writes that ...
Anyone who grabs a camera and seriously considers this as a hobby or future profession needs to deal with the equipment, composition, artistry, creativity, all reasonably complex and with their unique challenges. Think of a camera system and forget for a moment how comfortable you are with your gear. Now, try to explain how to use your camera to a person who is just starting. You will realize that, one, you know a lot; two, you cannot decide where to start to explain how to use this gear.
In a nutshell, I disagree with virtually every aspect of that paragraph. Especially the part about equipment / explaining how to use your camera - an aspect of picture making that he believes - for a beginner (and someone engaged in explaining it to a beginner) - is "reasonably complex".
IMO, that is simply not the case. Unless someone choses to make it so - most often for purposes of self-promotion.
When using a camera, there are only a few basic things that the beginner needs to understand: 1) how to focus the lens; 2) how to set the aperture, a. to allow more or less light to strike a light-sensitive surface, and b. to control the DOF; and, 3) how to set the shutter speed, a. to allow more or less light to strike a light-sensitive surface, and b. to freeze or blur motion (both referent and/or camera motion).
That's it folks. If a beginner finds that to be "complex", he/she might consider taking up tic tack toe as his/her hobby. And, IMO, it is high time that "experts" stop peddling the myth that it's all very complex (but that's whole other story).
Ekin's essay also stated / opined that ....
Anyone who grabs a camera ... needs to deal with the equipment, composition, artistry, creativity ....
In support of that statement is a suggested Step #1 for the beginner on a path to learning how to forget the rules - the beginner "Understands the rules ... Sometimes remembers to use the rule, the rule to use, and when to use it ... then consciously tries to apply the rule, often failing because the rule matters more than the photograph at this point, we do not see any “intent”. In Ekin's opinion, there are additional intervening steps - intermediate, proficient, and expert - on the path to the desired end point of "not think(ing) about / be(ing) hampered by the rules the rules" but ...
IMO, and that of any others, like so many others, Ekin is putting the cart, aka: the rules, before the horse, aka: the intent.
As Robert Henri has stated, once one knows one's self enough to form an idea / notion about, in the photography world, what one's intent is - what one wants to make pictures of in order to "say" something - the technique(s) - to include one's own self-made rules - of how to do so will essentially "fall to hand".
The techique learned without a purpose is a formula which when used, knocks the life out of any ideas to which it is applied ~ Robert Henri - from The Art Spirit
IMO, Step # 1 on the path to making good / interesting pictures, which successfully express intent, is to pick up a camera and start making pictures. And, in today's auto-focusing, auto-exposure (with auto ISO bracketing), auto-white balance, and auto-etc. digital picture making world, even understanding the the aforementioned basic ideas about using a camera are not necessarily required.
Think about it - why in the hell would anyone learn a bunch of rules, start making pictures using those rules which, as Ekin states, will result in making pictures wherein there is a failure to communicate ("we do not see any “intent”") "because the rule matters more than the photograph"?
Screw that approach. Pick up a camera and just start making pictures. Look at those pictures and figure out by and for yourself what works or doesn't work relative to your own personal "intent", picture making wise.
Along the way, look at good/ interesting pictures made by others and figure out by and for yourself what it is that you like about them and then, if applicable or appropriate, apply those likes into your own picture making MO.
But, ultimately, if one wants to make pictures that express your very own personal intent, you have to figure it all out for yourself. And that includes figuring out for yourself what it is that attracts you to the pictures made by others.
gravitas et nugalis
PS Never, ever forget or let anyone tell you that, even as a rank beginner, the rules are all that important. They're not. The photograph is always more important than the rules. Always.
Reader Comments (6)
"Screw that approach. Pick up a camera and just start making pictures."
As Porky Pig would say, "thats all folks"
After 50 years of playing with cameras, I am still an amatuer. But I never had a lesson and did it my way. NO RULES just shut up and shoot.
Clearly the author is more interested in "reacting" to rather than "understanding" of the ideas presented. I really do not have time or inclination to engage in this kind of reactive responses to half-understood concepts.
One thing for sure, however, the author seems to have a preternatural ability of how to alienate participants.
I wonder it that is right or left hemispheric.
Cemal
Good post Mark (perhaps at the expense of Cemal). The last 3 paragraphs and the addendum really struck a chord with me.
It's the left brain / right brain thing. Left brainers want to know the rules / details and "work up" to a good image. Right-brainers start with the intent (good image) and acquire the minimum amount of knowledge to "get the job done".
Who's right and who's wrong? I think a better question is "what's the most effective way for a person to create a good image?". For LB's they need to learn a few rules / details but get quickly directed to thinking about intent. For RB's they need to learn a few rules / details to better support their intent.
I think Cemal's article is directed at left-brainers - it's certainly not the path a right-brainer would take. Further, it's the learning path a LB instinctly believes will ultimately get them to expert level ... as I mentioned above (and Mark's point) the sooner you start thinking about intent the better.
An analogy is you want to drive from A to B. Option 1 is to start at A and drive around hoping you'll get to B (learning all about cars and town planning, just to be sure). Option 2 is to find B on the map and work out the route from A to B then start the car.
Now, excuse me while I go and study some good images!
“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”
- Ansel Adams
Reading this I am reminded of how often young children show a talent for photography -- and how often this talent disappears as soon as they take an "art" class.
Back in high school I worked after school and weekends in a small camera shop, the kind that do not exist anymore. We were very Kodak oriented and sold those little photo hint books that were popular in the '60s. One of the books had an idea that has always stayed with me: the picture taking concept of FAST. The idea was to take a good picture you need to Focus, set Aperture, shutter Speed and finally Think (FAST).
Based on your point of view they had it wrong... should have been TFAS. But that does not have a nice ring to it does it?