Hello:
Occasionally, I get great emails and/or questions in the term that I feel the response would benefit the class. When this happens, I remove/change any of the information that might identify the student and then share the emails here. Here is our first great email:
Great Request:
I have to admit, I’ve been in a bit of a creative rut these days. But I came across this article that’s truly inspired me to get out and start shooting again! It reminded me of something super important- some of my favorite pictures I’ve ever taken were on my first janky digital camera. There’s something so special about how old digital cameras capture colors! (I wonder why) I really miss how effortlessly stylized my earlier pictures used to look. So I went ahead and ordered a digicam and I’m super excited to start shooting on it! Here is the article: https://mashable.com/article/2000s-digital-camera-instagram-account/ I thought you would find it interesting. And I wonder if you feel the same way about older digital cameras vs. DSLR’s. I also love how the topic of accessibility is brought up. It’s so easy to get caught up in gear these days. I often have to remind myself that a price tag isn’t everything. I’d love to hear your take on this!
Answer: Thank you for the article. I’m in agreement, it’s a goodie… so much so that I decided to share it with our SBCC Photo social media feeds. Thank you! {If anyone else has a great photo-read/video, please send them to me – wadempsay@sbcc.edu
OK, here’s my personal take on the article’s information.
First, let’s start out by congratulating you. Based on you getting a point and shoot camera to explore this area, I can see that you have moved past the “equipment” part of photography. Yay! Many photographers (like a-lot-a-lot) never do. They feel the better camera will get them the better photos. This simply is not true.
There are plenty of pros out there that have been given the opportunity to prove their chops with a cheap, toy, plastic lens camera. Do you know what? They do a fantastic job creating interesting photos! (Of course, this is not going to surprise you, but it does many.) This is because the pro knows great/interesting/powerful/engaging/memorable photographs are about the photo itself and not the gear. When a person says, “Wow, this is a great photo, you must have great gear,” this is equal to saying, “Wow, this was a great meal, you must have great pans and spoons to stir with.” But I digress. Back to the article.
Point and shoot cameras (digicams) have a strong foothold in photography. Granted, it is slipping, but it’s still there. When working with gear, it’s important to embrace the limits of the tool and use it to your advantage. The challenge sometimes is discovering where the gear falls short. In the article, the comparison photo of the digicam and the iPhone shows better saturation of color in the digicam photo. This is because Apple has been working hard to increase the dynamic range (the range of information in the shadows and highlights) of their cameras. The Digicam does not strive for this, thus allowing this information to be crushed, but in turn shows better saturation of colors.
If the digicam is so low in pixel count that it hints at Minecraft, then exploring worlds down to their basic building blocks might be interesting. Heck, pushing this limit by cropping into the photo more, thus enlarging the blocks, might be an approach to explore. Or a social comment on the rich vs the poor might be brought out better by this look. Or abstracts… Well, you can see that list goes on.
Often in photography (and life) we can become more creative when we are given limits. Whenever you feel you are losing your creativity, give yourself a limit. For example, if I told you to create an interesting photo, doing so might be more of a challenge then if I told you to go into your bathroom and do not come out until you have created 100 different and separate photographs of your bathroom. Chances are that most people will create more interesting photos of the bathroom over having a wide open limit of creating an interesting photo.
So, to tie this all up. The camera is not responsible for creating a strong photograph, you are. When you use your tools (cheap to expensive) learn the limits of each. Then use what you learn about what the tool does well and its limits.
Here is an example: I have a previous employer whom I am still in touch with, Mary. One day, Mary went to a product photo shoot in Phoenix from Tucson, AZ. This is roughly an 1.5 hour drive – if the traffic is flowing. When Mary got to the shoot, she found out that her assistant (not me for this shoot) only packed a wide angle lens in the camera bag. Also, there was not enough time to go rent a standard lens. Mary did not panic though. She knew the limits of her gear and how to use a wide angle lens well. With confidence, Mary went to the client and said something along the lines of, “I have a great idea for your product shot. Let’s do something a little different.” and then went on to explain how she was going to place the product close to the camera so that it filled up the frame, shoot it a little lower than middle to give it power, and then use the props in the background and lighting to tell the story. The client agreed to try this look and LOVED the photos. While the assistant did not mean (as far as I know) to put Mary in a jam, Mary was able to use the limits to create interesting work. This is only because Mary knew her gear. Had she been given a toy camera to work with (which I know she has), I have no doubt that she would have again created a strong product shot.
When it comes down to it, strong photographers have and always will be problem solvers. Trying out something new or a new approach is one of the best ways to flex this skill. Of course, I encourage this in our class. Some of the techniques we try will resonate with you while other techniques will with others. The point is to get outside our comfort zones and grow. So, yeah, I love that you are going to get a new camera to play with. I wish you positive challenges with it and look forward to seeing your photos. And of course, if you need any help with it, I hope you reach out. 😉
Take care,
Say
Santa Barbara City College Photo 