Faculty
I’m sure there are all kinds of wonderful benefits that come with getting your education formally (i.e., in art school), but I am so thankful that my photographic education is coinciding with the burgeoning of blogs and that I’m able to use those blogs, along with my own work and reading and study, to cobble together an informal education for myself.
In the past few weeks, I’ve been increasingly overwhelmed with all the technical stuff I don’t know about photography (lighting, in particular). My god, how can I be a photographer if I only use natural light? Entire categories of my lack of knowledge were growing in my mind; subcategories were being created. Why? Because I now have several ideas for projects that I’ve either just begun or am planning to begin soon, and I want to get them right. What if I’m missing some key piece of information, some critical technical expertise, that could make all the difference?
And then tonight, I read Alec’s post about lighting setups and Mirrors and Windows and The Americans, and I was relieved. I don’t have to know all that lighting shit. I don’t have to do anything but follow what interests me. I can learn it if and when I want to. Or I can never learn it. But where did I get the idea that that was necessary to make great photographs?
I read Alec tonight, and it was exactly what I needed. I am not in art school, but I have assembled, without setting out to do so, my own personal faculty for my photographic education. They include: Jen Bekman, Armando Bellmas, Lane Collins, Jörg Colberg, Mrs. Deane, Amy Elkins, Martin Fuchs, Shawn Gust, Raul Gutierrez, David Alan Harvey, Andrew Hetherington, Ben Huff, Shane Lavalette, John Loomis, Shelly Lowenkopf, Christian Patterson, Susana Raab, Justin James Reed, Kevin Sisemore, Alec Soth, Amy Stein, Zoe Strauss, Brian Ulrich, Greg Wasserstrom, and Shen Wei. Every day, at least half a dozen of these people open my eyes to something I hadn’t considered, introduce me to the work of a photographer I hadn’t heard of, challenge me to find my own answers to the questions they raise. Every day, they push me—most without knowing it—to work harder, be better. And this list doesn’t include teachers like Mitch Epstein and Joel Sternfeld, those who don’t blog but whose books I’ve learned just as much from as I have from the rest.
The best part about this school I’ve cobbled together for myself? There is no graduation. It never ends.
In the past few weeks, I’ve been increasingly overwhelmed with all the technical stuff I don’t know about photography (lighting, in particular). My god, how can I be a photographer if I only use natural light? Entire categories of my lack of knowledge were growing in my mind; subcategories were being created. Why? Because I now have several ideas for projects that I’ve either just begun or am planning to begin soon, and I want to get them right. What if I’m missing some key piece of information, some critical technical expertise, that could make all the difference?
And then tonight, I read Alec’s post about lighting setups and Mirrors and Windows and The Americans, and I was relieved. I don’t have to know all that lighting shit. I don’t have to do anything but follow what interests me. I can learn it if and when I want to. Or I can never learn it. But where did I get the idea that that was necessary to make great photographs?
I read Alec tonight, and it was exactly what I needed. I am not in art school, but I have assembled, without setting out to do so, my own personal faculty for my photographic education. They include: Jen Bekman, Armando Bellmas, Lane Collins, Jörg Colberg, Mrs. Deane, Amy Elkins, Martin Fuchs, Shawn Gust, Raul Gutierrez, David Alan Harvey, Andrew Hetherington, Ben Huff, Shane Lavalette, John Loomis, Shelly Lowenkopf, Christian Patterson, Susana Raab, Justin James Reed, Kevin Sisemore, Alec Soth, Amy Stein, Zoe Strauss, Brian Ulrich, Greg Wasserstrom, and Shen Wei. Every day, at least half a dozen of these people open my eyes to something I hadn’t considered, introduce me to the work of a photographer I hadn’t heard of, challenge me to find my own answers to the questions they raise. Every day, they push me—most without knowing it—to work harder, be better. And this list doesn’t include teachers like Mitch Epstein and Joel Sternfeld, those who don’t blog but whose books I’ve learned just as much from as I have from the rest.
The best part about this school I’ve cobbled together for myself? There is no graduation. It never ends.
Labels: Alec Soth, blogs, books, education, photographers, teachers
posted by Liz at 10:50 PM
21 Comments:
I'm so honored to be in that list!
I feel exactly the same way. I am so, so thankful for the uprising of photography-related blogging -- not just the "photo a day" type, like it used to be, but a genuine discussion about photography.
I plan to return to school and get my MFA at some later date, but until then I am sorely missing the inspiring, communal atmosphere I had at SFAI. It's fantastic to be able to continue my education in this way, and especially great to keep me in line for when I do head off to school again. :)
In other words, I concur.
Just discovered your blog through a blog thread that led me to your latest post about self-directed learning and the wonderful resource of the internet that allows one to share and broadcast your success and failure. As a photographer working with 20th century equipment striving for a 19th century aesthetic without the digital medium of the 21st century my pictures would never make it very far outside my darkroom. Love your blog and your images.
I live in Mexico and blogs have saved my photo sanity. Everyday I get my dose of photography ideas, things to think about and look at. There is very little tech talk, mostly it is about making photographs and how you find the way to keep making photographs. The images and some beautiful insightful writing, especially yours, just make my day. I feel like you that I'm learning more than I ever have about the medium.
Thanks Liz. I really appreciate your enthusiasm. The sad thing is when you go to art schools and see those students who aren't enthusiastic. What a waste.
Don't let the technical stuff get you down. It all comes in time.
found your blog via conscientious and i second your feelings on the tech stuff. for better or worse, i largely ignored the studio lighting classes i was meant to take in school and focused on a more robert frank/nan goldin approach. my work has morphed a bit at this point but somewhere along the way i realized that huge light setups are not what excites me- what excites me are making images. period. all that other stuff is just sugar frosting available when and if you want it. you know?
Lane, I'll be really interested to see what you think of whichever MFA program you choose. I think when it comes to formal education and photography, I'm a little skittish. I have a master's in writing, and going through that program killed any of my desire to write. What I figured out, though (and this was worth every penny of the $40,000 in student loans I'll be paying off until the Olsen twins are in their fifties), is that I wanted to have written; I didn't want to write. I was so focused on wanting to be Joan Didion, that I could never be myself, and that's pretty much the death of any art form. Interestingly enough, I seem to be able to admire numerous photographers without comparing myself to them critically. Someone asked me the other day what Alec would do with a particular project I was considering, and I said, "I have no idea, and I really don't care." And I adore Alec. That made me realize I was really on to something, and I didn't have to treat my photography so gingerly; my enthusiasm for it is strong enough to withstand criticism and comparison and everything else. My passion for writing was never strong enough to withstand my own criticism, let alone anyone else's. Reading blogs, learning from all these great photographers and writers, has only made me more sure of myself. I don't think you can ask much more of your teachers.
TR and Billie, thanks for your comments. I'm glad you're both enjoying my blog.
Alec, I've got more enthusiasm than I know what to do with. It's easy to have enthusiasm about photography, though. How can people not?
Jennifer, yes, I know exactly what you mean. Thanks!
So you're saying that as your thesis advisor, I killed off your desire to write.
No, Lowenkopf, I think I managed that all on my own. You are many things, but a killjoy is not one of them.
I understand where you're coming from! All I can say is that you have put it into words better than I ever could.
Your blog is lovely by the way and I have taken the liberty to post a link to it on my own blog.
Keep on keeping on!
Thanks, Svein-Frode, for your encouragement and for the link.
Great post Liz.
I feel the same way that you do. I'm learning a lot from all of these conversations and am genuinely excited about all the ideas and debates that are percolating. It's good stuff.
Yeah, I love being part of the conversation. Thanks for the comment, Jen.
Nice work. It reminds me of the work in Sally Eauclaire's book "The new color photography".
I read with interest your comments about photographic education. What you had to say mirrors what I though about 20 years ago. Then I went to Art College for 4 years to study photography and I've since changed my mind.
I now divide photography into two groups. Personal and commercial.
For me personal photography is about expressing one's own worldview and commercial photography is about helping to express someone else's (the client or the art director) communication. It's similar to the difference between scratching one's own itch and scratching somebody else to satisfy theirs.
Many photographers who reject studio style photography seem to rely on serendipitously coming across an image that "Their eye" recognizes as worthy of being photographed. It's a little bit like hunting an elusive quarry.
Commercial photographers using studios "construct" their images in a very deliberate way. It's a very a contrived process that is not unlike building a house.
The great debt I owe my Art College, is that it gave me such a firm technical foundation that I feel that I can move freely between both types of photography. Another great thing about art College is criticism. At first I found it very hard to take, but after a while, I realized how necessary it was and now I can't live without it. I think it's very important to be told what is wrong with your photographs rather than receiving unconditional acclaim all time from one's friends.
The tacit I'm okay, you're okay, interpersonal transaction that quite often goes on between friends can stunt, creative growth.
I used to work as a photographic assistant in a large studio specializing in advertising photography, particularly large hotel chains and resorts. After a couple of years in the industry I realized it wasn't for me and I've since gone back to taking photographs for my own personal use but without taking it all so seriously. The photos, I now take tend to be snaps. I now work as a designer, and every now and again I have to take photographs for commercial reasons and because of my training, it is a simple matter for me.
I guess the point on trying to make is that if one wants to work in commercial photography, understanding how to work in a studio is essential, if you don't want to limit the sort of work that you take on.
If you can make a living, taking photographs, just to suit yourself without having to an outlay a lot of money on studio equipment. Then more power to you.
Learn from the painters. Painters too divide the world between the marketplace (what will sell) and the art of personal. Once the dream of $$ takes over, the art suffers. I still think van Gogh painted for himself. Or, better still, to force people to see differently. Yes, he was disappointed his brother couldn't sell his work, but what was more important was that his work did change the way people saw things.
Every art form is technical. But it is amazing what can be done with minimal means. And the minimal becomes an art by itself. It's the artists vision and not the technology.
==Richard Friedman
Thanks for the comments, Razzbuffnik. Interesting stuff.
Same goes for you, Richard.
What I hope to do is let my interests dictate the paths I take with my photography. If at some point I want to do something photographically that requires technical expertise I don't yet have, well then I'll learn. I'll do work that interests me, tell the stories I feel compelled to tell, and if that leads to opportunities to do editorial or commercial work, I'll give that a try and see what I can learn from those experiences.
I want to keep doors open, without feeling compelled to walk through all of them right now.
I'm totally with you Liz....everyday I learn something new, its school that never lets out! And no hefty tuition payment either ;)
Thanks, Chantal. By the way, I checked out your work, and I really love the color stuff. This one in particular grabbed me. It raised all kinds of questions for me, and I couldn't take my eyes off the dark place in the water near the bottom of the image. It looks so much like a body, and the title of the image made me wonder. . . . Thanks again for the comment. And great work!
Gosh, I didn't even realize I was in that list until someone told me. I'm glad you have been enjoying the blog, and I'm particularly glad you have been able to get something out of it.
I think getting access to all these different minds is what the internet really brings to the world of photography (apart from discussions about Photoshop, of course - I couldn't go one day without a discussion about how evil it is!), with a low threshold (so people like me, with no photo education, can contribute, too).
BTW, I can totally relate to Billie's comment. I don't live in Mexico, but in Pittsburgh (but only until mid-August - I can't wait to get out of this place), which is photo-wise probably not all that different from Mexico. If it hadn't been for the internet, I wouldn't have been exposed to so much photography.
I live near Los Angeles, which has a lot to offer photographically, but still the Internet has shown me things about photography that it would've taken me years to find on my own. Thanks for the comment, Jörg. (And aren't you on everybody's list?)
Liz,
A. This is a great post.
B. I am very proud to have been included in this illustrious list.
With Love,
ZS
Zoe,
A. Your photos are unbelievable.
B. Your comment made my day.
Love right back atcha,
Liz
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