In Ansai's time, there was no computer software like Photoshop, so how did he create those unparalleled works? Many people who tried to challenge the master soon found themselves failed. Some of them may be as close as photographer Jack Dickinga, but everyone's works are different.
Why do photographers take the most special photographic equipment to the exact location where Ansai Adams or Jack Dickinson stood when taking photos on the Internet? Through the viewing window, they carefully compared the composition with the photographic works of Ansai Adams or Jack in their hands, trying to make painstaking efforts by Taskmaster. However, the end result is that they may be able to take photos that are very close to the appearance of the master's works.
It is by no means an unfounded joke. You can refer to the following links. According to astronomers' prediction, the "autumn moon" picture taken by Ansai Adams in the beautiful national park in 1948 will be repeated every 19 years. So on September 15, 2005, nearly 300 amateur photographers set out from all over the world and gathered at the location predicted by astronomers. However, in the end, they didn't photograph the same clouds, snow scenes covered with mountains or shadows on the moon in Ansai's works. However, some photographers who participated in the event said, "In addition, I think we shot a lot like Ansai." I'm sure Ansai Adams would be tongue-tied if he were present! ?
Of course, they can't shoot the images they think they can, because admirable photographers come from being able to create inspiring inspiration, rather than being good at copying other people's works.
Why is it that even though we all know that we can use Photoshop and other software to process any image that we think is bad into excellent works, it often takes several hours to produce it, only to find that these post-processed images may be worse than before?
Perhaps an image is entirely created by the artist's vision, patience and perseverance plus technology, not his equipment. The camera captures your imagination. Without imagination, there would be no photos. It's rubbish.
The English word "image" comes from another English word "imagination", which means imagination, not from "lens sharpness" or "noise level". David lachapelle's works are all about his own imagination, not his camera. Setting his crazy photography scene is the most difficult part. Once the scene is set, any camera can be used as his photography tool. However, if I give David the camera and give me the same model, I can't shoot his works.
The reason why I put the photo of me with a cannon lens on my personal homepage is because I don't have to write "This is a photographer's webpage" or "This is a photography website" on the name of the webpage. Cannon lens can express the theme of this website more clearly and quickly than words. This is the so-called visual language, which allows us to see the focus of things at a glance. Actually, I haven't touched that lens for years.
Any camera, good or bad, can be used to make excellent magazine covers, win photography competitions or hang them in art galleries for people to visit. Whether the camera or the lens is good or bad, it has nothing to do with the connotation and depth of the photographic works. Joe Homer's limited-edition series of photos of the National Museum of American History 13 x 19 were sold at the Kimbeck Gate Art Museum in Manhattan for $650 each. These photos were taken with D70.
There are many exhibitions selling expensive photos taken by Horgos camera, but the seller won't tell me what kind of camera these works were taken with, because here, a brand-new Horgos camera only costs 14.95 US dollars (500 yuan RMB is less than NT$), and you can enjoy many award-winning photos taken by Horgos camera and the "Eye of Historical Photography of the White House Press Photographers Association 2006" held at Cocoa Gallery in Washington, DC.
Walker Evans, a master photographer, once said, "People always ask me what kind of camera I take pictures with, but it's not the camera that takes pictures, but …" Then he tapped with his index finger and pointed to his head.
In 1837, a masterpiece appeared in a church in New Mexico. The legendary wooden staircase (Miraculios staircase) was built by Yue Se, the father of Jesus. Does anyone care what tools he used to build it? Using the search engine on the internet, you will find that we can get a lot of academic discussions about this wooden staircase, but we can't find any relevant data about the tools he uses.
Your equipment will not affect the quality of your work. If you spend less time and attention on the equipment you use, you will have more time to think about how to create more admirable images. Appropriate equipment will only help you get the image you want more simply, quickly and conveniently.
As Ansai Adams said in a letter to Edward Weston in 1937, "Any good modern lens is calibrated and can have the best resolution at the maximum aperture. Narrowing the aperture will only increase the depth of field. 』
Seventy years ago, although Ansai Adams didn't waste time worrying about how sharp his lens was, he was still able to create many video works famous for his incredible clarity.
After 70 years of evolution and improvement, we should focus on making extremely beautiful photos instead of taking so-called test charts. Of course, the optimal aperture value of the lenses used in these large cameras was only maintained at the level of f5.6 in the 1930 s or today, while the optimal aperture values of general cameras and digital lenses are about two grids lower than this value.
Buying new photographic equipment will not improve your photography. For decades, I have been thinking, "If I have that new lens, then I can shoot satisfactory works!" " ! However ... this desire never seems to stop. Now I have more than 30 years of photography experience, but there will always be newer and better lenses to attract me. Get through it! Look at this article "The Station", and you will get more enlightenment.
1985, Ernst Haas said in his studio: "The only thing a camera should do is to leave photography. 』
There were two ladies from Nova Scotia, Canada. They work in a photo studio and are big fans of Leica. They scrimped and saved and bought a Leica camera. Because Ian Sturhas is a photographer who uses a Leica camera (although his Marlboro cigarette advertisement in the11980 s was shot with a Nikon camera), they made a lot of efforts to get the opportunity to enter Ernst's photography studio.
At first, Ernst didn't notice this. It was not until the fourth day that they came to the studio that he realized that both women had focused on the Leica camera. In a conversation, the two of them kept asking questions about Leica cameras. When one of them mentioned the advantages of Leica in photography again, Ernst finally couldn't help saying, "Leica cameras are no different from other cameras. They can leave what you see, but they also need you."
Since then, no one in Ernst's studio has asked about Leica, Nikon, Canon or any other brand of photographic equipment. Ernst also said, "What is the best wide-angle lens? Just take two steps back and you can see the vast sky! 』
You can see some of the best photographs in the world here, and the moderator of the website also mentioned the same idea as me here. Here are some articles about why having more lenses will only make you take worse photos. Here are some black and white photos I took with a box camera that has been used for 50 years and is worth 3 yuan. It is more popular than instant cameras on the market now. In addition, the excellent photos seen on this website were taken with an Olympus 8080 camera.
The French photographer Andreas Farninger (1905- 1999) once said, "There are many idiot photographers who say," Ah! If I have a Nikon or Leica camera, I can take great photos! And that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life. In addition to observing, thinking and interested in things, we should also remove those factors that will damage a photographic work, such as the wrong light, the wrong background or the wrong shooting time, or stop shooting! The most beautiful subject is in front of you! 』
As we all know, the car itself can't start, the typewriter can't write by itself, and the oil painting pen of the Dutch painter Lyngbrant can't draw by itself. So why do so many smart people think that there are photographic equipment that can automatically capture images for them? Even the most advanced imported car can't keep driving in the same lane on the expressway without manpower, let alone it can send you home automatically! No matter how advanced the photographic equipment is, you still need to take it to the right place at the right time and then face it in the right direction to get the image you want to shoot correctly.
Every camera needs you to help him set shooting conditions, no matter how advanced it is. Never blame your camera for not knowing how to shoot. In fact, it is taking the wrong exposure or taking a blurred image that does not meet the requirements.
A good driver, even driving a broken car like Geo Metro, can avoid many police cars in broad daylight. That's the driver's ability, not the car. Please read this report.
Next, I want to tell you how I got these insights:
When I start to learn some skills, such as music, photography, surfing or anything else, there is always a mountain to overcome in this field of skills. When you started learning any skills in the first 20 years, you probably only knew that you had a good tool, whether it was a camera or a surfboard. What is certain is that the tools you use may be at the same level as the professionals who have a place in this field. You will spend a lot of time caring about your equipment and try your best to buy better equipment. Twenty years later, you finally crossed that mountain and became a leader in this field, or you may have become famous all over the world. Then one day, when an underachiever comes to you for advice on how to become a figure in this field like you, you suddenly realize and understand that all this has nothing to do with the equipment you use.
You finally realize that the so-called right equipment you use only makes it easier for you to get what you want, but in fact, even if you didn't have these things at the beginning, you can still achieve today's achievements with a little more thought. You realize that the most important thing for the equipment you use is not to hinder you from developing your skills, and if you spend the time wasted on studying these equipment in the past 20 years on how to focus on the technology itself, you may achieve the same achievements in a shorter time.
In June 5438+February 2003, I met phil collins in an audition. As soon as people heard his music, they knew that phil collins was coming. A group of people took advantage of Phil's temporary absence to play his instrument. Guess what? They don't play like Phil at all, but they sound like cans. Phil collins is phil collins. Do you think his musical instrument made him a famous phil collins?
There is a racing coach from Michigan, and the daughter of one of his students also wants to learn racing. One day, she used a rented car (Chevrolet Cavalier) to test drive on the track. Unexpectedly, she left a few middle-aged baldies in the 9 1 1 or Chevrolet sports car. That's not true. It's simple. When driving, she pays great attention to all kinds of signs on the track and stays on the track smoothly and steadily, instead of trying to maximize the horsepower of the car or playing some tricks to prove how good her driving skills are. Those old cups were so unacceptable that they lost to a girl of 16 years old on the track.
Of course, if you are a professional driver, you can definitely give full play to the greatest functions and advantages of a car. But if you are just an ordinary person, whether it is a car, a camera or jogging shoes, you are just a tool to play with yourself, and you are the key to success.
If you ask the top experts who use the equipment provided by sponsors, they will share their experience with you.
Then why do artists who admire you still use those expensive equipment, if the equipment doesn't make their performances different? The answer is simple:
1. Good tools make it easier for them to get the desired effect, while ordinary equipment may make him spend more time.
The durability of these devices is more durable for people who use them every day.
3. These devices may have some functions that photographers are used to, which make it easier for them to take pictures, but they do not represent better photo content.
4. hey! I have money to buy the most advanced equipment. Why not? But it doesn't mean that it can help me generate any ideas in my works.
As I said, the cannon shot is on my homepage to let everyone know that it is a photography website at first sight, and it can also save my picture space, so that I can write a big "Kenroka" casually.
In the last example, I bought a second-hand camera and couldn't focus correctly. It has been sent back to my shop for several repairs. After every maintenance, the camera will come back to me, just like when I just bought it back. As a photographer, I know how to solve this problem, although it is very troublesome, but in any case, I just need to manually correct the focus settings. And this work shot with this camera won me many awards and hung in an art museum in Los Angeles. They collected an original work by Ansai Adams and exhibited it. Of course, after the exhibition, my work was replaced by the original by Ansai Adams. However, please remember that I took this work with a second-hand camera that can't be repaired.
The most important thing about this work is that when all my friends decided to eat, I chose to stay at the shooting location. When I expected amazing weather, I took four minutes with this camera. However, if I use my other three dollars to buy a cassette camera to take these black and white photos, I will actually get the same image.
Just like I often receive letters of protest from some male readers (no women have done this), most of which are against my personal choice of equipment. They are very dissatisfied with the equipment I used and imported, just because I may have used different equipment from them. The question is who cares? These people are really poor. They probably haven't crossed the mountains in the field of photography, and naively think that some brands of equipment still represent some advantages or significance. They think that tools are an extension of their spirit, so if I have doubts about the equipment they believe in, they will also give their lives to protect the equipment they believe in. Some Leica fans here are very dissatisfied with my website. But what I want to say is that all equipment has different values, which depends entirely on what you want and how you use it. However, the equipment that suits you may not suit me, and vice versa.
Any camera, good or bad, can be used to create excellent magazine cover photos, prize-winning works in photography competitions or works hanging in art galleries for people to enjoy. The quality of cameras and lenses has little to do with the quality of photographic works.
If you can stretch your equipment to the limit, you may already have all the equipment you need. Better equipment won't help you take better photos, because it's not equipment that makes you a better photographer.
A photographer is a photographer, not his camera. Sadly, only a few people realize this. Most people spend a lot of time reviewing how their equipment made them take bad photos. Buying the latest camera can only guarantee that you won't shoot worse. A more meaningful education can make you take better photos, not more cameras.
Don't criticize the equipment you use just because there is nothing in your work. If you don't believe me, you can go to some museums with photographic works or related history books to see the exquisite craftsmanship that people have acquired 50 years ago or even 100 years ago. Compared with modern equipment, it focuses on convenience rather than improving image quality. Please go to my Death Valley Gallery to see if my black and white photos are sharp. These photos were taken with a 3-dollar cassette camera with no adjustable exposure settings and an old fixed-focus lens that has been used for 50 years. This camera is more popular than any instant camera on the market.
I used to buy a second-hand camera for $65,438+00, and I shot amazing works technically and artistically. I also took a lot of photos that were not as good as garbage with my lens worth 10 thousand dollars and Nikon fuselage.
192 1 year, edward steichen, a master photographer, photographed isadora duncan in the Acropolis with a Kodak camera borrowed from the head waiter of his hotel. He didn't use his own camera, because they originally planned to provide only equipment for filming. However, it turns out that although he used a borrowed camera, the photos are still excellent. This photo was exhibited in Whitney from 2000 to 200 1 year.
You need time to learn observation and composition. The more time you waste worrying about your device, the less time you can spend thinking about how to create great images. You should worry about your work, not your equipment.
As we all know, a better typewriter may make your typing easier and more enjoyable, but a person's writing ability has nothing to do with what brand of typewriter he uses and whether he can repair it. In this case, why do many people think that how a person uses what kind of camera, or whether he is proficient in shutter speed, lens design or even camera design technology, is related to whether he can create interesting works?
Just as a person who wants to write must know how to operate a typewriter, a person who wants to photograph must know how to operate a camera, but this is only a very small step in the creative process. Do you know what brand of computer and software I used to finish the article you are reading now? Of course you won't know (unless you have read my "About" webpage), because the answer to this question is meaningful to me, but it doesn't mean anything to readers, just like when enjoying your photography, no one will care or pay attention to which camera you use, because it is really unnecessary.
Knowing how to do something and having the ability to finish it are two different things, but doing something commendable is another matter.
For example, we all know how easy it is to make a piano sound. As long as you press the keys with your fingers and control the middle pedal with your feet, most people can easily make a piano sound, but playing touching notes on the piano is another matter.
Don't think that the more expensive the equipment, the better. Having too many photographic equipment is often a good way to take the worst photos. The more expensive the camera and lens are, the real meaning they represent is often not proportional to their prices.