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Author Topic: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes  (Read 4995 times)

amolitor

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Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« on: January 20, 2016, 12:55:24 pm »

This was a really nice segment, getting away from the infernal gear talk (yes, yes, I know, many people enjoy that, more power to 'em!)

I liked that Kevin got to that important point: what's the purpose, what's the endpoint, for a picture? This is, to a degree, a new issue with digital which we're just starting to wrestle with. While some people, some of them famously, left lots of film undeveloped, unprinted, the endpoint was largely clear in the film era:

- Shoot
- Develop
- Contact sheet (?)
- Print

with culling at every step. What to do with the print was still something of an issue, but at the very least you could throw it in a box and you'd be *done*.

These days you can leave a file on your computer, and go fart around with it again, any old time, and you can choose to never be *done*. Indeed, the path of least resistance, the easiest default path, is to never be done with a picture, never be done with a project, never be done with anything, but to endlessly accrete files and backups of files and bigger files and half-done photoshop jobs.

(before you charge off and start pointing out that essentially the same thing was possible with negatives, or glass plates, or whatever, let me reply with: So stipulated, but for reasons both obvious and less so, it was far less of an issue. In the old days an archive of 100,000 unexamined pictures was a monumentally strange thing, now it's basically SOP).

I happen to think that having a rough idea of the endpoint before you start is a good idea. It focuses the project, it limits you in (generally) useful ways.

I do take exception to one point: that a body of work should consist only of the best pieces. This is gallery thinking, and in these modern times it is often wrong.

A book, for instance, should generally not consist exclusively of "5 star" pictures, unless the aim is simply to sell the photographer. If the book is to have some other structure, then the pictures should be selected to support that structure, with natural ebb and flow. The same can be done for gallery shows, although it often is not (gallery shows are, generally, trying to sell the photographer, hence the "Greatest Hits" approach).

Anyways. Blindly jumping in to a presentation with a "I must show only the best images" approach is worth reconsidering. It may or may not be the right answer in context.
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adias

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2016, 01:55:51 pm »

William Neil is a methodical, thoughtful shooter. Great work!
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2016, 02:13:45 pm »

This was a really nice segment...

Just when I got used to your angry rants... are you back on your medical marijuana?  ;)
« Last Edit: January 20, 2016, 02:22:49 pm by Slobodan Blagojevic »
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Zorki5

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2016, 02:19:49 pm »

I liked that Kevin got to that important point: what's the purpose, what's the endpoint, for a picture?

...

I happen to think that having a rough idea of the endpoint before you start is a good idea.

As usual, people hear/notice what resonates with them.

What I heard was that story of a flower shot in the grocery store taken just because William could not pass without pressing the shutter (or rather tapping the button on the handset screen), because it was beautiful, because he just couldn't resist it -- not having a slightest idea of what that shot was for, or how/if he'd ever use it.
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amolitor

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2016, 02:29:40 pm »

In the great state of Washington we have legal recreational marijuana as well!
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Christopher Sanderson

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2016, 04:16:29 pm »

Just when I got used to your angry rants... are you back on your medical marijuana?  ;)
Perhaps...no, probably this comment would be best as a Personal Message - albeit entertaining for some of us!

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2016, 04:23:31 pm »

Perhaps...no, probably this comment would be best as a Personal Message - albeit entertaining for some of us!

I made the comment in a friendly teasing spirit. I still consider Andrew as a smart guy and a forum friend, a few differences of opinion as of lately notwithstanding. Hope the feeling is mutual.

Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2016, 04:38:05 pm »

Then again, Chris, to stay within the subject (Shooting with the Masters), I only follow in the master's steps:

... you're going to have to restart taking your meds as soon as possible.

... With all due respect, have you stopped taking your meds recently?...

... Clearly someone gone off their meds...

...are you just off your meds at the moment?...

 ;)

Christopher Sanderson

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2016, 05:47:23 pm »

I rest my case

mburke

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2016, 01:49:38 pm »

On the shoots you were on in Yosemite did you shoot primarily ap/priority or did you set aperature and shutter speed manually? Auto focus or manual? Enjoyable video. Will watch again to hear William's and your ideas on composition. Well done.

Mike
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E.J. Peiker

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2016, 01:51:40 pm »

I really enjoyed the whole series.  Well done Kevin!
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DaveCurtis

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2016, 02:31:21 pm »

Great work Kevin and Chris.  I really enjoy this style of work. It is a real point of difference from other photo websites.

I learnt a great deal. It is amazing how William can "see" so much potential in a shooting scene while most others would move on to the next location.
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Borealis

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #12 on: January 22, 2016, 08:41:53 pm »

What I also liked about this series was the fact that the 'light' was not exactly ideal for some typical landscape shooting and so the Master resorted to other creative shooting ideas. This is actually what happens to all of us more or less at one time or another.  I will dig out my 70-200 more often or try a bit harder to 'see' the land with that angle of view.
Thank you!
William
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Christopher Sanderson

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #13 on: January 23, 2016, 09:44:15 am »

On the shoots you were on in Yosemite did you shoot primarily ap/priority or did you set aperature and shutter speed manually? ...
Is the question directed at Kevin or my video shooting?

Chris

Rand47

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #14 on: January 23, 2016, 11:26:46 am »

I really enjoyed the whole series.  Well done Kevin!

+1  Enjoyed.  The only thing that would have been better would have been having them sitting around a table in the last segment looking at "the keeper prints" from their time together.  I always enjoy that part in some of the tutorials on this site, and it is always a highlight of any workshop.

Well done all . . .
Rand
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mburke

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #15 on: January 23, 2016, 11:32:20 am »

Is the question directed at Kevin or my video shooting?

Chris

This was directed at Kevin. Loved the discussion on composition and how to look at a landscape in different ways. I was just wondering what the thought process was on how to set up the camera. Auto/Ap. priority, manual focus, shutter speed. etc. Thanks.

Mike
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Christopher Sanderson

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #16 on: January 23, 2016, 12:05:58 pm »

+1  Enjoyed.  The only thing that would have been better would have been having them sitting around a table in the last segment looking at "the keeper prints" from their time together...
I agree completely - that absence is due simply to cost & logistics

Kevin Raber

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #17 on: January 23, 2016, 12:25:33 pm »

Regarding how we shot.  Through out the course of the shoot I used many different settings as far as method of shooting.  Aperture priority worked fine for many images especially in good light.  But manual was the setting for the blurred images etc.  Also there was a time to use S for shutter priority when I wanted a particular shutter speed to shoot a waterfall.  As with all photography it is a variance of Shutter, f/stop and ISO to get you where you want to be.  Same with Focus.  AF is great but many times you need to how to override that for purposes of depth of field or selective focus.  It's all fun and after a while this stuff just becomes second nature.

Kevin
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Kevin Raber
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Ranger Rick

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #18 on: January 23, 2016, 03:03:06 pm »

What I also liked about this series was the fact that the 'light' was not exactly ideal for some typical landscape shooting and so the Master resorted to other creative shooting ideas. This is actually what happens to all of us more or less at one time or another.  I will dig out my 70-200 more often or try a bit harder to 'see' the land with that angle of view.
Thank you!
William

+1 on the "light' aspect
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mburke

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Re: Shooting with the Masters: Projects/Themes
« Reply #19 on: January 24, 2016, 07:16:37 am »

Thanks Kevin. Enjoyed the series very much. William seems like a really great guy. Nice of you both to share.

Mike
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