Funny how things change... (self contradictions)

[DanOstergren]

I was looking at some of my older work today, and it got me thinking about certain opinions, beliefs and peeves that I used to hold onto very tightly.

A couple of years ago if someone were to utter the words "needs fill light" or "strobes would have made this better" to me, it would make my head spin and I was quick to react in complete defense. I was very adamant about using only natural light, and believed it to be better than any other type of lighting. Now almost every time I shoot, I use a reflector for fill light, and if given the opportunity, I will jump into a studio with tons of excitement and no hesitation. It took me years to figure out that light is simply light and what matters is how you use it, regardless of the multiple times it was said to me before I accepted it. I still prefer natural light, but only because I'm cheap and it's free to use, not because it's supposedly the best light.

I would never shoot above ISO 100 and would do everything I could to avoid even the tiniest grain in a photo. Because I primarily shoot in available lighting, there were times that I would even end a shoot simply because I was losing light at the end of the day and I would have to go to a higher ISO in order to continue. Now I rarely shoot below ISO 800, even on my old 5DC, and graininess is a common aspect of my photos.

I used to edit my photos in such a way that made it obvious that my photos were put through a photoshop treatment. Now, I usually do everything I can to make my photos look like they've never been edited, even though I retouch 99% of my work.

In my head the tiniest negative comment towards my work was a huge blow to me personally, and I would often react accordingly. I'm still temperamental, but I've learned when to ignore and let things that bother me go, when to accept critique, and how to defend my decisions without being as obnoxious. I will always defend certain aspects of my work, I'm stubborn that way, and admittedly I have a tendency to overreact and then backtrack, but the level of overreaction seems to be waning. I never claimed to be perfect.


So, what are some of the things you used to in your photography that you believed very adamantly, that you now contradict?

 

[cherylynne1]

So, what are some of the things you used to in your photography that you believed very adamantly, that you now contradict?

A few years ago, if someone told me I sucked, I would say, "No way! I'm really good!"

Now if someone tells me I'm really good, I say, "No way! I totally suck!"

 

[DanOstergren]

So, what are some of the things you used to in your photography that you believed very adamantly, that you now contradict?

A few years ago, if someone told me I sucked, I would say, "No way! I'm really good!"

Now if someone tells me I'm really good, I say, "No way! I totally suck!"

Haha, I know exactly what you mean.

 

[bumkicho]

So, what are some of the things you used to in your photography that you believed very adamantly, that you now contradict?

I used to look at a picture with many likes or faves, and try to see reasons why many people like it. Now I look at images and try to understand why I like or dislike them.

 

[pgriz]

So much of what we do is tied up with what we think we ought to be doing, or imagine ourselves to be. We self-identify in certain ways because that's the way we want to be seen by others. When someone utters a comment that is contrary to the image we are trying to maintain, well... them's fighting words. One of the pleasures of getting older, is getting some perspective on what matters, and what doesn't.

I've seen your work when you first showed up on TPF, and there was some talent on display, although coloured with edginess and some bravado. Over time your art got more nuanced, less brash, more insightful. If I can make an analogy to the evolution of my wife's art work - she used to want to tell the world what to see, and now she creates the place where we are encouraged to see for our selves. She's always been very good at what she does, but now she has enough confidence in her work to let the viewer discover it as opposed to wanting them to see it immediately.

When I look at your portfolio, I love the way you use the light and shadow to let us imagine we can recognize the person who you are photographing. We don't know who they are as people, and yet there is an intimacy there - sometimes even uncomfortably so. There is a level of ambiguity that plays with our perception of what we're seeing, of who we're seeing. It takes a certain self-confidence to leave that ambiguity in there. It is also a point of self-awareness - let the audience come to their own conclusions.

My own battle as a photographer is to try and remove my self from the images I'm making, to remove my ego, my viewpoint, my desire to say "I was here!", and allow my viewers space to see through their own eyes what I have witnessed through mine. I can't say I'm very successful at it, yet. I think you're further down that road, and I hope you let us know what the view is like.

 

[mmaria]

I want to have a proper answer but I simply can't recall anything where I contradicted myself. There must be some things and if I remember them I'll edit my post.

Following what you wrote... I use, all available to me, light sources (mostly natural light), I have no desire to try flash, I haven't tried strobes, continuous lights, I haven't shot anything in a proper studio... but not because I don't wan't to or I have a certain opinion on other light sources but because I haven't had a chance to try mentioned.

I never get angry or defensive when someone criticize my work because I'm not emotionally attached to things I create. I'm not sure how to explain this but I consider them as something that really doesn't belong to me.

PS. How do you battle the noise?

 

[Overread]

It's taken a few years but we've trained you up well Dan


Direct contradictions are hard to think of for myself; the closest is learning to use higher ISO values - although for me this wasn't so much a contradiction as battling two theories against each other -- keeping the noise low and keeping action sharp --- and learning where the limit points were and that really the action most times trumps the noise.

I guess contradictions depends a little on how strict one is when shooting; some people are very strict with what they use. X settings for Y situation or nothing. Or what variation they allow is minor or constrained heavily. Hence why I often try, whenever telling people "what settings to use" to remind them to experiment. To use suggested settings as a starting point and to build from there.

 

[runnah]

If you are the same person you were a year ago, you have failed.

 

[pgriz]

PS. How do you battle the noise?

Don't know about Dan, but a finger in each ear usually works for me, accompanied by "La, la, la, I can't hear..." But that only works for some people. And only some of the time.

If you're thinking photographic noise... I'm beginning to embrace it. Crank up the sharpness, let it be the texture. A bit like painting on canvas. For some images, the texture really works, while for others it doesn't. It's another one of those "it depends" things.

 

[john.margetts]

PS. How do you battle the noise?

I hated noise with a vengeance until I recently bought a (relatively) cheap Panasonic that only does noise. I bought the camera for photographic note taking, not finished pictures, but this camera has got me embracing noise.

 

[ronlane]

@DanOstergren, I can relate to everything that you've said in your post. It is a really good learning experience for me to go back and look and think about and read notes from when I first started in 2012.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[SquarePeg]

For me, I originally got involved with photography with the intention to focus on landscapes and was not the least bit interested in portraits or abstracts or "fine art" photography. Now, 5 years later, shooting landscapes mostly bores me. I'm much more interested in the abstract or fine art possibilities when I'm framing a shot. And very surprisingly to me, I find myself more and more thinking about portraits.

I also originally fell into the ISO 100 or bust trap but had to learn to adapt to using a higher ISO because I am still afraid of my flash, lol. That is something I'm determined to master this year.

 

[pgriz]

I am still afraid of my flash,

Embrace it. It shall set you free. And use it in manual mode, off-camera - that will teach you the inverse-square relationship and a bunch of really important concepts. My guide to this was Mastering Canon EOS Flash Photography, by NK Guy, rockynook books. In your case, you're using Nikon equipment and I found a number of books (google: mastering nikon flash photography) that seem to cover the same area. The beautiful thing is that once you're comfortable with using your flash in manual mode, it opens up so many additional opportunities when otherwise you would have just passed up the moment.

 

[table1349]

The Ultimate Self Contradiction:

"Old age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places."

Red Skelton

 

[rexbobcat]

Well, I guess the most flagrant contradiction was thinking I'd make this a career in some way. lol.