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Photographers You Should Know About – Yousuf Karsh

Posted by scottbourne on May 13, 2012
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: , , , .


This is the fifth in my series of “Photographers You Should Know About.” The first four appear below in no particular order – Bresson, Edward Weston, Lange and Strand.

http://photofocus.com/2012/04/01/photographers-that-you-should-know-henri-cartier-bresson/

http://photofocus.com/2012/03/12/photographers-you-should-know-about-edward-weston/

http://photofocus.com/2012/02/13/photographers-that-you-should-know-about-dorothea-lange/

http://photofocus.com/2012/02/26/photographers-that-you-should-know-about-paul-strand/

Yousuf Karsh lived from 1908 until 2002. He was the Ansel Adams of portrait photography. It’s pretty easy to spot a Karsh. Like images from Adams, they just stand out.

Karsh worked extensively in Canada running a portrait studio. But it was his 1941 portrait of Winston Churchill that made him famous. While I’ve always been somewhat put off by the fact that some photographers become famous because they photograph famous people, that’s not the case with Mr. Karsh. His work is epic. He managed to bring the real personality of his subjects out across the film plane.

He knew how to use studio lights long before there was any sort of lighting manual or Creative Live or Strobist.

He saw himself as a person’s who job it was to unwrap the real person sitting in front of him. Many consider him the most famous portrait photographer of all time. Perhaps looking at Karsh’s own words gives insight into why…

“The revelation, if it comes at all, will come in a small fraction of a second with an unconscious gesture, a gleam of the eye, a brief lifting of the mask that all humans wear to conceal their innermost selves from the world. In that fleeting interval of opportunity the photographer must act or lose his prize. – Yousuf Karsh”

“It should be the aim of every photographer to make a single exposure that shows everything about the subject. I have been told that my portrait of Churchill is an example of this. – Yousuf Karsh”

“I try to photograph people’s spirits and thoughts. As to the soul-taking by the photographer, I don’t feel I take away, but rather that the sitter and I give to each other. It becomes an act of mutual participation. – Yousuf Karsh”

Karsh went on to photograph hundreds of prominent figures. His use of black & white portraits lit by studio strobes formulated the basis of acceptable professional portrature for decades. If you want to be a great portrait artist, learn all you can about Mr. Karsh and study his work. It will change you.

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10 Smart Questions to Ask Yourself before Shooting at The Beach

Posted by scottbourne on May 8, 2012
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: , , , .


November, 2011, Hokitika, New Zealand
1/50th sec, f/22, ISO 100
(Post and photo by Tamara Lackey - follow Tamara on Twitter)

I have been fortunate enough to shoot a great number of portraits in a variety of beach locations, in a variety of countries, over the last decade – and, along the way, I have learned a few good things to question in advance.

After, of course, determining the very basic “right time of day to shoot” (1. early morning light! 2. just around sunset!), here are 10 smart questions to ask yourself before selecting the ideal beach location:

How crowded is it?
How wide is the actual beach area, and how much remains after the tide comes in?
Where is the sun rising and setting?
How buggy is it?
What kind of wind shelter is there?
If shade might be needed, how much is offered?
How clean is it? How much debris is washed up on shore and is it safe (jellyfish, etc.)?
What kind of natural seating elements are available?
How rough is the water and what effect might it have?
How long does it take to get to the actual shooting location, and how dark might it be when you return?

There are only another 50 questions you could use to evaluate which beach to shoot at, and I’d be interested to know the questions you ask for the type of beach shooting you prefer – but this should at least get you started when it comes to thinking about selecting a location.

From my perspective, given all those data points, the one question I consider the most, above all others, is how crowded is it? I can deal with any other problem, although lack of any sort of wind shelter is a close second – but not having enough space to move about and shoot in all sorts of directions and really feel the freedom that the beach offers to such sessions is a big miss when it comes to why beach sessions can be so compelling in the first place.

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Five Steps Toward Becoming A Master Photographer

Posted by scottbourne on May 1, 2012
Posted in: Tips. Tagged: , , , .

Photo by Scott Bourne - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

Sorry – none of these tips involve buying a magic camera. But if you try them, based on my own experience, they will help you become much better at producing images that matter.

1. Stop comparing your gear against anyone else’s gear. It doesn’t matter that Ernie in your local camera club has a better lens. All that matters is what he does with his lens and you do with your lens. Almost any lens you can buy today is better than those made 50 years ago. Some very iconic photographs were made with gear you’d scoff at today. Stop obsessing over gear.

2. Try to understand what it means to have vision. I’m not talking about the gift of sight. I’m talking about the ability to slow life/time down and to FIND things to photograph that others would pass on. Start with the icons. Photograph in places like Yosemite and Yellowstone. You’ll easily find the places where great images are made. Once you find out what those places look like, practice using the same VISION you used to make those images in smaller venues where the great stuff is less obvious.

3. Go on a photo walk – but don’t take your camera. Ansel Adams did this weekly. He’d go out scouting with nothing more than a #90 yellow Wratten filter, a notebook, a pen and a cardboard cutout that approximated his various lenses. He’d walk about taking notes, looking for subjects and how the light struck them at various times of day and various times of year. He’d explore. He didn’t take the camera because it got in the way of his ability to “see” what he later wanted to photograph.

4. Care about, know about, think about, dream about, learn about, talk about and downright fall in love with your subjects. If you shoot landscapes, know all that there is to know about the landscape. If you shoot wildlife, learn all that you can about your subjects. If you make people portraits, try to see the people who sit in front of your camera as real human beings with the same goals, hopes and aspirations for a successful, happy life as you. If you can do this, your photos will stand out from the crowd.

5. Stop thinking about about the reward and spend all your time thinking about the journey. You’ve probably heard this expressed in other ways. Here’s an example: When you were a little kid, one of the best things about going on vacation with your family was the expectation – the counting down the days. The actual event is usually a little less glorious than you think it will be. It’s the journey that matters. In photography, taking stock of all the little things you learn and experience along the way does eventually, after ten thousand mistakes and many years, turn you into a master photographer.

If you haven’t yet started thinking in these terms – try starting today. I am rooting for you.

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Photographic Composition Tip – Look For Something That Stands Out

Posted by scottbourne on April 22, 2012
Posted in: Tips. Tagged: , , .

Photo by Scott Bourne - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

If you want to help your photos get noticed – arrange your composition so that the viewer needs to work just a little bit to find the treasure. Here, there is one bright stand of orange poppies sticking out amongst an entire field of purple flowers. The eye is naturally drawn to the thing that doesn’t appear to belong. And that’s exactly what I am going for. You’ll also note the placement in the lower right corner of the frame – homage to the rule of thirds. Lastly – I shot with a long lens to compress the distance between the single stand of poppies and the lavender. When you combine composition tactics like this it helps the photo stand apart from the ordinary tourist shot of a field of lavender.

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NAB 2012 – From A Photographer’s Point Of View

Posted by scottbourne on April 20, 2012
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , .

NAB is history. The show was well-attended and even though most of you are still photographers, there was plenty to look at for the average stills person. That said, video on DSLRs is here to stay and just as there were photographers who predicted film would beat digital, there are those with their heads still in the sand about this. But it’s an undeniable fact that half of you have shot at least SOME video on a DSLR and from that perspective, NAB is hoping.

From the Canon booth everything was on display – including the new 1DX. The video capabilities of each new Canon camera was the focus of the Canon booth. Similarly, Nikon was showing off video from the new D800 and D4. Canon seemed to have a bigger video focus.

There were plenty of lighting and grip companies displaying their wares. We shot some videos on the floor (including the one with Chuck Westfall – which posted yesterday) and others which will appear here soon.

The main take away for me was that the video capabilities of DSLRs are improving to the point that truly professional work can be shot using one of these cameras. And the resulting accessories are there to be enjoyed. The other thing to note is that this video is of a higher quality than was available at any price 10 years ago. That is a staggering thought.

As for accessories:

From steadycams to tripods to lights to grip – it was all on the floor. There were exhibitors from all over the world and I probably saw more iPads in one place than anywhere before. People were using iPads as camera monitors or controllers. I even saw a cool iPad app that lets you use your iPad as a teleprompter.

It’s amazing to see how fast this market is growing and the quality of the gear is improving while the costs are generally going down.

The classroom sessions were well-attended and Adobe stole the show with CS6 and all of its integrated video features.

I’ve been to many NAB shows. I’ve seen it more crowded than it is this year but never so enthusiastic.

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Abstracts: Don’t Forget To Look For The Little Things Next Time You’re Out With Your Camera

Posted by scottbourne on April 14, 2012
Posted in: Technique & Tutorials. Tagged: , , , .

Photo by Scott Bourne - Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons

While in Alaska I was after eagles. I made thousands of eagle photographs. But I’m always keeping one eye open for something unique or special or just abstract. I love abstract photography. I play little games with myself wondering if people can guess what the object I’m shooting really is.

In this case, I came upon the harbor at sunset. The light was hitting this extremely colorful, rainbow-colored boat and the reflection caught my eye. The above photograph is the result. Would you have recognized that as a boat sitting in the water?

The dictionary says abstract is: “of or pertaining to the formal aspect of art, emphasizing lines, colors, generalized or geometrical forms, etc., especially with reference to their relationship to one another.”

For whatever it’s worth, I think the image I made of the boat qualifies. How about you? Do you shoot abstracts? If so feel free to post them in the Photofocus Flickr gallery.

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What Camera Should I Buy? UPDATED VERSION – May 2012

Posted by scottbourne on April 11, 2012
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , , .

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This post is an updated compilation of several shorter posts I wrote in the past trying to answer the question, “What camera should I buy?”

It’s still the most popular question I am asked. “What camera should I buy?” Lately there’s a new twist to the question…”Is this brand camera better than that brand camera?”

No matter how hard I try to tell people that there’s no perfect answer, they keep asking. So since I can’t convince anyone otherwise, at least know the answers to THESE questions before you ask me YOUR question.

1 ) What subject(s) will you photograph most often? Weddings, portraits, wildlife, sports, landscapes, still lifes, food, fashion, etc.
2 ) What gear (if any) do you now own?
3 ) If you had to choose between ease of use and power, which would you select?
4 ) Do you want a compact pocket-sized camera (point and shoot) or a DSLR?
5 ) On a scale of 1-10 (10 being a working pro and 1 being someone who usually shoots with a disposable camera) how would you rate your skill?
6 ) What is the MOST money you’d be willing to spend on a camera?
7 ) How long do you think you might keep the camera?
8 ) What do your friends use?
9 ) Do you have a local camera store that can offer you support?

If you have thought carefully about these questions and have the answers – you should then be closer to knowing what the perfect camera for you might be.

Hopefully, your interest in photography is strong enough that you’ll read this entire article. That will give you the best chance of making the right decision. If you’re just not that interested, scroll all the way to the bottom to see some of the popular cameras that I recommend.

For those who stuck with me:

I know that beginners especially want this question answered. They are more likely to think that it’s the camera that takes the picture, not the photographer. Unfortunately for them, that’s not the case. And there’s no secret, magic or special camera that will make you into Ansel Adams.

Let’s start with goals. What goals do you have with your photography? Photographing the kids is much easier and less expensive than photographing wildlife. Making studio portraits will require a different kind of camera than that used by sports photographers. Do you want to turn pro or just make pictures you’ll share with your immediate family? Understand this simple truth: There is no perfect camera. And not all cameras are designed for all types of photography. Many photographers have more than one camera, depending on how many photographic pursuits they are engaged in at one time.

You’ll need to take into account a wide variety of factors when selecting a camera, and the first is budget.

This post continues below….

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