PHOTOGRAPHY CREATES LIFELONG LEARNERS

BY RIP BAINS

PHOTOGRAPHY, WHEN COMPLETED WITH A PROPER CAMERA, CAN BE A COMPLEX TASK TO COMPLETE. MANUAL CONTROLS REQUIRE VAST KNOWLEDGE OF MANIPULATION, IN ORDER TO GET THE BEST POSSIBLE PICTURE.

MANIPULATING THESE CONTROLS CAN CREATE WIDE VARIATIONS OF THE VERY SAME MOMENT. THEREFORE, EXCELLENT PHOTOGRAPHERS MUST HAVE A STUDIED KNOWLEDGE OF THE CAPABILITIES OF THEIR CAMERAS, IF THEY ARE TO HAVE ANY HOPE OF USING THE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY TO ITS BEST CAPACITY.

IN THE TERMS OF AN ARTICLE RECENTLY COMPLETED BY THE HUFFINGTON POST, THIS OFTEN REQUIRES PHOTOGRAPHERS TO BE LIFELONG LEARNERS.

THE AUTHOR OF THE ARTICLE INDICATES THAT SHE WAS GIVEN HER FIRST CAMERA AT THE AGE OF EIGHT. IT WAS ESSENTIALLY NOTHING MORE THAN A POINT AND SHOOT DEVICE, REQUIRING MERE CLICKS TO PRODUCE PHOTOS.

THERE WERE LIMITATIONS, OF COURSE, ALTHOUGH THE ONLY ONE THE AUTHOR COULD REALLY ACKNOWLEDGE AT THE TIME—DUE TO IGNORANCE IN POTENTIAL POSSIBILITIES WITH MORE COMPLEX CAMERAS—WAS A FINITE AMOUNT OF FILM.

AS TIME WENT ON, AND THE AUTHOR GREW UP, PHOTOGRAPHY WAS NO LONGER SEEN AS A PRIORITY; WITH GROWING UP, CAME OTHER DEMANDS, SUCH AS UNDERGRADUATE SCHOOL, GRADUATE PROGRAMS AND, EVENTUALLY, A CORPORATE JOB.

IT WAS ONLY WITHIN THE LAST FEW YEARS THAT THE AUTHOR PURCHASED HER FIRST DIGITAL CAMERA, AND FOUND A SOLUTION TO THE RESTRICTIONS OF HER POINT AND SHOOT DEVICE; THIS PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY COULD ESSENTIALLY TAKE AND SAVE AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF PHOTOS.

HAVING THIS TRIFLING AND FRUSTRATING ISSUE RESOLVED, THE

AUTHOR FOUND HER PASSION FOR PHOTOGRAPHY ONCE MORE.

HER NEXT PURCHASE TOOK THE PASSION A STEP FURTHER, AS SHE INTRODUCED HERSELF TO A DIGITAL SLR CAMERA.

IT TOOK THE AUTHOR QUITE SOME TIME TO MASTER THE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY; FOR QUITE A WHILE, SHE USED IT AS A SIMPLE POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA, AS THAT WAS WHAT SHE WAS FAMILIAR WITH.

SHE SIMPLY ALLOWED THE CAMERA TO MAKE ALL THE EXECUTIVE DECISIONS. WHILE THIS DIDN’T PRODUCE BAD PICTURES, IT DIDN’T EXPLOIT THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE DEVICE.

ONE EVENING, THE DARKNESS OF HER SURROUNDINGS CAUSED THE CAMERA TO STRUGGLE TO FIND THE PROPER PLACEMENT OF SETTINGS TO RENDER A TRULY DECENT PHOTO.

AS A RESULT, THE AUTHOR BEGAN PLAYING WITH THE MANUAL SETTINGS.

WITHOUT EVEN TRULY KNOWING HOW SHE ACHIEVED IT, SHE MANAGED TO CREATE A VERY UNIQUE AND BREATH-TAKING PICTURE.

THE AUTHOR SOUGHT TO WORK BACKWARDS—TO TEACH HERSELF EXACTLY HOW SHE HAD REACHED THAT PICTURE.

THIS SET A NEW TRADITION IN TERMS OF HOW THE AUTHOR TAUGHT HERSELF PHOTOGRAPHY.

REPEATEDLY, SHE’LL FIDDLE WITH THE MANUAL SETTINGS, ONLY TO DISCOVER A NEW POTENTIAL OF HER CAMERA.

WHEN THIS HAPPENS, SHE WORKS BACKWARD, JUST AS SHE DID ON THAT VERY FIRST INSTANCE.

AS A RESULT, SHE CONSIDERS HERSELF A LIFE LONG LEARNER OF PHOTOGRAPHY.

“When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I

shall be content with silence.”

–Ansel Adams