As you are probably aware, I’m a newbie in photography. I purchased my first digital camera in December and have been taking pictures, almost on a daily basis, to complement the text contents of Lingua Franca. When you first see them, you will notice immediately they were taken by an amateur. I apologize for that. But I feel, that the only way to learn something, is to go ahead and do it. John Dewey, a famous U.S. educator, called it, “learning by doing.” I think he’s right.
In order to accelerate the process of learning, I’m reading the camera’s manual which is a must if you want to squeeze the juice out of the gadget and researching about photography on the Internet. I also recently met on the Internet a professional photographer, Michael Moore, and he has bent himself backwards teaching me all kinds of photographic tricks. Meanwhile, please bear with me.
One of most popular questions asked by people who are learning the ropes of photography, is what is the secret behind a successful photograph? I’ve asked this question many times. This is the answer. The biggest secret of photography is keep your camera at the reach of your finger tips at all times.
If you go to the supermarket, carry your camera. If you to a birthday party, carry your camera. If you go to pick up your kids at school, carry your camera. If you go to the bathroom to pee, carry your camera. The reason is very simple, you never know when you are before an event that could make you famous. If you have your camera with you, you can freeze that event and get your fifteen minutes of fame. If you are camera-less you missed the golden opportunity of a lifetime.
In her new book At Work, Annie Leibovitz said about her early days:
“What mattered was photography. Being a photographer was my life. I took pictures all the time, and pretty much everything I photographed seemed interesting. Every single time I went out to take a picture was different. The circumstances were different. The place was different. The dynamics were different. Every single time. You never knew what was going to unfold.”
So this is basic point: Take your camera around with you everywhere. In fact, that’s your assignment starting today: Take your camera with you for one whole day. What camera? Any camera you can put your paws on. Take it with you for the whole day and shoot. In fact, set it up the night before by the bed so you pick it up first thing and grab shots the whole day.
You might not become a superstar overnight, but I’ll bet ya that some day you’ll make it big. Good Day.
