The Four Levels of the Photographic Learning Curve

There are some great photographers out there and every time I visit one of their websites I realize just how much I still have to learn..  A year or so ago I was asked to teach a short workshop on photography. I really had a lot of fun putting it all together and then presenting the material. Part of that workshop included what I like to call "The Four Levels of the Photographic Learning Curve".  It raised a few eyebrows at the time, but it actually made a lot of sense.

Level 1: The Snapshot...or "nice picture...you must have a good camera."
Everyone takes snapshots...even the pro's. Snapshots are those images that when taken you really don't put a lot of thought behind it...or put another way, it's simply a way to capture memories, as a photographer friend of mine once said.  They may capture memories, but they don't necessarily possess a lot of artistic value.  Snapshots are where every aspiring photographer begins.  They are the shots you bring home from vacations and show to your friends and family.  More often than not their reactions are along the lines of, "...those are nice pictures, you must have a good camera..."  Well, you may have heard this before, but that's like saying to a cook, "Nice meal...you must have a lot of good pots and pans."

To a novice photographer, snapshots are a necessary stepping stone and valuable learning tool.  Only when you begin to separate yourself from the notion that the camera does all the work, then you will begin to understand the difference between what it takes to create a snapshot verses what it takes to create a photograph with artistic value.

Level 2:  "That's a good picture...it looks just like a post card."  How many times have you heard that one?  I've graciously heard it more times than I really want to hear...because what is really being said is, "I've seen this kind of image a thousand times before."  That answer would probably be right...there are thousands of post cards in every drugstore and tourist trap you go into.  What this means is that the image may be a technically good photograph, but it's not unique...it looks just like  every other post card image in the same category.  There is not much to separate it from the ordinary photograph that every vacationer takes by the millions.  What is needed to separate those kinds of images from all the rest is to visualize the same scene in an extraordinary way...and then add a bit of 'Wow' to the composition and light.

Level 3:  "Wow...Great picture". Wow factor photographs are generally powerful enough to elicit an emotional response  from whoever is viewing it.  They clearly stand apart from most photographs, but...what this kind of reaction really means is..."Hey, this is a really good photograph, but can you consistently take these kinds of images...or did you just get lucky."  Even novice photographers will from time to time manage to take a Wow photograph.  What separates the novice from someone who consistently generates this level of image is that the novice tends to rely on luck, while the other relies on his or her ability to visualize the potential of a location, plan out a strategy, returns again and again until just the right light is present...and has the technical skills to take advantage of the moment...and do it over and over.

Level 4:  "Whoa...". The forth and highest level of photography is what I call "The Whoa Factor". Like the term whoa suggest...these images stop the viewer in their tracks.  They are so powerful that they move well beyond wow and generate a "Whoa! How did you do that?"  This means you have reached a level of creative understanding and mastery of what you are attempting to accomplish photographically.  Your photographs become like fine music.  Images you create are consistently at a high level because you have an exceptional knowledge of the principles of exposure, composition, story telling, visualization, and technical expertise...and you understand how to combine those principles into an extraordinary photographic solution.  Like the very best musicians, your photographic music imparts feeling, emotion, and depth.  Only a few photographers ever really consistently reach this level.  Even though I know it when I see it...very...very few of my images might fall into this category...but...that's why I keep shooting.

Fifty things I've learned about photography...

(I wrote this about a year ago...slightly modified)

1. Watching someone take an unexpected swim with a $2000 camera in one hand and several thousand dollars of equipment in the other hand is not a pleasant experience for either party...just less so for the swimmer.

2. Repair bill for a drenched $2000 camera...$300.  Repair bill for a water logged $1000 lens...$200.  Aggravation costs waiting for return of equipment...Way too much $.  Having insurance on said water logged equipment...Priceless!

3.  The piece of mind about having insurance on your camera equipment is of far greater value than the small price of actually getting it insured.

4.  Just like Writers Block...there is such a thing called Photographers Block.

5.  The technology just keeps getting better and better...but the old style equipment made a better learning tool.

6.  A good camera backpack is better than a camera bag slung over the shoulder.

7. A good camera backpack is essential for cross country hiking photography trips.

8. Photographing a dragonfly is not easy.

9.  What's left of the Tallgrass Prairie is one of the most under utilized photographic opportunities available.

10.  Wild buffalo (American Bison) are indeed wild and unpredictable.

11.  Did I mention the having insurance thing yet?

12.  Planning ahead and anticipating where and when a great photo op might occur is more productive than relying on random chance.

13.  Random photo ops often produce spectacular results...only if you're prepared for it.

14. When photography stops being fun...well, its time to take a break.

15.  Photography has yet to stop being fun.

16.  A great model(s) can make an average photographer look good.

17.  Getting up before daylight to catch that great moment of light is worth the effort.

18.  Sleeping in because you're too lazy to get up before daylight to catch that great moment of light is a lot easier to do...just less rewarding.

19.  A quality lens is worth the extra cost.

20.  A photogenic spouse is often your most critical critic.

21.  Be optimistically critical of your own work...and less so of others.

22.  Some pro's can be very willing to help...others no so willing.

23.  Try to get something published...it doesn't hurt to try...and it just might pay off.

24.  Publishers are a finicky bunch of characters.

25.  Why do publishers overlook your best work and settle for the lesser submissions simply because it better fits with their publishing requirements?

26.  An 85 year old parent and DVD and/or computer technology don't mix well.

27.  Take all criticism of your photographs constructively..most praise with a gracious grain of salt.

28.  Photographing coyotes is pert-near impossible...how do they do that?

29.  You know when you've created something special photographically...it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

30.  Sandhill Cranes are goofy looking birds...but magnificent to photograph.

31.  The best times to photograph is now.

32.  There is always time to learn something new...just less time to perfect it.

33.  Going on solo photo trips offers a lot of flexibility...going at it with others offers great fellowship.

34.  Photographing with a purpose in mind maybe more productive than relying on random chance...it just takes a bit more thought.

35.  Check your batteries before you head out.

36.  Standing exposed on top of a prairie knoll during a prairie thunderstorm to photograph the moment is one of the most exhilarating experiences you can have...it's also very stupid.

37.  Photographing lightning is much harder than it looks...but an exciting thing to attempt.

38.  The weatherman gets it wrong a good deal of the time...so go anyway...the predicted good weather just might turn out bad...which is usually good for photographers.

39.  Complaining about the conditions won't change them.

40.  There is no such thing as bad conditions for photographers who take the time to look around and seek out the opportunities that are there at that moment.

41.  Skill is better than luck...luck is better than nothing...nothing results if you don't try.

42.  You don't have to travel very far to find great places to photograph...just look out your back door.

43.  When you do travel a long ways to find great places to photograph...you end up showing the people you meet all the old photos you took at home.

44.  Figuring out how to create effective HDR photographs is like trying to re-fold a map in the dark...I eventually just wad it into a mess and shove it into the glove box and hope I don't get lost.

45.  Plastic grocery bags make decent rain covers...just trying to find one when you need it most might be a bit tricky.

46.  Work the scene...don't settle on one or two shots.

47.  There is a difference between a slide show and a photo presentation.

48.  A photo presentation set to great music can make even mediocre photographs look great.

49.  There is no such thing as a mediocre photograph if someone likes it...even just yourself.

50.  The Good Lord created a beautiful world out there...photographing it can help you begin to more deeply appreciate what is there.

51...bonus entry...Did I mention the insurance thing?

So Much the Better

Resolutions...New Years or otherwise...almost never work, so the only resolution I ever make is to never make a resolution I know I can't or won't keep.  About this time of year I always seem to take count of my physical condition more than other times and usually come to the conclusion that it is way below what it should be.  For someone my age I stay reasonably active, but not nearly enough so to compensate for adverse effects of the volume of down time I seem to experience.  Off and on...mostly off...over the years, I've managed to find time for various physical activities...things like bicycling, running, hiking/backpacking, canoeing, tennis, various team sports, swimming and swimming related stuff, hunting and fishing, and weight lifting...and I even tried triathlons there for a while.  At best I never became more than mediocre at any one of those activities, but combined I suppose those adventures have contributed to at least a moderate measure of physical phitness.  My current favorite pastime of laying on the couch indulging with various types potato chips, among other assorted snacks, unfortunately has contributed to a decline of that fitness level of late.  Even so, every once in a while I take measure of the layer of flab and sag that has developed around my mid section and decide to do something meaningful about it.

For the last couple of years I've managed to frequent the gym a few times a week to grunt and prod through various levels of lifting heavier than I should lift weights.  My joints and other parts of my anatomy seem to benefit ( and suffer ) as a result.  In past years, one of my favorite workouts has been swimming, and although never at a competitive level, I obtained at least a reasonable level of competency at it.  For lack of an adequate facility and an overall general attitude of age related malaise, I've not swam a single lap in several years.  A little over a year ago Bowling Green and Warren County built a brand new state of the art aquatic center complete with a real dandy swimming hole inside...a 25 meter competition level facitlity that just happens to be only a few minutes from my office.  So, realizing I no longer could rely on the 'a lack of adequate facility' excuse, I recently purchased a membership and began my quest to start swimming for fitness again.

First time out I managed to flounder through about 600 meters...50 at a time with long periods of letting the gorilla on my back gasp and choke between each one.  By mid-afternoon I crashed and burned.  Second time wasn't quite as bad, and by the third time I felt like I was starting to get my old form back...but still have a ways to go.  I hope to soon work up to a 1000 meters in under 25 minutes...respectable for an old fart like myself.  Who knows, maybe that potato chip fed gorilla and myself might trim off some of the excess flotation around my mid section in the process.

S0...what does this have to do with outdoor photography?  Well...nothing really, except I hope to try something new this summer; underwater photography.  The plan is to purchase one of those disposable 35mm cameras encased in a plastic waterproof container and visit one of the local clear water streams and see if I can photograph some of the fish or other aquatic interesting things that lurk on or near the bottom of the shallows.  Might be kind of fun to try.

In the mean time, I plan on hitting the gym a couple days a week and hitting the pool a couple days a week, and when the weather permits, hitting the road on my old trusty and probably rusty triathlon bike for a quick 20 miles from time to time.  Throw in a canoe trip or two, maybe a hike here and there...and who knows, maybe this tired old body of mine just might come back to life.  If I happen to lose some of the sag around my middle...well...so much the better.

Keith