1. find a book on the subject of classical or dynamic
composition. Study it well.
2. Read some pamphlets on basic photography just
to get a feel about the science and mechanics of
photography. Study a bit about the camera's
aperture, exposure and focus.
3. Read anything that deals with light. Studio
lighting, available light, sunset and silhouette
light, paying close attention to the highlights and
shadows, and learn how to use the the soft lighting
under a shading tree or overcast area. Even dull
cloudy weather can provide an even gentle lighting
of a person. Silverware or glassware looks best in
shaded light, but you might have to overdevelop your
negative a wee bit, to highten the contrast of the
scene or your subject matter. Or....use a harder
contrast paper, if you are developing your own black
and white prints.
4. Do some intensive research on Art. Study all
styles of photography. Study the classical
paintings. Observe composition, direction of
light source, subject matter and perspective.
Study in particular the photography of W. Eugene
Smith and the paintings of Vermeer and Rembrandt.
Observe closely the composition, lighting and
the play of light and shadow. Study the Artists
point of observation. (Their choice in point of
view.) Find any book on classical sculpture.
Observe always the arrangement of hands on the
sculptured work. Very important! Observe how
angle of head to body affects the moods. Study
body language.
5. Study people. Watch their expressions and
their moods. Observe all the body language that
is taking place in real time. Occasionally follow
the movement of hands on people who tend to use
their hands together with their speaking. Now
and then, try to follow a person's mood as if you
were standing in their shoes. At this stage after
doing the above, you can start to practice "shooting".
When you see something that "touches" you, say "click"
in your mind as if you were a camera, while holding
one eye shut. Holding one eye shut is important because
the scene will change to two dimensions, exactly how
it will appear on the surface of the negative. When
you finally hold a camera in your hands to photograph,
it is important that you see what your camera will see.
Observe with one eye, the subject matter that you intend
to photograph. Seeing in three dimensions can fool
you because you are then seeing the world selectively.
When you are looking at a person close up, you never
really pay attention to the background. The camera looks
at everything all the time.
6. If you are in a hurry, developing and printing your
own negatives and prints might be too time consuming,...
if you are in a hurry to get started. Find a reasonal
photo lab and have them process your work for you. Of
course it won't hurt to enroll in a photography course
to learn the fundamentals.
When you get your pictures from the lab, go through
them and try to select one of two prints to enlarge to
a size of 24X30 cm. Do this as often as you can with
every roll of film. It is necessary that you force
yourself to choose only one or two prints. You will
learn as you go along to choose the best photograph.
Often it is not how good you are at photographing,
but it is crucially important that you know how to
choose the best print, and of course...in your own
taste. The very best of your own taste. The best
print is usually the one that "turns you on", that
excites you, that "speaks to you",...letting you
feel once again the incident you were following with
your heart and mind. If a pictures gives you goose
bumps or "touches" you, then you know that the
photograph is very much a part of yourself, a reflection
of your own private personal feelings. After you
have gathered several such prints, in black & white
or in color, find a place to exhibit them. After
your first exhibition, you are launched, so to speak,
and you will be on your way to making a name for
yourself.
Good luck! and always be true to yourself.
Back to my Start page
Carl Toothman
rewritten March 18, 2002
Halmstad, Sweden