photosbyerich's photostream

A little background...
I'm strictly an amateur having fun with a few lenses and a Canon EOS Digital Rebel. At 6.3 megapixels, it's now old by the latest standards in ever-advancing technology. But it opened a whole new world of experimentation for me when I first bought it and continues to do so.

I read up on what's new and am amazed by what camera makers offer with each passing month. Yet I also enjoy the challenge of getting the most out of the "old" Rebel that it can offer, and still does.

On style and philosophy...
Of all the famous photographers whose works I have admired, Henri Cartier Bresson tops the list. An artist and painter long before he began experimenting with photography, Bresson went on to capture images from his native France and far beyond. He did so with a trusty Leica rangefinder camera and a sharp eye for snapping the shutter at just the right moment. In fact, he coined the term "decisive moment" or "le moment decisif" to describe his aim of waiting until perfection came into view. Then he used his camera to "paint" what his hands could not: an expression of the human condition passing in that instant which would not come again.

I cheat in ways Bresson never could have cheated. With just 24 or 36 shots in his film camera's magazine he really had to make them count. Having the luxury of high capacity compact flash cards, I can snap away taking candids from the sidelines in hopes I get lucky the way a prospector dips his pan into the stream time and again.

With Bresson my role model, I have never really embraced "posed" photos. Of course, I take some of these to record things like family gatherings. And I simply have to admire the pros who can make the images that they take during portrait settings come alive to reflect the inner nature and beauty of the people or things they photograph. From in studio, to onsite events like weddings.

It's just that for me it ultimately seems too difficult to bring out truth in those pictures where the lighting, positioning, even smiles are tightly controlled. I recognize that this CAN be done by the pro, which continues to prompt my afore-mentioned admiration. And understanding that at the end of the day I'll gladly wear and stick with an amateur label. The pro can always be counted on to deliver something worthy of the mantle, even in the most challenging conditions. The magic of going digital is that even the rest of us can strike a gold nugget from time to time.

Say cheese...
If I have to order a subject to give me a smile I will not really get one. It will show in my final product. I mean, it's a wedding reception and you're asking the bride's dad to "smile" while his mind's on the tab that his guests are running up at the open bar. The kid's at the portrait studio in tight, starched, dress clothes...probably needs to use the potty... and is gettin told for the umpteenth time to sit still. Oh, and say "cheese."

How do ya do it? With a heckuva lot more than it takes to get a smile from the player who just caught a touchdown pass in the flag football league. Or your tyke romping through the sprinkler in his birthday suit.

Yhat's why most of the "people" images that I'm willing to share on Flickr were taken with telephoto lenses (and not just for the inherent blur / bokeh they produce). Telephotos keep me far enough away from people and pets that they can forget I am there and act themselves.

Not a flasher...
The respect I have for pros also comes from their ability to use flash effectively. Some day I will need to do so to grow, I suppose. But flash photos rarely come out looking natural for me. The histogram on the LCD may SAY the right combination of highlights and shadows are there. I may have worked the suggested white balance. But the skin usually ends up lookin more "gray" then the "gray card" if you know what I mean. Moreover, once that flash fires, the subject is accutely aware I'm there. The cover is blown, the candids are gone, future "moments decisif" lost.

As an amateur there's much less at stake. If every shot comes out blurry because I tried to push the limits of a 50 mm f1.8 lens in low light, or bumped the ISO to unrealistic levels, there won't be an angry client. I may even get gold from time to time. Capture a decisive moment just as it happened. In the light, position, or with the smile or frown that really was.