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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> Setz made me do it...
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Showing posts 1 - 12 of 12, (reverse)
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 12/26/2003 12:45:18 PM · #1
buy Issue 50 of lenswork magazine that is! I recomend it for all here if only for the article 'Things I've Learned About Photography' by Brooks Jensen that he (Setz) keeps discussing. I found that that article was talking directly to me in several issues as follows (in no particular order...)

-It is better to photograph with the camera you own than wait for the camera you want.

-Every piece of gear that you own will be a compromise between what you need and what you can afford.

-Acquiring a new camera can be both a door and an excuse.

-The most influential technical decision is not which film, camera, lens or exposure setting to use, but whether or not to use a tripod.

-A well-tested and intelligently employed used lens (I read this as camera) is better than an untested, new and expensive one.

-You would never know it by looking at the photographic press, but there are an amazing number of creative people engaged in photography who couldn't care less about equipment but who love photography.

You will NOT hear me whining about a new camera anymore! You MAY NOT see me in as many challenges in the coming months. You SHOULD be seeing EVEN MORE PHOTOGRAPHS from me in the coming year. These are MY resolutions to MYSELF!
 12/26/2003 01:27:47 PM · #2
i bought this issue too, mostly for the article.. but, the photo essays are great too! was looking at their website and they have a US subscription sale for $19.50 (i think the issue i bought cost $9.95) - if that includes shipping, it sounds like a decent deal for anyone interested.
 12/26/2003 02:45:48 PM · #3
Click To Enlarge

LensWork 1-year Subscription (US)
6-issues - US delivery

Newsstand/Regular Price $59.70

Your Price $39.00



That sale price was only good until 12/24/03
 12/26/2003 08:40:06 PM · #4
Sounds like you got a lot out of that article TooCool, I'm impressed. How about fleshing out the item about the tripod a bit. I'll look for the mag next time I get a chance but would like to hear more about the tripod item.
 12/26/2003 08:49:12 PM · #5
Originally posted by coolhar:
Sounds like you got a lot out of that article TooCool, I'm impressed. How about fleshing out the item about the tripod a bit. I'll look for the mag next time I get a chance but would like to hear more about the tripod item.


The article isn't really about any particular thing. It's just a list. What he says about the tripod is just that. It's important. It's (and I was skeptical until I started to use one) the most important piece of equipment you can own! I would rather have my camera (as frustrating as it can be) and my tripod then a marginally better camera without one.
 12/27/2003 10:53:50 AM · #6
LensWork is such an amazing magazine. I also loved the list of things learned about photography - a few of my favorites:

It is easy to make a picture of someone and call it a portrait. The difficulty lies in making a picture that makes the viewer care about a stranger. (Paul Strand)

There is nothing worse than a sharp photograph of a fuzzy idea (Ansel Adams)

The second, third and fourth time you photograph something, will produce more refined compositions than the first time. These may or may not be better photographys. You will never know, however, unless you make the second, third and fourth photographs.

12/27/2003 11:11:43 AM · #7
Originally posted by tjuneau13:
The second, third and fourth time you photograph something, will produce more refined compositions than the first time. These may or may not be better photographys. You will never know, however, unless you make the second, third and fourth photographs.


That goes hand in hand with:

-A lazy photographer dies without many photographs.
 12/27/2003 12:54:11 PM · #8
There are two advantages of using a tripod. The first is purely technical in that it allows you to avoid camera shake and maximize sharpness. The second, arguably more important, is that it makes taking the photograph a much more deliberate process. Taking the time to affix the camera (or lens), adjust the legs, angle etc. etc. allows you to give more consideration to the shot than you would if taken handheld as a 'snapshot'. I've even avoided getting a quick-release mount for my Bogen, because my landscape work isn't about speed...
 12/27/2003 01:49:23 PM · #9
Originally posted by ronners:
There are two advantages of using a tripod. The first is purely technical in that it allows you to avoid camera shake and maximize sharpness. The second, arguably more important, is that it makes taking the photograph a much more deliberate process. Taking the time to affix the camera (or lens), adjust the legs, angle etc. etc. allows you to give more consideration to the shot than you would if taken handheld as a 'snapshot'. I've even avoided getting a quick-release mount for my Bogen, because my landscape work isn't about speed...


And I also find myself taking more time to 'frame' the shot in camera. That's how I did my shot for Vehicles (with self timer and myself on bike because I had no model...) I got kind of lucky with my placement in the shot, but the background, foreground, DOF were all right where I wanted them!
 12/27/2003 02:23:58 PM · #10
Originally posted by ronners:
There are two advantages of using a tripod. The first is purely technical in that it allows you to avoid camera shake and maximize sharpness. The second, arguably more important, is that it makes taking the photograph a much more deliberate process. Taking the time to affix the camera (or lens), adjust the legs, angle etc. etc. allows you to give more consideration to the shot than you would if taken handheld as a 'snapshot'. I've even avoided getting a quick-release mount for my Bogen, because my landscape work isn't about speed...


An interesting and useful point of view, although not always and absolutely true. Light (a vital ingredient in any photo) tends to be fleeting. This can effect landscape shots in a big way, particularly in regions where the weather is changeable. Most of my landscapes, in fact, are precisely about speed.

Also composing an image is more tedious a process via a tripod. I'm often happier with the more instinctive and direct composition achieved in a handheld shot than a mechanical one on the tripod. I think it takes quite a bit of practice to overcome and internalize the mechanics, and to do the required adjustments quickly, without loosing (compositional) sense.
 12/27/2003 04:32:53 PM · #11
While I do use a tripod quite a bit I find that it limits my movement therefore affecting my internal sense of composition. Sometimes I don't move enough for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th shots because it is hard to place the tripod where I want it. For some photos I do much better going handheld if I can get an acceptable exposure.
 12/27/2003 05:30:23 PM · #12
Well the list did say: The most influential technical decision is not which film, camera, lens or exposure setting to use, but whether or not to use a tripod. That's not telling you to use a tripod, but to make a conscious decision whether you should be using one or not.
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