I did it. I caved. I’m now teaching photography lessons via zoom, and instagram, and facebook, and everything else underneath the sun, and I have mixed feelings on it all. For the past 2 months I’ve been taking text questions and phone calls on how to do this or that better, which has led to some wonderful teaching moments and art making with my students.
I think if Covid has taught me and my students anything, is that there’s a whole lot more to pushing a button. For me, the camera is my moment of Zen each day. Breathe in, Breathe out. I escape into each moment, in search of that perfect capture. There’s a world beyond the viewfinder but you can’t force it to materialize. What frustrates me is my young pupils haven’t had that first taste of escapism and suspension of time. Zoom lessons often consist of… how do I do this better or take this example of photograph. Photography just doesn’t work that way. The idea of me telling you how to take a photograph borders on banality.
It’s a craft. I’ll give you everything and beyond when it comes to developing your craft. But don’t call me for the run of the mill photograph. For that, Youtube is a wonderful thing. Call me because your heart hurts and brain itches. Because you need to express yourself or say something from your mind’s eye. Technique is easy, Vision is hard.
Get it right in camera. Photographed here is my prized Nikon F Photomic, passed on from my Father. This camera essentially changed photography forever and is considered the Father of modern day SLR cameras. The 105mm lens seen here changed my life. While the 50mm and 35mm lenses are standard issue, I grew up learning to view life as a portrait. It was love at first look through. I still use it today. The happiness and pure joy of using this lens goes far beyond any photograph I’ve produced as a result. It’s traveled the world with me, seen harsh conditions, and some of the most gorgeous light known to man. The feelings felt when I hold this rig are ineffable and to try to describe that would be cropping my experience of photography altogether.
Crop your photos, but don’t crop the craft. Find your love and passion through the camera lens. Feel the weight, the smoothness of adjusting your focus. Explore the space and go beyond what you “think” a photograph should look like and try something different. You might be surprised at what you create. Find passion in each photograph and call me to guide you along.
Get Closer, Get Creative, Get Karjaka.
