How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Ah 1, ah 2, ah 3 - crunch...
Remember that old commercial?
This is my post-production note to myself - you gotta make them, or you will not only lose perspective, but your sense of what's good.
I hate the digital photographer gig - you know, I got a million shots; I might as well click away until I get "something." Maybe I'll get lucky and get a "capture" is their manifesto.
I don't capture, I compose. I create. I produce.
Very few of them have an idea in mind and then strive to get that moment. I mean a shot - one shot. That's it, just one shot. Not maybe we'll see a titty, or more, but you know, just a fucking shot. Well thought out, well composed, well lit - is that too much to ask? Apparently...
This was the next to last CHAIR shot with Celia (I haven't shot the LAST one yet, but it will be of Lorraine). I knew what the shot needed to be, and I took 191 shots. Most of them were "shit! lighting is not right" shots. Probably 50 of them were valid.
14 of them were interesting.
6 of them were compared side by side and evaluated for posture, expression, head position, and the eyes.
I chose #79 out of 191, which is weird, 'cause usually it's the very last shot...really. But by #191, we had done it.
Celia nailed it very early on. And I did too. I did have to digitally replace the TV screen with the golf that we got on #32. I told her then, very early on, that I just wanted the most mundane, banal thing on the TV behind her - especially a male dominated PASSIVE sport - nothing better than golf. And as soon as I got the lighting and the angle right and she got the pose right, they went to some show about whales. Fuckers.
Final result:
I could always be more eloquent, and often am in person, but I don't fucking feel like it right this second.
So there.
3 comments:
one of the best lessons ever learned....
to be a good phtographer, you have to be a Great Editor.
be grumpy!
Mr. Graham, I think your very fucking eloquent. I agree with you 100% on the "shoot till you find one photo that is right" philosophy that is prevalent out there today. Yes... I shoot 100% digital. Digital has afforded us this opportunity IF we choose to take advantage of it. I guess it works for some...and not others. I've never had the desire to show 45 photos from the same shoot (boring) so why shoot until the batteries run out?...or one runs out of Memory (hell..I rarely shoot more than 45 photos in a shoot anyways). My last photo shoot I shot 18 photos...that's it!!! I guess each photographer knows what he or she has to do to get the shot he or she is looking for. I grant them their methodology. For me, If I cant get "the shot" in under 40 shots...I should be flipping burgers somewhere instead, additionally I have not the patience to shoot longer (for my Personal Art Work). I shoot for one idea...that's it!! I admit that I use to shoot till I dropped (more so infatuated with the ability to do so....as in "hell..I might as well fill the card up".)......just 3-4 years go I would take 200-300+ photos...download..and take 200-300 more. But I've been bored and burned out with that for some time now. My set up time is 2-3 times longer than my shooting time (usually I shoot about 40 minutes now). Of course, when doing paid commercial work or commissions...I shoot as much as I can to get the client as many image options as I can.
As always, great photos there my friend and great insight ...lets talk soon..Ill fill you in on things.
cheers
bt
Word!!
I have stacks of 3x5 note cards that look like your post-it note. Not to mention the stacks of post-it notes which look like your post-it notes stuck all over my monitor edit, edit, edit....
i am always aware when looking at photos of classic film photographers like Stieglitz or Bill Eggleston, for that matter, that they mostly got it right with just one shot. That should be our goal.... particularly when shooting our own art.
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