You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Inigo Montoya—The Princess Bride
I’m going to give you a simple tip today that will change the way you shoot, but first, I want to dive into the big picture. Indulge me, won’t you?
You’d love to master digital photography and processing, right?
Cool. But what is mastery, exactly?
How will you know when you’ve achieved it?
For many industry professionals—and folks who’d love to join their ranks—mastery means knowing EVERYTHING. They have the latest and greatest equipment and every top-of-the line accessory. They’ve memorized every secret shortcut, and can navigate the most arcane nested menus in Lightroom in the blink of an eye.
Mastery, right?
I say no way.
How about we think about mastery more like taming. For me, mastering my craft means having confidence in my ability to use tools like Lightroom to bring the stories and images in my mind to life. Knowing how to get the look I want from the tools at hand.
Memorizing every possibility shouldn’t be the Holy Grail. Knowing how to bend the tool to your will? Now, THAT’S power.
That’s mastery.
Trust me. After nearly 28 years in this gig, I discover new things about apps and equipment daily. A new way to colorize an entire piece, or a one button illustration solve.
And I do this every day.
I’m not interested in memorizing stuff. I’ve got the internet for that. What I rely on as a professional is my ability to get to my destination quickly. I know the look I’m trying to achieve, and I know how to use my tools to get it.
Mastery.
Keeping up with technology is critical, sure, but it isn’t enough. It isn’t mastery.
Relax. Have faith that if you keep doing the work, keep creating, keep experimenting, you’ll arrive.
The seductive thing about knowing every in and out of of a freaking complicated app like Lightroom is that it FEELS like mastery. Progress toward that goal is measurable.
Mastering art... not so much. It’s elusive, for sure. Unmeasurable. There aren’t any merit badges to collect along the way. Where’s the freaking finish line, anyway??
How do you even begin?
That one, I can answer.
Practice.
Do the work.
Create.
Ask better questions.
As an instructor, my main goal is to get you comfortable with the technology—-so you can grow your vision.
Let’s take basic shooting, especially MOBILE shooting. I promised you some actionable information today. Here it comes...
Most folks just take out their phone and click. Maybe they click on a point to focus on.
But how many folks are exposing for PROCESSING?
Its time to take the camera off it’s version of automatic.
Expose for shadows, then do another shot exposing for highlights. This is a great way to give you more range in processing.
Cover your bases in order to get the best file for your style of processing.
Shooting in HDR on Lightroom camera will generally give you the most range.
This way you can edit freely and be sure you have the information you need. And for god sake stop shooting so many shots that you get overwhelmed. No “photoria”. Just take enough to get a range.
Then have fun with your processing.
Come join me on CREATIVELIVE for Mobile Photography BOOTCAMP.
Get your learn on , and make some magic.
