Staff Answers: What’s the best piece of advice you can give to people beginning their journey in photography?

Two things. 1. Enjoy it. 2. Shoot with the mindset of ‘What would I want to print to hang on my wall at home’.

E.g. 1. Enjoy the process, enjoy the equipment, enjoy the opportunity to be creative, enjoy the people you meet along the way, enjoy learning more, enjoy the anticipation, enjoy capturing something and enjoy sharing the image.

2. Shoot for you. It can be easy to follow rule books on how to shoot stereotypical images on what others think is visually appealing, what books say, what photography comps judge etc but I love throwing ‘rules’ out the window of composition, lighting, colour etc. and I LOVE capturing something which I CONNECT with. Something which I can sit at home and look up on my wall and be inspired at the image I shot. I love being emotionally attached to my images because of how they make me think, reliving the memory, my composition, intricacies and subtleties maybe only I can see. and that is all that matters to me 🙂

#1^st image attached is a pic I took years ago with a Leica M9 w a Voigtlander 50mm f1.4. I was living in one of the most remote places in Aus and would regularly drive two days on my own to get to a large town. This was shot on one of those drives. I needed a rest and decided to go for a walk off the side of the road. Subconsciously, I must have found a scene which connected to mindfully wandering on my lonesome in our beautiful remote Australia bush.

#2^nd extra image was shot with the Ricoh GR. I was at surf place called the Hook in Santa Cruz. My wife hired a crappy foamy mal. There was a huge crowd in the water and then my wife just paddled onto this gorgeous wave which many locals didn’t get onto. She was flying along the face with me frantically grabbing my Ricoh GR out of my pocket. I had the camera on manual and had it set for night shots but quickly grabbed a few shots. I was super annoyed that I didn’t have the correct exposure and settings but the longer i looked at the image the more I loved the over exposure and memories of my wife smashing a sick wave on a cheap hire board  I have also enlarged this to about 1m framed image on my wall at home xoxo

When someone embarks on the journey of photography, I hope they consider both practice and theory.

It might sound abstract, but what I mean is that photography extends far beyond the act itself. Photography is indeed a technical skill, and while technique is crucial, the expression in photography includes elements of artistry. One’s photographic expression can accurately reflect their aesthetic sensibility. If photography, as a technical skill, fails to satisfy your aesthetic sensibilities, it’s worth reflecting on whether your photographic techniques need upgrading. Conversely, if your aesthetic sensibilities surpass your technical skills, and your artistic vision is hindered by technical limitations, it’s time to slow down and ask yourself three questions: why am I taking this photo, why am I taking it this way, and why like this? When you can always answer these questions, congratulations, you’ve entered the realm of photography. What follows is the dedication to a certain theme or the flexibility to adapt, but that’s another story.