Fair Warning

Well, I warned you that this whole blogging everyday thing was bound to lead to some less than thrilling posts. That being said, the decision to venture further down the page is entirely your own.

You'll do well to notice the above image is not my own. It's the work of one of the most gifted people to ever capture light, Richard Avedon. Arguably the most influential photographer of the 20th century, Avedon was a magician behind the lens.

Not only could the man put his subjects at ease within minutes of meeting them, but he could peal back the facade and expose the real person underneath. His techniques varied from asking to move invisible pieces of dust in order to gain a slight physical connection with his subject, to asking awkwardly probing questions to evoke a 'unique' emotional response.

Regardless of their methods, photographers like Avedon, Platon, and Liebovitz all have one thing is common. They all shoot with their gut. Meaning that they aren't concerning themselves with technical specifications or lighting ratios, rather they are focusing entirely on the subject. Not saying that tech specs aren't important, I mean it's be pretty hard to pull of a decent image without some knowledge of f-stops. The trick, though, is not focusing on the how but rather the why.

Why this subject? Why this composition? Why this lighting? Tell a story with your images. Bring the viewer into the room, show them what you're seeing and allow them to feel what you're feeling.

To sum it all up:

Shut up and shoot!