On Observing
I recently had the pleasure to go on walks with two photographers of whom I really admire the work of while they were in LA, and I soaked up all their wisdom like a greedy little sponge. Now I’m going to talk about them and possibly embarrass them with my nerdy admiration. First Brian came to town and we walked around and I noticed his keen sense of seeing the beauty in little things the average person would so easily pass up. When I go for walks now I put my “what would Brian see” hat on and absorb my surroundings more than I did in the past. This is not only a great thing for photo taking, but for your wellbeing in life in general! Then Parker came to town and I took him on a secret stair walk in Silverlake. Since his photos are largely of people, this was an entirely different experience and he took some photos of me on our walk. I found this really interesting because I want to take more photos of people, but it’s a nerve-wracking process for me. I picked up on the way he finds interesting backdrops and isn’t shy about having you adjust little things while he takes your photo. I’m terrible with this – I feel too silly asking someone to brush a strand of hair out of their face or tilt their head as I don’t want to inconvenience them, but later I’ll see the photo and have such regrets over this despite the fact that no one probably even cares if you ask them to make small adjustments. You want someone to be natural in a photo, but if they’re not a professional model they may not be aware of little things that could make a photo better. I’ll take twenty minutes to rearrange a cup of coffee for a photo but I don’t want to ask someone to move over two inches for a photo? Hilarious.
I didn’t take many photos on either of those walks as I was too busy chatting and observing, but these are some photos from my secret stair walk – the Music Box Loop – with Parker. If you’re interested in this walk there’s a map here. It’s lovely and a great place to take people who are in town.
Small steps towards being more mindful with my photography and finding my voice.
Photos by Kate Miss, taken with a Mamiya 645 with Kodak Portra 160 film
June 6th, 2012 at 10:20 am
setting photographs can be so difficult. I really love the first picture of the car. quite beautiful.
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June 6th, 2012 at 10:50 am
That’s so great that you were able to observe such talented photographers. That’s something I would like to do, but feel a bit shy about. I feel like they’re so busy – would they want to make the time? Your writing on this post has definitely inspired me to go back our there and continue photographing!
all my best,
Angelica
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June 6th, 2012 at 11:10 am
Must have been some pretty nice company!
It’s hard giving instructions on where to stand, how to position your arms etc. I always try to give some instructions and then feel self-conscious and stop and my photo ends up not being what I’d imagined it to be because I couldn’t find a way to communicate exactly what I wanted.
Have you seen professional lifestyle photographers shoot couples during your walks? I always hear “do this, do that” and they sound like such jackasses that I’m afraid I’d be *that* person and all the bad things I associate with being that person (bad taste, poor lighting, terrible props etc). It’s definitely stifling. I’m glad you got to soak up information from watching great photographers, and I hope that you’ll have an easier time putting it into action than I think I would.
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June 6th, 2012 at 11:43 am
I blush! Thank you for the nice words. It was such a fun afternoon – I hope we can do it again soon.
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June 6th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
Ah I know what you mean by soaking up info from the pros. Almost everything I know I learnt from my friend Akshay. And recently he called me up to ask me about Polaroid film & in my head I was all giddy… my guru’s asking me? YAY!
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June 7th, 2012 at 12:35 am
that’s an interesting insight. i become terribly shy around professional photographers and wouldn’t dare to take my camera out, even though i know it’s stupid. and although i have some kind of a photography blog i would never ever call myself a photographer. i even turned down a few requests from magazines, because i wasn’t confident enough. ugh.
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June 7th, 2012 at 8:59 am
it’s so nice to watch other people shooting, if only to find perspectives you yourself wouldn’t have thought of. and i agree – shooting people is my kryptonite! i need to get bolder and learn to make the shot what it’s already wanting to be (perfect). i was at a wedding this past weekend (my cousin’s) and i got a near-perfect shot because i was able to tell the bride to hold her hands a certain way. it made me realize that maybe i do have an eye for things, and i just need to take myself out of my comfort zone every so often. i’m looking forward to seeing your people-shots! :)
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June 9th, 2012 at 9:30 am
Kate, this is very specific and not really related, but I was wondering what kind of place you use for film processing. I am not a photographer, but I have just begun experimenting with a Pentax K1000 for fun. There is a professional place in town where I can get film developed, but they cost like $30 a roll. I’m sure it’s worth every penny, but at that price I can’t really afford to play around much. Then there are the drugstores, which are about $13 a roll, but I feel like they do a super crappy job, and it’s difficult for me to tell how much of the low-quality of the photos is due to me and how much is due to them. Just curious whether you had any thoughts on the matter!
And good job on developing your skills. Your photos are always lovely!
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Kate Reply:
June 9th, 2012 at 4:08 pm
Hi Jessie, I’m not sure where you live, but I only ever go to Photo Ave on Santa Monica & Gower in LA. For 35mm it’s about $15 for developing + scans, and they do an incredible job. I know there is a place online you can send to – thedarkroom.com – but I’ve never used it. But I saw it on the flickr forums as a recommended place for people who don’t live near an affordable place. Good luck! It’s certainly not a cheap hobby, but worth every penny to me:)
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Vanessa Reply:
June 10th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
Just wanted to chime in here if that’s ok… Jessie, i would recommend going ahead and giving the drugstore a try. Processing film at a lab just requires running it through a machine, so unless you did something unusual with the film there wouldn’t be much difference between the two places. Prints are a different story, since printing requires someone to look at each individual image and make a decision about the exposure (so you want someone who knows what their doing!). But for getting film processed i’d go with the drugstore, especially if you are just experimenting.
cheers!
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June 10th, 2012 at 4:10 pm
I’ve read your blog for awhile and it’s exciting to see you get more and more into photography lately. Its fun to see you playing with different cameras, finding your voice, and thinking more like a photographer! I am just curious what other photographers you look at and admire. William Eggleston for his color? Walker Evans or Lee Friedlander for their urban and suburban landscapes? Larry Sultan’s interiors? check them all out. and have fun taking pictures!!
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June 11th, 2012 at 10:07 am
Isn’t it so fun to see how other photogs work? I’m always fascinated and take every chance I get. :) I don’t mind working with one or two people and I’ve learned to get picky so that it’s right in-camera (who wants to PS out that piece of fuzz someone had on their sweater in ALL the photos?), but I’m terrible with big groups. Getting better, bit by bit… Jasmine Star does wedding photography, but she posted a great behind-the-scenes video of her working with a portrait client. Good stuff on making posing fun for non-models. http://youtu.be/R5KRJVNIDxE
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