Any Bozo Can Snap a Picture…
One of the first pictures that I took with my new camera, long before I understood how much I didn’t yet know.
How it all started
I was always the first person to laugh at anyone that said, “I’m a photographer”, as if it is such a challenge to aim your camera at something and snap the picture. I believed that the camera did all the work and if I were to spend that much on a camera, I’d be a pro just as easily. Obviously, you are probably smacking your head by now, if you’ve ever ventured into the depths of the wild world of photography.
Back in the early years of the 2010’s, I released a series of novels. Writing was fun and it allowed me to express the things that were going on in my head. However, I found myself less than eager to sit down and type for days on end. In an effort to help promote these novels, I took to Instagram and started posting pictures of random things from my daily life; just trying to connect with an audience. Well, as Instagram often does, I was lured into exploring. I found so many great accounts that were killing it on the app and I was jealous. One such creator was Jon Olsson. An ex-pro skier with a penchant for capturing insane images. Soon enough, I was happily watching every one of his YouTube videos, mainly for entertainment.
Here’s when my outlook was shifted.
One of Jon’s videos finished with him sitting there talking about camera gear and color-grading.
“Wait? You don’t just snap the pic and add a filter?” I was blown away as he snapped his fingers to show the before and after shots of color-grading. I had to learn this! I went out and bought a relatively inexpensive laptop and a Nikon B500. Not exactly the DSLR that I should have purchased, but it was a cool camera that was marketed as a great all-around performer, and I didn’t know any different. Honestly, it was a pretty cool camera that was more than enough for a hobbyist like me.
I’m a Pro
I started taking pics of everything. Close-up shots of flowers, dogs and trees. I zoomed in and captured the most epic shots of the craters on the moon. I got “artsy” and nailed out some shots of clouds and even my cat. My daughter was asked to pose as I played professional and guided her to, “act natural”. If you aren’t cringing yet, please feel free to leave your own cringe photography moments in the comments.
What is this?
I sat down at my laptop and opened a cold can of pop. I was ready to make these pictures sparkle and skyrocket me to a million followers. That’s how it works, right?
I imported the images and waited for the first one to appear. What the hell is this?
In front of me was a picture that looked mediocre, at best. I scratched my head for a minute and realized that, of course, it must just be because I hadn’t yet added the ol’ razzle-dazzle of editing. Surely, my 0 hours of practice would come in handy and the day would be saved.
Look, what I’m trying to say is that my pictures were garbage. I knew what I wanted them to look like, but transferring that from my brain to the camera, just wasn’t connecting. Maybe, after so many years of dismissing photographers skills, I needed to start showing some respect.
Bitten by the Bug
Have you ever been immediately hooked on something? You get a taste and suddenly your whole existence wraps around this one thing? This is what happened to me. I started researching photography tricks and tips on YouTube. I followed so many talented camera-slingers on Instagram. I dove in headfirst to a world that I didn’t yet understand, but I knew that I had to consume all of the knowledge.
How do you Teach Yourself Photography?
For me, being a wildly hardheaded individual, it was competition. I would see pictures that inspired me and then I would rush out to capture them. When I got back to my laptop, I would get frustrated at why they didn’t look like the ones on Insta. After a few minutes of thinking strongly about selling my camera, I’d go on YouTube and find pieces of information that would allow me to understand things like composition and contrast, lighting and crop. All of these small things that add up to a picture worthy of framing. I even purchased some presets and used them to better understand color-grading through reverse-engineering. I would repeat this tirelessly for close to 2 years, before I decided I was good enough to start charging for photography(I probably wasn’t). Every day I was getting just a little bit better.
My need for expression had shifted from writing to visual storytelling. My disrespect for anyone holding a camera was now a fond admiration for the craft and the never-ending depths of the wormhole. Teaching someone who isn’t ready to learn, won’t get you very far, including yourself. I knew I was ready when I woke up each morning already thinking about the images I could create.
What do you like to create?
-Canadian James