Ben Lifson's Columns on Making Pictures

[johnastovall]

I'm just found Ben Lifson's columns on Rawworkflow and would like to suggest everyone take a look at them and his approach to the art of photograhy with the emphasis on the ART.

Read them and see if you don't come away with some new ideas and ways of looking at the world.

Lifson's home page.

[Daniel Bates]

First, it’s not necessary to walk even ten minutes from your home, much less take long trips to exotic lands or grand scenery in order to work at your craft. You needn’t wait for public events like parades, beauty contests, concerts in the park and the like for subject matter. Everything is subject. You can photograph anything, anywhere, at any time, and if you’re photographing well your pictures will be good.

Good advice there. But this is very good also:

The lens describes things so literally that it takes effort, skill and considerable craft to transform things in life into figures in art.

Maybe that explains why Holgas are so popular? That lens doesn't describe anything very literally...

--Daniel

[johnastovall]

Originally Posted by Daniel Bates

Good advice there. But this is very good also:



Maybe that explains why Holgas are so popular? That lens doesn't describe anything very literally...

--Daniel

The not going far reminded me of the work by the Cezch photographer, Josef Sudek. He photographed the everyday things of life in his house and out his window.

Brook Jensen writes about Sudek, "It is as if he photographed the simple things of his meals before having them." Examples of his photographs.