Apogee Photo Magazine
POPS ­ A Potpourri of Photo Stuff

by Steve Traudt

This article could be called, stuff I wish l'd known 10 years sooner! It presents 15 tips, techniques and philosophies. Some are objective; some are subjective. All have been useful to myself and to my students. I am especially interested in gaining control over the technical side so it becomes second nature; then the photographer's vision and emotions can come forth within the photograph.

Consider this quote: Human beings tend to attribute their own successes to personal intelligence, knowledge and artistry, but they explain away their failures as the result of situations beyond their control. Note the word control; in this article, I show ways to gain control. Control brings freedom and freedom yields stronger photographs.

1. One Guarantee: There is only one accessory you can buy which I guarantee will let you make stronger photographs. Yes, the dreaded "t" word, a Tripod! I hear you groaning but it's true. Beside the obvious benefits of sharpness, a tripod slows you down. It turns the act of photographing into a more important event. You use your 35mm camera like a view camera. You have time to really study the composition. A tripod elevates your photography past snapshots.

A cheap, wobbly tripod is worse than no tripod. A good tripod is a lifetime investment; spend as much as you would on another lens or camera body. I recommend two brands. Gitzo is the best. They are also very expensive. Buy your Gitzo ONLY from an authorized dealer to preserve the life­time warranty. Gitzo has dozens of models; study their brochure. I suggest a Performance model which allows you to get low to the ground.

The other brand to consider is Bogen. When price is considered, Bogen offers the best value. In any tripod, the less leg sections it has, the more stable. Also, weight adds stability. Buy one that extends high enough without using the center column. Be sure the tripod head easily allows vertical shots. A quick release head is very useful; Bogen makes several good ones. If your tripod does not spread low, use a Bogen Super Clamp attached to one of the legs. Bogen now imports Gitzo so you can get both catalogs with one phone call.

2. Sharp? Now that you have a good, steady platform for your camera, how do you know if your slides are sharp, I mean really sharp? The only way is with a good loupe. Don't judge sharpness by projection!! Expect to pay $30 to $40 for a decent loupe. I like the 8x rectangular Peak model. The Cadillac of loupes is the 4x Schneider Loupe at about $125. True, it's a lot of money. But a loupe gives lots of information about your slides and information is control.

3. Lens Tester: Everyone needs a cheap, easy to use lens tester. And you have one: the newspaper classified ads! Tape a full sheet outside on a flat surface, like a garage door. Set your camera up, on a tripod, exactly 90 degrees to the ads. Using either color slide or B/W film, and a gray card for exposure, test everything and keep notes. Try each f­stop. Try various focal lengths on a zoom. Test a generic lens against a brand name one. Test a tele­converter to see what f­stops are best. Test different shutter speeds to see if mirror­slap is a problem. Test filters for possible loss of sharpness. Compare edges of the photo to the center. Evaluate the slide or negative with a good loupe; don't make prints. This test provides a wealth of information. Even with today's lenses and films, 35mm still requires much care and feeding.

4. Weakest Link: The weakest link in your system determines the quality of the final photograph. The weak link may be a poor quality lens, the wrong aperture, a high speed film, cheap filter, a shaky tripod, etc. Don't put a $5 filter on a $200 lens. Don't put a $20 tale­converter behind an APO lens!

5. Taking Notes: A micro­cassette recorder is perfect for recording notes and data, especially in the field. Olympus makes the best. I have a Panasonic which works well. Get one with a capstan drive.

6. Bag It: I spent 10 years searching for the perfect bag. Each new bag I bought was larger than the last one. Unfortunately, it is human nature to fill the available space. Finally, I could hardly lift the bag. Going out to do photography became a chore. Eventually, I realized my folly. I now prefer a small fanny pack which holds some film, a filter or two, maybe one extra lens. A fanny pack keeps the weight off your shoulders. A vest is good too.

If you must occasionally carry more equipment, consider a backpack type of bag. These evenly distribute the weight allowing you to hike and explore with less effort. The Tamrac 757 and 787 are good. But be wary of these larger backpacks; you'll just fill them up!

The point is, you don't need EVERY lens with you at all times. Use your mind, not equipment, to create the photograph. You'll be so relaxed not carrying a 25 pound bag, you'll see images you never saw before.

7. Pro vs. Amateur: A professional edits their slides and only shows the strongest images. A pro never shows a weak photograph and then apologizes for it. Soon everyone figures you are a great photographer. And if others believe that, so will you! It's an attitude.

8. Make or Take? Do you make or take photographs? Yes, there is a difference. You take a photograph when you stand at some famous landmark and shoot it like every postcard you have seen. Ho hum... You make a photograph when you allow yourself to express your feelings. You make a photograph when you allow your emotions and creativity to shine forth, with no preconceptions; when you don't worry about rules of composition; when you shoot only for your own enjoyment, not a judge's. If you think this is a semantic argument, you're missing the point. Making a photograph is a philosophy, an attitude, a viewpoint. Taking a photograph is a rigid adherence to clichés and rules. Making a photograph is scary...read on.

9. News Flash: There is no such thing as a BAD photograph! There are photographs that work, and some that don't work. But the words good and bad have no place in our vernacular. If we allow such labels, soon we view the process as success or failure; and who wants to fail? So we start taking only safe photographs; ones which won't fail. At that point, we might as well sell our camera and buy postcards of our travels. Another point: only YOU can determine if the photograph worked or not. You pushed the shutter button; not me, not some judge.

Sometimes it is hard to go off the beaten path; but it's easier if you are willing to let yourself fail. Making photographs is risky, but risk yields reward. Ansel Adams said, "look at the world about you and trust to your own convictions. "

10. How Long? You'd never expect to become an accomplished pianist in 6 months or even in 2 or 3 years. It takes years to become an athlete or a doctor or a pilot. So why do you expect to learn photography in 6 months? Especially if you only use your camera once or twice a month. Ten years might be a better measure of time. It takes 10 years to become good at anything. Don't view it as work; let it be fun, exciting, challenging. Shoot lots of film; film is the best teacher. Patience is everything.

11. Best Film? This is the favorite argument of photographers. It is sad, because film is simply a tool for expression. You don't ask the owner of a nice house what brand hammer the carpenter used. The best film is actually the one you're now using; the one you best understand. If you're not now using one film, then pick one and learn all you can.

Once upon a time, editors decided that Kodachrome was the best film. However, a few years ago, Kodak sold their labs to Quaalex who have done a very poor job on Kodachrome. Kodachrome is a very complex and demanding film to develop. And for environmental reasons, Kodak will likely discontinue Kodachrome. (Update: Kodak just announced plans to buy back the Quaalex labs! But it may be too late, at least for Kodachrome)

In the meantime, Fuji gained a foothold. It is an E­6 film so you can get it developed quickly or do it yourself. Photo editors have also been very receptive to Fujichrome. Velvia is an incredible slide film from Fuji and it is truly outstanding. Velvia gives intense, vivid colors, but requires very accurate exposure. You must not underexpose it; I rate it at ISO 40 instead of 50. On cloudy, or rainy days, Velvia is incredible. Because of its' intense blacks, it looks polarized without using a polarizer! Velvia forces you to slow down and really think through your exposure; in this sense, Velvia can make you a stronger photographer.

Following the introduction of Velvia, Kodak brought out Ektachrome Lumiere and Elite which are very good. Fuji then answered back with their Provia and Sensia slide films. Although these ISO 100 films don't feature the intense color of Velvia, they do offer equivalent grain and sharpness at a full stop more speed.

But please, don't get too caught up in the best film argument. Pick a film, learn to use it and forget it. Film is not magic, you are! If film were the secret answer, then every shot you take would be perfect. But since they are not, it must be something other than film!?

12. Best Camera? Here we go again. The best camera is the one you now own and know how to use! Who has had a camera long enough to really know it? Who has ever actually worn out a camera? We are lured by the siren song of easy operation, auto­this and auto­that, bells and whistles. Some of the newest cameras require an engineering degree to understand!

Every time you buy a new camera, you have to learn its controls, its peculiarities. This takes energy away from the act of seeing, of making photographs. So you never quite get to the top of the learning curve. Buy a new camera ONLY when you truly need the new features. If you buy a second body, try to buy the same model as you already own.

For professional use, two features are mandatory: depth of field preview button and mirror lock­up. Other features to consider are: interchangeable viewfinder screens; spot metering; through the lens flash metering (TTL), double exposure capability and at least one mechanical shutter setting if the battery fails.

13. Contrast Control: Human vision can see a contrast ratio of about 200 to 1. Prints show a range of about 8 to 1; slides only 5 to 1. So the trick is to somehow compress the extreme ranges of contrast in everyday scenes, so they'll fit on the film. The graduated filters, such as Cokin makes, are the answer. The Cokin Holder is worthless; just hold the filter against the lens hood. Watch for fingerprints, dust and scratches. The 1 stop version is generally more useful for slide users.

14. Hyperfocal: When you focus a lens at infinity, you are wasting half your depth of field. Use the DOF hash marks on the lens to maximize the DOF. If the lens has no DOF marks, make yourself a chart or order my unique wallet­sized card.

15. Expose Yourself: The practice of bracketing your exposures is a total cop­out. You will never learn to be in control by bracketing. Bracketing a misleading term which actually means, I don't know what exposure to use! Cameras with Auto Program modes don't help either. Every camera made is calibrated to 18% gray, no matter how cleverly worded the ads. 18% is an average. The average scene in average light reflects 18 % of the light. So if you want all your photographs to be average, just use the Auto mode. Or you can use Program mode and your photographs will look like the Japanese engineer thought they should.

If however, you wish to make dramatic photographs in dramatic lighting, put the camera on manual and use a gray card!

I realize you spent lots of money on your camera and you're unhappy with the idea of a cheap piece of cardboard. But nothing will put you more in control than the intelligent use of a gray card. Now if you bracket, it's because you want extra originals, not because you don't know what to do.

Closing Thought: Strong photographs are only partly the result of technical expertise; they are mostly the result of your inner thoughts and feelings being allowed free expression. Photography is both craft and art. Craft is pretty easy to learn. Art can best be developed when the craft stuff has become second nature. Learn the craft and then tuck it away in your subconscious so the art side has free rein.

A wonderful image results when you let synergy marry your artistic side to your technical side.

Thanks for listening; I hope this gives you some food for thought.

Steve Traudt is photography teacher and owner of Synergistic Visions Photography in Grand Junction, Colorado. To find out more about Synergistic Visions and the photo tours and workshops hosted by Steve, see http://www.synvis.com. This article copyrighted by Steve Traudt, 1996.