I got the chance to attend the "Canon Explorers of Light" event hosted by Point Park University in the JVH auditorium last week. Even though photography is not a specific skill I want to pursue (for now, but maybe in the future), I still found the event to be valueable and I stayed the entire two and a half hours that it lasted simply because I liked listening to what all of these photographers had to say on a number of different topics of photography. I took a few notes down during the event, primarily quotes that I found to be interesting.
The first half of the event was a discussion panel with four photographers (from left: Jared Wickerham (DK Sports), Jasmine Goldband (Tribune Review), Steve Mellon (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette), Chris Rolinson (Point Park University)). The second half of the event was a presentation and slideshow by Sports Illustrated photographer Simon Bruty. Here are a few quotes/opinions from each panelist I took down in my notes that I found to be informative and helpful and my comments:
Jared:
"Improve on the little things." - I believe that this can be applied to anything in life, not just photographs. But for those who choose to pursue photography, this is a small but solid piece of advice to just go out and try to capture different "simple" types of photographs before jumping right into the big stuff. Just know where you stand and don't try to improve too quickly and leave things behind.
Jasmine:
"Find something you're passionate about." - This can also be applied to life in general, but in the sense of photography, she means to find your niche in photography, whether that be black and white, portraits, landscapes, multiple exposures, or even different combinations of things. Once you find that, you'll be happy and won't want to stop taking those photos.
She also talked about how she took photography "scavenger hunts" and took photos of things that are rarely seen in the world anymore, such as phonebooths. I thought this was a great thing for her to share with the audience.
"Take a walk with your camera." - If you have your camera with you while you're out, you'll never miss the chance to capture something you find worth capturing or to simply just practice taking photos of things you see every day. Practice putting your own spin on these every day things.
Steve:
"People are consuming pictures differently." - I think Steve meant that photographs have different meanings and purposes to those who make them a part of their lives in any way. Whether it be a Snapchat selfie or a professional headshot, a non-photographer and a photographer are going to have two different points-of-view on those types of photos.
"Embrace change." - Again, this can be general life advice. But in photography, its important to hone this quality simply because change is everywhere and it is unavoidable. Since it's unavoiadable, you might as well adjust to it while you adjust your camera settings and take photos of those changes around you.
He also made a comment about how his daughter takes seemingly "silly" Snapchat selfies that were pointless to him at first, from a photographers point of view. He then thought about how this was unfair to put down his daughters selfie because no matter what he thinks about it, that picture was still important enough to her to take and share with her friends for a reason that is completely up to her. This was said in order to inform the audience that every photo that was shared was taken and shared for a reason and not to underestimate those reasons.
Chris:
"Look at other people's photographs." - I can tell this is important to Chris because he incorporates discussion boards into his class to make students appreciate the skills and styles of other photographers and to let them inspire their own photos. It is always important to have an awareness of those around you so you can shape yourself around that.
Simon:
"If you're prepared, and luck comes your way, then you can get a good photograph." - I think what Simon really wanted to convey by saying this was how important it really is to be prepared as a photographer. There are some moments, especially in sports photography, that will never happen again and it is essential to be prepared, but not to let the technical aspects of your camera and your position override the moment that you're about to capture.
While watching the slideshow of Simon's photos, it was really nice to look at all of those captivating photos. What was also great was how he remembered almost all of what happened before and during those shoots and was able to tell us funny and entertaining stories about how to took the photos that he did. He seemed like a very knowledgeable photographer who really appreciates every aspect of the skill and would never take it, or anything around him, for granted. I'm glad that he took the time to come speak at the university for the students that aspire to be like him one day.
