1.1: 1PH WHAT TO SHOOT?

If you are hunting with a gun, figuring out what to shoot is an easy question, with the general answer being mammals that taste good when cooked.

Hunting with a camera is different. Perhaps the best short answer is hunting for things that interest you. These could be external, like a funny sign or a good friend, or it could be more internal... and perhaps abstract.

Photographs are not reality, but fairly dim reflections of it. Think of the most beautiful sunset you have ever seen compared to the most beautiful photograph of a sunset you have ever seen. The photograph probably doesn’t hold a candle (punishness intended) to the real thing.

The real sunset has colors and depths that cannot be shown in the photograph. It has no frame, but gradually fades out of view until you move your eyes across both the details and the scape as a whole. 

This is not a photograph of the sunset, but an aspect of it. The real sunset was beautiful (I remember it), but what interested me was a photograph of small people doing what they do, which in this case is not much.

And it goes beyond the visual. That real sunset is often accompanied by a cool breeze. Perhaps it breaks you out of the routine and stresses of the day, giving over your attention to the joys of just being alive. It may give you insights into time, as you can almost see that orb move as it dips below the horizon. It is a temporal experience—you will never experience any second of that sunset ever again.

You could be with someone else, and sharing that experience can add intangible dimensions into your knowledge of that person. I could go on, of course, and probably so could you. 

The point is that photographs are not reality, nor can they compete with it in this way. 

But back to what you take photographs of. You might take a photograph of that sunset to remind you of that feeling you had or perhaps to capture another experience—a part of that sunset that does translate into a photograph. That would be an external approach.

Or, you could take a photograph of colors that are pleasing together, like an abstract painting that has little or nothing to do with the actual sunset. This would be more of an internal approach—the world as raw material for something you are making.

While you are at working through this book, look at other photographers’ work. Yes, I know you see photographs every day, but looking at curated (filtered) images that are recognized to be great helps to keep you from the circle of GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out). Learn from the best—you can get back to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest later. 

Following are some links to get you started looking at good photographs. If the link looks interesting, go to it. If it doesn’t, then don’t. Hopefully you are reading this in an tablet application that brings you back to the text after looking at the web. If not, consider reviewing the recommendations on the first page of the preface.

One good general site is Wiki Art, which is incomplete, but easy to scan. Just spend a bit of time looking at thumbnails and when you see something you like, remember the photographer’s name to pursue it more, perhaps by doing a Google Image Search. The Museum of Modern Art also has a good search function, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art has easy to navigate thumbnails to choose photographers. The Fotografiska Museum is really not a museum but a photography gallery with excellent exhibits.

Other good sites include the Center for Creative Photography if you like classic landscapes, the International Center of Photography if you like photojournalism, American Suburb X for more a mix of contemporary and classic photographers, American Photography for a more commercial approach with a good newsletter.

There are a few magazines that also have good images online. Lightwork and Aperture are two that often show contemporary photographers. The British Journal of Photography is a stalwart among publications, and they continually remind you they have been around since 1852. For a magazine dealing with a variety of contemporary media with roots in photography, try AfterImage.

Galleries’ web sites show the work of photographers they represent. The Catherine Edelman Gallery and the Edwynn Houk Gallery are two worth checking out, and there are more that have links later in this text in connection with individual photographers.

There are also resources that have interesting writing about photography. The Image, Deconstructed has interviews with photographers, Burn Magazine features essays about photography, and Autograph is tuned to diversity in photography. American Photo Magazine covers both commercial and fine art with an eye towards current trends. For technical things, The Art of Photography has videos (which are not always accurate, but may be interesting), PetaPixel is kind of like the People Magazine for photography, and the already mentioned Digital Photography Review can keep you up with new ways to spend money.