JOHN CLANG,
Photographer
1. Assist, Assist and Assist!
The best start for a young photographer is to be an assistant to a photographer you really like. Even the biggest stars of today were someone's assistants yesterday.
2. Put a real effort into every job you take, even the ones you're not that excited about. Each and every job adds that much more experience to your resume.
3. Take charge on a shoot. You don't need to be a jerk but you shouldn't be a pushover either. You want people to listen to you, to hear your ideas and respect them.
4. Get your work out there, whether it is a single image in a sourcebook or an ad in a photo magazine or a piece in a gallery show. Do whatever it takes to have your work be seen by the people you want to see it; that's the most important thing.
5. Go one step further and create a small promo booklet and have it printed overseas, perhaps in Asia, where the cost is much cheaper than in the U.S. Ship it over to the U.S and have it distributed it to everyone you want to work with.
The Wisdom of Experience
Successful photographers recall the best advice they ever received, and share some lessons they learned on their own.
Advice from The Pro
Lois Greenfield
"What proved to be the best advice was being inspired by Duane Michals. He was giving a lecture at MIT to a crowd of Minor White/Zone system enthusiasts and provocatively asked the audience, 'If all your life means to you is water running over rocks, then photograph it. But as for me, I want to photograph something that would not have existed without me.' I advise young photographers to cultivate their own unique vision, whatever that may be, after they go through the sometimes necessary evolutionary stages of emulating others. First of all, the world doesn't need more imagery that traffics in overused visual cliches. Secondly, from a commercial point of view, a photographer with a unique style gives a client a convincing reason to hire them or publish their image."
Chris Rainier
"One of the best experiences for me was working with Ansel Adams and having his great friends passing through at the famous cocktail hours. Even more influential than things they said were the lives they led. The clear message I received was, 'Be in for the long haul. Put off short-term gains for long-term gains.' I saw people that had vision and knew that they were going to be doing this as a lifetime's passion. I think people, especially in our instantaneous culture, are looking for instantaneous results. Art is a way of life. You set your goals in creating a body of work that speaks about who you are and what you believe in, a unique voice. That is the only way one can withstand the challenges, the pitfalls, the insecurities of our field."
Sean Kernan
"I was drawn to the art, the exploration of photography, to what it could clarify about the world. I now feel that I didn't follow that impulse with as much ferocity as I should have. While commercial work fed me, I think it cost me something, too. So what I'd say is that no matter what else you have to do to live, keep the artistic impulse primary, stay awake and do the work of discovery. Everything else will follow. Do your work!"
Jay Maisel
"The advice I'd offer to younger photographers used to be, 'Someday you'll take a terrific picture and to avoid having it scratched, lost, etc. Learn to make a good dupe.' Nowadays, however, my advice is 'Don't be seduced by equipment, think of content, not just form.'"
:thumbsup:
Arnold Newman
"I had been an art student and a manager of this little chain studio," recalls Arnold Newman. "The owner turned to me and said, 'Arnold, do you want to do just what you have to do or do you really want to learn?' From that day on I've taken that advice. You can't learn unless you work your tail off." :thumbsup:
Howard Schatz
"My closest friend in the world was a photographer and he said to me 'I've made every mistake that can be made and therein lies the truth about learning.'":thumbsup:
Kurt Markus
"If I'm doing a picture with a person or if I'm going to a place to do some pictures, I try to spend more time being open to it instead of being fixed in my own point of view. When you do pictures long enough, you see yourself in every single shot. You know where you stand, how far from your subject, how you frame. That gets boring. I want to be more surprised, more interested in what's outside, not what's in me."
Jim Brandenburg
"I don't think my success is based on money or talent. It came from having strong, deep passions for my subject matter. If you have a strong voice and a strong feeling, you can overcome a weaker talent."
Chip Simons
"If you take pictures of things that get you excited, then other people will probably get excited too."
