Day 3: Magnum Workshop with Constantine Manos Notes, Video

Snapshot with Constantine Manos :)
Snapshot with Constantine Manos :)

Today David Alan Harvey just arrived from France, and I had one last morning session with Constantine Manos. Below are my notes and video critique recordings:

Also check out Karl Edwards notes on “Street Shootr”:

Notes:

  • ‘devices’ : tools of composition, light, shadows
  • Avoid ‘bad cut “of subjects in corner of frame
  • Avoid ‘too general “
  • “nothing particular special is going on”
  • “I hate to see shapes cut off at edges” ***

Critique 1. Sharona

  • Batting average: 1 shot per roll keeper rate for Manos ***
  • Dodging and burning honest.
  • In post processing: do anything you can do in darkroom.
  • Don’t change information in scene: don’t clone photos out.
  • Photograph shoulders in frame.
  • We’re not doing documentary ogotogtsogt. We’re doing beautiful photography. ***
  • Photojournalist is news, magazine. No cut off heads. Some photo journal is beautiful. But more functional.
  • I’m not documentary, photojournalist.
  • I do personal documentary. ***
  • Photographing expression of your feeling. Not what it looks like. ***
  • Turn ordinary extraordinary. ***
  • Everything in world is ordinary.
  • Don’t be carried away what happens in center if frame.
  • Street photography  as most challenging type of photography. . ***
  • Portraits. As easy.
  • Photograph blonde lesbian in Budapest: boring
  • Photographing man holes: who cares?
  • Sometimes blur is ok.
  • Auto camera is great in night in Times Square.
  • High ISO of digital helps shoot at dark areas. Can’t shoot film.
  • Canon SLR, 85mm, f2. Color negative film. Fuji 1600 at 800.
  • Color looks better over exposed ***
  • Overexpose color negative film by 1 stop ***
  • Koda 64 ISO. ISO at 80, little dark. Prefer dark side, color slides.
  • Too easy photos avoid.
  • Need something exceptional to happen
  • Photos exist for its own sake.

Tips

Copyright: Constantine Manos
Copyright: Constantine Manos / Magnum Photos
  • Articulate what you did right and wrong.
  • Easy road: portrait of old lady.
  • Avoid easy photos
  • Thousands of flower bird, landscape photos.
  • Avoid too easy photo.
  • Better the photos longer it will last. See again over again, enters memory bank. We have photos we remember.
  • Hcb; puddle photo. Nobody took photo like that before.
  • Green pepper by Weston, shot with 8×10: made contact. Never seen ordinary object like pepper so beautiful. Not what it was, how the camera showed beauty in ordinary. Photos dependent when it was made.
  • Photo with infinite life. How rare is moment? Photos will exist 50 years later *** process and search as fun
  • Poem: photos ***
  • photos in book! collection of poems

Karl critique

  • Think vertical or horizontal before.
  • Think before shooting.  Don’t panic ***
  • Stellajohnson.com
  • Chris chadbourne (Google)
  • David saxe (Google)
  • $20-30k to self publishing

Kile critique

  • High ISO great with digital cameras at night (use it)
  • 200 ISO used to be fast with film!

Video Critique

Day 3: Costa Manos on Difficulty of Street Photos

Day 3: Costa Manos Critique Karl Edwards

Day 3: Costa Manos Critique Sharona and Color Tips