Elegance. Woman with umbrella. Seoul, 2009

Why You Must Kill Your Masters in Photography

Elegance. Woman with umbrella. Seoul, 2009
Elegance. Woman with umbrella. Seoul, 2009

Find inspiration from the masters of photography, but never become their slave.

New Book: MASTERS by HAPTICPRESS


When I started photography, Henri Cartier-Bresson was my master. I found deep inspiration in his shooting style and zen and life philosophy.

The conductor. Downtown LA, 2009
The conductor. Downtown LA, 2009

But for several years, all I did was try to imitate his style. Look for an interesting background, and wait for the right person to come into the frame. It soon bored me.

I soon got a little depressed — I got inspired by Henri Cartier-Bresson, but could I ever become better than him?

Stay true to your own vision

MASTERS FIRST EDITION TITLE PAGE
MASTERS FIRST EDITION TITLE PAGE

Thus, I started an extremely intense period of scholarship and studying the masters of photography— trying to figure out what their “secret sauce” was.

The result of all my studies:

The true masters of photography had faith in themselves, and stayed focused on their own artistic vision.

The masters killed their masters— just like how Rene Burri killed Henri Cartier-Bresson by defying his “rules” (by using a telephoto lens). Or like Martin Parr when he started to shoot color (also defying Henri Cartier-Bresson, who said only black and white photography was legitimate).

Become your own master

We all need a root, foundation, and apprenticeship in photography. But once we have mastered the fundamentals, we must BREAK LOOSE, and cut the umbilical cord with our master(s).

Be grateful for what the masters have taught you, but learn to KILL YOUR MASTER.

Then, set on your own path. Be brave, have faith in your own vision, and one day— you will become a master in the eyes of your future students. And then you too should hope one day, your students will also kill you, to find their unique voice in photography.

BE STRONG,
ERIC

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