{"id":118251,"date":"2018-11-19T02:00:03","date_gmt":"2018-11-19T10:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=118251"},"modified":"2018-11-19T08:14:20","modified_gmt":"2018-11-19T16:14:20","slug":"strive-to-make-perfect-photographs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/11\/19\/strive-to-make-perfect-photographs\/","title":{"rendered":"Strive to Make Perfect Photographs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Perhaps the point of photography is to make strong single images.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why shoot photos?<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The exciting thing about photography now \u00e2\u20ac\u201d we have video. Almost all modern digital cameras have fantastic 4K recording abilities.<\/p>\n

I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been personally experimenting a lot shooting video<\/a>, and have been loving the powerful abilities of video to story-tell.<\/p>\n

However, my big epiphany was this:<\/p>\n

\n Video is superior than photography to tell stories.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

With video, we can edit the footage, tell more narratives, use audio, music, etc, to make a more all-encompassing story.<\/p>\n

Which made me wonder:<\/p>\n

\n What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the purpose of photography, if video is superior than photography to tell stories?\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

My simple idea:<\/p>\n

\n Perhaps the future of photography is simple \u00e2\u20ac\u201d to make strong single images, that will last the test of time.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Let me explain some of my thoughts.<\/p>\n

\n

What lasts?<\/h2>\n

\"Cindy<\/p>\n

My friend Nietzsche taught me,<\/p>\n

\n The worth of an artist or an artwork is simple \u00e2\u20ac\u201d whether it lasts.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I agree with this sentiment.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, time is the final judge on the power of an artwork \u00e2\u20ac\u201d how strong or weak it is. Weak artworks will perish over time. However strong artworks will become better<\/em> over time \u00e2\u20ac\u201d like a lovely marination. Or like a nice wine, it will age better with time. Or for my fellow fermented food lovers, it will taste better with more fermentation (of course, up to a certain point\u00e2\u20ac\u201d even kimchi will eventually spoil).<\/p>\n

\"istanbul<\/p>\n

Anyways, when we look at the first pictures (paintings used to be called pictures)\u00e2\u20ac\u201d they are mostly single paintings, which stand on their own two feet. The concept of a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153series\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is a modern notion \u00e2\u20ac\u201d perhaps French?<\/p>\n

The master Italian Renaissance painters (Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo) made many artworks in their life. But the ones which last are \u00e2\u20ac\u0153standalone\u00e2\u20ac\u009d works. The Mona Lisa (single painting, stand-alone, single subject). The Pieta (two subjects, single piece of marble). The Sistine Chapel (essentially, a really big single painting).<\/p>\n

\n

The nature of photographs<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Over time, all photos will eventually get removed from a series.<\/p>\n

For example in music, most of us know \u00e2\u20ac\u0153hit songs\u00e2\u20ac\u009d. When we look at modern playlists, we make playlists with our favorite single songs. Very few people listen to whole albums anymore.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The same thing with photography projects \u00e2\u20ac\u201d very few people look at photo projects or series as a whole.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

And this is my thought:<\/p>\n

\n No matter how good your photography series, there are generally only 1-3 photos from the series which will live on. The rest of the photos will probably die.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For example, Henri Cartier Bresson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Decisive Moment\u00e2\u20ac\u009d book<\/a> \u00e2\u20ac\u201d the photos which have lived on include the jumping puddle man photo, and perhaps the bicycle photo.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Henri Cartier-Bresson \/ HCB Foundation. FRANCE. The Var department. Hy\u00c3\u00a8res. 1932. Blurred bicycle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With William Klein<\/a>, the kid with gun. But nobody really remembers his whole series-book, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153New York is Good For You\u00e2\u20ac\u009d.<\/p>\n

\"Contact
Contact sheet: William Klein kid with gun<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"
William Klein Kid with Gun \/ Gun 1, New York, 1955 (c) William Klein<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With Diane Arbus, kid with grenade.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"
Child with Toy Hand Grenade in Central Park, New York City, USA (1962) \/ Diane Arbus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With Josef Koudelka, the watch photo from Prague and the devil-wolf dog photos from his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Exiles\u00e2\u20ac\u009d book.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Josef Koudelka, from his “Exiles” book<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nick Ut with his \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Napalm Girl\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photo.<\/p>\n

Strive to make 1 impactful photograph in your life<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Essentially what I mean to say is this,<\/p>\n

\n Even the greatest master photographers of history only have 1-2 memorable photos.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Thus, if you can make 1 photograph which stands the test of time, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve done your duty as a photographer.<\/p>\n

So perhaps our simple goal is this:<\/p>\n

\n Strive to make perfect single photographs \u00e2\u20ac\u201d photographs with no visible flaws. Photos that will echo through the eons.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n

What does \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d mean?<\/h2>\n

\"shadow<\/p>\n

Of course there is no such thing as an objectively \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photo.<\/p>\n

However, you can make a photograph what you consider \u00e2\u20ac\u0153perfect\u00e2\u20ac\u009d in your own eyes.<\/p>\n

For myself, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve probably made 3 photos which I consider perfect from 2009-2018\u00e2\u20ac\u201c my umbrella lady photo in Seoul (2009), my sleeping man at the beach photo in marseille (2013), and my laughing lady photo in nyc (2015). Which means on average, I make 1 phenomenal picture every 4-5 years.<\/p>\n

My current personal ambition is this:<\/p>\n

\n To make a single photograph which lasts at least 300 years.<\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Perhaps this is the gift I can give to humanity.<\/p>\n

\n

Reminder: Follow yourself<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Of course, this is all just my personal idea, philosophy, and pursuit. You don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to do what I do. However, I think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a good idea.<\/p>\n

\n

How to make a perfect photo<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Honestly, you cannot know whether you have a perfect photograph or not until many years after you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve shot the picture. The simple principle is this:<\/p>\n

\n Edit (select your photos) ruthlessly.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This means,<\/p>\n

\n Kill your babies.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How well will your photos age over time?<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Generally there are two types of photos:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Photos that you like more<\/em> as time goes on<\/li>\n
  2. Photos that you like less<\/em> as time goes on<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Keep the photos that get better over time (type 1 photos).<\/p>\n

    How to make timeless photos<\/h2>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    A practical framework of how to strive towards making these timeless pictures:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Photograph anything and everything you find interesting<\/li>\n
    2. When you see something interesting, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153work the scene\u00e2\u20ac\u009d (shoot as many photos possibly you can of that thing. For example, aim to shoot at least 30 photos of an interesting scene).<\/li>\n
    3. When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re working the scene of an interesting potential photo, try to perfect the composition. Compose the scene from different angles, exposures, distances and experiment shooting with a flash.<\/li>\n
    4. When you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re at home and reviewing your photos, only keep your strong photos. Ditch all your weak and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153maybe\u00e2\u20ac\u009d photos.<\/strong> (if you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not sure whether you should keep or ditch a photo, upload it to arsbeta.com<\/a>).<\/li>\n
    5. Every year, review all of your best pictures, and keep a well-curated selection of your best photographs that you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve ever shot. I would keep this list of your photos to your personal top 5, or top 10.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n

      Conclusion: You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the ultimate judge<\/h2>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      What is your 1 favorite photograph of all time? Determine whether it is a perfect photo by judging it with your own eyes.<\/p>\n

      To \u00e2\u20ac\u0153critique\u00e2\u20ac\u009d a photo means to judge it (kritikos in Ancient Greek).<\/p>\n

      \"\"<\/p>\n

      You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re the ultimate critic and judge of your photos. Strive to make photos you consider perfect, and strive to make these photographs immortal \u00e2\u20ac\u201d more lasting than bronze (in the words of Horace).<\/p>\n

      Never stop shooting,
      \nERIC<\/p>\n

      If you want honest feedback on your photos, upload your pictures to arsbeta.com<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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