{"id":93646,"date":"2018-06-10T02:27:11","date_gmt":"2018-06-10T09:27:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/10\/abbas\/"},"modified":"2018-06-10T22:10:00","modified_gmt":"2018-06-11T05:10:00","slug":"abbas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/10\/abbas\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Lessons Abbas has Taught Me About Photography"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rest in peace Abbas<\/a>; your legacy and images live on!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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Why I love the photos by Abbas<\/h2>\n
\"\"
MALI. Bamako. At sunrise, a fisherman in his boat on the river Niger. 1994. Abbas<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
    \n
  1. His use of surrealism, layers, and depth in his photos.<\/li>\n
  2. Variety of photos; some of them fun and cheerful, others heavier.<\/li>\n
  3. His overall optimistic outlook on life, shown through his positive photos.<\/li>\n
  4. The pure poetry of some of his images takes my breath away, via the minimalist compositions, and the use of epic light.<\/li>\n
  5. His use of humor in his photos!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    1. Don’t over-complicate photography; keep it simple!<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n I know that some photographers have big egos, but photography is simple. In the morning, you put a roll of film in your camera\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand today you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even have to do this with digital. You take to the streets, you come back home, edit your photographs and show them. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s that simple.<\/span>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Don’t complicate photography. Keep it simple. Go out, enjoy your walk, and shoot and make photos! When you go home, choose your favorite photos, and then decide which to share\/publish with others!<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Another option: Work on an extended photo series, and also work on your sequencing of images.<\/p>\n

    2. Do you write or draw with light?<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    Photography can be writing or drawing with light. Which do you do? (you can do both).<\/p>\n

    Abbas explains:<\/p>\n

    \n There are two ways to think about photography: one is writing with light, and the other is drawing with light.<\/span>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    <\/p>\n

    What are you trying to say with your photos? Every writer writes with a purpose in mind, or an idea they wish to to communicate to the viewer. What do you want to say with your photos? <\/b><\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n Isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t photography \u00e2\u20ac\u0153writing with light\u00e2\u20ac\u009d? But with the difference that while the writer possesses his word, the photographer is himself possessed by his photo…<\/span>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    3. Get a good pair of shoes and fall in love (with the world\/what you photograph)<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    When asked for advice to aspiring photographers, he said:<\/p>\n

    \n Get a good pair of walking shoes and\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 fall in love.<\/span>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    <\/p>\n

    4. Transcend the world<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n The world may be color but black and white transcends it.<\/span>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Photography isn’t just about photographing the world as it is, but to make art which transcends reality!<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    5. Make stories of how you perceive events and the world!<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n<\/blockquote>\n

    <<\/p>\n

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    The choice was to think of oneself either as a photojournalist or an artist. It wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t out of humility that I called myself a photojournalist, but arrogance. I thought photojournalism was superior.<\/p>\n

    The roots of Magnum was photojournalism. But realize that photography is also<\/i> art!<\/p>\n

    \n Now I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just make stories about what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m making stories about my way of seeing what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    p-image-93661 size-full” src=”http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/par281080910115905.jpg” width=”418″ height=”627″ \/><\/p>\n

    There’s no objectivity in photography, even with “unbiased” photojournalism and photography. Write your own truths with your photos.<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n

    6. Shoot spontaneously\/follow your gut<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    > \u00e2\u20ac\u0153My photography is a reflection, which comes to life in action and leads to meditation. Spontaneity \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the suspended moment \u00e2\u20ac\u201c intervenes during action, in the viewfinder.<\/p>\n

    \n

    7. Make social, economic, religious statements with your photos<\/h2>\n

    <\/p>\n

    \n What I’m interested in is not only the personal belief, it’s what people do in the name of God \u00e2\u20ac\u201d sometimes the great things, and sometimes the stupid and violent things they do in his name \u00e2\u20ac\u201d that’s more interesting to me<\/span>.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n

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    \n

    Learn from the Masters ><\/a><\/h2>\n
    \"\"<\/a>
    Learn From the Masters: Mobile Edition<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Dear friend, if you haven’t heard the exciting news already– MASTERS is now available as both a digital<\/a> and print edition<\/a>!<\/p>\n

    Timeless wisdom from the masters of street photography.<\/p>\n

    Buy MASTERS on Amazon ><\/a><\/p>\n

    \n

    \n “He without a past has no future.”\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Start here:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Why Study the Masters of Photography?<\/a><\/li>\n
    2. Great Female Master Photographers<\/a><\/li>\n
    3. Cheat Sheet of the Masters of Photography<\/a><\/li>\n
    4. 100 Lessons From the Masters of Street Photography<\/a><\/li>\n
    5. Beginner’s Guide to the Masters of Street Photography<\/a><\/li>\n
    6. Download All Articles ><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n

      The Masters of Photography<\/h2>\n
      \"Prague,
      Prague, 1968. Josef Koudelka<\/a> \/ Magnum Photos<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

      Classics never die:<\/p>\n