Dang it! Take Pictures
Issue 155 – Stop talking about photography and start doing.
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Earlier this week, I traveled to Chicago to meet with Skylum Software's CEO and VP of Engineering. During the drive, I listened to the audiobook Atomic Habits by James Clear. The beginning of Chapter 11 caught my attention, where Clear recounts a story that illustrates the importance of consistent practice.
In the story, Jerry Uelsmann, a professor at the University of Florida, divides his film photography students into two groups on the first day of class. The students on the left side of the room are placed in the "quantity" group, where they are graded solely on the volume of work they produce. To earn an A, they need to submit 100 photos by the end of the semester, with lesser amounts earning lower grades.
On the other hand, the students on the right side of the room were in the "quality" group. These students were required to produce only one photo for the entire semester, but that photo needed to be nearly perfect to achieve an A.
At the end of the term, Uelsmann was surprised to find that the quantity group produced all the best photos. These students spent the semester actively taking pictures, experimenting with composition and lighting, testing different techniques, and learning from their mistakes. In the process of creating hundreds of photos, they honed their skills. Meanwhile, the quality group focused on making the perfect image and spent much time theorizing rather than practicing. As a result, they ended up with little to show for their efforts beyond one mediocre photo.
Curious about the origins of this story, I discovered that Clear was quoting from the book Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland. In their book, Bayles and Orland recount a similar story involving a University of Florida professor, Jerry Uelsmann. However, Orland later clarified that Uelsmann wasn't a photography professor, and the class was a ceramics class. Orland admitted to using some literary license to make the story more relatable to photographers.
Despite this clarification, the lesson remains incredibly relevant to photographers. Having taught photography for many years, I've often observed that many aspiring photographers spend more time talking about photography, buying gear, and consuming educational content than actually taking pictures. But the truth is, the best way to improve your photography is to get out and take photos.
Now, let's explore why taking pictures daily is beneficial and some daily projects that can help you improve your photography.
The Power of Daily Practice
Taking photos daily is a powerful way to improve your skills, even if they aren't your best work. Like the quantity group in Uelsmann's class, the more you shoot, the more you learn. Each click of the shutter is an opportunity to experiment, make mistakes, and learn from them. Over time, you'll notice improvements in your composition, understanding of light, and ability to capture moments as they unfold.
Daily practice helps you develop a rhythm and familiarity with your equipment. You become more intuitive in how you use your camera, allowing you to focus more on the creative aspects of photography rather than the technical ones. It also helps you build confidence in your abilities. The more photos you take, the more comfortable you become with trying new techniques and pushing the boundaries of your creativity.
Daily Projects to Boost Your Photography
To make daily photography a habit, consider taking on small projects that encourage you to shoot every day. Here are a few ideas:
365 Project: Commit to taking and posting one photo every day for a year. This long-term project forces you to find inspiration even when you might not feel motivated. Over time, you'll see your growth and development as a photographer.
Theme of the Week: Choose a different theme each week, such as "shadows," "reflections," or "street portraits." Focusing on a single theme allows you to explore different aspects of photography and develop a deeper understanding of the subject matter.
Time-Limited Sessions: Give yourself a time constraint, like 10 minutes, to take as many photos as possible in a specific location. This forces you to think quickly and creatively, making the most of the environment around you.
Color Challenge: Each day, choose a specific color and capture images that highlight that color in various ways. This project helps you become more aware of color in your surroundings and how it can be used effectively in composition.
Photo Walks: Set aside time each day to walk with your camera. Whether around your neighborhood, a local park, or a bustling city street, photo walks help you see the world with fresh eyes and discover new perspectives.
Self-Portrait Series: Challenge yourself to take a self-portrait every day. This project hones your technical skills and encourages self-expression and creativity.
Remember, these projects aim not to create perfect images every day but to keep you actively engaged in taking pictures. By doing so, you'll develop a habit that will significantly improve your photography over time.
* All of the pictures on this page were taken by me when I just happened to have brought my camera with me—on a walk or when I took my children to the zoo.
Jerry Uelsmann was indeed a photographer — and a very prominent one in the 60's and 70's. The authors of Art and Fear converted him to a ceramics professor, as they recounted to Austin Kleon:
“Yes, the ‘ceramics story’ in ‘Art & Fear’ is indeed true, allowing for some literary license in the retelling. Its real-world origin was as a gambit employed by photographer Jerry Uelsmann to motivate his Beginning Photography students at the University of Florida. As retold in ‘Art & Fear’ it faithfully captures the scene as Jerry told it to me—except I replaced photography with ceramics as the medium being explored. Admittedly, it would’ve been easier to retain photography as the art medium being discussed, but David Bayles (co-author) & I are both photographers ourselves, and at the time we were consciously trying to broaden the range of media being referenced in the text. The intriguing thing to me is that it hardly matters what art form was invoked—the moral of the story appears to hold equally true straight across the whole art spectrum (and even outside the arts, for that matter).”
Excellent content Anthony that indirectly reflects on the activity of many photography "Enthusiasts" these days.
So many are "caught up" in conquering the challenges presented to them by the coders of the latest and greatest photo processing software that they have lost sight of what inspired them in the first place. I am not referring to the use of the software which is necessary because of digital reproduction but rather the shift in focus to discussions and conversations to the tools themselves.
As a matter of fact, these discussions (arguments) have totally replaced the sharing of, discussion of and the reviewing of the actual act of taking pictures which presumably, is why the groups were created (and the reason I joined) in the first place.
Nowhere is this more evident than the various Photo Post-Processing software brand Social Media groups.
As cameras and lenses collect dust on the shelf and the initial joys of photography are being pushed to the back burner, the daily onslaught of posts from most all of these Photography Centric Groups are filled with arguments and trashtalk on the latest graphics cards, discussions of RAM and the Fanboy Nerding Out of various Computer Operating systems and how they get along with the cantankerous, (underdeveloped), predatory and over-priced photo processing software that armies of over-employed software engineers are being paid to produce. (Sorry, but these are the nicest things I could think of to say)
I could have stopped after the first paragraph but as someone who is very tired of all the Silicone Silliness, I'll continue to say that I can't help but feel that the actual process of capturing photographic images, expanding upon and educating ourselves so as to improve one's photographic skills, being dedicated to preserving fleeting moments in time while at the same time offering a creative outlet for our thoughts and feelings are the true focus of what appeals to most of us that regularly take pictures.
As in the title of your excellent entry, The physical act of Taking Pictures is the only thing in this creative realm that can offer us these incomparable benefits and transport us away from the cacophony produced by an over-marketed techno-concentric world.