As someone who shoots digital. I used to shoot hundreds of photos during a shoot. After watching you and other film and large format shooters. I stopped and began taking less than a hundred shots per trip. Opting to slow down and be patient with a subjects. I've seen a huge jump in the quality of my work now.
I have nowhere near your level of patience ,shooting large format, but I have been unknowingly mentoring a young photographer and it’s become very apparent how things have sped up for everyone in the last couple of decades. My simple suggestions like watching the light and waiting a few minutes are blowing his mind, in a good way.
The patience you have shown over the years has always been something I marveled at. I have moments where I feel like I am learning to be more patient, setup on a composition and wait for it, but those moments are few and far between. I need to try to do better at that. Inspired by you of course.
Yes, the larger gear lends to a bit slower pace overall. I met Michael Fatali a few times back in those days, Ben. And yes, his original gallery was in an old church just outside ZNP at that time. I too discussed LF with him at the time as I had already moved up to MF with my RB67 ProSD by then. Shortly there after I made the move to 4x5 and share outings with both formats now off and on. Both require patients in the field with their own bit of idiosyncrasies.
Well said. Since I have changed to film and mainly shooting 4x5 format to me the most important part of photography (being outdoors and taking photographs) has become more enjoyable and satisfying.
Patience most definitely required living on west coast of Ireland where high winds and camera movement is a constant battle. Keeps us going back and the just enjoy the process. Patiently waiting for your new videos from Zion this year and hope it won’t be Xmas before you get to post them. 😂 Have a great trip to Zion.
There is so much philosophical fluff in TH-cam photography videos these days most of which don't really tell you anything substantial or help you much. Just a lot of nice sounding words without a lot of real substance. I think this short video rises above all that nonsense and nails down one of the most important aspects of landscape photography. Waiting for the best moment available is as, or more, important than gear and settings and a lot of the other stuff we like to obsess over. But, there are two aspects that you have to have for this to work. The first is that you obviously have to have the discipline to be patient and the second is that you have to have the time to be patient with. It is hard enough to be patient but for a lot of us, time is the greater commodity and one of the hardest to come by. The price, or value, of time can pale in comparison to the cost of gear.
We're planning on visiting the meadow next week for a color check. Not a lot of rain here this summer plus it's been warmer than 'normal' but looking for a cool-off next week and the one after, for whatever that's worth. I guess we'll just have to be patient and see what we get.
Patience is certainly key! Andrew just posted a video from within the past few days or so showing the meadow area and it definitely looked much drier than years past. Already some color showing in the lower elevations of that canyon too. In any case, I look forward to heading out there next week! Last year the color and conditions were almost too perfect, so perhaps an off-year might be a nice change of pace. 🙂
It's all about learning to anticipate the light before it happens. When you do this, there's no need to adjust the composition as the light changes because you will have already taken that into consideration. www.benhorne.com/gallery#/salt-sand/ The photo at the top of this page is the one I was referring to in Death Valley. I set up my composition around 2pm or so, then waited for the last light to strike the mountains and made my exposure. The composition was set for the foreground and the mountains while envisioning how it would look at sunset. The clouds just happened to pass by that evening when the light was best, but earlier that day I noticed some high clouds and figured the pattern might persist through evening.
I hear you... I feel you.... But when do you feel that "this is the ONE" to sit it out and wait for the right (light, wind speed, season)? So many times, I find a composition that I "think" is cool and worthy, but after staring at it, and waiting X amount of time, the doubt creeps in that this is just a waste of time? :) (long time viewer/listener of podcast)
Two thoughts on Fatali - I ran into him at Lower Antelope around 2000. We went in to get the light beam, and a woman is standing near the entrance to the largest chamber. She tells us someone is taking a shot and we can enter in just one minute. Well, that minute turns into 15+, and there's now a bunch of people wanting to go in. We can hear him saying just another minute! Finally, someone just goes in and we all follow - it's Fatali tossing sand in the air. By the time we get in, the light is nearly done. He packs up and splits. Second - he always made a big deal of only shooting with natural light and how he would wait for days to get the right conditions. Like the time he lit presto logs under Delicate Arch and marred the sandstone under the arch. During a workshop! The parks service had to remediate the scars he caused. He was charges with several crimes as a result of these actions. Turns out that wasn't the only national park where he had done that. He's a marvelous photographer, but I have lost a lot of respect for him after these incidents.
I was wondering if somebody was going to bring up the issue of character regarding Fatali. When I’ve seen a picture by Fatali, I wondered what selfish behavior went into capturing it.
Photography is not a race! I visit Northern California wine country for a few days 1-2 times a year. I visit only 2 wineries a day (I also shoot 5x7). Some of my friends are proud that they get to 6 wineries in a day (they shoot digital). Not too sure if they remember much at the end of the day. Both are valid ways to taste wine, just different.
As someone who shoots digital. I used to shoot hundreds of photos during a shoot. After watching you and other film and large format shooters. I stopped and began taking less than a hundred shots per trip. Opting to slow down and be patient with a subjects.
I've seen a huge jump in the quality of my work now.
Waiting , learning to have patience and sitting calmly, letting nature do it's thing and being fine with that , is a skill and a life lesson .
I have nowhere near your level of patience ,shooting large format, but I have been unknowingly mentoring a young photographer and it’s become very apparent how things have sped up for everyone in the last couple of decades. My simple suggestions like watching the light and waiting a few minutes are blowing his mind, in a good way.
The patience you have shown over the years has always been something I marveled at. I have moments where I feel like I am learning to be more patient, setup on a composition and wait for it, but those moments are few and far between. I need to try to do better at that. Inspired by you of course.
Yes, the larger gear lends to a bit slower pace overall. I met Michael Fatali a few times back in those days, Ben. And yes, his original gallery was in an old church just outside ZNP at that time. I too discussed LF with him at the time as I had already moved up to MF with my RB67 ProSD by then. Shortly there after I made the move to 4x5 and share outings with both formats now off and on. Both require patients in the field with their own bit of idiosyncrasies.
Well said. Since I have changed to film and mainly shooting 4x5 format to me the most important part of photography (being outdoors and taking photographs) has become more enjoyable and satisfying.
Such a valuable distinction, Thanks again for another lovely presentation of the essences 🙂
Words of wisdom from experience.
Short but important thank you
Patience most definitely required living on west coast of Ireland where high winds and camera movement is a constant battle. Keeps us going back and the just enjoy the process. Patiently waiting for your new videos from Zion this year and hope it won’t be Xmas before you get to post them. 😂 Have a great trip to Zion.
PP: patience & persistence. I got a Deardorff 8x10 V8
Many people today have the attention span of a gnat!....
Ben, I see you as the Human version of "Master Splinter"... Cheers, Mate.
There is so much philosophical fluff in TH-cam photography videos these days most of which don't really tell you anything substantial or help you much. Just a lot of nice sounding words without a lot of real substance.
I think this short video rises above all that nonsense and nails down one of the most important aspects of landscape photography. Waiting for the best moment available is as, or more, important than gear and settings and a lot of the other stuff we like to obsess over.
But, there are two aspects that you have to have for this to work. The first is that you obviously have to have the discipline to be patient and the second is that you have to have the time to be patient with. It is hard enough to be patient but for a lot of us, time is the greater commodity and one of the hardest to come by. The price, or value, of time can pale in comparison to the cost of gear.
We're planning on visiting the meadow next week for a color check. Not a lot of rain here this summer plus it's been warmer than 'normal' but looking for a cool-off next week and the one after, for whatever that's worth. I guess we'll just have to be patient and see what we get.
Patience is certainly key! Andrew just posted a video from within the past few days or so showing the meadow area and it definitely looked much drier than years past. Already some color showing in the lower elevations of that canyon too. In any case, I look forward to heading out there next week! Last year the color and conditions were almost too perfect, so perhaps an off-year might be a nice change of pace. 🙂
How often do you adjust the composition as the light changes?
It's all about learning to anticipate the light before it happens. When you do this, there's no need to adjust the composition as the light changes because you will have already taken that into consideration.
www.benhorne.com/gallery#/salt-sand/
The photo at the top of this page is the one I was referring to in Death Valley. I set up my composition around 2pm or so, then waited for the last light to strike the mountains and made my exposure. The composition was set for the foreground and the mountains while envisioning how it would look at sunset. The clouds just happened to pass by that evening when the light was best, but earlier that day I noticed some high clouds and figured the pattern might persist through evening.
More time = better pictures.
I call it The Joy of Slow Photography. Sadly something I do less often than I would like. ps 501st like!
I hear you... I feel you.... But when do you feel that "this is the ONE" to sit it out and wait for the right (light, wind speed, season)? So many times, I find a composition that I "think" is cool and worthy, but after staring at it, and waiting X amount of time, the doubt creeps in that this is just a waste of time? :)
(long time viewer/listener of podcast)
Two thoughts on Fatali - I ran into him at Lower Antelope around 2000. We went in to get the light beam, and a woman is standing near the entrance to the largest chamber. She tells us someone is taking a shot and we can enter in just one minute. Well, that minute turns into 15+, and there's now a bunch of people wanting to go in. We can hear him saying just another minute! Finally, someone just goes in and we all follow - it's Fatali tossing sand in the air. By the time we get in, the light is nearly done. He packs up and splits.
Second - he always made a big deal of only shooting with natural light and how he would wait for days to get the right conditions. Like the time he lit presto logs under Delicate Arch and marred the sandstone under the arch. During a workshop! The parks service had to remediate the scars he caused. He was charges with several crimes as a result of these actions. Turns out that wasn't the only national park where he had done that. He's a marvelous photographer, but I have lost a lot of respect for him after these incidents.
I was wondering if somebody was going to bring up the issue of character regarding Fatali. When I’ve seen a picture by Fatali, I wondered what selfish behavior went into capturing it.
Photography is not a race! I visit Northern California wine country for a few days 1-2 times a year. I visit only 2 wineries a day (I also shoot 5x7). Some of my friends are proud that they get to 6 wineries in a day (they shoot digital). Not too sure if they remember much at the end of the day. Both are valid ways to taste wine, just different.
This guys obviously has no family 😂 JK, nice video though...
Get to the point! 😂