Señor Calabaza as a new film photographer it’s hard sometimes to accept the imperfection of film but most of the time it’s a relief as a recovering digital pixel pepper to know that nothing is left after developing and scanning film
@@iamisaid2295 I agree there are those today that use film with the idea that it is "imperfect" compared to digital and that's why they use it. They could easily achieve "imperfect" results from a digital camera. One of the things I think folks with this idea about film misunderstand is that its the "photographic style" of certain photographers such as Bruce Gildan and Gary Winogrand. That Unsettling or raw look was achieved with the tools they had available to them at the time, not achieved because they used a certain set of tools to create that look.
Funny how my Japanese colleagues talk about this thing called wabi-sabi last night during drinking. Can confirm that TH-cam's been listening to our conversation then recommends it.
I remember pointing out to my friends how many Betty hoop items somebody had on their windowsill, and only about twenty minutes later when I arrived home I was recommended a Betty boop video on TH-cam..
@@novidsnosubs9758 i mean i already knew that, google does actually listen to convos. But listening to. your. Damn. Thoughts? That is a whole different level of hell.
As an art graduate, I really apreciate this, the world needs to know more about how complex the art can become when academic rules and subjetive vision are layered infinitly.
@@flocheka yes you can. Why can't you? If they have produce technical skilled paintings but they chosen there favourite style, then OK....but have they?
I've always taken photos like this and people have always told me: "why don't you blur out the background to put more focus on something specific" and "why didn't you put it completely in focus" but seeing photographers such as Nan(and etc.) have been an inspiration for me to not change my entire photography style.
This is just me but I generally don't like blurring in photos that much, or at least I way prefer no blurring, it bothers me a little bit when I can't see everything in a photo so you do you 🌼
@carrie thevampire, you can safely ignore all advice about how your photographs should look. At some point I realized it’s all subjective. There is no photo everyone thinks is “good”.
Here's the problem...They already did it, they got famous for it before anyone else did. Once someone goes famous for something before others did it, whatever the others do, are doing it badly. I've taken plenty of photos out of my car window, I'm yet to be given an award for it. Do something with some breakthrough, and you'll be praised for it.
@@Adrian-wd4rn I hear you, but if you’re doing photography to get awards and fame, you’re probably wasting your time. Those things are largely herd mentality anyway. Do it simply because you love it and can’t imagine not seeing the world through a chunk of glass.👍
@@joeltunnah Oh trust me, I do it because I need a creative outlet. I study industrial design, and need a more pure form of creative outlet, artistically speaking. If I get fame and fortune at 29 years old from photography, then cool, chances of it happening are infinitesimal. I was stating my comment more as a "general" not exactly guided towards phtography.
It's so nice to hear someone talk about Nan Goldin. It's also very refreshing just to hear a TH-camr talk about the artists in the photography industry and not just about gear!
It's kinda strange, like. I love photography but I don't really care for other photographer's work, I don't find any inspiration or anything from it. I guess this comes from studying art and realizing that you literally could have zero technical skill and get a ton of money because "muh abstract"
In 99% of circumstances, you can only make it, or be truly recognized as an artistic photog in the U.S. if you are white and preferably Jewish. Even if your work is mediocre at best, it would still be potentially glorified and pushed by the officially “chosen establishment” (if you meet the proper ethnic criteria), only. Otherwise, If you are hispanic, (even if you are white-Hispanic as they classify some of us, you are still Hispanic to them, hence not “truly white to them”) therefore your work is pretty much ignored and left to rot, no matter how creative, original or truly groundbreaking your work might potentially be. Fact. It makes me want to puke how segregational the art establishment really is.
My favourite image is an out of focus, blurred, cutoff by being the start of a roll of film (like exposed to sunlight cut off) picture of the ground (nice weeds with flowers and river gravel) as I was just loading a new roll and just getting ready to take "real phots". It haunts me, that this image was so opposite to what I was doing as a photographer (B&W architecture/historic(me), and colour motorsports (friends)) that I was confused as to why this appealed to me, it was abstract and random, chaotic as changing rolls of film could be, eeked out of the beginning of roll, already written off as unusable, a consumable, bound for the circular filing cabinet. And I still remember it. No one else saw it, it was a happenstance, fleeting, yet, finding it at the beginning of a banal roll of endless circling, virtually interchangeable motorcycles gave it an unusual power of recall and now 25 years or so later, a strange longing to still have it.
i think most of the photos are sad.. sometimes some people do feel better when broken... I like a "wabi-sabi" that is a happy shot. like with vibrant colors and energy. yes i'll have some of the "wabi sabi" that is sad and dramatic yes, but more on the "wabi-sabi" that is happy... like i better share joyful imperfection than sad imperfection just to be in...
Finally my love for this specific form of art has a name. I've always had a predisposition for this for as long as I can remember, I remember (cringe) tumblr days when I was a teenager, only collecting pictures like this. Feels so good to know why I feel this way and that it's got a specific name I can look for now. Great explanation and collection of artists and pictures too, amazing video Jamie.
This really spoke to me. I feel photography is too pressured by the "norms" of Instagram and media to be perfect...sometimes being imperfect but personal and yourself is better. This was so well done too.
giovannissimo ~But in many ways it is A reality; it's just that it's an interpretation of reality; it's the photographer's reality; or maybe a reality shared or rather "offered". A kind of Twilight Zone between the mind of the artist and the eyes of the viewer.
Emmy Dahle ~You may have a good point, but why allude to your supposed superiority, bereft of any helpful insight, and effectively kill further comment on the thread?
Jeff Lindeman she politely confronted you with the opportunity to learn. Maybe someday you would’ve placed a semicolon where it didn’t belong and the message you were aiming to convey in a piece of writing more formal and more important than a TH-cam comment would’ve been at the very least slightly tainted. If you see this as “alluding to supposed superiority” maybe it’s you who needs to check their ego. Always take criticism and feedback, whether hostile or friendly, as a learning opportunity. Don’t be so insecure.
Perry O’Parsonnes eating juicyfruit gum ~Truthfully, I was not being "insecure" or in anyway denying that my usage may be incorrect; I was simply pointing out that the comment had a "tsk tsk" tone and was not useful, save illustrating her superior knowledge. My understanding is that a semicolon can be used as a way of bridging phrases that are related and should be viewed together to complete a thought - as I did in the first sentence of this reply. In retrospect I'll admit to overuse in my original reply, which I actually posted prematurely as my new Australian Cattle Dog pup began to pee on the carpet, LOL. At any rate, if my semicolon usage is wrong, I'd be more than interested in a clarification. I have no problem with being wrong; if I've learned anything in life, it's that you learn a great deal from your mistakes and very little when you're right. I've always liked the old adage, "'Tis always better to remain silent and appear the fool than to speak and remove all doubt." 😬 Cheers
This subject cuts across all the arts, or at the very least it has a quiet presence in painting, music & independent film-making. The problem is, quiet, rough cut artworks are also a kind of fetish, to me popularised & by certain curators.
One of the ONLY videos I’ve seen that isn’t about selfies, model posing or how to be a TH-camr. This is about art and feeling and I appreciate it so much.
If this is an "ok boomer" moment, I'd like to point out that the TH-cam algorithm shows you what you want to see (what you most often watch). If you watch videos about selfies, model posing or how to be a youtuber. You'll most likely keep on watching that type of content until you come across new topics or genres of videos. No, Ash, there are way more informative, well made videos than a little few.
You need to erase your TH-cam history then. I literally have never seen a video about selfies, model posing, ... etc. So it's not that there isn't good TH-camrs, you just need to dig deeper :)
the sun would literally explode before you finish watching all of the videos on youtube. theres millions of videos about art and higher thinking, youre just not looking for them
Thank you for this! Lately I've been feeling like my photos have become so clean and 'perfect' that they've become stale. Whilst my technical skills (especially my retouching) have improved a lot this year, I look back at my older work and it was way more experimental and interesting :( My work feels so cold and impersonal now. I think there's definitely value in technical skill, but I'm overdoing it at the moment and need to take a step back.
That's not right. You have to take a step forward. You have to think about what you want to express and find out the best way to do it. Clean and "perfect" photos are not necessarily stale. They are not better or worse than the "imperfect" ones. They just transmit different things. Style doesn't give power or meaning to a photo. Intention does.
totally feel the same, ive been chasing technically perfect images and retouching skills and missing a "feeling" or moment and being slightly impersonal
When I started using a DSLR I would always hear "never use flash", grain and noise were the enemy anything less than crisp focus and 0 motion blur was horrible. but nowadays i find that i like the look of flash sometimes, i don't care about noise, and i sometimes purposefully shoot slower to capture motion blur. learning the "rules" of photography is important when you're starting out but boy, is it liberating when you break them
Profound. I'm 80, taking pictures for 56 years and many of my most fondly remembered were imperfect. Bicycles leaning like lovers against a tree. A runner on a gloomy day seen from behind suspended in the air, a young beach brat pulling a wagon with binder twine, taken with my Dad's 1939-ish Zeiss Ikon camera.
you expressed what I feel about "broken" shots or shot that aren't..."good" and I hadn't had the words before to describe how certain images that you might say are "bad" are actually good because it has gained something else in the exchanged of not being as crisp or exposed correctly. Thank you for this video!
It’s a relief. We are usually “pushed” to improve our technical skills. Nothing wrong with highly skilled photographers, but a full video of the importance of the Photography as a way to express yourself, feels like fresh warm air (makes sense?). Thanks Jamie, great vid.
This seems to contradict his video where he took a photo of a long disused subway station. Not that some post processing is bad, but for the most part a picture should be just as it was taken. In that photo he adjusted it so much that it didn't look anything like when it was taken. Now if that's the effect he wanted most of that could've been done on site with far less post processing work. That, in my opinion, is the art of photography and not a lot of post processing work. I see people say blur the background in photoshop as if they can't open the aperture up just for one simple example. I took a picture at an air show in my area earlier this year. It was of two sisters who both were taking a picture of an airplane. I opened the aperture up so the background was blurred and set the shutter speed so that the lighting just turned out perfect. It was a cute shot and just captured some humanity in a fleeting moment. That's the rewarding part of photography. I think digital is great in that it opens up the opportunity to experiment without costing a fortune in film as those in the past had to do, but the downside is that people often don't give things the thought to get the results they want. A few moments thinking about things when actually out photographing can save a lot of time slaving over a computer adjusting - time that could be spent taking more photos. Which goes full circle back to technical skills. Technical skills are a time saver as much as anything.
Daniel Vergara Anon54387 that’s is your individual opinion and we might or might not agree. How we take pictures is how we please ourselves. I enjoy post processing as a way to experimenting with an image. A bad photograph is only bad to the viewer but another viewer might say is a great image. But to the photographer that image is how he/she wanted to make it. Taste has a lot to do with it too and as I accept Nan Golding is one of the great photographers out there, she is not one of my favourites. A camera is a tool to be manipulated and make images how the user wants to make an image, it does not dictate to the user how an image should be made. Remember that there are different camera and lens makers and they all give different results, so how can you say an image should remain how it was taken?
Man. you still have to learn how to take photos. Style is not an excuse to avoid doing that. If you take "bad photos" because you chose it, it's ok, but if it's because you can't take them otherwise, that's completely a different thing. At least you should understand what are you doing and why are you doing it.
Hah. I've been using Wabi-sabi as a theme on my photography course for two years now. Finally there's a video I can point people to if they're struggling! Wabi-sabi is also my answer to "why do you shoot film?". Completely agree with the perfection philosophy pursued by modern camera manufacturers. I feel very detached from my digital work these days. Great video Jamie.
For me wabi-sabi is the reason why I shoot digital ;-) Digital cameras, and especially phone cameras are sort of imperfect as well. And I try to turn that as an advantage. But certainly shooting on film or why not even using a pinhole camera gives equally a lot of wonderful ways to seek for imperfection.
Haha I was happy to see this video too! Doing a related thesis on this for my design course. Having trouble finding academic articles and books on Wabi-sabi and photography though. Have you come across any? :D I enjoy shooting film much more than digital for the same reasons
You encapsulated my thoughts exactly. Shooting film is the only way I can achieve that same thrill I received when I first started shooting altogether.
In my opinion the concept of Wabi-Sabi can be translated also like the pursue of perfection knowing that nothing can be perfect. Going after the imperfection could be seen as looking for the perfect shot because it becomes the goal and in zen philosophy there is no goal.
This reminds me of imperfection in music a lot. Pavement, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, The White Stripes... They COULD have gotten a recording session in the best studios of the world and created a crispy clean record, but e.g. White Stripes opted to record in their living room instead even though they were world famous. Pavement played deliberately sloppy, as did Nirvana. And they created arguably better art than what might've been the result otherwise. Good video, I've hadn't really thought of photography as an art-form before, but those examples of blurry and imperfect pictures really make you think twice about that. It seems that in the end, the different types of artforms share the same philosophies.
Blitzy blender this is 100% true I agree with you on this. Kids still today go to local punk shows in LA with cameras capturing the most beautiful, chaotic, imperfect photos. A quote on the topic of punk music from one of my favorite movies 20th century women, “ Yeah, it's like they've got this feeling, and they don't have any skill, and they don't want skill, because it's really interesting what happens when your passion is bigger than the tools you have to deal with it.”
As a painter I can add that we play with broken & lost edges, soft in contrast with hard, in our pictures not only because contrast creates interest but also because they relate more to how we actually see the world. We can only focus on one item/area at a time & the rest is blurry. A camera (or painter) can present the image in perfect clarity that incapsulates every item & as a whole. This typically feels cold & stagnant, though most viewers wont understand why or put their finger on the ‘what’ that feels off. Instead, they will just always connect more with the other photos/paintings that do not use perfect linear representation to present every detail. The voice or the calligraphy of the artist is found in those choices. Where to blur, where to focus, where to lead the eye, & what aesthetic choices they make to communicate their message. Thats where u separate urself from others. Like a Blues player, there r only so many chords & only so many notes to choose from. We all get the same proverbial palette, what we choose to do with it…..THAT is our chance to stand apart.
Im so happy that there are alot of people who love photos which arent pitch perfect with me as a photographer I have always loved doing something different and out of the ordinary with my photos. One if the things that I do alot to get photos that are more abstract and have more life to them but at the same time give off this somewhat vintage horror feel to them is I use old expired film and I mess around with the settings till I get this very bizarre yet beautiful and haunting photo
A fantastic essay again Jamie. I love the way you skilfully educate without ever being preachy or patronising. You’ve opened my eyes(and many more, I’m sure) with all of your recent videos. I’m sure these are a tonne of work to put together. Totally worth it. Great stuff. All the best.
This is the best photography video i've ever watched. Really touched my heart. Love the artists and examples you highlighted Jamie. Your'e the man dude.
You are like a Takeshi Kitano film amongst countless of Michael Bay productions. A true artist sailing his ship on the ocean of superficial beauty in our industry. You and Sean Tucker are my favourites. Thank you.
When i started Photgraphy i was around 6, i didn`t know any rules for compesition since i was 16-17. The rules and importance of the "perfect" shot got pushed in my brain since i started film school. But i just fell somewhat limited by it, By exposing everything right and the perfect composition i think there is just something missing. My favourite shots are the ones i shoot on the run with my 35mm while i`m with my friends. And i think they will for ever be my personal "best".
I loved this video because I've always felt this way, except I've never been able to put it in so many words... I love some of the imperfect photos I've taken far more than the technically "perfect" photos. Thank you.
I have a hard time looking past 289 individuals who could say they didn't like this. It's your opinion and worth every second. Keep making us look outside the box and learn everything we can to become someone we want to be.. Maybe becoming close to as good as you are. Thank you.
She is like an impressionist photographer - in the sense that she disregards conventions of style and composition, capturing a fleeting moment much like a 'flaneur'
I regret not watching this when the algorithm recommend it to me th first time. I'm so grateful that it did not gave up on putting this in my recommendation after ignoring it for so many times.
Nan Goldin is amazing. Her photos just feel real. Funny you posted this today, I was going over these points with someone in a discussion about how I’ve seen amazing photos passed up because critique seems based on technical perfection now days.
Me too!! I like to take my film camera out & take pictures as and when I see a moment worth capturing. The fact I can't then sit & look at them and pick the best ones or take too many (film is expensive lol) means that they all have a much more comforting feeling to them, knowing I've captured a moment of my life
this is why i love shooting on disposable cameras. its something i do when im with friends, and i encourage them all to take turns with the cameras so that there are photos from many peoples perspectives. we sometimes take joke photos that are staged to be funny of course, but most of the photos are from parties where there's drugs and alcohol present, or where people are mid-blink, or contorting their faces while singing songs on rockband. im in love with the ugly, the obscure, the spontaneity, and the red-eye from the flash and the graininess of the film. it takes me back to those moments because theyre actual moments, not because theyre what those moments would look like perfected and set up.
disposable cameras are my fave for this reason. taking pics and not being able to see them. getting them developed and being surprised when you see what you get. feeling the authenticity of the unposed and spontaneous moments. I love itttt
Whenever I watch Jamie's videos, I am always reminded of how cliche of a photog I am, and how I am just going down the "same old rabbit hole" every "other" instagram photog goes down... It's really nice to see that we really must understand all aspects of art. BUt Jamie, that Kodachrome man is looking awesome!! That's the exact look I love so much. Teal and turquoise have a profound emotional impact on me.
When I turned 30 we sat down with my parents and brother and took out boxes from all the images that were shot with or from me during the past 30 years. First of all, I am very lucky to have images of myself as this is a privilege. The most beautiful once where the "not too perfect" shots. The non staged once when my dad tried to figure out how to shoot with the new camera as he never owned one before. imperfection for me is when you had no time to think about composition and technical things because you were busy living and experiencing the moment.
Thanks so much for this video. I do a lot of different types of “blur” photography because it makes me feel something. I was beginning to think I wasn’t growing as a photographer, not taking sharp images (sometimes I do). You have just given me the validation that I needed to carry on as the photographer I am rather than the photographer I’m supposed to be. A life changer!!!
What I Understand is that unfinished or imperfect artwork stimulates your mind to fill the missing gaps and as a result makes your perception part of the creative process. In short artist starts the work and viewer finishes it in his mind.
This video is exactly what I needed. I began photography as a hobby recently and would like to delve deeper into the subject. However, all these technical aspects (bokeh, composition, ISO, etc...) are honestly quite overwhelming to me. Photography feels better in the terms you describe: emotions, authenticity and the feeling of looking at a photograph. I love the artists you talk about. I have always been unconsciously interested in their particular style of photography and you are the first person to make me consciously aware of that.
Shona I would still recommend learning these settings and how to take perfect pictures A general rule of art is to learn the rules before you break them How can you take an imperfect photo if you don’t even know what it adds to it? What difference is it making? This goes with everything art related
This video gave me more inspiration to take imperfect photos. Some people do not understand that spectrum of beauty, but I'm glad to be one of those who does. Best TH-cam video so far imo.
Thank you for this amazing video. You've touched on a really relevant issue. I've broken some photography conventions and I felt that many people don't understand when something doesn't conform to current trends (i.e. the pursuit of perfection). However, transmitting emotion is what matters most for me, so I prefer not to be always understood than just follow trendy rules. That's an artist's choice and each one should try and find their own voice. Keep on making these great thought provoking videos please!
I have a friend that i often do photography for and she is always drawn to the images that are slightly off, and while i have always had a grasp of why, I've never been able to articulate it. This helps me contextualize it. So, thank you.
Yes! This is what my photography has been evolving into for some time now, so this is so welcome. I hear photographers talk about processing their images to match what they saw, and that’s certainly a fine skill to have, but I want my photos to reflect what I FELT. That seems important, and your excellent video reinforces this persistent notion of mine. I feel that working towards feelings is at the heart of any art form. It’s so freeing to understand this, and it opens new worlds to the creative mind and spirit. Jamie, you are speaking to such essential things, things that no one else is really addressing. Keep going. It matters.
I tried to apply this message about photography to learning a foreign language. I was told not to reach for perfection when speaking in the new language but just to "go for it". Your listener will understand what you're trying to say. Personally......that was the most difficult thing for me to do. Going for perfection is a curse. Hope that you are one....... not so cursed.
I've watched, rewatched the video and will do so some other time when I feel like I need an affirmation to follow my gut feeling in pursuing any Art. Thanks Jaime!
All of my photography has been lead by my gut feelings and emotion then techniques. It has been a difficult road for me because of that thus far. But I have been proud of the majority of work so I can't complain too much. Anyway, I loved this video one of faves from you! Keep up the great work you are one of my favorite TH-camrs!
"Imperfection creates individuality, and individuality adds value." After trying to find out what wabi-sabi is, I slightly disagree. Although, I am probably just as wrong about it as anyone else. However, I understood that part of Japanese culture and also the concept of wabi-sabi is not to seek individuality but to work together for something greater good. All joining to wabi-sabi tea ceremony are supposed to bend their head when going into humble tea room, and join the ceremony more or less as equal. I cite two claims by David (see the source in the end): "It [wabi-sabi] is about the minor and the hidden, the tentative and the ephemeral: things so subtle and evanescent they are invisible to vulgar eyes." "A myth of inscrutability around wabi-sabi has been fostered because, according to some Japanese critics, ineffability is a part of its specialness." One could even claim that wabi-sabi is about tacit knowledge, which is hard to put into words, and can be learned only by doing. Source: randomwire.com/wabi-sabi/
I used the term “wabi sabi” in an article I wrote recently about a Japanese inventor who tried to make, and then market his own design of, to him, the perfect camera. He was an ex senior engineer for a large Japanese engineering company, famous for it’s high precision products. He eventually got his “dream” camera made in China, none of the Japanese companies would touch it. He called the camera “Isshiki”, which roughly translates as “all you need”. When I studied the camera’s construction, as part of the “review”, I noticed that parts of the camera body were not flat or parallel, particularly the curved ends of the body. I then realised that he had carved the models for the body castings out of wood and clay, by hand, and those body masters were used to make the tooling for mass production. So variations in his hand work had been translated into metal. On reflection and a bit of study of the book he wrote about his efforts to get the camera made, I realised that the imperfections, although not deliberate, did not bother him, as they were “wabi sabi”. Imperfections in his cameras to him, like the imperfections in a hand thrown earthenware teapot, charming and somehow enhancing the beauty of a hand made object.
I always appreciate it when people don’t just see art or hear music but also feel it. I love music and art that makes me feel something not just please my eyes
Yessss I always thought that about Nan Goldin. It’s the darkness and hopefulness in all of us. It’s the real ness and honesty of the subjects. I love the imperfections, I love the ruggedness
A lot of my favorite photographs I have taken are "imperfect", out of focus, contain motion blur, and have a certain emotive quality that I really feel. They are strongly connected to certain moments that don't reflect the reality of the situation at the time of capture, but, remind me of how I felt at that time. Some photos are like music that takes you to another time and place with a mood, or feeling. So, I wholeheartedly agree. The obsession with perfection in photography is something that irks me. I often feel like I am the only one that appreciates these photos of mine, but, lately, it seems my followers are really starting to appreciate them, as well. Thank you, Jamie for your thoughtful insights and great content.
Have you ever tried to get your photos into a local art gallery or enter them at a fair? I bet you could totally branch outside of Instagram and have people really appreciate your art. :)
@@remuslupin6460 When I said followers, I didn't mean social media. People in the community and friends around the world actually engage with me about my work while social media followers do not. You are completely correct.
I couldn’t agree more, technical advances give me a lot of stress as I’m not good at it and actually... I’m not really interested... I’m glad I can continue with my imperfection..!
You may have put the finger on what I have been looking for for a very long time. The type of photography that truly touches me and inspires me. Thanks for that.
For me, photography is capturing a moment that is happening internally within myself. I try to share that something I can’t put into words with others. A lot of times it’s with imperfections and not focused so much on composition etc.
"But with so much emphasis on these elements in the photographic community it's easy to fall into contemporary Western culture's pervasive obsession with perfection." I'm stunned! He really put into words what I've always found a bit off-putting about perfectly edited shots. With a lot of U.S. based professional Instagram photographers whose accounts I follow, I'm so focused on the hyper smoothness of their pictures, the way the color correction is PERFECTLY done, etc. that the pics look over the top..personally, I find that the elements of these perfectly composed, hyper- edited shots distract from the actual subjects of their photos. "Bad photos"-- the ones that are more human-- are easier on the eye I think. But they're rare! (at least on my Instagram feed lol)
once when i did a presentation at my photography class in college, my classmate laughed at me just because i said "i think it's okay if sometimes we get out of the boundaries, why not breaking the rule? , what if we stopped to seek for a perfection?"
before the video even started and you asked who is your favorite photographer my answer was also Nan Goldin. I found her work while I was working at my college's library and fell in LOVE
Bahaha I thought all the text were intentionally not centered, turns out I just accidentally scrolled the page down slightly without realising. Loved this video! Now I have words to describe the attachment to the feeling of things rather than pure aesthetic.
Her do also have masterful use of light and colour, so, they're still very skillfully made despite the so-called imperfections. I guess the take away from this is not to stress too much over perfect clarity if you are photographing as an art form.
Where's that essay about when mediums become outdated the imperfections of it (record scratch, vhs grains) become romanticised and become that mediums defining feature
The bottom line here is that taking good photos on any occasion is possible. Jamie makes a terrific case in the video. Besides, the exercise of crafting good photography teaches for life. Arguably it takes the same to succeed in emotional and professional endeavours.
I saw the Nan Goldin exhibition over the summer and fell in love. I was familiar with some of her work already, but the slideshow absolutely blew me away. Her taste in music is great too!
When we start to appreciate imperfections it becomes too difficult to figure out who or what's the best. I think we feel lost without those standards to measure ourselves and everyone around us.
Omg "photography isn't reality, it's an interpretation of reality" I'm not into photography, I'm not an artist at all either. I just stumbled upon this and found it interesting to watch. But this line made a lot of sense. If I take a picture of myself I can look pretty, but I can also look ugly. 1 picture alone isn't me, I'm not only the ugly, not only the pretty, I'm both. I would often think that when I take a picture where I look pretty, I trick the watcher into thinking I'm pretty, while the ugly one is reality. (both are taken without filter) But I guess they're both the truth, neither are a lie or a trick. (this might sound very stupid lmao, just know that something clicked in my mind) (yes, I'm extremely self conscious and this is a way for giving myself confidence. Lmao)
This whole concept makes me feel better about some images I’ve submitted for my college portfolios. There are some that aren’t technically perfect, but I chose them because they capture a certain moment and feeling that resonates with me. I feel a little happier knowing that there’s a name and explanation to a feeling like this! I just hope that the people looking at my portfolio objectively might have the same concept in mind.
@@jamiewindsor Added value? Don't you Europeans tax something every time value is added? Not meant to criticize the Japanese, but they aren't the only ones that have this wabi-sabi philosophy. It isn't entirely alien to western thought. This idea, by the way, can also be applied to music. If everyone played music in a textbook way it'd all sound the same.
What's the point in knowing the rules of composition and exposure if you're going to break them? Knowing the rules can hinder the creative process. Nan Goldin, Tod Hido, Baud Postma, Hiroshi Sigma, Vivian Maier proved that ignoring the rules or even not knowing the rules is like being set free to create a piece of art and not just capture a photo.
That's why film hasn't died, it gives automatic imperfections
Señor Calabaza as a new film photographer it’s hard sometimes to accept the imperfection of film but most of the time it’s a relief as a recovering digital pixel pepper to know that nothing is left after developing and scanning film
film was NeVeR about being imperfect. this is a new idea.
@@iamisaid2295 I agree there are those today that use film with the idea that it is "imperfect" compared to digital and that's why they use it. They could easily achieve "imperfect" results from a digital camera. One of the things I think folks with this idea about film misunderstand is that its the "photographic style" of certain photographers such as Bruce Gildan and Gary Winogrand. That Unsettling or raw look was achieved with the tools they had available to them at the time, not achieved because they used a certain set of tools to create that look.
I Am , I Said Chelsea Girls
Digital has imperfections people just dotn know how to appreciate the aesthetic yet . Wait ten or twenty years.
I comfirm this. The bad photos of my cat are absolutely priceless. She looks like an alien.
Lol, I love this comment.
!!! Please show them?
Definitely agree, and I'd recommend scrolling through r/blurrypicturesofcats.
@@fv2977 thanks, I love it
How can I see these photos?!?!?! LoL
Funny how my Japanese colleagues talk about this thing called wabi-sabi last night during drinking. Can confirm that TH-cam's been listening to our conversation then recommends it.
I was rqlking about books and said something about to kill a mocking bird and a fewhoira latet it was on my youtube recomended.
More like, they plant thoughts through the smartphones via icloud technology. It's like they cultivate your brain to consume particular videos.
I remember pointing out to my friends how many Betty hoop items somebody had on their windowsill, and only about twenty minutes later when I arrived home I was recommended a Betty boop video on TH-cam..
@@novidsnosubs9758 i mean i already knew that, google does actually listen to convos. But listening to. your. Damn. Thoughts? That is a whole different level of hell.
It’s the baader meinhof effect
As an art graduate, I really apreciate this, the world needs to know more about how complex the art can become when academic rules and subjetive vision are layered infinitly.
academic rules for art 😂
In art t's often an excuse for lack of technical talent tho. You have a point, but so do I. :P
That's true, like the academie de belles arts in paris at the beginning of the 19 century. Bit this time in photography.
Jørgen Fallet Mosand i don't think so, would you call van gogh's art as an excuse? Or would you call monet's or manet's art as bad technical talent ?
@@flocheka yes you can. Why can't you? If they have produce technical skilled paintings but they chosen there favourite style, then OK....but have they?
I've always taken photos like this and people have always told me: "why don't you blur out the background to put more focus on something specific" and "why didn't you put it completely in focus" but seeing photographers such as Nan(and etc.) have been an inspiration for me to not change my entire photography style.
This is just me but I generally don't like blurring in photos that much, or at least I way prefer no blurring, it bothers me a little bit when I can't see everything in a photo so you do you 🌼
@carrie thevampire, you can safely ignore all advice about how your photographs should look. At some point I realized it’s all subjective. There is no photo everyone thinks is “good”.
Here's the problem...They already did it, they got famous for it before anyone else did. Once someone goes famous for something before others did it, whatever the others do, are doing it badly. I've taken plenty of photos out of my car window, I'm yet to be given an award for it.
Do something with some breakthrough, and you'll be praised for it.
@@Adrian-wd4rn I hear you, but if you’re doing photography to get awards and fame, you’re probably wasting your time. Those things are largely herd mentality anyway. Do it simply because you love it and can’t imagine not seeing the world through a chunk of glass.👍
@@joeltunnah Oh trust me, I do it because I need a creative outlet. I study industrial design, and need a more pure form of creative outlet, artistically speaking. If I get fame and fortune at 29 years old from photography, then cool, chances of it happening are infinitesimal.
I was stating my comment more as a "general" not exactly guided towards phtography.
It's so nice to hear someone talk about Nan Goldin. It's also very refreshing just to hear a TH-camr talk about the artists in the photography industry and not just about gear!
now... if her name was just Nan Godox she'd be a huge star LOL
Right, and if her name would be Fernandez or Garcia, her work would be considered shit.
Yes, lot of “gear talk “and not much about inspiration.
It's kinda strange, like. I love photography but I don't really care for other photographer's work, I don't find any inspiration or anything from it. I guess this comes from studying art and realizing that you literally could have zero technical skill and get a ton of money because "muh abstract"
In 99% of circumstances, you can only make it, or be truly recognized as an artistic photog in the U.S. if you are white and preferably Jewish. Even if your work is mediocre at best, it would still be potentially glorified and pushed by the officially “chosen establishment” (if you meet the proper ethnic criteria), only. Otherwise, If you are hispanic, (even if you are white-Hispanic as they classify some of us, you are still Hispanic to them, hence not “truly white to them”) therefore your work is pretty much ignored and left to rot, no matter how creative, original or truly groundbreaking your work might potentially be. Fact. It makes me want to puke how segregational the art establishment really is.
"Do you often break rules and conventions?"
Not consciously, but sometimes stuff just feels better if it's "broken".
:)
My favourite image is an out of focus, blurred, cutoff by being the start of a roll of film (like exposed to sunlight cut off) picture of the ground (nice weeds with flowers and river gravel) as I was just loading a new roll and just getting ready to take "real phots". It haunts me, that this image was so opposite to what I was doing as a photographer (B&W architecture/historic(me), and colour motorsports (friends)) that I was confused as to why this appealed to me, it was abstract and random, chaotic as changing rolls of film could be, eeked out of the beginning of roll, already written off as unusable, a consumable, bound for the circular filing cabinet. And I still remember it. No one else saw it, it was a happenstance, fleeting, yet, finding it at the beginning of a banal roll of endless circling, virtually interchangeable motorcycles gave it an unusual power of recall and now 25 years or so later, a strange longing to still have it.
I guess one of his points were - figure out why You do it and what it does. A great path to be a great photographer.
i think most of the photos are sad.. sometimes some people do feel better when broken... I like a "wabi-sabi" that is a happy shot. like with vibrant colors and energy. yes i'll have some of the "wabi sabi" that is sad and dramatic yes, but more on the "wabi-sabi" that is happy... like i better share joyful imperfection than sad imperfection just to be in...
Broken like our hearts...
Unstaged photos lend incredible authenticity to the moment.
Do they though? Isn't the world a stage?
@@Protestan88 The world is one hell of a massive stage
Finally my love for this specific form of art has a name. I've always had a predisposition for this for as long as I can remember, I remember (cringe) tumblr days when I was a teenager, only collecting pictures like this. Feels so good to know why I feel this way and that it's got a specific name I can look for now. Great explanation and collection of artists and pictures too, amazing video Jamie.
Exactly my thought process and especially ''Tumblr-days'' thing, soooo relatable!
(Not really cringe)
I can relate
Claire, omg
Same. It feels wanky to say but it’s the truth; I’ve always felt much more drawn to the imperfect with character.
this is why I love my polaroid camera more than any digital one I ever owned.
Apparently you're not really supposed to shake the photos after they've printed??? Wot
Korvus Mangata it’s true. By shaking it while developing, it moves the ink and creates a messier and blotchy photo x
Can it be shaken so vigorously to allow for a pleasing distortion?
@otakurocks hey bud, go take a bubble bath or something, you could use some joy in your life
@@franceskubiak9838 “go take a bubble bath or something“ I laughed so hard :D
Realistic photography
Shows how imperfect we truly are
Sarah Belian well said.
This really spoke to me. I feel photography is too pressured by the "norms" of Instagram and media to be perfect...sometimes being imperfect but personal and yourself is better. This was so well done too.
I wrote a similar comment and then I saw yours. I know what you mean. And totally resonate with you
RSpudieD same with art too... especially on instagram, art is chock-full of saturated, realistic pieces of popular celebrities :/
Jamie you’re the best “photography youtuber”, period. Keep this amazing content full of information and knowledge.
exactly
I always feel like ive sat in lecture on photography with your favourite tutor! Love this channel
Yes, yes!
hands down!
Indeed!
you can’t even begin to imagine how much this video has changed my way of thinking about photography. i can’t thank you enough for that.
They kinda feel cursed, I love it
Cursed? How? :0
"Photography is not reality"
giovannissimo ~But in many ways it is A reality; it's just that it's an interpretation of reality; it's the photographer's reality; or maybe a reality shared or rather "offered". A kind of Twilight Zone between the mind of the artist and the eyes of the viewer.
Jeff Lindeman you have a good point, but why use semi colons if you don’t know how?
Emmy Dahle ~You may have a good point, but why allude to your supposed superiority, bereft of any helpful insight, and effectively kill further comment on the thread?
Jeff Lindeman she politely confronted you with the opportunity to learn. Maybe someday you would’ve placed a semicolon where it didn’t belong and the message you were aiming to convey in a piece of writing more formal and more important than a TH-cam comment would’ve been at the very least slightly tainted.
If you see this as “alluding to supposed superiority” maybe it’s you who needs to check their ego. Always take criticism and feedback, whether hostile or friendly, as a learning opportunity. Don’t be so insecure.
Perry O’Parsonnes eating juicyfruit gum ~Truthfully, I was not being "insecure" or in anyway denying that my usage may be incorrect; I was simply pointing out that the comment had a "tsk tsk" tone and was not useful, save illustrating her superior knowledge. My understanding is that a semicolon can be used as a way of bridging phrases that are related and should be viewed together to complete a thought - as I did in the first sentence of this reply. In retrospect I'll admit to overuse in my original reply, which I actually posted prematurely as my new Australian Cattle Dog pup began to pee on the carpet, LOL.
At any rate, if my semicolon usage is wrong, I'd be more than interested in a clarification. I have no problem with being wrong; if I've learned anything in life, it's that you learn a great deal from your mistakes and very little when you're right. I've always liked the old adage, "'Tis always better to remain silent and appear the fool than to speak and remove all doubt." 😬 Cheers
"It's not always about what an image looks like, as much as how an image makes you feel". Totally agree. Great video mate!
This subject cuts across all the arts, or at the very least it has a quiet presence in painting, music & independent film-making. The problem is, quiet, rough cut artworks are also a kind of fetish, to me popularised & by certain curators.
That's it in a nutshell for me.
"They felt more real".... the opposite is what I feel when I go through 500px. Perfect soul-less photos everywhere.
Great video man!
@ Yeah
"But i take the beauty of chaos, over ugly perfection"
-Pat, The Bunny.
ЭЛЛИОТ I think I like my pretty, petty ugly
-AJJ
One of the ONLY videos I’ve seen that isn’t about selfies, model posing or how to be a TH-camr. This is about art and feeling and I appreciate it so much.
If this is an "ok boomer" moment, I'd like to point out that the TH-cam algorithm shows you what you want to see (what you most often watch). If you watch videos about selfies, model posing or how to be a youtuber. You'll most likely keep on watching that type of content until you come across new topics or genres of videos. No, Ash, there are way more informative, well made videos than a little few.
Copy that! Great vid, captures to me what photography should be all about
Why does there always have to be someone in the comments in these types of videos congratulating themselves on their good taste.
You need to erase your TH-cam history then. I literally have never seen a video about selfies, model posing, ... etc. So it's not that there isn't good TH-camrs, you just need to dig deeper :)
the sun would literally explode before you finish watching all of the videos on youtube. theres millions of videos about art and higher thinking, youre just not looking for them
Thank you for this! Lately I've been feeling like my photos have become so clean and 'perfect' that they've become stale. Whilst my technical skills (especially my retouching) have improved a lot this year, I look back at my older work and it was way more experimental and interesting :( My work feels so cold and impersonal now. I think there's definitely value in technical skill, but I'm overdoing it at the moment and need to take a step back.
Exactly what ive been going through as well! this video came to me at the right time
That's not right. You have to take a step forward. You have to think about what you want to express and find out the best way to do it. Clean and "perfect" photos are not necessarily stale. They are not better or worse than the "imperfect" ones. They just transmit different things.
Style doesn't give power or meaning to a photo. Intention does.
Leyla H, you took the words from my mouth. The better I get with Lightroom, the less interesting and memorable shots I collect.
totally feel the same, ive been chasing technically perfect images and retouching skills and missing a "feeling" or moment and being slightly impersonal
@@mattpalermo1482 me too!! they may look more "wow" technically but what do they say?
When I started using a DSLR I would always hear "never use flash", grain and noise were the enemy anything less than crisp focus and 0 motion blur was horrible. but nowadays i find that i like the look of flash sometimes, i don't care about noise, and i sometimes purposefully shoot slower to capture motion blur. learning the "rules" of photography is important when you're starting out but boy, is it liberating when you break them
Do you specifically mean your pop up flash?
I call it impressionism. It's my favourite 'genre' of art. More focus on feel vs real. Your videos are nothing short of brilliant. 👍
Profound. I'm 80, taking pictures for 56 years and many of my most fondly remembered were imperfect. Bicycles leaning like lovers against a tree. A runner on a gloomy day seen from behind suspended in the air, a young beach brat pulling a wagon with binder twine, taken with my Dad's 1939-ish Zeiss Ikon camera.
you expressed what I feel about "broken" shots or shot that aren't..."good" and I hadn't had the words before to describe how certain images that you might say are "bad" are actually good because it has gained something else in the exchanged of not being as crisp or exposed correctly. Thank you for this video!
The ‘art’ of any art form is often lost when there is too much structure, I needed to remember this. Great video, so refreshing!
It’s a relief. We are usually “pushed” to improve our technical skills. Nothing wrong with highly skilled photographers, but a full video of the importance of the Photography as a way to express yourself, feels like fresh warm air (makes sense?). Thanks Jamie, great vid.
Daniel Vergara well there is also a good way to shooting raw and imperfect pictures. No reason to get lazy! But I know what you mean.
Usually those who do good 'bad work', can do the other stuff to a high level too. You learn the 'rules', before you can then break them.
This seems to contradict his video where he took a photo of a long disused subway station. Not that some post processing is bad, but for the most part a picture should be just as it was taken. In that photo he adjusted it so much that it didn't look anything like when it was taken. Now if that's the effect he wanted most of that could've been done on site with far less post processing work. That, in my opinion, is the art of photography and not a lot of post processing work. I see people say blur the background in photoshop as if they can't open the aperture up just for one simple example. I took a picture at an air show in my area earlier this year. It was of two sisters who both were taking a picture of an airplane. I opened the aperture up so the background was blurred and set the shutter speed so that the lighting just turned out perfect. It was a cute shot and just captured some humanity in a fleeting moment. That's the rewarding part of photography. I think digital is great in that it opens up the opportunity to experiment without costing a fortune in film as those in the past had to do, but the downside is that people often don't give things the thought to get the results they want. A few moments thinking about things when actually out photographing can save a lot of time slaving over a computer adjusting - time that could be spent taking more photos. Which goes full circle back to technical skills. Technical skills are a time saver as much as anything.
Daniel Vergara Anon54387 that’s is your individual opinion and we might or might not agree. How we take pictures is how we please ourselves. I enjoy post processing as a way to experimenting with an image. A bad photograph is only bad to the viewer but another viewer might say is a great image. But to the photographer that image is how he/she wanted to make it. Taste has a lot to do with it too and as I accept Nan Golding is one of the great photographers out there, she is not one of my favourites. A camera is a tool to be manipulated and make images how the user wants to make an image, it does not dictate to the user how an image should be made. Remember that there are different camera and lens makers and they all give different results, so how can you say an image should remain how it was taken?
Man. you still have to learn how to take photos. Style is not an excuse to avoid doing that. If you take "bad photos" because you chose it, it's ok, but if it's because you can't take them otherwise, that's completely a different thing. At least you should understand what are you doing and why are you doing it.
Hah. I've been using Wabi-sabi as a theme on my photography course for two years now. Finally there's a video I can point people to if they're struggling! Wabi-sabi is also my answer to "why do you shoot film?". Completely agree with the perfection philosophy pursued by modern camera manufacturers. I feel very detached from my digital work these days. Great video Jamie.
For me wabi-sabi is the reason why I shoot digital ;-) Digital cameras, and especially phone cameras are sort of imperfect as well. And I try to turn that as an advantage. But certainly shooting on film or why not even using a pinhole camera gives equally a lot of wonderful ways to seek for imperfection.
Haha I was happy to see this video too! Doing a related thesis on this for my design course. Having trouble finding academic articles and books on Wabi-sabi and photography though. Have you come across any? :D I enjoy shooting film much more than digital for the same reasons
You encapsulated my thoughts exactly. Shooting film is the only way I can achieve that same thrill I received when I first started shooting altogether.
In my opinion the concept of Wabi-Sabi can be translated also like the pursue of perfection knowing that nothing can be perfect. Going after the imperfection could be seen as looking for the perfect shot because it becomes the goal and in zen philosophy there is no goal.
This reminds me of imperfection in music a lot. Pavement, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, The White Stripes... They COULD have gotten a recording session in the best studios of the world and created a crispy clean record, but e.g. White Stripes opted to record in their living room instead even though they were world famous. Pavement played deliberately sloppy, as did Nirvana. And they created arguably better art than what might've been the result otherwise.
Good video, I've hadn't really thought of photography as an art-form before, but those examples of blurry and imperfect pictures really make you think twice about that.
It seems that in the end, the different types of artforms share the same philosophies.
Punk bands. Some recorded in bathrooms and the emotion you get from those adds such an individuality it draws me back time and time again. Punk bands.
Blitzy blender this is 100% true I agree with you on this. Kids still today go to local punk shows in LA with cameras capturing the most beautiful, chaotic, imperfect photos. A quote on the topic of punk music from one of my favorite movies 20th century women, “ Yeah, it's like they've got this feeling, and they don't have any skill, and they don't want skill, because it's really interesting what happens when your passion is bigger than the tools you have to deal with it.”
@@user-uy5mf1ro9m thanks for sharing dude I really like thinking about that
But there was nothing sloppy about the song writing of those bands, which is also something to think about.
As a painter I can add that we play with broken & lost edges, soft in contrast with hard, in our pictures not only because contrast creates interest but also because they relate more to how we actually see the world. We can only focus on one item/area at a time & the rest is blurry. A camera (or painter) can present the image in perfect clarity that incapsulates every item & as a whole. This typically feels cold & stagnant, though most viewers wont understand why or put their finger on the ‘what’ that feels off. Instead, they will just always connect more with the other photos/paintings that do not use perfect linear representation to present every detail. The voice or the calligraphy of the artist is found in those choices. Where to blur, where to focus, where to lead the eye, & what aesthetic choices they make to communicate their message. Thats where u separate urself from others. Like a Blues player, there r only so many chords & only so many notes to choose from. We all get the same proverbial palette, what we choose to do with it…..THAT is our chance to stand apart.
Before even watching I like this video already... Because this is how consistently this guy is with delivering Quality...Thank you
Without doubt the highest quality photography channel I have ever found on the platform.
Agree, never liked polished imagery, it bores me.
Them: Wabi-Sabi
Me: Spicy
I find this way too funny 😅
Miss Hellcat I’m glad you appreciate my stupid sense of humour 😂
Completely unexpected and funny as hell 😂
@@rohitamonkar1897 My humour has peaked far too soon, it's all down from here 😂😂
omg when i read the title i thought it was wasabi until i saw ur comment haha!
Same holds for John Frusciante's older music, the imperfections make his work so emotional and pull you inside his dark world. Very nice breakdown :)
Haven’t watched such a strong video about photography in general since long long time ago. Seriously.
Thanks a million!
Im so happy that there are alot of people who love photos which arent pitch perfect with me as a photographer I have always loved doing something different and out of the ordinary with my photos. One if the things that I do alot to get photos that are more abstract and have more life to them but at the same time give off this somewhat vintage horror feel to them is I use old expired film and I mess around with the settings till I get this very bizarre yet beautiful and haunting photo
Static Purple do you have somewhere were you post your pictures?
A fantastic essay again Jamie. I love the way you skilfully educate without ever being preachy or patronising. You’ve opened my eyes(and many more, I’m sure) with all of your recent videos. I’m sure these are a tonne of work to put together. Totally worth it. Great stuff. All the best.
This is the best photography video i've ever watched. Really touched my heart. Love the artists and examples you highlighted Jamie. Your'e the man dude.
2:25 I love how that girl blends with the wall - especially her socks
You are like a Takeshi Kitano film amongst countless of Michael Bay productions. A true artist sailing his ship on the ocean of superficial beauty in our industry. You and Sean Tucker are my favourites. Thank you.
When i started Photgraphy i was around 6, i didn`t know any rules for compesition since i was 16-17. The rules and importance of the "perfect" shot got pushed in my brain since i started film school. But i just fell somewhat limited by it, By exposing everything right and the perfect composition i think there is just something missing. My favourite shots are the ones i shoot on the run with my 35mm while i`m with my friends. And i think they will for ever be my personal "best".
I loved this video because I've always felt this way, except I've never been able to put it in so many words... I love some of the imperfect photos I've taken far more than the technically "perfect" photos.
Thank you.
I have a hard time looking past 289 individuals who could say they didn't like this. It's your opinion and worth every second. Keep making us look outside the box and learn everything we can to become someone we want to be.. Maybe becoming close to as good as you are. Thank you.
She is like an impressionist photographer - in the sense that she disregards conventions of style and composition, capturing a fleeting moment much like a 'flaneur'
I regret not watching this when the algorithm recommend it to me th first time. I'm so grateful that it did not gave up on putting this in my recommendation after ignoring it for so many times.
Bruh, I searched for this.
I need inspiration.
Nan Goldin is amazing. Her photos just feel real. Funny you posted this today, I was going over these points with someone in a discussion about how I’ve seen amazing photos passed up because critique seems based on technical perfection now days.
I do Candid photografy, and there is no pose, setting, will be as special as capturing something real.
Me too!! I like to take my film camera out & take pictures as and when I see a moment worth capturing. The fact I can't then sit & look at them and pick the best ones or take too many (film is expensive lol) means that they all have a much more comforting feeling to them, knowing I've captured a moment of my life
this is why i love shooting on disposable cameras. its something i do when im with friends, and i encourage them all to take turns with the cameras so that there are photos from many peoples perspectives. we sometimes take joke photos that are staged to be funny of course, but most of the photos are from parties where there's drugs and alcohol present, or where people are mid-blink, or contorting their faces while singing songs on rockband. im in love with the ugly, the obscure, the spontaneity, and the red-eye from the flash and the graininess of the film. it takes me back to those moments because theyre actual moments, not because theyre what those moments would look like perfected and set up.
disposable cameras are my fave for this reason. taking pics and not being able to see them. getting them developed and being surprised when you see what you get. feeling the authenticity of the unposed and spontaneous moments. I love itttt
Really enjoyed this Jamie
Just started crying at how beautiful nan's work is
Whenever I watch Jamie's videos, I am always reminded of how cliche of a photog I am, and how I am just going down the "same old rabbit hole" every "other" instagram photog goes down... It's really nice to see that we really must understand all aspects of art.
BUt Jamie, that Kodachrome man is looking awesome!! That's the exact look I love so much. Teal and turquoise have a profound emotional impact on me.
it's refreshing how you advocate for a broader view of things as most people just see things in one dimension or from one perspective only.
When I turned 30 we sat down with my parents and brother and took out boxes from all the images that were shot with or from me during the past 30 years. First of all, I am very lucky to have images of myself as this is a privilege. The most beautiful once where the "not too perfect" shots. The non staged once when my dad tried to figure out how to shoot with the new camera as he never owned one before. imperfection for me is when you had no time to think about composition and technical things because you were busy living and experiencing the moment.
tbh I still almost creamed my pants at the detailed zoom in at 3:36
coomer, you are
SAME
Thanks so much for this video. I do a lot of different types of “blur” photography because it makes me feel something. I was beginning to think I wasn’t growing as a photographer, not taking sharp images (sometimes I do). You have just given me the validation that I needed to carry on as the photographer I am rather than the photographer I’m supposed to be. A life changer!!!
Its easy to forget about the artistic side of mediums
well said
I agree with this whole heartedly. This is why I felt like disagreeing with the kind of photography that was taught in my class a long time ago.
What I Understand is that unfinished or imperfect artwork stimulates your mind to fill the missing gaps and as a result makes your perception part of the creative process. In short artist starts the work and viewer finishes it in his mind.
This video is exactly what I needed. I began photography as a hobby recently and would like to delve deeper into the subject. However, all these technical aspects (bokeh, composition, ISO, etc...) are honestly quite overwhelming to me. Photography feels better in the terms you describe: emotions, authenticity and the feeling of looking at a photograph. I love the artists you talk about. I have always been unconsciously interested in their particular style of photography and you are the first person to make me consciously aware of that.
Shona I would still recommend learning these settings and how to take perfect pictures
A general rule of art is to learn the rules before you break them
How can you take an imperfect photo if you don’t even know what it adds to it? What difference is it making? This goes with everything art related
@@jen.m.3781 Yeah, I think you're right. This video just helped me 'find my style', so to speak.
This video gave me more inspiration to take imperfect photos. Some people do not understand that spectrum of beauty, but I'm glad to be one of those who does. Best TH-cam video so far imo.
Thank you for this amazing video. You've touched on a really relevant issue. I've broken some photography conventions and I felt that many people don't understand when something doesn't conform to current trends (i.e. the pursuit of perfection). However, transmitting emotion is what matters most for me, so I prefer not to be always understood than just follow trendy rules. That's an artist's choice and each one should try and find their own voice. Keep on making these great thought provoking videos please!
Many artists channel the idea of wabi-sabi in their work. I'm thrilled to see a photographer see things through this lens.
I have a friend that i often do photography for and she is always drawn to the images that are slightly off, and while i have always had a grasp of why, I've never been able to articulate it. This helps me contextualize it. So, thank you.
Yes! This is what my photography has been evolving into for some time now, so this is so welcome. I hear photographers talk about processing their images to match what they saw, and that’s certainly a fine skill to have, but I want my photos to reflect what I FELT. That seems important, and your excellent video reinforces this persistent notion of mine. I feel that working towards feelings is at the heart of any art form. It’s so freeing to understand this, and it opens new worlds to the creative mind and spirit. Jamie, you are speaking to such essential things, things that no one else is really addressing. Keep going. It matters.
This channel represents everything photography should be
Another intelligent, thoughtful, provocative and well-researched post.
I agree. I love getting close ups of common things and changing the exposure so you get weird unworldly results
I tried to apply this message about photography to learning a foreign language. I was told not to reach for perfection when speaking in the new language but just to "go for it". Your listener will understand what you're trying to say.
Personally......that was the most difficult thing for me to do. Going for perfection is a curse.
Hope that you are one....... not so cursed.
I've watched, rewatched the video and will do so some other time when I feel like I need an affirmation to follow my gut feeling in pursuing any Art. Thanks Jaime!
All of my photography has been lead by my gut feelings and emotion then techniques. It has been a difficult road for me because of that thus far. But I have been proud of the majority of work so I can't complain too much. Anyway, I loved this video one of faves from you! Keep up the great work you are one of my favorite TH-camrs!
"Imperfection creates individuality, and individuality adds value."
After trying to find out what wabi-sabi is, I slightly disagree. Although, I am probably just as wrong about it as anyone else. However, I understood that part of Japanese culture and also the concept of wabi-sabi is not to seek individuality but to work together for something greater good. All joining to wabi-sabi tea ceremony are supposed to bend their head when going into humble tea room, and join the ceremony more or less as equal.
I cite two claims by David (see the source in the end):
"It [wabi-sabi] is about the minor and the hidden, the tentative and the ephemeral: things so subtle and evanescent they are invisible to vulgar eyes."
"A myth of inscrutability around wabi-sabi has been fostered because, according to some Japanese critics, ineffability is a part of its specialness."
One could even claim that wabi-sabi is about tacit knowledge, which is hard to put into words, and can be learned only by doing.
Source: randomwire.com/wabi-sabi/
You're right, of course, but the context here was modern photography. Hence the point about individuality adding value.
I used the term “wabi sabi” in an article I wrote recently about a Japanese inventor who tried to make, and then market his own design of, to him, the perfect camera. He was an ex senior engineer for a large Japanese engineering company, famous for it’s high precision products. He eventually got his “dream” camera made in China, none of the Japanese companies would touch it. He called the camera “Isshiki”, which roughly translates as “all you need”. When I studied the camera’s construction, as part of the “review”, I noticed that parts of the camera body were not flat or parallel, particularly the curved ends of the body. I then realised that he had carved the models for the body castings out of wood and clay, by hand, and those body masters were used to make the tooling for mass production. So variations in his hand work had been translated into metal. On reflection and a bit of study of the book he wrote about his efforts to get the camera made, I realised that the imperfections, although not deliberate, did not bother him, as they were “wabi sabi”. Imperfections in his cameras to him, like the imperfections in a hand thrown earthenware teapot, charming and somehow enhancing the beauty of a hand made object.
I always appreciate it when people don’t just see art or hear music but also feel it. I love music and art that makes me feel something not just please my eyes
Yessss I always thought that about Nan Goldin. It’s the darkness and hopefulness in all of us. It’s the real ness and honesty of the subjects. I love the imperfections, I love the ruggedness
A lot of my favorite photographs I have taken are "imperfect", out of focus, contain motion blur, and have a certain emotive quality that I really feel. They are strongly connected to certain moments that don't reflect the reality of the situation at the time of capture, but, remind me of how I felt at that time. Some photos are like music that takes you to another time and place with a mood, or feeling. So, I wholeheartedly agree. The obsession with perfection in photography is something that irks me. I often feel like I am the only one that appreciates these photos of mine, but, lately, it seems my followers are really starting to appreciate them, as well. Thank you, Jamie for your thoughtful insights and great content.
Have you ever tried to get your photos into a local art gallery or enter them at a fair? I bet you could totally branch outside of Instagram and have people really appreciate your art. :)
@@remuslupin6460 When I said followers, I didn't mean social media. People in the community and friends around the world actually engage with me about my work while social media followers do not. You are completely correct.
I couldn’t agree more, technical advances give me a lot of stress as I’m not good at it and actually... I’m not really interested... I’m glad I can continue with my imperfection..!
I think it's great to learn "the rules" so you know how and when to break them later on! Kind of as you said. Really appreciated this video.
True, but isn't that a bit obvious?
You may have put the finger on what I have been looking for for a very long time. The type of photography that truly touches me and inspires me. Thanks for that.
For me, photography is capturing a moment that is happening internally within myself. I try to share that something I can’t put into words with others. A lot of times it’s with imperfections and not focused so much on composition etc.
This was excellent! I didn’t see this video though.. I felt it
"But with so much emphasis on these elements in the photographic community it's easy to fall into contemporary Western culture's pervasive obsession with perfection." I'm stunned! He really put into words what I've always found a bit off-putting about perfectly edited shots. With a lot of U.S. based professional Instagram photographers whose accounts I follow, I'm so focused on the hyper smoothness of their pictures, the way the color correction is PERFECTLY done, etc. that the pics look over the top..personally, I find that the elements of these perfectly composed, hyper- edited shots distract from the actual subjects of their photos. "Bad photos"-- the ones that are more human-- are easier on the eye I think. But they're rare! (at least on my Instagram feed lol)
once when i did a presentation at my photography class in college, my classmate laughed at me just because i said "i think it's okay if sometimes we get out of the boundaries, why not breaking the rule? , what if we stopped to seek for a perfection?"
before the video even started and you asked who is your favorite photographer my answer was also Nan Goldin. I found her work while I was working at my college's library and fell in LOVE
Bahaha I thought all the text were intentionally not centered, turns out I just accidentally scrolled the page down slightly without realising. Loved this video! Now I have words to describe the attachment to the feeling of things rather than pure aesthetic.
Her do also have masterful use of light and colour, so, they're still very skillfully made despite the so-called imperfections. I guess the take away from this is not to stress too much over perfect clarity if you are photographing as an art form.
Where's that essay about when mediums become outdated the imperfections of it (record scratch, vhs grains) become romanticised and become that mediums defining feature
'Polyphonic' released a good video-essay about this. The Beauty of Degraded Media.
"your my favorite ones..." hahah amazing. this was another wonderful video jamie! very necessary and inspiring.
The bottom line here is that taking good photos on any occasion is possible. Jamie makes a terrific case in the video. Besides, the exercise of crafting good photography teaches for life. Arguably it takes the same to succeed in emotional and professional endeavours.
I saw the Nan Goldin exhibition over the summer and fell in love. I was familiar with some of her work already, but the slideshow absolutely blew me away. Her taste in music is great too!
When we start to appreciate imperfections it becomes too difficult to figure out who or what's the best. I think we feel lost without those standards to measure ourselves and everyone around us.
Omg
"photography isn't reality, it's an interpretation of reality"
I'm not into photography, I'm not an artist at all either. I just stumbled upon this and found it interesting to watch.
But this line made a lot of sense. If I take a picture of myself I can look pretty, but I can also look ugly. 1 picture alone isn't me, I'm not only the ugly, not only the pretty, I'm both.
I would often think that when I take a picture where I look pretty, I trick the watcher into thinking I'm pretty, while the ugly one is reality. (both are taken without filter) But I guess they're both the truth, neither are a lie or a trick.
(this might sound very stupid lmao, just know that something clicked in my mind)
(yes, I'm extremely self conscious and this is a way for giving myself confidence. Lmao)
That's why when I'm taking a photo I feel like I'm creating something, not just capturing it
Photography is nothing more than Art. there is nothing bad or good. Do whatever you want... make something cool and unique.
That's why I still love shooting with 35mm film and polaroids. It's just so raw and always creates a moody image
This whole concept makes me feel better about some images I’ve submitted for my college portfolios. There are some that aren’t technically perfect, but I chose them because they capture a certain moment and feeling that resonates with me. I feel a little happier knowing that there’s a name and explanation to a feeling like this! I just hope that the people looking at my portfolio objectively might have the same concept in mind.
Jamie- I really enjoy this video. There is so much good stuff to think about. Cheers, Steve aka The Talking Fly
*reads title*
*grunge/emo/indie in me awakens*
punk
For breaking the rules you should perfectly know them. I love your style and visual information in video, thank you!
Thank you. I absolutely agree about knowing the rules first.
@@jamiewindsor Added value? Don't you Europeans tax something every time value is added?
Not meant to criticize the Japanese, but they aren't the only ones that have this wabi-sabi philosophy. It isn't entirely alien to western thought. This idea, by the way, can also be applied to music. If everyone played music in a textbook way it'd all sound the same.
Anon54387 Oh man that’s so true. I know a lot of musicians who have a great technique but theirs songs are pretty bland.
What's the point in knowing the rules of composition and exposure if you're going to break them? Knowing the rules can hinder the creative process. Nan Goldin, Tod Hido, Baud Postma, Hiroshi Sigma, Vivian Maier proved that ignoring the rules or even not knowing the rules is like being set free to create a piece of art and not just capture a photo.
this is why i fell in love with Lomography in the late 90’s. great video Jamie, thanks for the content.
I agree. I'm happy that I use this technique naturally in my painting artworks.