When is a photograph not a photograph?

Welcome to the 150th episode of the podcast.
 
 I was inspired at 3.00 am to talk about when a photograph isn't a photograph; when it becomes something more.
 
 I've spoken about photojournalism and that type of photography has the power to influence global events. For most of us, that will not be a consideration, but being able to take good photographs, especially portraits, can have a positive impact on us, and people we haven't met yet.
 
 People come in and out of our lives for various reasons, and we all have different phases in our lives. Sometimes it's great to look back on some of them and share them with people we care about.
 
 If you're the type of photographer who leaves the camera hidden away until it's time to go on your annual vacation (or whatever it might be), you might be doing yourself a disservice. And, especially now that most of us carry smartphones around, there's no reason why you shouldn't be in a position to grab those 'moments' as they occur.
 
 Here are the suggestions I have for you in the podcast:
 
 Sign up and take the 14-day challenge.

Or take one of my online courses.
 
Whatever you do, remember that some of your photographs might be telling your story in the future to someone who hasn't even been born yet! 

I hope you enjoy it.

Graham

It's time for another podcast...

Transcript

>> Speaker A: 0:17

Well hello again and welcome to what is podcast number 150. So I'm quite surprised to I've got that number of podcasts out and this only started really after conversation with somebody and I was chatting about some of the things I've got up to, the more adventurous things. And really the podcast just started as a way of sharing those stories. So if you go all the way back to the beginning and I think they first went out in 2021 but then I kind of stopped for a bit and then I relaunched them I suppose. So some of the older recordings were in series one of this current series of podcasts which is, I say has now hit 150 and it's evolved into something that I hope is useful to you. So obviously I'm talking a lot about photography, I'm talking about places I've been to really trying to share or give some insights and share my knowledge and experience so that where I've made mistakes, hopefully you don't have to make the same ones, you can always make new ones. That's all good. But ye, I'm a big believe in learning from mistakes and also just sharing what I've learned so that other people don't have to do the same thing. So this particular podcast, I wasn't quite, I wasn't quite sure what to do for number 150 and then I had an inspiration as often happens at about 3 o'clock in the morning, this morning and decided to talk about when a photograph is not a photograph. And I'm probably feeling a little bit smug and pleased with myself because this does time very much with my approach to photography which is why I feel it's a good subject, a good topic for this particular one and it also ties into my online courses. So if you're not aware I do have a couple of online self paced photography courses. One of them, M is for smartphone photography. And that's pretty low cost ed because I recorded that three years ago. Yeah, it was about three or four years ago now. And of course things move on pretty quickly so I think the fundamentals are still correct. But that's a much, it's kind of the entry point if you like on my approach to photography looking at smartphones and the other course looks at DSLR and mirrorless cameras. So what I'm going to talk about when is a photo not a photo? A few weeks ago I did a recording that was Titled or the title was talking about how to create impact with your photographs. And I used an American World War II photographer, Lee Miller, as one of the examples of a photographer who really stepped up and well, she definitely found her hotspot in terms of photography, which turned out to be WOL photography. And that was also inspired by a movie that I'm not sure if it's out yet or may or may not be out where you are, but it stars keep Winslet and it's a movie of her life or at least part of Lee Miller's life and where this ties in. So Lee Miller is really a photojournalist and that was a lot of what I spoke about in that podcast. But the point I really wanted to make in this podcast is that somebody like that, if you're in photojournalism, what you're doing with your images is telling a story. And if you think back to images that have had a big impact on you, and I've certainly got a number that spring to mind, there's something about those photographs. Normally there's a lot of emotion. Generally the photographs that mean the most to us, they mean the most to us because we have an emotional response to them or an emotional reaction to them. So when it comes to developing your skill as a photographer, it's pretty important I think if you want to kind of go beyond just documentary type photographs, particularly if you're working with people, it's I think really important to try and work out how to start getting an emotional reaction, recognizing when something is going on that does have an emotional impact, often it will be on ourselves as the photographer who's on the ground there. But that in turn, if we know how to shoot those kind of events, we can get a strong story across. And obviously, there are certain stories that have had a big impact socially. So I'm not suggesting that you kind of try and change the world with your photographs, although that might be something that happens, but perhaps more on a day to day base is think about what happens within your family. Because one of the things that I was thinking about because it's happened to somebody I know over Christmas, ah, they lost somebody, in their family. And this to me also is where on aal kind of day to day, I suppose, wayigh more mundane, although that's perhaps a little unfair. But just in our everyday life we have opportunities to record events, record people. And the truth is that nobody's around forever. People come into our lives, they go. And when They've gone for good. It'really it makes certain photographs stand out. Now I shared this before on, I think another podcast. But, my father died quite a few years ago now. But I, had been out taking some photographs. I dropped by my parents home, because that was about 10 miles from where I was living at the time. And, my father was there. It was in the evening. I think he just had his dinner and I just took a photograph of him at, at the table. And in fact, I only took the one and then off I went. When I got the pictures developed, I showed them to my mother and father. My mother hated it because, they came from that generation where a portrait. I'm being really unkind here, but, no doubt you've seen them or, you know, people who take photographs like this. A portrait of somebody is basically them standing against some background. You can kind of make out a person. If you're lucky, you can recognize who it is, but they'you know, tiny little figure in the middle of the photograph. So this was, quite a tight, cropped face shot that I did. And that's why my mother didn't like it. But as it turned out, my father got very seriously illy after that and it turned out to be the second last photograph I ever took of him. And when he had gone, the photograph that everybody wanted of him was that photograph. And this is really, what I'm trying to drive at in a more of everyday sense that we can all relate to. we probably all know people who've gone well before their time. So the reality is that we just don't know how long anybody is going to be in our lives for whatever reason. So if they are important, I think as photographers there is perhaps up to us to just develop the way we take photographs in such a way that anybody looking at that photograph later, even if they've never met that person, they, can get something of their personality. Something of their personality comes across in the photograph. And that to me is when a photograph is no longer a photograph because now it's telling a story in a more subtle way about somebody. And when I talk about doing portrait photography, if you're doing specifically doing portraits, another thing I like to recommend is that you think about where you're taking the photograph, what's in the background, even if it's not especially in focus, but as long as it's recognizable. And the example I like to give, because it's just an easy one, is somebody who designs boats and if you think about that, you can have them and probably at least a head and shoulders shot. But just create some space in the image so that you've got a background that relates to them. So it might be a computer monitor with a design on it could be a drawing board, it could be a workshop, it could be a marina where the boats are tied up. But hopefully that's given you some ideas. It adds just another layer of a kind of narration almost that this was really important to that person. Or it might be then on a motorbike or driving a particular car, whatever it might be. But the other thing about being effective at photograph, basically coming up with very good portrait photographs is not so much the camera. And I'll come back to that. But it's really important how you relate to that person. So there is a definite skill in getting people to relax in front of the camera. Now some people just love it and I think in some ways, at least some people, it's much easier these days because such a lot of people want selfies every five minutes through'reout somewhere. but you know what I mean. Hopefully, you know what I mean, people are. It's a more common thing to take pictures of ourselves than it was, say, I don't know, about 10 years ago, certainly 20 years ago, I would say the selfie, I was going to say plague. I don't think I mean that. But anyway, the popularity of selfies, let's say that was nothing like what it is today. So people with less used to being in front of the camera. So if you've got somebody who's really into selfies, they're probably going to be quite relaxed anyway in front of the camera. However, there will always be people and I must admit to be one of them. I'm never that happy about being front of the camera. Which is one of the reasons I became. I got the other side of the lens so that I was taking the photographs. So the key thing there as a photographer is to get them relaxed. And there are various ways you can do that. one of the things I would do when I was doing formal portrait shoots was when took because I do them at people's homes and I might not have been there before either. So I'd have to just have a bit of a quick rececky and see where I could do different shots. But the very first thing I would do was first of all leave all my gear in the car and just sit down, have a cup of coffee. With this person and just talk about the shoot, talk about the kind of images they wanted, what they would feel would be a successful shoot. And I'd have my own shoot list anyway. So I had standard shoot lists for portraits or kind of more general family type things and weddings. Not that I did many of those, it's not my thing. But I'd have a shoot list that I could use as a reference. And then in discussion we build from that. But of course all that time what's happening is that that person is relaxing with you because they're seeing you as another person and not as a photographer. So that is most definitely a tip. if you are going to do portraits with somebody, you need to know your stuff. You need to pick, particularly if you're in that sort of situation where you've never been in that particular location before. Just make sure you pick places that have the right lighting, the right kind of backgrounds for the style you're shooting, that kind of thing. But also do spend time to connect with the people you're photographing. And then when you're doing the photography, keep talking to them and give them direction, show them images. These days with digital I was shooting films. That was a more long winded process if I wanted to do that. but these days with digital you can show people the shot straight away so they can start to see what you're doing. Particularly if you're doing things that are a little bit out of the ordinary. They may not quite understand why you want them to pose in a certain way. But once they see the results, then most of the time in my experience, you develop that trust. And that trust is really important because that reflects in the images that you're going to finish up with at the end. So this is, I've spoken a little about portrait photography, which is the key one. And in fact when I do my wildlife photography as well, I try and build some sort of connection with the animal. And that will generally come down to how I'm cropping, I'm focusing on the eyes. I like to get down low where I can exc me, not to put myself in any danger, but I think the lower down you are when you're shooting wildlife, I don't know, there's more of a connection and I'll stay in a vehicle. Usually I have done some photography on foot with animals, but usually I'll be in a vehicle. I prefer the small and more open vehicles. And I would always get down low as I can so that it looks like I'm just almost laying on the ground taking these photographs because the connection is different. and of course the other thing with that is that the viewpoint that the viewer has, the animal is hopefully different to what they're used to seeing. And this is another way of making your photographs more unique by picking viewpoints that other people won't normally do. So as I say with this shot of my father, it was a kind of shot that I love doing actually, but my family weren't particularly interested in photography. it was a kind of family and even wider than my immediate family. I don't think there's anybody who was particularly in photography in my wider family. And they're the kind of people that the camera would come out of a cupboard, out of a bottom drawer when it was time for the holidays. And in fact long after my father died, I think it was 10 or 15 years afterwards actually F found his old camera and very old Kodak Camery he had and there was still a roll of film in it. So I got that developed. It was a bit purple by then, but yeah, it was that sort of family. So not terribly keen. So if that is your situation, if you are a photographer, mean you maybe would like to do more but you just for whatever reason never quite get around to it until you have to take photographs. My recommendation is definitely you shoot a lot more and I would suggest do a project and there are various things you can do. I have a 14 day challenge on the website. If you jump onto that, there's a link when you just register. And what happens with that is you get an email every day for two weeks. And each email has a photography task if you like. It will teach you something about photography. It might be some you already know, but there's going to be at least one or two things in there that in you, it might push you a little bit outside your comfort zone but that's always good to do. But it just gets you taken photographs or do a project. So, and I've spoken about projects before but they're various you can do. But the key thing is to just keep your eye. And if you are somebody who likes to record those moments and you want to maybe have a record of the people who are important in your life, it is well worth making the effort and taking the time to take those photographs so that you've got a record of that particular point in your life. And not just for yourself or maybe your children or grandchildren. I was doing some research in my family history a few years ago now, and I, was working back as far as I could, but I didn't have much in the way of photographs, partly because my parents were older. They would be older me anyway, but, I mean, older than. Is perhaps normal. So my father was, what was he, 40, old when I turned up. which's a bit more than that. he would have been 40. I can't remember, 47, something like that. Anyway, so it was quite a big gap, which. And equally, he hadn't got quite as large a gap with his own parents. But, you know, you don't need too many of those, and suddenly you're back quite away. So I knew my grandmother. I never met my grandfather. He died, quite a long time before I turned up. And I was doing some research and I actually found a photograph of my grandmother's father, which was great because she looked just like him in many ways. And, it was just a real lift, having spent I don't know how many hours waiting through different family trees and working out which were mine and which weren't connected at all. It was just really lovely to, out of the blue, come across this picture of somebody who, was alive in the 19th century and, died in the early 20th from what I remember. So this is another reason where a photograph is no longer a photograph because it's almost a family heirloom. It's that connection with people that we'll never meet. but looking at our pictures, and this was certainly the feeling I had. that man, my grandfather, he became, sorry, my great grandfather. He became more than just a name. A name and a couple of dates, which is what. Think what happens with a lot of these family trees. So photographs are really important, not just from the kind of photojournalism, change the world kind of thing. And obviously, I do a lot of photography with animals. One of my drives is conservation. And it's something that David Attenroh once said was, well, if people don't relate or don't understand the animals and don't know about them, they're not going to care whether they're around or not. So photography definitely, definitely plays a role there. But I think for most people, the important role it plays is just keeping that legacy going. If you have children and grandchildren, recording those moments that their children and grandchildren will look back on, hopefully, and have, some sense of who you were, who you are now who you were when they look back. So I think photography is it's a very powerful medium. not just photojournalism, but I've spoken about obviously family history, this conservation. There's other things you can do. They're sharing your interests. there's capturing events. If you do sort of wacky wild stuff. when I'm away doing something that's perhaps a bit out of the ordinary, I grab what photographs I can. So I've been fortunate enough to do a few things like riding around Australia on a motorbike on my own. there were a lot of photographs there and that was all film. And also going down to the Titanic in a small submarinesne. So that was also shot on film. But I took photographs down there and have a blurry photograph of me in the submarine and pictures taken on deck, all that kind of thing. But they're just stories. But I think photographs add another level to stories that. But particularly in families they tend to get handed down from one generation to another. And if there photographs to go with them, then you've created a legacy. And for people that as I say, you will never meet, you become alive for them, that you become somebody that they can perhaps relate to in ways they couldn't without the photographs. So that's pretty much what I wanted to talk about in this podcast to hope. I hope that's been interesting, maybe thought provoking. I don't know. If you don't take any photographs, hopefully, it'll encourage you to just take photographs more regularly. if you have people around it, particularly if you have family, you never know when there'something happens that's worth taking a photo of. And these days we're pretty much all of us carrying smartphones so we all have a camera with us. And the more you practice, the more able you are to just grab those moments that maybe just come once, really fleeting moments and you've just captured that moment and that might be a really important photograph, of somebody, at some point down the track. So if you want to know more, as I say, if you, if you just want to get, if perhaps you haven't been taking any photographs and you just want a reason to get back into it, then jump, on my website and go to the 14 day challenge. I will put a link. I think there may be one already in the descriptions, but I'll make sure there's one there. If you would seriously like to just nail photography, basically, I will also give you a link to the online courses. Now I will just take a moment talking about those. They are really I've written them for people who have no idea what they're doing. They don'know. Which end to look through. But pretty much beyond that it's all a bit of a mystery. So it's in small chunks. most of the lessons are. My target was 20 minutes, for a couple of reasons. One is I think that's long enough for most. I get bored after 20 minutes. I can't do too much study. I have to keep breaking it up. But also it means you can just grab a lesson whenever it's convenient, for you. And then at the end of each lesson or most lessons there's a little activity and that is a guided practical, workshop. I supp. Mini workshop, where you can go through what I've just discussed as a theoretical thing. You can then put it into practice on your own camera. And there's a quiz there as well. And I was actually reading something about the best ways to learn. And this was looking at spending time with an expert. Somebody knows what they're doing. Spending time on your own and spending time with your peers. So the way the course is set up, I'll put an expert hat on. So I'll do all the explanation of things that you need to know and also let you know how important it is to know certain things. Some are just nice to know academically, but others you really do need to know. You obviously have time on your own with these, both the guided mini workshops and just going off and practicing and then sharing with your peers. There is a Facebook group that's set up but it's only for people who are or are on the course or have taken the course. And that's one that I jump in on as well. So there is a place there to just share your work and ask for feedback or just say hey, I'm really pleased with this and all of that kind of thing. So that's it for episode 150. I don't know, perhaps slightly different to what I've done before. this has been recorded in January 2025. So I have some new things coming as well I'm hoping will come off which will be interesting. But however your holiday season went and wherever you are now, whenever you're listening to this, please at least take a look on the website, have a look at the 14 day challenge or look at the courses and enjoy your photography. Bye for now. Just before I go, I want to let you know that there's a couple of ways you can support me if you feel so inclined, with the podcast buzzsprout, which is the platform I use, full of my podcast. They have a subscription model so if you feel that you would like to subscribe a few dollars, a few euros, whatever, to the podcast that we'much appreciated. The other option is my Patreon membership. So if you'd like to become a patron and that starts at the price for a cup of coffee every month, you'll get access to exclusive material, behind the scenes material, photography tips, all this kind of stuff, depending on which to your ad. So there is some information available through my website and also on ah, the written text to go with this podcast. So if you choose either one, thank you so much in advance. And whether or not you do, I hope you continue to enjoy the podcast and let other people know about them. Thank you very much. Bye for now.