Thoughts on Photography.

Russian photographer A. Lapin delivered lectures on photography to various student groups.
I would like to highlight the following points.

1. The mystery of the flat image.

People communicate with words. This is verbal communication, where every word is a sign. For example when you hear the word “a tree”, you understand what kind of object it is.
This sign indicates a huge number of objects of any level of abstraction.
The visual vocabulary contains as many words as there are trees on earth.

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How to Speak the Photographic Language.

“Photography is a foreign language everyone thinks he speaks.”

                                                                             Philip-Lorca diCorcia

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Practice or 10,000-Hour Rule in Photography.

“I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true -- hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't do it.” Ray Bradbury

The concept of practice is one of the most important principles of success.

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Do You Have What it Takes to be a Photographer?

 “For a photographer, the first 70 years are a bit difficult, but after that things get better.” Robert Doisneau

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Feelings and Emotions in Photography. Part 1. Photographers.

Photography is a very personal thing.
Is it possible to not get involved emotionally when taking photographs?
With camera in their hands photographers want to get closer to their subjects, not only physically closer, but emotionally closer.

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Photographing Loneliness.

“I have always photographed loneliness because that is my life” (Bob Richardson)

I read this quote and reflected over it some time.

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The Formula That Can Help You to Control Your Success as a Photographer.

“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”
Jimmy Dean

What is stopping you from achieving the best results in your photography?

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How to Find Inspiration in Photography: Haiku and Photography.

 “To me, photography is not just a visual art, but something closer to poetry—or at least to some poetry, such as the haiku.”
                                                           Frank Horvat

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Photography vs. Painting.

If you had to pick one art form to represent mankind - what would it be?
You might want to choose painting or photography. But is it possible to choose only one art form?
The discussion began in 1839 with the invention of photography. The artist Paul Delaroche stated that, “from today, painting is dead”. Since that time painting is still alive and there are still different points of view on both art forms. Let’s try to find arguments that support different standpoints.

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The Main Lesson Vivian Maier Can Teach You About Photography.

Vivian Maier. Self Portrait, New York City, c. 1950s; via Wikipedia

“Well, I suppose nothing is meant to last forever. We have to make room for other people. It’s a wheel. You get on, you have to go to the end. And then somebody has the same opportunity to go to the end and so on.” – Vivian Maier

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The Phenomenon of Longevity among Photographers.

Cartier-Bresson's first Leica. Photo via Wikipedia.

It’s impossible for any person to stop the process of physical, psychological, and social change.
 At a certain age a person’s capacities go down, but there are different limits for every profession. Probably we can say that there are certain age limits for sportsmen’s career (30 – 40 years old).
And what about photographers?

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Fears in Photography: How to Overcome.

Fear. It’s a strong, uncontrollable, unpleasant emotion caused by actual or perceived danger or threat.
Even the most courageous people (and photographers are among them) have fears to overcome. Luckily, it’s possible.

“When you face your fear, most of the time you will discover that it was not really such a big threat after all.” (Les Brown)

Here’s the list of fears in photography:

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Let’s Read Together. “On Photography” by Susan Sontag (about Diane Arbus).

Diane Arbus was widely acknowledged as an American photographer. But to tell the truth I can’t say that she is one of my favorite photographers. I’m not sure if I am fond of her subjects: dwarfs, midgets, hermaphrodites and other strange people, so called “freaks”.

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How to Photograph Winter Wonderland.

“The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event. You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?” (J.B. Priestly)

Winter truly is a beautiful season. You have an opportunity to take wonderful photos.

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Let’s Read Together. “On Photography” by Susan Sontag. (Tourism and Photography)

Susan Sontag’s book “On Photography” originally appeared as a series of essays in the “New York Review of Books between 1973 and 1977. As a book, it became a bestseller and nowadays it’s the classic book on photography.
 I read it several times and every time I found something new and absolutely modern.
You might want to re-read some pages and to reflect upon photography in our days.

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3 Reasons You Are Not Getting to the Next Level and What to Do about It.

When you start something new, there’s so much to learn. The progress is good, the practice is wonderful.
But after some time, the enthusiasm goes down. Suddenly you find out that you don’t get to the next level. 
It’s true for photography too, isn’t it?

So how can you get to the next level?

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A Good Reason To Be a Photographer.

 “Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”  (Pablo Picasso)
To be an artist means to be a creative person. You are creative if you engage in any activity with passion.
There is no doubt that photography is one of the most loved forms of a creative outlet.

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“…we bring to the act of photography all the books we have read…” “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde.

I try to keep in mind this quotation from Ansel Adams: “We don't make a photograph just with a camera, we bring to the act of photography all the books we have read, the movies we have seen, the music we have heard, the people we have loved.”

Keeping it in mind, I want to share with you some thoughts on “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde.

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How photographers can get a fresh start in 2015.

“Do what you can, with what you have, where are you are.” (Theodore Roosevelt)

The beginning of a New Year is the best time to improve yourself.

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7 New Year's Resolution Photo Ideas to Begin 2015.

Your skills are the result of a goal that was successfully accomplished in the past.
From your perspective today it can seem like you’ve always had these skills. But they started out with an idea, turned into a defined goal and a disciplined approach to your daily routine.

Photography is no exception to this process. As photographers, we set goals all the time. Some goals we write down. Some goals are unconscious, formed in our minds as we see inspiring landscapes or beautiful people. Some goals will take an entire lifetime to achieve and others are made for the next hour or two.

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