Photographs do more than enshrine a moment. They speak to the human experience. Elliott Erwitt has been enshrining the human experience in his photographic work for sixty odd years.
His body of astonishing work incorporates humor and reflects his no-nonsense view of the world. A tour of his work also helps the acolyte to pinpoint some lessons that can take them further along their own photographic journey.
One takeaway is to remember to be surprising.
One way to do that is to be open to mentorship and input from those that shine in areas that are not your bailiwick. Another important lesson is to develop observation skills.
Learning to use a camera is daunting at first. But, it is ultimately a machine and can be learned and used reliably. Human eyes are not like machines. Learning to see beyond what is obvious takes time and intuition and is ultimately the far more important skill to master.
While technical skill is not the most important aspect, it is nonetheless important to keep clicking. Mastery comes with practice. Gaining a good eye does too. People will love a photo when they love where it takes them emotionally. Ultimately, as you keep watching, something will move you and you will create a moving piece of art.
Key Takeaways:
- The easiest aspect of photography is learning how to use your camera.
- Experience is the best teacher, so keep going out and taking more photos.
- The best photographs are the ones that evoke strong feelings among the people who are looking at them.
You may think you are always observing the world, but I would counter that. What you likely do is see a little, but mostly you are lost in your mind, in your thoughts and ideas? usually about the past? Why did I do that?! Why did he say that?!? Or in the future? I have to remember to send an email about that meeting!?
Read more: https://digital-photography-school.com/10-things-learn-photography-from-elliott-erwitt/