Photo by Constantin Panagopoulos on Unsplash
skill. moments. interpretation. expression.
How did photography enter your life?
For me, there were the family photos with an instamatic camera that my mom took. They ended up in family albums and in frames on walls as memories of moments, family, friends, holidays.
In those days, photography was hit and miss – and seriously expensive! You bought film, took a photo that you did not see and then took it in for development and printing. That could sometimes result in a failed outcome of exposed film, etc.
Photos today are 180 degrees the opposite – they are ubiquitous, free and disposable. Millions are taken and uploaded and forgotten.
We could not afford an SLR camera growing up and I looked at fancy cameras with fascination and envy. At high school I was lucky enough to be able to borrow a school camera and take photos that I used for art projects.
Photo – DPReview
The photo that changed things
Cameras have evolved in leaps and bounds and my early Canon experience was largely trying to take a great capture of a moment with sharp well lit photos.
As I really struggled in poor light with the best leopard photo opportunity I had had to that date, I decided that it was eventually time for an upgrade after I had upped my skill levels.
But I also realised that photos were about capturing the feeling of the moment as I experienced it. Taking the best shot of anything was unlikely. There are amazingly skilled and artistic people out there. But it could be something special to me about a special moment.
As the technology has improved I bought my second camera – a Nikon D850. The D850 is widely regarded as the best DSLR ever made. That together with lenses that have image stabilisation put professional results in the hands of amateur photographers.
It was an enormous investment for me and I obsessively read everything I could. I poured over Ken Rockwell‘s review and sample images and made up my mind. I bought the AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm 1/4G ED VR lens and I practiced and saved for almost a year before adding the Sigma 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM zoom lens.
With new tools, more practice and understanding, my photography desires began to change. “World-class” photos are now so widespread and sometimes arrived at by happy accident, that – to my eye – the photos that have wow factor are now increasingly a result of a moment, a story, composition, light, processing – and skill. Of course they always were.
Peter Haygarth‘s award winning image of a Cheetah defending itself against an attack from a pack of wild dogs has all those qualities.
When we pick images that we rank as our favourites, we do so based on what fits our eye. This image has had limited processing, but achieves a mix of drama that is characteristic of an artist’s interpretation. Rather than merely being a skilled photo based on being at the right place at the right time (with all the skill and patience that takes), it achieves a whole lot more.
Big Cat and Dog Spat – Peter Haygarth – https://peterhaygarth.com/
World wildlife photographer of the year 2019 – Highly Commended
We are entering an era where AI can generate a photo from ether based on a desired result. Increasingly I want a photo that I take to be an interpretation and less a capture.
Used with permission
National Geographic photographer Shaaz Jung mixes incredible photographical skill with processing in a way that results in ethereal mysticism. To me, a masterful blend of both can create an art form and interpretation where memories and imagination meet. They can result in a recognizable personal style.
As I continue to gain my 10 000 hours of experience, my excitement in photography is to find a way to capture and show moments that interpret and express.
