Seven Reasons to Share Your Photographic Know How Online
Over the last few weeks I got a few emails asking me what is the drive behind DIYP. That sent me to my deep observations state where I had some discussions with myself on the reasons I keep DIYP. When trying to understand my reasons, I also understood that the reasons for sharing your photographic know how are universal (pardon for the cheesiness). So here are (my) Seven Reasons to Share Photographic Know How Online. [Image by JennyHuang]
1. You Get to Pay Somthin' Back
I've never went to art school. In fact I've never even took a photography class. All that I know (and it is not much) came to me from reading photography books, asking around, participating in online forums, and reading blogs. Making an online blog gives me the privilege of sharing some of this knowledge back with the great community of photographers out there.
2. It's Contagious - Join the Party
In the beginning there were only few online photography blogs, but look where we are now, Strobist, Chase Jarvis, Jim Talkington, Lighting Mods, Digital Photography School, Lighting Essentials - All out to share what they know. The more sites site are joining the sharing festival - the better the online photographic scene is.
3. You Give - You Get
One of the nice qualities of knowledge in general (and photography knowledge in particular) is that it does not get wasted when shared - on the contrary. So sharing an apple with a friend, will let you stay with half an apple. Sharing your photography know-how with a friend (or a few tens of thousands) can create new ideas and techniques that are hard to think of alone. Rich doing the light bulb shot better then me and hitting first page on Digg is one example. Dave Ajax taking the disposable camera flash and turning it to a disposable camera ring flash is another.
4. Great (Photographic) Karma
It is great Karma. Really. Ever since I started blogging I won the lottery (3 Dollars); Got to see the world (by traveling to debug issues on customers sites) and am surrounded by beautiful women (when taking my daughter to the park). But also I feel good about my self and getting a kick from seeing the blog grows and people care about it. Great Karma also means that you trust others - Jay from The Plug really has it when it comes to good karma. Attaching a disposable camera to a bench and relying on the kindness of other really gave some great photo minutes.
5. It Makes the World Smaller
This is one of the vest reasons to blog at all, and to photography blog in particular. During the two years (and some change) that DIYP runs, I made friends with photographers from all over the world. Some are pros, some amateurs, film, digital, old, young. All share passion for photography. I have learned from all.
6. Show Off
Once, a long, long time ago, being on TV was really something. As a kid, I remember the excitement of accidentally getting in to a news broadcast. I made the whole family sit down and watch the news with me. (like that was a hard thing...). As TV days are coming to an end, and internet takes place as the new authority, Having a blog is the great opportunity to show your family, friends and grandmother in particular that you are "on the internet".
7. Really, Why Not Share?
Try and think really deep. is there a reason not to share what you know? It is really hard to find one. I mean, the good photography juice in your mind, not in your equipment and setup. Why not give others a bouncing board that will help them unleash their potential? The way I see it is that setting up is an art by itself. Just like you like sharing and getting comments on your pictures, you can display and share your setup and preparations. Just like a singer sings and does not looses his songs, photographers can share without loosing their originality.
Other Posts You'd Love to Read:
- 25 Ways to Jump Start Photography Inspiration
- The Square Ring Flash
- My Mother in Law and the Family of Angles
- 4 Steps for Choosing Your Next Lens
- Seven Stores for The DIY Photographer
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Comments
Because it makes you less valuble
If there are more photographers capable of taking quality photos those who can take the photos now become less valuable. That'd be like Ferarri sending all of their engineering documents over to BMW and saying "Hey let's make F1 more interesting". Art fart, photography is a business for many many people and sharing trade secrets advances the industry and wipes out your edge.
Then again I don't believe a word of that but it's certainly what people think.
sharing
Hey Udi, great post. Running a blog is a whole new deal for me but it's a natural extension of what I've always done in the studio: share and exchange information with up and coming assistants. There are two really interesting things that have happened in recent years.
Very generally speaking, I don't always see the passion in photo assistants that I once did. Many of them only want to work when they want to and they aren't as interested in learning (seriously). Rather than learning how something works many of them just want to be told what to do. It's a real change from when I started twenty years ago and we all wanted to spend every minute around the photo studio. Don't get me wrong, there are great assistants out there, it's just that attitudes seem to be changing.
That's one of the biggest reasons I really like the internet and blogging (and DYI). It's the ultimate photo community where I can not only share my experience but learn from everybody from rank beginners on up. It used to be that professional photographers were leading the way, now it's largely sites like yours and the photo sharing sites where real photo innovation and creativity are coming from!
totaly agree
my blog my flickr my karma
http://www.flickr.com/photos/e-coli/370288853/
#8
#8 Teach your way to greatness! The fastest way to become great at something is to start teaching it when you are good. During the teaching process you have to do research and focus on skills and attributes that may not be your strongest, thus improving your overall skill.
Thanks all
@Anonymous: hmmm... I'd have to totally disagree here. From what I am seeing around sharing has nothing to do with loss of business. If you are good then others preforming good job will not take away from you. If you are so/so, well then could be...
@Jim - I wish I had a assistant :) It is great how the Strobist movement has risen, isn't it? more and more amateurs are shooting pro style as money is less of a barrier.
@Latente - thanks for sharing.
@Damien - This is true. I also experience this in my "other" life as a programmer. Once I've prepared customer training I am more confident and know I can not cut corners.
Professional photographer happy with amateurs learning.
I can out shoot an amateur photographer with a disposable camera. Wow what is this guy on you hear.
On my degree course we had to hand in all our camera equipment, flashes reflectors. We were then given a final assignment to shoot a commercial feature. As we walked through the door we were handed our cameras. Simple cardboard disposable cameras with no flash. We had exactly 36 frames. Convince our clients that we know what we are doing. Do the shoot and print and release to press within 6 hours. If we failed this we failed the whole course. We didnt believe that but we did not want to fail this stage. We had to have a macro,portrait shot inside. This was called the worst case scenario test.
Talk about a bit nervous, you trying walking through into a glass atrium of a multinational and get the CEO to pose for you. Everyone of us did it.
When we got back every frame counted, we all had a proper portrait and macro and all of used DIY kit as lights,reflectors. That is a sigh of a profeesional. No matter what the equipment we have, we can pull of a professional shoot. It was scary and exhilirating. I doubt that todays amateur digital photographer would be able to pull that off. Every 36 frames counted. The macro had to be technically perfect. The portrait had to be a fine art print.
So if a site gives away a technique I am not exactly worried, My education has been so hard that we learnt to shoot on reflex. All the guys on my course have hit front pages of national newspapers.
If an amateur did turn up at a press pack they would last two seconds, they would be found out and not get the shot a pro would get. There are unwritten rules on a presspack.
Weddings, if an amateur undercut me and was accepted for a wedding, I hope he has done his homework and have insurance. I am fully qualified with insurance. I will leave the wedding with a dry shirt will they?
I actually enjoy giving my knowledge to amateurs, but you cannot teach experience. Plus photography is really expensive and sites like this open up a closed field. My last assistant nicknamed me Gordon Ramsay because I would be a really strong leader with him and give him hell of a time. He became a really good photographer out of it. There are lots of niche markets that require trained technical skill of a pro photographer. i dont think an amateur phot would really want to photograph a forensic scene of a dead child.
I will teach photography techniques, lighting and kit issues. I will not give out my business model nor will I reveal my trade secrets. I have nothing to fear from self help sites. Udi has done a brilliant job with this site. My own blog will be covering techniques, software and some DIY.
So from a pro perspective I want people to learn to shoot.
Rich
http://rockhoppermedia.blogspot.com
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