009 - Learning from the Masters (Part 3 of 3)
Today, we are learning from three modern masters of photography. Three gentlemen who I really look up to in the photography world for the images they create and the adventures they have.
Banff, Alberta based photographer Paul Zizka
Oscar award winner Jimmy Chinn
California-based adventure photographer Chris Burkard
We will be talking about four things we can learn from their photography:
Combine Disciplines
Sometimes, gear does matter (but your eye matters more)
Find a Feeling
Get in there!
Combine Disciplines
Look for ways to combine two seemingly different photographic disciplines to create unique images that stand out
Paul Zizka loves to combine action/adventure photography with astrophotography to create amazingly unique images.
Check out his image Glowing Home from 2016
Sometimes gear does Matter
As much as this goes against most traditional advice, that it doesn’t matter what camera you use, there are points where it makes a massive difference.
Let’s think about Chris Burkard's surf photography. He is well known for his ability to capture surfers in the midst of a wave. These are impactful images, shot because Burkard was right there in that wave as well (or pretty close to it). But to do this, he not only needs a good camera capable of freezing action, but also a wide-angle lens that is a bit more forgiving (because it can be hard to aim when the ocean keeps hitting you in the face), and a waterproof housing. The gear makes a difference here.
BUT if you don’t know how to use a camera, if you can’t foresee a shot, know what it takes to make a great photograph, understand composition and light and timing and everything that goes into one. All the gear in the world won’t matter.
Find a Feeling
These are my own personal reads on the work of these great photographers.
Chris Burkard creates these images that teem with joyfulness. You can feel it, his energy of a (seemingly, because I’ve never met him) joyful and exuberant person comes through in these images. He lets his emotions be seen in what he photographs.
Paul Zizka creates these dramatic images under the aurora. They are sweeping vistas, and lots of self-portraits, that are stoic. The people in his images feel like they are in awe of nature, of their surroundings.
Jimmy Chin, has a feeling of adventure in his images.
He is at the epitome of being an adventure photographer and his photos show true epic moments in the mountains that are a little bit of everything that happens during an adventure.
So what does this tell us? Let your emotions be seen. And it doesn’t have to be happy emotions. Let all your emotions be seen. Find a feeling that works for your photos.
Get in There
We aren't silent observers
We can’t be passive. We have to be there, be in there, be a part of the adventure.
This is what the work of Jimmy Chin can teach us. Be a part of the adventure.