Photography is like driving. The more experience you have, the better you become at it. Both endeavors use sophisticated equipment to get a task done. The more you understand the technical considerations, the easier it is to master them. Driving is best when you understand how the car works well enough that you can pay attention to the task at hand— getting to where you want to go. Photography, similarly, should be an activity in which you are not worried about basics. Only when basic camera handling is reflexive can the photographer make the necessary effort to create a great photograph.
When I teach, I try to illustrate lessons with examples of my work.
I explain how I tried something that didn’t work, or how I made changes to improve a picture. Showing several possibilities helps the students to understand the options we face as photographers and how important it is to consciously choose between them.
As a teacher, I have often found that though students may know how to do something, they don’t understand why to do it. Even worse is when a photographer knows what he or she wants to do, but doesn’t know how to accomplish it. I try to show students many of my photographs and explain how and why I made decisions. Understanding the reasoning process makes it easier for them to make their own decisions as they take photographs.
