Sage Photographic Advice

Touching up a bit. (Click to enlarge)

Some Photographic Advice From professional photographer and YouTuber Roman Fox.

One of my favorite genres of photography is documentary photography.  As a sub-classification of documentary photography I place street photography.  I find the capturing of everyday life, people going about their business, juxtapositions of people with a variety of subjects as well as each other interesting.  I don't shoot street photography but I wish I did.

Because of my affinity of street photography I follow several of them on YouTube.  One of them is an English bloke by the name of Roman Fox.  Quite talented and produces not only good street photographs but also good videos.  Recently, he put one out giving his audience personal tips on how to become better photographers.  

Here is a paraphrased summary of his advice:

• Disregard Smartphone Photography: Smartphone photography isn't "real" photography and that proper photographers only use dedicated cameras, dismissing phones as useless. 

• Constantly Change Gear: Frequently switch camera brands and models.  Gear is always the problem.  It is not your skills.  New gear will solve your problems.

• Avoid Camera Research:  Only buy popular cameras used by influencers without any research.  Then you can blame others if the camera isn't suitable for your needs.

• Prioritize Image Quality Over a Quality Image: Always focus on technical aspects like sharpness and background blur (f1.2 is always better than f2) over light, composition, subject, or storytelling.  Technology wins every time.

• Avoid Hard Work and Seek Shortcuts: Hard work is for "losers" and shortcuts, expensive courses, gadgets, or AI will lead to quick success without much effort on your part.

• Focus Solely on Results, Not the Process: Disregard enjoying the photographic process. Only getting a "good shot" matters even if it leads to frustration.

• Take All Opinions Personally: Absorb every criticism and negative comment about your photography, even from inexperienced individuals and constantly adjust your approach to fit these opinions.  Never assume you have your own opinion.

• Avoid Editing and Cropping: Editing photos with software or cropping means you don't know what you're doing and that "real" photographers never edit or crop.

• Jump on Every Trend: Make every popular photography trend your entire body of work to stay "relevant" and "cool," rather than developing your own unique voice. Being cool is more important.

• Avoid Cliche Photos at All Costs: Only aim for completely original images, abandoning any location or shot that has been captured by someone else ever before.

• Only Shoot in Full Manual Exposure: Only shooting in full manual exposure makes you an "elite" and "professional" photographer.  Dismiss anyone who uses aperture priority, shutter priority, or auto modes.  You should never need the crutch of your camera's features.

• Aim for Overnight Success: Focus on going viral and achieving quick recognition through trends and challenges, rather than patiently developing your skills and style.

• Only Post What Others Like: Prioritize social media traction and likes over your own artistic preferences, deleting images you love if they don't perform well.  Always go for popular over your own photographic vision.

• Never Rest: You must constantly create content (24/7, 365 days a year) to stay ahead of the competition.

I thought Roman’s ludicrous statements are good lessons and humorous.  Now, if you didn’t get the joke (if you are one of my readers you certainly have), whatever you do, don't follow these suggestions.  As you probably already figured out, his video is a sarcastic way of telling you all the things you should NOT do.  He is dead on target.

Here is the link to this video. https://youtu.be/mc_nZmzHMNY?si=9PMU0A79bdCMDSkW  

His video is quite funny.  You really should watch it as it is certainly the best lesson in sarcasm and photography I've seen recently.  Also, Roman is quite a good street photographer and his thoughts that accompany his videos are always right on target.  Check him out.

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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