Nature's Best :: Don Smith Photography
Exploring our incredible world one image at a time!
Do You Look Or Do You See? Start With 10,000 Hours Of Practice :: Part 1 of 3
The Crack, Zion National Park, Utah
Canon 5DMKIII, 70mm, f/16, 1.3 sec., ISO 100, Singh-Ray Thin LB Polarizer, Lexar Digital Film
NOTE: This is the first of a three-part series on the art of seeing creatively. We are all creative to one degree or another, but our vision can be developed similar to our craft skills. I don’t buy into the assumption that “you were born that way.” Like anything else in life, some people have an easier time than others in anything we do (including photography), but I don’t personally believe that I was born with any special gift. In fact, in my first serious college photo class, I got a C- and the instructor wrote that in no way should I ever consider doing photography for a living. Looking back, that was great motivation. I love proving the naysayers wrong. Hard work, lots of study, a strong self-belief and lots of love and support from my wife, Beri, was the way I improved my vision (I still work at it daily).
In Part 1, I take a look at the difference between craft and vision.
Over the course of my career, I have literally learned how to get past seeing literally (at least I hope I have). What I mean by this is that when most of us first pick up a camera, we tend to think that we have to re-create the world exactly as it appears to us. That’s fine and that is a good way to really get a handle on how to operate the camera and learn how it sees with its various lens focal lengths.
I call this the “craft” side of photography. That craft side also extends to learning how to correctly process an image (I shoot in RAW mode and process using both Lightroom 5 and Photoshop CC). I can help you here also, please order my new video series: A Simplified Method to Workflow. You’ll receive 6.5 hours of training via 26 easy to follow videos. You’ll start processing like a pro within your first few lessons!
You really need to get proficient at both your camera and your post-processing; yet, craft is only half of the equation; vision (artistic vision) is the other half.
I’ve seen many of my workshop students over the years really struggle with the craft side. They are so consumed with trying to learn how to operate their camera(s) that making (notice I didn’t say taking) an image is almost an afterthought. Then, they are back at their computers trying to figure out how to properly process the image to match their vision – it can get very frustrating and confusing.
With all it takes to sort through all the craft side of the equation, it’s no wonder most photographers never really get to the vision side. I can tell you from experience, excellent craft skills without artistic vision will only equate boring images with no soul, but at least they’ll be crafted well. How do I know? Because I was one of those who thought if I just learned all the bells and whistles of my camera, then my pictures would be awesome. Well, looking back, they were awesomely boring. This was in the film days when I was shooting chrome.
Then Photoshop came along and suddenly we were the lab. Again, I dove in head-first trying to learn the beast. Still didn’t make me any better as a photographer, but at least I could process my images to my match my vision of a scene, so it was a step in the right direction.
I believe the craft of photography can be learned within a year, but it has to be practiced almost daily. In the book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell follows highly successful people from all walks of life and determines that the one common thread between all of these people is that they put in a minimum of 10,000 hours of practice before reaching their maximum potential. Have you put in your 10,000 hours on your photography?
You really need to get proficient at both; yet, craft is only half of the equation; vision (artistic vision) is the other half.
My first camera was purchased when I was 13-years-old (45 years ago – Yikes!). Over the past 35 years, I rarely skip a day when I am not either shooting, processing, teaching, reading or writing about photography. Some days go as long as 15-20 hours when I am teaching a workshop, shooting stock, or scouting for a new workshop.
Dawn at Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii
Canon 5DMKIII, 24mm, f/16, 6 minutes, ISO 100, Singh-Ray 10 stop mor-slo neutral density filter, Lexar Digital Media
I ran some quick math, and in the last 35 years, I’ve put in 102,200 hours on my craft. That’s not even counting the first 10 years that I owned cameras. My best guesstimate for that time frame was another 14,600 hours for a combined total of 116,800 hours and counting!
Along the way, I earned a BA in Photojournalism and English from San Jose State University, worked 23 years (and counting) for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, spent 26 years photographing MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL games, along with a host of other sports. I worked 7 years as a stringer for Sports Illustrated, and have been making landscape images since my teenage years.
I have also been teaching photo workshops for 10 years and have been shooting landscape imagery for Getty Images for the past 8 years. Eighty percent of my efforts these days are spent in the landscape realm.
All told, I have put in my 10,000 hours over 11 1/2 times (rapidly closing in on 12 times)!
I ran some quick math, and in the last 35 years, I’ve put in 102,200 hours on my craft. That’s not even counting the first 10 years that I owned cameras. My best guesstimate for that time frame was another 14,600 hours for a combined total of 116,800 hours and counting!
Here’s the bottom line. I can teach you the craft. I can teach you the aesthetic side of photography (the vision – though that takes much longer). What I cannot teach or help you with is PASSION. I can’t put in the time for you – only you can do that and everyone does it differently.
Passion is what stirs the drink so-to-speak. Passion is what will push you daily to achieve your first 10,000 hours. Perhaps many of you reading this have already surpassed that point – if so – congratulations. Now get going towards your second 10,000 hours.
The cool thing is that your journey will never end as long as your passion burns. I really can’t explain why, after all these years, I still have the passion. I do have some thoughts on that subject though and I will share them with you in Part 2 of this series.
One thing I do know is that when I was young, I focused (pardon the pun) far too much on technical and not enough on learning how to see. Once I started to put my attention towards that goal, my images began to change. No longer was every image a grand view of exactly what I was looking at; my images became more intimate like this image of Zion’s Crack that you see here.
I realize most of you reading this have a job or school and a ton of other responsibilities. Well, even though I do this for a living, I also have a family and the time constraints of running my business.
Yet, like you, I have to look at my calendar and carve out my shooting times. I’m fortunate in that half of my office time is spent outdoors scouting locations and waiting for the right light. My actual shooting time is probably less than you think. I work in very small windows of opportunity. Yet, I maximize the time I do spend in the field with adequate preparation. Then of course, Mother Nature can change on a moment’s notice. As a pro, I still have to come back with a good image.
So get after it. Don’t feel like lugging out your 35mm gear? How about taking a walk around your neighborhood with your smartphone (challenge yourself to find an image in your everyday surroundings). You will be amazed what this will do for your creativity.
Yes you can teach yourself how to see creatively. Come back for Part 2 and I will share more on how I accomplish this.
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Nature's Best :: Don Smith Photography 
Excellent article, Don! Just the little push I needed this weekend! Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.