HUMAN. STREET. LIFE


All photographs are owned and copyrighted by Larry Monserate Piojo unless otherwise stated.

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www.larrymonseratepiojo.com

 

Alfon The GuardianMt. Pulag, Philippines  The Photographer, The Snap shooter, and The Collector This has been going on my mind for quite a while, most especially if I see people almost anywhere with cameras hanging on their necks like a bunch of 800 gram neckties.  True enough, DSLR nowadays have become fashion accessories – not against the idea as I too take pleasure from the ever evolving fashion in this world.   But at some point it is a little bit upsetting especially if you consider yourself a true artist.  Over a year ago, I wrote about my own perception regarding the importance of Stories over Gear; that I’d prefer having the simplest tool and able to tell stories that inspire others rather than having the best one in the world but produces crappy pictures.  It is more about storytelling and less about technicalities, that having the best camera does not make you create the best photographs. People who shoot less and care less of what photography is all about, who rather enjoy more on the beauty of a camera and how it performs, are the people who consider themselves a Collector.  They collect from the oldest, to newest, and to the most unique models they could find.  Some chooses to collect photographs in print and have them displayed in their personal galleries, offices, or homes.  They don’t take photographs as much, and they brag of the most advanced gear they’ve just acquired, or the most vintage ones they won in an auction.  Collectors can be former photographers who find collecting stuff more pleasurable to them than taking photographs.  But, I know people who are very good at taking pictures who consider themselves true artists but at the same time die-hard collectors of different kinds of camera.   Someone who goes out with a camera and click away crazily without considering what he includes in his frame and does not think about storytelling is a Snap shooter.  A common misconception for a lot of people who thought buying the best tool makes them the best, so they thought a simple click on a shutter button will give them amazing pictures instantly. Shooting rapidly at anywhere at all times eats too much space in your disk, you save hundreds and thousands of photos… useless photos.  That’s mediocrity.  Though surprisingly, most photographers have gone through with this stage one way or another.  Buying a new toy makes you excited, thus makes you go out and shoot just about anywhere aiming and clicking at anything your camera focuses on.  Eventually, you turn into a hobbyist who gives little bit of importance to a story in a photograph.  That’s why we see a lot photos taken in the streets with captions like “cruel world” or “hope for a child” because you associate your thoughts to a photograph in order to send out a message or tell a story. To become a good photographer, in my opinion, is not about getting the most expensive and the most advanced gear.  Instead, you have to have a very good vision. You have to learn to visualize and incorporate this vision in your photograph to represent and create a very compelling story.  Be responsible and try to understand that whatever you put in your frame is a crucial part of the message you are sending.  If a writer is being careful in choosing a word to produce an interesting line, you as a photographer have to be careful of what you include and exclude in your frame for an interesting photograph.  Set aside gear, visualize, adapt, be responsible, and be a storyteller.  That makes you a Photographer.

Alfon The Guardian
Mt. Pulag, Philippines 

The Photographer, The Snap shooter, and The Collector

This has been going on my mind for quite a while, most especially if I see people almost anywhere with cameras hanging on their necks like a bunch of 800 gram neckties.  True enough, DSLR nowadays have become fashion accessories – not against the idea as I too take pleasure from the ever evolving fashion in this world.   But at some point it is a little bit upsetting especially if you consider yourself a true artist. 

Over a year ago, I wrote about my own perception regarding the importance of Stories over Gear; that I’d prefer having the simplest tool and able to tell stories that inspire others rather than having the best one in the world but produces crappy pictures.  It is more about storytelling and less about technicalities, that having the best camera does not make you create the best photographs.

People who shoot less and care less of what photography is all about, who rather enjoy more on the beauty of a camera and how it performs, are the people who consider themselves a Collector.  They collect from the oldest, to newest, and to the most unique models they could find.  Some chooses to collect photographs in print and have them displayed in their personal galleries, offices, or homes.  They don’t take photographs as much, and they brag of the most advanced gear they’ve just acquired, or the most vintage ones they won in an auction.  Collectors can be former photographers who find collecting stuff more pleasurable to them than taking photographs.  But, I know people who are very good at taking pictures who consider themselves true artists but at the same time die-hard collectors of different kinds of camera.  

Someone who goes out with a camera and click away crazily without considering what he includes in his frame and does not think about storytelling is a Snap shooter.  A common misconception for a lot of people who thought buying the best tool makes them the best, so they thought a simple click on a shutter button will give them amazing pictures instantly. Shooting rapidly at anywhere at all times eats too much space in your disk, you save hundreds and thousands of photos… useless photos.  That’s mediocrity.  Though surprisingly, most photographers have gone through with this stage one way or another.  Buying a new toy makes you excited, thus makes you go out and shoot just about anywhere aiming and clicking at anything your camera focuses on.  Eventually, you turn into a hobbyist who gives little bit of importance to a story in a photograph.  That’s why we see a lot photos taken in the streets with captions like “cruel world” or “hope for a child” because you associate your thoughts to a photograph in order to send out a message or tell a story.

To become a good photographer, in my opinion, is not about getting the most expensive and the most advanced gear.  Instead, you have to have a very good vision. You have to learn to visualize and incorporate this vision in your photograph to represent and create a very compelling story.  Be responsible and try to understand that whatever you put in your frame is a crucial part of the message you are sending.  If a writer is being careful in choosing a word to produce an interesting line, you as a photographer have to be careful of what you include and exclude in your frame for an interesting photograph.  Set aside gear, visualize, adapt, be responsible, and be a storyteller.  That makes you a Photographer.

8 months ago