I am the camera, photography is the action

I meet Olivia for lunch in central London. She is a 35 year old consultant who lives and works in London. She describes herself as an amateur photographer having started taking pictures at the age of 8. Her parents were into photography and so there were always cameras lying around the house. She says that she came from “a family of photographers” because her parents were always taking photos. To stop her playing with the expensive SLRs she was given a point and shoot camera and since then she has always been interested in photography. Although she can’t remember her first camera, since then she has always had a Canon. When she upgraded to digital she chose Canon over Nikon because “The guy in the shop said they were much of a muchness and to go for whichever one felt best. The Nikon was chunkier and heavier. Canon felt nicer and I preferred the interface so I went for Canon.” Her opinion of Nikon is that “they have a reputation for being robust and well-made – a lot of professionals use them.”
She likes to travel quite a lot and begins to tell me all the places that she has been to. It is clear that taking photographs is really important to her when she is travelling. She tells me the story of when her camera broke:
“Whilst on holiday in Morocco my camera broke. I felt lost. Photography enhances your experience. Instead of just wandering through somewhere it makes you notice things. The Japanese photographer Araki said ‘I am the camera, photography is the action’. And I really relate to this. I was still walking around as a though I had a camera I just wasn’t able to take any photos. It felt like a lost opportunity, a lost moment.”
Photographs allow her to tell stories of her travels. She says that “photos define the trip”. Without the photos of Morocco she feels like “There’s a part of my trip missing”. I get the impression that without the photos she thinks she may as well not have been there. She tries to describe why she feels the need to take photos and recalls what someone once wrote about poetry “It’s emotional urgency – you get a feeling and you have to express it.” So taking photos for her is a way of expressing herself. She pulls out a book she has been reading as part of her photography course at St. Martin’s and reads me a quote:
“At our best and most fortunate we make pictures because of what stands in front of the camera, to honour what is greater and more interesting than we are. We never accomplish this perfectly, though in return we are given something perfect – a sense of inclusion.”
We start discussing what makes a good photographer. For Olivia “What he/she is able to see… the ability to see things that others can’t. When someone takes a photo they are saying ‘This is my view of the world’. It’s an expression of yourself.” The ideal camera “Allows you to realise your vision and is easy to do so. It’s the end product that’s important, not the method.”
She likes to upload photos onto Flickr but only selects her best. So I ask her how she decides what is a good photo and what isn’t, “When I look at a good photo there is a moment of recognition that triggers something inside you. It creates emotional resonance.” Ultimately she says it doesn’t matter what camera you use because “It’s the photographer not the camera. The camera is just the tool to capture their vision.”

Insights:
• Having a camera in your hand makes you more aware of the world around you.
• Taking photographs allows you to relive moments and recount stories of your experiences.
• A good photo triggers something inside you and creates an emotional resonance.

Emotional Resonance

Jay is a 25 year old bar tender who works in a cocktail bar in East London. He studied photography at university and worked as a photojournalist for a short time. He now does a bit of free lance work but doesn’t take it too seriously. His first camera was a Pentax and since then he has used Canons. He warns me early on that he is a bit of a “photo snob”. After a while it is clear what he means by this; he would much rather still use film than digital cameras. In his opinion “What you get with digital photos is exactly what is there. Whereas with film there’s a richness… it’s hypernatural.” With his digital cameras “I get frustrated when I know what I want and know I can’t get it.” It follows that his ideal camera would be a digital camera that “gives you photos that look as rich and as real as film.” He still thinks there is yet to be a digital camera that is as good as a film camera.
I am curious what photographers he admires but he says that “I honestly don’t have a favourite photographer. It’s not about photographers. I react to individual images. A good photo has to literally just grab you.”

Insights:
• Great photos grab you and cause an emotional reaction.
• Having an idea in your head and not being able to reproduce it with your camera can be very frustrating.

Happy Accidents

Stuart is a professional photographer who now lives and works in London. He studied photography at university and then did a masters in photojournalism. He now does a lot of free lance work but he tells me he is waiting to hear back from Reuters after he applied for a job with them. He is hoping to do sport journalism so that he can go to the world cup next year!
We begin to chat about photography and it is clear he is very knowledgeable. He likes to collect interesting cameras and shows me one that he has in his bag that you have to wind up to take a photo with. He still likes to shoot on film for pleasure because “It’s lovely to walk around taking photos and not know how they will turn out.” Because of the limitless amount of photos you can take with digital cameras he says that if he takes his digital camera on a night out “It feels like you weren’t there. You end up living the night through the photos.”
He also likes to use film occasionally because “Pictures taken with most digital cameras look too crisp. You don’t get any accidents like when you open up the back of a film camera and you can end up with a great photo.” He describes these accidents as “happy accidents”.
His first camera was a Pentax that his geography teacher sold to him. He has used several models since then but has now settled with a Canon because “Everyone else has it”. It’s the safe option and he knows that if he is doing some photojournalism he can borrow lenses and batteries off fellow photographers because they will all have Canons too. When he worked in Jessops he would tell people that Canon and Nikon were “much of a muchness” but that generally Canon’s were cheaper and thus more popular.
In terms of his professional work he likes to get out on the street and take photos of moments as and when they happen. He finds studio work boring and thinks “There’s enough interesting stuff out there to take photos of. It doesn’t always have to be perfect. Happy accidents can be good.”

Insights:
• The best photos aren’t staged. They’re spontaneous and often taken by accident.
• Buying a Canon is the safe option because everyone else has one.
• Because digital cameras allow you to take as many photos as you like they can prevent you from actually enjoying the moment because you are so obsessed with capturing it all on your camera.

Technology is Overwhelming

Andre is a 38 year old professional photographer from Sao Paulo. He moved to London 3 years ago with his wife in order to pursue his career. For him the photography here is much more exciting than in Brazil.
He started to get into photography when he was about 18. His dad took good photos which inspired him to do the same. When he went to university he bought a Pentax and was always the one at parties taking photos. When he left university he decided to pursue a career in photography and subsequently changed cameras to Nikon and until recently he has had Nikon cameras all his life. He now has a Canon 5D. The switch was because of the better technology. He goes on to say that if Nikon had the D700 two and a half years ago he would have bought that instead because he thinks the Nikon lenses are better and he always preferred the grip and feel of their cameras.
He begins to talk about all the technology and I am soon lost. He laughs and makes his point that when choosing a camera, “It’s so complicated to know which lens, sensor etc is better. Everything moves so fast. There’s a pressure to keep up.” At the end of the day he would prefer just to shoot on his Panasonic LX3 because he likes the convenience of a small camera. He chose the Panasonic above other compacts because of the superior lens.
He tells me about his career as a portrait photographer working free lance with several magazines. However, to pay the bills he also does wedding photography. He shows me some of his wedding photos and I expect to see the usual posed shots. However, what I see is something more like a shoot from LIFE. He says, “When I go to a wedding I’m going to take photos that excite me. I want images that survive after the day. Shooting at a wedding doesn’t have to look like a wedding. My philosophy is beauty and fun – I want people to look beautiful and I want the photos to be fun.”
I am intrigued to learn if he feels that the digital revolution has cheapened his job. He looks shocked, “Photography is not something that belongs to photographers. Everyone is a photographer now. No one says they want to be a designer, or an artist, or a sculptor because those things you have to be good with your hands. But with photography it’s in your head.”

Insights:
• Choosing which camera to buy can be overwhelming even for a professional photographer.
• Professional photographers like to use compact cameras too – DSLRs are simply too big.
• Everyone is a photographer. It is more accessible than any other art form because the main skill you need is an imagination.

Photo Envy

Steve is 45 and lives and works in Camden. He describes his photographic skills as “keen interest but definitely still a beginner”. When I see some of his photos I realise he has been very modest in his description.
As soon as we start talking about photography he shows me his latest “toy”, a Nikon D40. He bought it last November and is enjoying learning how to use all the functions. For the first few months when he had it he kept it on manual a lot of the time but now he is gradually learning how to use all the automatic functions. He clearly enjoys the challenge and satisfaction of learning how to use the camera and being rewarded with some great photos. He will often go out for an afternoon or a weekend to take lots of photos of whatever catches his eye. He deletes nearly two thirds of his photos as most of them are just experiments.
When I ask him why he went for the Nikon he just shrugs and says that it was either a Nikon or a Canon and at the time the Nikon was £100 cheaper.
He also has a Pentax camera which he was given after he became interested in photography about 15 years ago. He tells me the story of how he spent a year travelling in-between jobs going round India, Asia and Australia. He took a cheap point and shoot camera with him. When he came back he looked at the photos others had taken of the same places and was upset at how terrible his looked in comparison.
“The people and faces remind me of where I was but I would have liked the photos to have been as special as those places were.”
I ask him about what makes a great photo. For him the photo must be striking so that “you just want to stand there and look at it.” He appreciates the technical side but he always tries to make his photos a bit different and “something you wouldn’t think of”. He shows me some of his photos as examples. In Paris he avoided the classic Eiffel Tower shot and went instead for an interesting Metro sign because it caught his eye. Sat on a beach he was taking photos of the horizon and then noticed how clear the water was and so took a picture of the pebbles beneath the water’s surface. He claims his best photos are “taken on a whim” and “most are accidents”. My favourite of the photos he has brought is of a pair of sandals each with a glass of beer in them. He tells me the story of a festival he was at in Brazil and how “beer and sandals” captured the mood exactly.

Insights:
• It is disappointing when a photo does not do the moment justice. Simply capturing the moment is not enough. A special moment deserves a special photo.
• Being envious of someone else’s photos is motivation to start taking photography more seriously.
• Many of the best photos are accidents taken on a whim.

The Camera Is Just a Tool

We meet Pedro in central London. He has just come out of a meeting to try and secure funding for his next photography project and is in high spirits!

Pedro is a 24 year old professional photographer from Mexico. We sit and chat outside a café on sunny Charlotte Street. We talk about the various projects he is working on and it is clear that he is very passionate about his job. I ask him how he got into photography and he reminisces about his childhood in Mexico. His dad was a biologist and had lots of cameras lying around the house which he used to document his experiments. His sister studied photography but soon lost interest after she graduated. So at fourteen, Pedro set up his own dark room in the house and began taking and developing his own photos.

His first camera was an Olympus and then he bought a Nikon after a few years. When he made the switch to digital he chose Sony because at the time it was the best “all round” camera. When he got serious about photography he had to choose between Canon and Nikon – “the two best brands”. He chose Canon because it was cheaper. Pedro now has 6 lenses for his Canon and so probably won’t switch to Nikon, although regretfully he says “If I could make the same choice now I would choose Nikon”. When I ask him why, he explains “In terms of using the camera Nikon trashes Canon…. I prefer the way a Nikon feels… I hated my first Canon – it felt as though you were going to break it.”
We begin to talk about what he wants from a camera. He explains “At the end of the day it’s just a tool. You want to get to the point when you don’t have to think about your camera. It’s like a Mac, which allows you to focus on the creative aspect because everything is where it should be and does what you want it to. Sometimes people look at Nikon’s and are scared because they have more buttons and Canon’s have a much cleaner cut. But Nikon’s have buttons in the right places that work how you would expect.”

I ask him what he thinks makes a great photograph and he explains his “photography philosophy” which is that a great image consists of two elements:
1) Content
2) Craft
For him the more important of the two is the content and the ideas that go into a photo. He makes his point with the example of stock image libraries where the photos are technically brilliant but they are not great photos in his view because they don’t tell you anything. For Pedro it’s all about “Images that say something. A great picture must stay in your mind and do something – challenge you, suggest a story, capture a moment, say something…” He says that he often feels jealous of amateur photographers because although they may not have technical brilliance, they can have a great eye. He quotes a famous photographer, “The only way you can be a true artist through photography is by being an amateur.” To this point he describes photography as a “fool’s paradise” because the advent of digital cameras has meant that anyone can take great photos. He says that the barrier to entry (the cost of buying a camera and developing photos) has been lifted. He sees this as a good thing although it’s made his job harder because he thinks the transition from a “good” photo to an “amazing” photo is very difficult.
We ask if we can take a photo of him. He is embarrassed and only agrees to do it if he can wear his helmet and shades!

Insights:
• The camera is just a tool. It should not get in the way of a great photograph.
• Great photos should cause a reaction when you see them. The content of a photo is more important than the technical aspect, which means that anyone can take a great photo.

Perfectly Imperfect

We meet Angelo, 42. H explains that the real expert of photography is his wife, Clara. She knows everything about her brand new Canon EOS 500. Angelo instead is more intrested in taking a snapshots of a particular thing that makes that snapshot look great in a picture. He has a Sony compact camera (doesn't know the type, it's just a Sony-whatever), but he prefers taking his picture with his mobile phone. "I don't print them anyway, and with my mobile I don't have to remember my camera...". Pictures in his life are about particular moment, people (or animals: his dog is at least in half of the pictures...), landscapes, objects...
It seems that a camera is really not a plus for him. What matters is the subject, not the way you're capturing it. "No matter the quality, the angle or the light: my dog remains my beautiful dog". He says that the real picture is in your memory, and you just take a way to connect to that one. He puts all his picture on his laptop, but admits that he rarely goes back to see them. This is also because he never has the time to make a specific order.
He heards from a friend that Mac have an automatic way to collect them...this could be an easy solution.

He knows Nikon, as from his wife point of view: is the only alternative to Canon, although Canon has always been her choice. He went for a Sony because he thought is was a good brand for electronics, the camera was light and easy to use. *

Insight:
- Some People are happy with imperfect pictures as long as they connect with their memories.

Hunters, Waiters and Tourists

Photography it's a Reflex world. There is no space for any compact camera or anything alike. She has a Canon, 'cause she always had it, and changing now it wold be too expensive (all optics are compatible just with one single brand). If she had to change she would definitely go for Nikon.

Photography for Barbara is not about the subject: you can make beatiful picture about something that is not beautiful at all. You can make a beautiful picture of something awful, or sad...
You can make a great picture that is not beautiful at all... In other words aesthetic is not that essential in photography.
She says that photographers are of two category: the "hunters" and the "waiters". Hunters go around for the right picture, at the right time. They run, they move, they always search. Waiters just wait for that right pictures to come. They stay still, they try to connect with what is around and try to catch its soul. She is a waiter.
If you're not a hunter, neither a waiter...you might be a picture tourist. Someone who just watches what is outside and tries to keep it nice in his memories.

Insights:
- Great pictures don't have to beautiful. It's not about the subject, it's about the feeling.
- People have different ways of capturing things on camera. There are those who hunt for the right picture, those who wait for the right moment and those who collect as they go along.

Clueless

Natalia is an interior design, she is from Abruzzo and came to Milan to study when she was 19 years old.
She received her first camera when she was 12, she has always liked taking pictures. Two years ago she decided to buy a digital camera, she asked her father a piece of advice because photography is her father’s hobby, he has many cameras and knows the brands on the market. His favourite brand is Canon, he thinks they make the best pictures and that the price is good. Natalia had clearly in mind how much she wanted to spend, so she only looked at the cameras that she could afford. She wanted: rechargeable batteries, wide screen and small size. Then she followed her father advice and bought a Nikon, she didn’t buy a Canon because they weren’t any among her range.
One year later her camera broke (she dropped it in the water) and her father offered her a Canon, she says she likes it because it makes better pictures than the Nikon, but the Nikon was smaller and easier to use.
She always takes her camera with her except when she goes to work. She doesn’t always take pictures, she uses it when she has the right feeling, when she thinks it is going to be a “special moment”, her special moment are strongly related to amusement and to friends. She takes pictures because she wants to have a tangible memory of the moment she lived. She often looks at the pictures she took, mainly with friends but also alone, it makes her happy to look at the good moments she lived.
She really likes taking pictures, but she sais she is not very good, she just uses the basic options, that’s why she wouldn’t buy a professional camera event though she would like to have one, she wouldn’t be able to use it properly.
The first brand that came to her mind talking about cameras were Canon, Nikon, Sony and Lexus. She doesn’t know the difference between Canon and Nikon, she thinks they are good brands while Lexus isn’t. She is not strongly related to one single brand, but wouldn’t buy an unbranded camera.
She doesn’t know anything about the brand Nikon, she just knows it is Japanese.


Once in the shop she didn’t seem very interested in the specific features of the cameras, her attention was captured by the coloured ones, expecially the pink ones. She wouldn’t buy a camera because it’s beautiful, but she definitely considers it a plus.
She liked a pink camera from Nikon that had an “old style design”, she took it and asked if she could try to take a picture, but they wouldn’t let her because it hadn’t the battery inside. She asked some information to the shop assistant but she admitted she didn’t pay attention. If she would have to buy a camera, she would prefer to go to a shop where she can try it, she thinks it is more professional and would trust more the shop assistant’s advice.

Insight:
- Entry-level compact users aren't interested in camera features, so they rely on the judgement of more knowlegable users.
- People who are clueless about cameras chose design over function.

Collecting Experiences

Antonio (from Rome) received his digital camera as a present from his parents 4 years ago, when he graduated from University. He didn’t actually ask for it, he appreciated it anyway but wasn’t very enthusiastic, he would have prefered to receive a journey voucher. Now he’s happy to have it and he would buy one if he didn’t have it.
He used it for the first time during his graduation party, he really enjoyed taking pictures and since then he tries to bring his camera with him whenever there is a special occasion. A special occasion for him is a dinner with friends, a party, a trip, concerts and holidays. He never takes pictures of his family, not only because they live far away but because he remembers to bring his camera with him when he knows he’s going to live something special, when he’s going to have a lot of fun and do something he really likes. The moment he lives with his family are more “traditional” and nothing exciting happens.
He consider his pictures important, but doesn’t consider his camera as important, he has a Canon, he says it works fine but he doesn’t see many difference from the other digital cameras. He’s not very emotional to this product event though he is to pictures, he often looks at them (he has many), alone or with friends. They often look at the pictures all toghether and remember the “old times”, they really like it and have a lot of fun seeing how they used to be and what they used to do. Pictures are for Antonio the best way to keep good memories alive. He also likes videotapes, but he never thought of buying a videocamera because he thinks he wouldn’t use it as much as a camera as he would have to stay behind it all the time, pictures are faster to take and when he wants to film he can always use his camera for short videos.
He doesn’t know much about techinical aspects, he always uses basic options, that’s why he’s not very interested in digital cameras and doesn’t know much about them. The most important features for him are: size, wheight, large screen and simplicity; he wouldn’t spend much for a new digital camera. He wants it to take good pictures, in terms of colour and image stability, and it has to be simple to use. He doesn’t know what brand is the best, the first brands that came him to mind were Canon and Nikon. He doesn’t know the difference between them, he thinks they are both good but he never stops to look at the cameras department.

Insights:
- Compact users don't care about the camera and it's functions, all they care about is their moments.
- Cameras are there to collect experiences and keep them alive.

My big fat wedding

I am invited to Zeina's & Christopher"s wedding. 135 guests, almost all equipped with a camera. Plus 2 professional wedding photographers and a camera man. Zeina wants to make sure that the once in a lifetime event she's been looking forward to is fully documented. The guests have travelled from countries and continents to be part of the big day. Everyone is dressed up for the occasion, picture perfect, ready to be photographed from all angles throughout the day. As we are waiting for the bride and groom to arrive everyone is taking pictures of each other. Family & friends are building formations to be captured by the camera. People just can't get enough of each others images. As you are posing for one camera another appears next to it, taking the exact same picture from a slightly different angle. Anything from compact, to entry level SLR to professional cameras is amongst the guests. The bride and groom finally make an entrance to the ballroom. The crowd is hysterical. All eyes and lenses are on the couple. People have now moved from images to little Mpeg films. The best moment of the day has to be filmed (although there will be an official wedding video). Bride and groom seem a little overwhelmed by the attention as they slowly make their way to their seats. The hysteria calms down as dinner is being served. But the main act is still to come: The after dinner party. Once the formal part is over people are getting out of their composed shells. Uncles and aunties are showing off their crazy dance moves, the bride's friends passing shot glasses around, people are singing and dancing. Little stories are happening all over the room. And again, as things are happening they are being captured on memory sticks. The ones that you hardly notice are the two professional photographers. They are equipped with fat lenses to zoom in and out and get close to the action without disturbing it. As the night progresses the party gets crazier. Everyone is drunk and probably not able to remember everything, but the cameras are still wide awake. I wake up the next morning with a big headache. My friends and I go through the pictures we have taken. "Oh that's nice. Oh no that one is horrible. Oh my god I can't even remember this....!" Thanks to our cameras we are reliving the evening. And it was great fun!

Insights:
Pictures help us relive the moment.
The spontaneous shots that people don't notice tell the best stories.
Everyone wants to have their own version of the moment.

I don't need a photographer

Sarah and James are preparing their move from London to Singapore and are going through piles of stuff to take with them or leave behind. "We will store most of our furniture, but we are definately taking our pictures with us." Sarah has made an effort to frame her most favourite pictures, not just of herself, James and both their families but also landscape pictures of their travels to South Africa and Asia. "It took me a long time to decide which camera to buy. I wanted the quality of an SLR without the complication of it. I went online and started reading reviews and comparing specs before I decided to go with a Panasonic Lumix. I needed a camera that can take sharp pictures of wildlife in Africa even when they are further away. The Lumix provided the best optical zoom with a Zeiss lense on top. I am more than happy with it. All my animal pictures came out great. In fact, I was asked to photograph my mates wedding, as they decided not to hire a professional photographer but just use the pictures people would take with their own cameras. My pictures came out best, because I was able to zoom in on people from a distance and capture them in a very natural and emotionally engaging way. They didn't even notice that I was taking pictures." she says proudly.

Insights:
- People take pride in their own picture taking skills.
- You don't need a professional photographer to get the perfect picture

New perspective in life – and in photography

Sandra (37) & Carsten (34) & son – Jamie (1,5 years) live in Munich, Germany

Carsten works in a bank - approximately 60 hours a week – even in these times. Sandra used to have her own studio as an alternative practitioner but is “just a mum” at the moment. Everything has changed in their life since little Jamie is there. To be able to document everything, Carsten bought a new digital camera two months before Sandra gave birth to little Jamie. Everything should have been perfect – so Carsten checked out diverse special interest photo magazines – mostly at the airport, because he has to travel a lot, surfed the internet for test results, checked out the latest test results of Stiftung Warentest and spend about 1hour in 4 different photo shops before he bought one. And surprise: he didn’t buy one of the test winners, but a Sony Cybershot – “because the design of this camera just caught me, it looked so cool and it had this Carls Zeiss lens – something very special. And suddenly the inferior picture quality from the tests weren’t interesting for me anymore, and I said to myself, well these tests are so professional and a normal person like me cannot recognize the difference, anyway. So I bought the one which made me really happy when looking at it.”
While Carsten seemed very organized and well informed, Sandra bought the camera for her and her parents completely differently: “I am a typical woman – emotions, emotions and trends – facts are not interesting for me.” Sandra says that there was this time when everybody spoke about these Exilim cameras – my best friends had one, my colleague had one – everybody had one. So when my parents decided that they also wanted a camera I just went to the next photo store and bought an Exilim camera. No idea if it was good – well everybody had one – so it couldn’t be that bad and everybody seemed very happy with it so I didn’t question it at all. I guess if they had the pink or coloured version at this time, I probably would have even bought one of those – typical.” And my parents are happy with it – they don’t understand any of the features – but this camera seems to be able to take good pictures no matter in which mode, that’s great. So when I am back home from time to time, I take the camera and reset everything and put it into the normal mode again, that’s really funny how many features are on the display by that time – but it still works!”

Carsten says he is completely different: ”I have to know exactly how the camera works, I study the manual until I know everything, otherwise you don’t use the camera to its full potential or you do something wrong or you miss out something very interesting. And imagine you film an exciting moment and then it didn’t work – everybody would be very upset.” So when the two got a video camera as a present for Jamie’s birth, Carsten spend two full evenings studying the instruction manual of the video camera – he wouldn’t use or switch it on before that.

Since Jamie is there, Carsten and Sandra use their digital cameras in a complete different way. “Before, we hardly ever used our digital cameras during the day or on normal days, unless we were on holidays, or for Ebay. Now everyday might bring something special that is worth capturing so we need to be prepared with a camera or video camera. Especially because we live far away from our families and Carsten has to work so much. They should all be able to take part on Jamie’s development, too.”
Now, Carsten sends out a picture newsletter with pictures of Jamie to all his friends around the world every 2-3 months.
So the two became intensive and hard working photographers – “No, its so much fun, our friends and family really appreciate it and are happy about these pictures and Jamie also will be – when he is grown up.” We even bought a digital picture frame for our parents, so that they always have the latest pictures and can take part on our and Jamie`s life, too.”
Another thing that came into her life as a mother are “picture books.” Sandra says, that she has met so many mums who continue producing one picture book after the next about their baby`s development and she also got one from a baby birthday she was with Jamie. "On www.fotoalbum.de/ or http://www.myphotobook.de/ you can even become creative and put together your own picture book for your friends and family. I would have never done this before I became a mother, but these kind of “cheese things” are now popular.”

“Today, the children grow up differently – in relation to digital cameras – and compared to our youth. I have met 7 -10 year old kids who already have their own Canon Ixus cameras and the little ones get their baby digital cameras. Children always want to see the picture immediatelyafter it has been taken – they have learnt it no other way, they expect to see it – they could never imagine that it took us a week – in the past – until we could see our holiday pictures.”

While Sandra is really interested in a semi professional digital reflex camera, because “you really see the difference in pictures and our child should be worth it.” Carsten is not convinced, yet, because “it needs to be small and practical and you need to be spontaneous – that’s not really possible with such a huge and professional camera. And I would also be afraid that Jamie destroys it – he loves to through around things.”

Insights:

• With a baby – suddenly every moment gets valuable and worth capturing by a camera
• Family: New stage in life in which photography and picture get a different meaning/ purpose and a much higher value – for all “interest groups”.
• Emotions can win at POS over testing facts
• Children grow up with a complete different relationship to cameras – they get in touch with digital cameras at a very young stage – here brand connection should already start!

Live my pridest moments again - in my pictures

Christian, 34 and Alessandra, 32 - are married and live in Frankfurt, Germany

When I asked the two to spend some time with me to talk about digital cameras, Aless already said: “Oh that`s perfect, Chris always has a camera with him.” Something that also all of his friends confirmed, when I talked to them in a restaurant before asking Chris and Aless directly. So Chris seemed to be the typical party photographer guy who annoyed everyone with taking pictures during a night out. Annoying, because of course he would always take the worst pictures of everyone – being drunk and behaving very stupidly.
But this has changed, he found his girl – now his wife (he doesn’t go out that much anymore) – and he got bored of taking hundreds and hundreds of pictures of drunken people.
In the meantime Chris uses his camera to get inspiration – for his business and private life. Chris works for a Chinese company which produces “all kinds of staff” – so he is always looking for new products, nice designs and logos to get inspiration for new product ideas. So he constantly has a camera with him and tries to capture everything that seems interesting. Every month he then puts together a report with many pictures and new product ideas and sends them to China.
Privately he always used a Canon camera - always Ixus. He also tried some others in the meantime, e.g. from Casio, but always came back to his Canon Ixus, because he knows how to handle them and he knows what he will get. Furthermore, he thinks that it is “such a rubbish” how manufacturers and brands currently try to outbid each other with the number of megapixels. “It so not necessary to have 7 or more megapixel – 4 megapixel are absolutely enough for taking a great picture and for our normal eyes, and I am annoyed because I always need to extent my memory chip.”

Chris likes to document his life. “I have a picture folder for each month of a years since 2001 on my computer. From time to time – mostly for special events or birthdays – I look through all of them and laugh and live the days again – in my imagination with the help of the pictures.
He also has a printed out picture wall in his office at home “which I am not allowed to touch, Alessandra comments”. Because Alessandra likes to change the flat and also the pictures in the flat sometimes – “but not his picture wall”. On his wall are pictures from many important stages of Chris’s life: A-levels degree, his time abroad in South Africa, 3-month holiday trip through South America, his expatriate working time in China. “When you pass this wall or pictures, you can see my whole life. I love to look at it from time to time and then I am really proud of what I have already done and reached in life” says Chris.
Privately Chris has changed his “photographer behaviour” compared to when he was younger. He now likes to document life, take pictures spontaneously, take pictures of interesting people and monuments and capture special moments:

Examples of Chris`s favourite pictures from his 1000 picture folders on his PC

“Constructed situations for taking pictures are not my favourite anymore” says Chris and Aless adds “Chris takes nice pictures, they are not so artificial, they show the real life, although of course sometimes the pictures are as crazy as he is and I don’t see any beauty in them – but he does. Chris even gives me a camera when I am travelling alone and tells me to take many nice pictures because he wants to see how the trip was and wants to be able to imagine everything. So I mostly take pictures on holidays for him, not for myself.”
Chris says he enjoys having so many pictures that document his life and the life of his family and friends. Whenever there is a special occasion or event, everybody asks him for pictures. And Chris himself also enjoys surprising his friends with funny pictures of them, when he is invited for dinner or a birthday. Then he prints them out, sometimes even frames them – “but not normal and boring – I sometimes use the same picture 10 times – put them next to each other and cut out different pieces so that it looks extra strange.”
The best pictures for Chris are taken in South Africa or in a sunny environment with special light, “because here the colours are always brighter, more intensive, more beautiful. You can take a picture of a swimming pool on a nice sunny day in Frankfurt and one in Cape town – the Cape town picture will always look better.”
Chris is very much interested in a digital reflex camera – he is sure it must be so much fun. At the moment, they still seem too big and not practical enough for him, because he would always like to take it with him. So what he does at the moment is trying to “pimp” his little compact camera and get as much out of it as possible, e.g. with his little stand that he just bought. But he is sure that he will a reflex very soon, he cannot wait.

Insights:

• although pictures seem to vanish on a pc, your memories will find them
• my house, my horse, my boat - my life in pictures
• I don`t want to miss anything...
• megapixel are no relevant innovations
  

Different cameras having different functions

Simon, 28 years old from Frankfurt, Germany just signed his first contract of employment after finishing his architectural studies. He actually planned to stay in the Frankfurt area but unexpectedly received the offer of an international office to join the company in its Beijing branch in China, starting in September this year.

So, knowing that he is going to leave the country for at least one year leaves him with a lot to do’s: arranging all of the acquired tests and documents for his working visa, ordering an extension of his passport, getting immunizations and figuring out the best way of staying in contact with your beloved ones at home and keeping them updated about your daily life in a country that none of them did visit themselves, yet.

The first thing that came into his mind when thinking about how to easily provide as many friends and relatives as possible with information was to open up a blog and filling that one with observations, stories, absurdities AND pictures about the country and people he is going to experience.

Up to now, Simon almost only took pictures of buildings and statues during his holidays. He loves to walk around the works of famous architects for ages while taking different pictures from different angles. And doing that, there is no need to be spontaneous or quick, because these things wait patiently until he finally decides about the best adjustment and equipment for his huge digital mirror reflex Pentax K10D. But he knows that he will need to change that behaviour to guarantee any exciting stories for his blog. And therefore he decided to buy a new pocket size camera to carry with him in his trouser pockets (the Pentax needs a case that equals the size of a woman’s handbag that is perfectly equipped for a weekend trip) while staying in China.

While watching him playing around with different cameras at Media Markt (a big electronics retailer in Germany), he tells me that “it is really important for me, that I don’t have to carry around the Pentax with me, because first of all, I don’t want it to be stolen and second, it doesn’t work for those spontaneous pictures at all. It takes so much time to get it out of the pocket and ready to use and that doesn’t allow you to catch and keep those little unplanned moments in the real life. But leaving Germany to work and live in a foreign country so far away from my family and friends feels so much more comfortable once I found my way to easily share even small things and observations of my new daily life with all of them.”

Insight:

- The size of the camera doesn’t tell anything about the worth of the picture you are about to take with it.

- Different cameras can have different functions: sometimes a camera allows you to have a look at something from your own angle and keep that impression for eternity, some other time its your dedicated line that allows somebody else to be part of your life while not actually attending.

Photography is the most intimate way of portraying the world

Robert, 22 years old, student of European Studies in Krakow, Poland. He is passionate about ‘urban photography’ . We talk in Krakow at Dynia, one of the nicest bars in town and later we walk around neglected areas of the city.

Robert describes himself as an ‘amateur’, but he is very passionate about what he calls ‘urban photography’. He wanders around his home town city of Krakow looking beyond what is obvious an expected and searching for more hidden expressions on ‘urban life’. Later he contributes to http://www.skyscrapercity.com/, a website dedicated to urban development.

At the moment he is very passionate about revitalising the neglected area behind the railways station in Krakow, Poland . He supports the idea of transforming this into new, fresh public space, an alternative to historic old town. When I ask him why he needs camera in all his explorations the answer is really quick.

I could not do without. If you have camera in your hand you are forced to look at the world differently. If I do not have camera I pass by. If I have one I almost touch things around, I stop my sight – I am aware. Even if I actually do not actually take a picture.


Insight: With camera in your hand you are more aware of the world around.


Robert takes photos to document the urban life around him. But it is not a trial to catch what is objective. There is no ‘objective’ photographic world around you. It is always immersed in your subjective point of you.

Your role is to take a shot the way, that it underlines the most intriguing elements from your point of view.

In his view creative documentation expresses a desire to catch the world how it is in the glimpse of the moment. But the fact that it is your personal contribution that makes it what it its . It is your personal view, your choice of moment that makes it very individual.

Insight: Photography is the most intimate way of portraying the world.

Ideal camera reads your mind ...

Photography seen this way leaves indeed a huge role for the camera. And its role is double fold as we realized. First, the obvious one is about all the functions and tricks it has. While not diminishing the importance of equipment, Robert is certainly not the one that would have the fanciest camera. He has a digital Fuji with manual zoom, but the lens is not replaceable. Its good enough for the moment where I am - he says. It has the mechanic zoom and that’s whats’s key for me.

But the second point he makes is really an illumination for me. In his view camera’s role is not only to make sure that photos are ok from technical point of view. Camera’s role is also to make sure that your creativity is not limited by the equipment. Camera’s role is to make sure that your personal view comes through.

Robert sees the camera as his friend in expressing the world the way he sees it. Not that the emotional connection is deep. We spend a lot of time together – he explains. You need to get to know your camera to feel it and to make sure it listens to you.

The ideal camera feels me, the ideal camera knows what I want to express.

Insight: The role o great camera goes beyond its functionality. The great camera reads your mind.

Developing own style takes many shots

Mirelka, 33 years old, Warsaw, Poland. Busy women working for a leading NGO. At the moment on maternity leave with her 7 months old daughter Zojka.

Since she remembers she had always been interested in photography and paid attention to how the photos were taken.

I have always wanted to improve my photo skills, but never actually did. However, after reading couple of books and being passionate about it for years, I can distinguish between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ photo.

She is very self – demanding when it comes to her own pictures. And she is very critical about her own skills. She says that only ‘sometimes’ she is happy with her own creations. She always raises a bar for herself.

I look at Jola’s picture of lavender fields (photo attached) and I say to myself: Not only I would not come with this idea, but even if had one I would not be able to execute it >

Insight: The more interested you are in photography the more selective and critical you become of your own shots.

Expertise in photography means …

I asked her what it takes to take a brilliant photo. After consideration she said that two things played the biggest role and were equally important –the idea and the technique (skills). She explained that she would always pay attention to the light, the precision of frame, the most optima zoom … but this is certainly would not enough. One has to have a certain idea.


Insight: Both the idea and the execution essential and inseparable when you want to take a good photo.

She believes that with the development of you skills you develop an individual style, that make your photos unique, different and possibly, interesting. In a way the more advanced in photography one is the more of personal touch one is able to add to a photo.

Insight: The more expertise in photography you gain the more defined & distinguishable your personal style become.

The 'after-life' of photos …

Mirelka sounded like a very systematic in her approach to photography so I was curious to know if the photos she take have an ‘after life’. She appears to be a huge fan of flickr and all different social network services. She has a rich online archive where she places photos from travels and different occasions that happen in her life. She would never do a selection while away on holidays. She only does it when she comes back. And than selection is really tough one! She said that out of 1000 pictures she might pick around 30 that she would share with friends on flickr. And around the same amount she would have professionally developed and pasted to the album. Like in a good old times.

When you take a photo, you do it the way you like, thinking about what is interesting for you. When you select the pictures you place of flickr you think about your audience.

Insight: Photos that arrive on flickr and others social newtwork services are like little personal jewels that survived the selection process. Most photos taken never see a daylight.

You have to be like a scout – always prepared

Olga, 35, Moscow, Russia:
“My husband has a real professional camera. It must have cost as much as three of my salaries. He has everything: the lighting, the backdrops, the multiple lenses. But you have to carry a big special bag for all of this equipment. It is not convenient you know.”
“So when I was expecting a baby I told him: “I don’t understand your complicated camera, I need a small point-and-shoot camera with just enough megapixels and one button.” I realized that every day and every moment in my child’s life will be unique and will happen only once. And I need to be able to document it on camera at any given moment.”
“So when my baby was born the content of my lady’s bag changed completely. It used to be I would always wear a notepad, and my laptop and stuff for work. Now I would always wear these four things in my bag: a rattle for the child, a diaper, wet tissues, and a camera. When I returned to work after the maternity leave I still had those in my bag for a while.”
“Because you have to be like a scout – always ready to take a picture of some memorable moment in your child’s life.”
“When my son was a little bit older – about 18 months old – it was impossible to have him model and sit still for the picture. All the pictures with him are unplanned, unexpected, un-modeled. So the camera should be always at hand, and it should be really point and shoot. And still you would never know how the shot would come out: his nose only, or his leg only, or his back…”
“We tried to have a session with Easter eggs once. My husband set up the backdrop, adjusted his expensive camera… But all of a sudden, and all within 15 minutes he went from desperate tears, to anger, to laughter. He would not sit still, would attempt to throw the eggs in the air. Then suddenly he would say: “I want to hide behind the chair and you take a picture of the eggs on the chair!” And you can’t argue, you just hope he would peek out eventually. So he ended up looking out behind the chair with the eggs on it.”
“Or this one time I was visiting my mother-in-law and it was a beautiful Indian summer. I had little time and I offered to go take pictures of her with her grandchild in the park. If we had an hour or so we would wait for the son to calm down and we would be able to catch a good shot. But we didn’t have that opportunity so in the end we got pictures of him running away, grabbing the grandma’s hair, crawling away.”
“So you cannot hope to set up and plan a shot with him, you have to be always ready to grab the camera and shoot him the way it goes. And you take a lot of things as they come. You prepare him for shooting and he would soil his t-shirt, or soil my clothes, or spill juice on the white carpet. And you do not get upset you just tell him it is not the way to behave and go change. You take it as it comes.”
“Now he is three and I tell him that I want to take a photo. He agrees, and poses, but runs up to you to look at the picture before I even push the release button. So I have to wait for him to get involved and busy with something. Then he wouldn’t even notice the camera while he is playing with something. But you still have to lay down on the floor or assume some other weird position to be able to take a picture of his face.”


Insights:

- When you want to make pictures of your children, you have to be ready to snap your camera at any moment.
- You have to take it as it comes. Planning and setting up is impossible with little kids.

There are No Rules

Cee, who has been born and raised in London has moved to Istanbul 6 years ago to expand her father's printing business into fine art photography and now owns a contemporary photography gallery. Not only does she exhibit the works of established contemporary photographers, but she is also seeking for new talents to promote. Sinem believes that anyone can be a contemporary photographer as there are no rules to it. "I judge the work by it's expression. Does it have a meaning, does it evoke feelings and thoughts, is it different to what we usually see?".

Photography is a relatively new art form with many territories still free to explore. Cee Takes me through the current trends in contemporary photography -

Streetlife Photography - www.martinparr.com, www.lifelounge.com/Alex-Webb-Photography.aspx

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  "I only know how to approach a place by walking. For what does a street photographer do but walk and watch and wait and talk, and then watch and wait some more, trying to remain confident that the unexpected, the unknown, or the secret heart of the known awaits just around the corner." Alex Webb - Street Life Photographer
  
  
  Dead Pan - impassive, matter-of-fact, detached images - www.thomasstruth.net
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Intrusive and involving portrait photography www.rankin.co.uk/portfolio/portraits
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Abstract Photography combining new techniques and tools - i.e. Ola Kolehmainen
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  City and Landscape Photography www.photomichaelwolf.com
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Fashion Photography - it's not about clothes anymore www.nickknight.com , www.stevenkleinstudio.com, www.mariotestino.com