How To Continue Your Photographic Education

How To Continue Your Photographic Education

(Tutors Can Help)

by William Lulow

I’ve had several one-to-one teaching situations recently that have proved to be extremely helpful to the students involved. I’ve conducted these sessions where I go on a “field trip” with the student and we both photograph the same thing and then compare notes. First, the students are able to see the equipment I bring, how I set it up and finally the results achieved. It is a kind of continuing discussion of the various “whys” in terms of set ups, exposure calculations, focus issues and “previsualizing.” This is the way to teach technique.

In the old days, if you wanted to learn how photographs were made, you had to work for a photographer who rarely explained anything. You had to learn by observing them work and then figuring out the “whys.” When you saw the results (often I was the one developing and printing the film), you could see how the lighting setups worked to produce intended results. Often, I was a part of fairly complicated lighting arrangements. In one instance, while we were shooting some fashion on an 8×10 view camera, I had to keep an eye on several large power packs which controlled the main light flash output. If just one of the packs did not fire, the result would often be a ¼ stop light difference, which, when you are shooting 8×10 sheets of film, could be a big difference.  In another instance, I often had to take film to the lab and wait for it to be processed. One of the guys at the lab then took me aside and showed me how to correct for certain color shifts that had affected the film.

This type of “education” is the most valuable. The “hands on” approach is the best way to teach anything. The students get to see for themselves what the teachers are talking about. They get to “play” with the equipment, move it around and see, first hand, what it can do. You can read all the books you want (certainly recommended), but there is no substitute for the interactive approach.

Here I am demonstrating a lighting technique to a student:

The student is using a bounce lighting rig that I asked her to get. It is the same one I use for my professional assignments.

I had a student who wanted to set up a studio in her home. She asked what kinds of equipment she needed to buy. I gave her a list and she proceeded to get a couple of umbrellas, two Dynalite flash generators, light stands and all the cords to make everything work together. Here she is setting up her own lights:

Again, when students see, first hand, how everything is used, it becomes much easier for them to try to copy what the instructor does. The instructor can then explain WHY things are done in a certain way and the explanations become much more real to the students.