Practice Your Craft

by William Lulow

I have been playing some Beatles’ tunes on the guitar recently. Seems as though I play some of the same songs over and over again because I just love the chord progressions and some of the more complicated musical variations they have written. I am generally in awe of what they have done and it was SIXTY YEARS AGO! (Then, again, I am still in awe of what Beethoven did in the 1700s-1800s!) Once you begin studying something you realize, at least in the case of the most popular musical group in history, that they have also played the same material thousands of times. When they burst on the scene in America, they had already been playing the same songs for almost ten years! Think about it. Each of them knew the songs so well that they did not even have to look at their instruments to play the correct chords!

Another analogy that highlights the same notion of what practicing something over and over again does is when someone asked Tiger Woods, probably the best professional golfer ever, how he got so good, his response was, “hit 1000 golf balls a day!” For most people who play the sport of golf that translates into nine or so hours of hitting golf balls! How many golfers can actually do that? You have to have the drive to do it, then you have to know how to practice.

It is no less true with photography. The mark of a professional is someone who can be sure of producing the same exacting result no matter what the challenge. Late in my career I can truly say that I have been reaping the rewards of a career that has spanned 40 or so years. Nearly every image I have made in the last ten years or so has been up to the standards of excellence that I practiced thousands of times before. Each of the shots below have the same visual acuity, detail and lighting that, in my opinion, makes them stand out:

When I first began to study photography, I went at it with a vengeance. I set out to learn everything I could about exposures, film, processing, all the chemicals required, and the techniques needed to assure good results. The more I studied and the more I became familiar with the various details and functions of each and every piece of equipment, the more I could identify nuances of use and design. I could then begin to experiment with what might happen if some of the “rules” were altered. That’s what I refer to as “learning the science before you can do the art.”

These images were done at different times and places yet all have a distinct quality to them that I have come to realize is my “style.” I have studied studio photography for over forty years working with some of the best photographers in New York City, most notably with Philippe Halsman who made over 100 LIfe Magazine cover photographs. I have had years of practice in the studio and on location perfecting my lighting techniques so that I can begin to recognize them as uniquely my own. I can rely on these techniques no matter what the assignment may be, to provide really top notch images.

I kind of began by looking at some the best fashion magazines in the 1970s and 1980s to try and emulate famous photographers’ styles. I examined the lighting and studio setups whenever I could. I got so that I could tell from looking at shadows and highlights, where the lights were placed and almost what kinds of camera settings they had. I knew from studying classical studio lighting setups, which light created certain results and how their placement affected the composition, moods and overall effectiveness of the image in communicating its desired ideas.

I then practiced these setups endlessly, with literally thousands of rolls of film and Polaroids. I used color and Black&White film so much that I could even begin to see the difference in the results obtained by using various film sizes. Black&White was usually the best way to practice because I could develop the film myself and see the results right away. Color film was much more expensive to process and usually took a bit longer. Very early in my career I tried to make some color prints myself using the chemistry necessary. The results were actually the best color I had seen, but I couldn’t duplicate them on a regular enough basis. I did it mostly to learn what went into making them. After that, I could examine film and prints made by a professional lab because I knew what to look for. Today, of course, digital production allows us to see results immediately without even having to wait for processing.

It goes without saying that photography is certainly driven by equipment. You need some light and a camera in order to fashion images. Then, of course, you need to know how to use all of it to get the results you seek.

The technology part of it has gotten much easier since the advent of the digital process but learning the “ins and outs” of how digital cameras worked took some extra study. But for someone like me who had already been photographing things with manual settings for years, the learning curve was much easier to navigate.

Now results like this have become the standard I strive to obtain each and every time I have an assignment to photograph someone or something.

The years of practice will always pay off.