PHILOSOPHY OF PHOTOGRAPHY & PHOTOSHOP New York based Editorial Photographer Jeff Kravitz shares his perspective and practices when it comes to the art of photography.
I
consider myself new to editorial p h o t o g r ap hy. As mu c h a s I a l w ay s enjoyed photography, I only started in earnest at the end of 2015. I got my first camera from my cousin. Well, I borrowed a camera from my cousin. A Canon AE-1. One of the most popular film cameras of all time. For a high school photography class, in 1985. We were mostly taught dark room techniques. The mechanics. It is what I grew up on. From the early 2000s on, a sizable percentage of my personal life was within the fine art photography world. Galleries.. exhibitions. Photography you could see in a museum. Photos that tell a story. When I look at the “greats”. The photos others have taken over the past 100 years that stand out, a large majority of them are in black and white. I can not underestimate how that influences me. Black and white to me also has more of a timeless quality to it. If you were to look at a color photo from the 1970s for instance, you would see lots of browns, greens and oranges. The 1980s, more vibrant colors in bold patterns. Early 90s,lots of plaid. Late 90s, more neon-ish. Make it black and white and that all fades away. It is no longer a photo of an era. Are there photos of others that I love that are in color? Yes. Many. Do I shoot color? Yes. All the time. But I still aim for timelessness. I’ll photograph anyone that I find interesting. That draws me in. For my paid work that goes without saying. For my personal work that still holds true. In the 5 years since I first said to someone “I need to learn how to photograph you”, I have noticed a few things 88 M. CITIZEN MAGAZINE | ISSUE 04
about shooting models versus non models, men versus women. Even different types of models. I would rather shoot a non-model who doesn’t know what they are doing and hasn’t developed any bad habits, than a model with said bad habits. Those habits of course being for the type of photography we are going for. “I like to photograph anyone before they know what their best angles are.” - Ellen Von Unwerth I do feel that is sort of true. S omeone I simply want to shoot, I can talk them through what I want. I may need to teach them how to listen to direction, but then it is on me as the photographer to direct. Models are. For lack of a better word. Different. There are tons of different types of models: runway, beauty, swimwear and lingerie, instagram, gowns, nude, etc. And everyone learns skills and habits from what they focus on. If a skill becomes very ingrained, habits from one style do not always translate to another. Nerves become frayed. Shoots become longer. My favorite professional models are the ones who, while they know they are beautiful (they get told it often) it is just a “whatever”. Show me goofy. Show me ridiculous. Show me serious. Show me emotion. Show me what makes you YOU. My favorite models are the ones who are not worried about whether they look beautiful in a photo. “Photography is no longer a love affair with the beauty of reality.” - Peter Lindbergh When it comes to photoshop, let’s get this first part out of the way. Editing is not new. Profe s s i on a l ph oto s h ave A LWAYS b e e n edited. Though it was a lot harder 100 years
