Learning Photography is not just about…the technical!

MelanieMuhlstock1_med

It’s true! There’s so much more. So what’s this about?

It’s about the passion. And not just for the student but also for the teacher. When you have an interest in learning photography you will likely check out classes in your area. The main decision is what aspect of the camera do you want to learn and how do you frame? Sounds simple enough, but is it? There’s a lot more to it.

I’ve been teaching photography for more than 15 years starting with children’s classes. They were a breeze to teach. I show them a scene and have them find one or two people to photograph within that scene in any way they want. Then we print and discuss their photos, and their faces light up when making this beautiful creation, no one is wrong. And they all end up with masterpieces. Their vision is pure and natural. As we age our lives become complex and our minds busy. Time to slow down and open your eyes, spend time looking around whether it’s walking to work, in line at the market, or cleaning your home, your eye can become that 9 year old again just by slowing down.

What works for me as a teacher was with picking my passion of travel photography and using this gift to mentor others in creating masterpieces on the street. I’ve taught thousands of students and realize what works on both ends as the perfect student and the perfect teacher.

The best teacher is open, not rigid, allowing what’s inside you as the student to unfold. The teacher gives tips to jumpstart that journey, then allows you to fly. I love to observe student’s as they open their eyes with a new way of seeing, while discovering what comes next. It’s not about rules. It’s about not hampering your vision or your dreams. How many photo teachers teach the RULE OF THIRDS? Ok, too many. When I hear this, I know exactly the kind of info you will learn, the energy of the class and how students will feel afterwards. This is one route that might not be the best direction to allow your unique creative juices to flow.

Find your style with a mentor who will assist in expanding who you are and inspire you to get out and shoot your vision.
judith
June 17th, 2015

photo©Melanie Muhlstock
Thanks Melanie for this photo from our private session with your dad!
Canon, Nikon, Leica…they’re all covered!

Photography as Healer

When I have a camera in my hand, I know no fear. — Alfred Eisenstaedt

Traveling to remote lands in the back of a moving vehicle with camera in hand has been my liberation, and how this love affair first began. Other than my children, life has not presented itself with any other rewards that come close to the purity of satisfaction I feel from this creative and inspiring calling.

I feel fearless with camera in hand. Having grown up extremely shy, the camera has empowered me, and I transformed. I could walk into any public event and talk to strangers. It enabled me to meet and photograph various musicians in the 70’s during and after a concert. And none of this would be remotely possible without this piece of equipment around my neck.

The camera is that powerful, having been my security, my protector and my savior. It has the extraordinary capacity to stop a moment in time that never presents itself in that sameness. And when a moment is captured, I feel deeply elated and extremely exhilarated.

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This gratification is purely therapeutic. For just around the corner is yet another hidden and exciting challenge that awakens my soul, reminding me just how alive I am.

With so little time to catch the slightest essence of a subject, concentrate on the eyes where their story is told. Who are you? What kind of life have you led? What are your challenges, fears and joys?

When I capture a subject’s intimate memory, pain, a secret, their dreams and quests, I also grow. We touch each other in our loneliness, making sense of just how deeply layered we all are.

For it is not by mere chance or accident that I am photographing all parts of myself.
judith farber
April, 2014