On being a photographer is a book that I have been reading for a while in between other material. This is based on conversations between the photographer David Hurn and Bill Jay, because the conversational way of writing it was easy to pick up and put down. The wealth of knowledge between the pair made it a fantastic and very educational read together with the laid back style of writing, I found this to give the reader a relaxed feel leading to a better receipt of the information being given.
Throughout reading the book I had always kept a note pad present as I found myself making notes on each page I read, taking away valuable information from both Hurn and Jay. This is to be expected between the pair with the amount of experience both in the field and in teaching of photography.
Firstly starting with Bill Jay, the man behind the questions throughout. His friendship and understanding with Hurn is apparent from the very start which is then cemented as the reader finds out that the friendship is over thirty years old and still going strong. It is over this time that the information all through the book is founded. Hurn told Jay at the start of this friendship that he would never make it as a photographer and from this point on they have been good friends ever since. I get the impression from this opening piece that Jay is telling the reader that it is very hard to find frank friends in the world of photography.
Then on to the photographer of the book, it could be said the answer of the questions asked within the publication. Born in England in 1934, his love for photography began at an early age, Hurn as a cadet got involved in the camera club, not for his than love of photography but for a passport to the outside world. This is seen on page 10 when Hurn touches on this subject.
“Buying a camera had nothing to do with a love of Photography, but was merely to freedom.”
I found this to be a very interesting starting point for Hurn and his journey into the world of photography. Initially there was no real interest but just the ticket to getting outside however this point was probably the most important decision in his life as it was the starting point to his whole career as a photographer. Hurn later joined the military but left in 1955 to become a photographer whilst working at Harrods. His journey continuing even further in his learning and photographs, leading to his adoption by the Reflex agency who offered advice and a photography business education to him. This was just the start of his career and it seems that from this point on the ball really started to roll and when covering the Hungarian revolution he was recruited by Life magazine and put under contract on the spot and taken out of the country. Following this appointment, Hurn’s career ventured down a number of different paths with reportage photography in Russia, a stint as a fashion photographer and movie photography. This time line of events pointed out through the book leads the reader to arguably Hurn’s biggest achievement on page 17
“David became an associate member of Magnum photos in 1965 and a full member in 1967.”
After this in-depth background of David Hurn I managed to take some really positive points and advice from these early conversations which has helped me to realise and understand where I have been going wrong in the early part of my picture-taking. The best quote that helped me gain this understanding again comes from Hurn but this time on pg 20:
“The problem is that I have no desire to be shot at, no desire to sit at the end of the phone hoping to do three running jobs a day, no desire to photograph the Prime Ministers cat. In fact no desire to do what I don’t want to do.”
This is something that I have been struggling with and had been becoming a little bit worried that I was not understanding whilst going about my work incorrectly. I had been picking up the camera and just shooting to fit the criteria and no shooting subjects that I enjoy or have a connection with. After reading this and looking back, I see that the reasons for my struggle was that I was shooting subjects in which I did not have an interest. On the same page, Hurn inspires me even further and an approach that I always try but will now bear this in mind with each task I undertake.
“It is the purpose of life that each of us strives to become actually what he or she is potentially. Each photographer then, should be obsessed with stretching towards thar goal through an understanding of others and the world we inhabit. When that happens the results, like photographs are really the expressions of the life maker.”
This is telling me that with enough research and thought going into the project that you are trying to create, then you will achieve a much better understanding but also a louder voice with the work you are to produce.
This is just a snippet of the knowledge, information and advise that it present throughout the whole book. I have taken away a large amount of information and knowledge from this book from every aspect of photography, in an ideal world I would like to list all this information and the parts of the book that will play on my mind with each task I do but there would be too much to note down in a sensible amount of time.
Not just only discussed are Hurns experiences and work, also the work of different photographers and the many aspects of photography. From the importance of capturing your images, shooting of images, equipment bag and then down to the processing of images. I think that there is nothing that is not covered within this book and so much knowledge on each by the two of them right down to the advice given on footwear on pg 68:
“A photographer may not just walk the streets but he/she does a lot of walking, with a purpose, so the most important piece of equipment after the camera is a good pair of shoes.”
I found the whole read of this book to be an eye opener for a number of reasons. I have realised some things that I have been approaching wrong as I have already touched on above. I have also taken on board a lot of useful information that will help me with whatever I do revolving around photography. This is shown on page 10 when I started to relate to my learning and the drive for me to improve the images that I produce. I always feel that I can improve and gain a better understanding in everything that I do. Hurn states:
“The problem with photography is that everyone does it, believes he/she does it well (and would do it better if only he/she could buy a better camera or take more time off) and so this individual produces bad pictures because he/she is doing everything wrong but passes on bad advise out of ignorance.”
This is further in bedded on my mind on page 29 when Hurn continues with his wise words with the line:
“The reasons for a young photographers confusion is that most teachers, classes, workshops, books, whatever, imply that how the picture is made, what techniques were employed, why it looks different and artistic, is more important than the subject matter. Yet the photographer is, primarily, a subject-selector. Much as it might offend the artistically inclined, the history of photography is primarily the history of the subject matter.”
My final conclusion on this book is that it is not only a fantastic read but it is a rich source of information for any photographer but with my studies I feel that it will be influential to my work to come. It has led to some realisation of what I need to improve on to achieve the level that I want and also what I need to focus on more in future. There is a lot about research within the book and this is something that I have been struggling on and this has led me to be more driven to improve and reach the higher goal I want to set myself. I find myself referring to this book quite often as I believe the experience of Hurn and Jay is invaluable to not only a student in their studies but also any photographer.
A fantastic read and a real eye opener to the world of photography and also to what I need to do to ensure I achieve.
My OCA Learning Log 