All these photos were captured using film some new some old.

Written by Elsa Madrigal

Talent is also a factor, but not the only factor. A person born in Kenya is unlikely to become a record-breaking marathoner by talent alone, no matter their genetic predispositions. There are hundreds, if not thousands of talented athletes and yet only a few prop to the top. Photography these days seems commoditized. Paid gigs are often a race to the lowest price, and many photographers struggle to stand out above the rest.

3. Build up your Knowledge

I read a lot about photography, and I am well versed enough in technical aspects, but it has come with an investment. And it’s currency is time. I have been reading for several years and just last year I had to Google “what is a prime lens”. In photography, as in anything, you must always be open to learning and put time into it.

4. Find your Teacher/Guru

The main contribution to stepping one’s game at anything, according to the podcast, is working with a teacher. This is the main ‘success’ factor, according to Freakonomics. This person is preferably a master and guru in his or her own right, and would be someone who has been in the trenches and knows the nuances, tips and tricks of the field. Someone who, quite possibly knows what failure looks like and has persisted to eventually find the path to  success.

I have taken photography classes for several years now with Ignacio Alvarez. He has become, besides a mentor and guru, a good friend and like a second father. He is not afraid of showing us new techniques (or reviving old ones). Using his vast experience with analog and darkroom photography we have done many techniques seldom practiced anymore. He goes above and beyond the extra mile for his students.  If there’s something that is not in the curriculum that you are interested in learning, he will gladly teach you, often outside the classroom in his own time.

5. Find your Inspiration

Likewise, gurus often inspire us with examples of those great masters who have come before us. The internet enables us to find interesting and awe inspiring photographers. Their life is often as interesting as their work (Jerry Uelsman, Sally Man, Graciela Iturbide, Pedro Meyer, and the list goes on).

6. Develop your Aesthetic

Creativity is unlimited  and gives plenty of room for one to find your own “aesthetic” and initiate projects based on what piques your interest. I have many themes on my portfolio, in which I apply with intention my knowledge to express my creativity. I find darkroom meditative and although I have plenty of options to work with digital photography, the process does not enhance my creativity.

7. Locate your Tribe

 

Ignacio had his own studio and is currently a teacher at Truman College. He teaches in one of Chicago’s last standing darkrooms in a community college. He also teaches special workshops and digital photography classes. His meetup group is also a lot of fun, often we go all over Chicago to explore.

My darkroom classmates are now more like trusted colleagues, providing tips, inspiration and encouragement. We often surprise each other, never knowing what kind of image will show up next from their travels or photo shoots. We have participated in shows together, and are willing to lend each other a helping hand when we are stuck. We move each other forward.

8. Make Mistakes and Fail Fast

This is contrary advice to what people may tell you. The good news is, the faster you fail, the quicker you will get to learn good habits of photography.  You will make every mistake in the book, not once, but several times. By the time you are done, there will be many photography essentials that will become second nature. Changing settings in your camera in an instant will become like walking or breathing. In film photography there are often what’s called ‘happy accidents’, but knowing which settings cause you to blur an image, or help you get a double exposure will make you happier, I promise.

9. Share and Feel Good

In the darkroom we go through the entire process from shooting to developing and printing. How you feel about the work is as important as the process of creating it. We all need that positive reinforcement. At their request, I have gifted prints to family and friends. Knowing they feel good about having a handmade print makes me happy, because ultimately what makes them happy also makes me happy. Sharing photographs is awesome, regardless of your choice of social media or website. However, many fall into the trap of collecting ‘likes’, instead of contemplating the work. Ultimately, what makes you happy is what you should care the most about.

There you have it. My version of ‘How to be great at Photography’ (or really, anything), according to me and Freakonomics.

10. Last Step

Now grab your camera and go shoot.

DARKROOM CLASSES THROUGH THE C.E. DEPARTMENT ALL YEAR LONG

Hello everyone, do you know that Truman College offers photography classes’ trough their Continuing Education Department? That’s right; you do not need to sign up for credit classes if you only want to learn photography or how to edit your photos in Photoshop.

All class runs for 7 weeks and are offered continuously all year long. 

To see the current schedule press this link Classes.

There are several different classes that you can choose from: 

The class runs for 7 weeks and is offered twice in the Spring, Summer classes and also twice in the Fall.

 Beginners Photography   this class is designed to teach you all you need to know about photography and your camera. (Yes, theses two subjects are two different things.)  Unfortunately cameras come with a 300 page manual so you can use them properly. In this class you will learn that reading the manual is not needed to truly learn photography. You will learn about the camera, lenses, flash, filters, composition and much, much more. You can either use a digital or a film camera for this class.

Studio lighting class. In this class you will learn how to use automatic or dedicated flashes as well as professional studio lighting. It is designed to teach you how to create amazing photos using flash units placed away from the camera triggered by using very inexpensive control units; you will learn about different types of light and how to create cinematic looking photos.  We try to have a model for every class and for this purpose we look for people interested in modeling. We exchange photos for their time as we cannot pay the models (no budget!). Every class is practice, practice and of course learning.

Darkroom Photography. You probably have read about some of the great masters of photography, well guess how they learn? With film of course! Learning how to use a film camera and then how to develop and printed the film the way Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and many other great masters did, is just awesome.

Photoshop. If you prefer to spend your time in front of a computer or screen editing your photos, this class is for you. Most people don’t know that their cameras capture images in .jpg format, which is actually the worst format! This format was not created to give you the best image but rather it was created to reduce the size and resolution of your photos so you can post them in social media o send by email. But your Digital DSLR can capture images in RAW format which is non destructive and will give you the best file to edit. You also lean the principals of photo restoration and other things like replacing a sky on your photos. This is all for beginners and not for advanced students.

To register for any of these classes, just call Truman College at 773-907-4440. Laura Smith will help you register over the internet.

Hello everyone,

Well, the darkroom class is once again in full swing.   Students are busy developing film that they shot either here in the USA or abroad, as is the case of a couple students. Regardless of where they shot their film, now they have to develop it and make sure they develop it correctly. Some students also print some of the negatives using fiber base paper, creating some very good images. So, how did you spend your summer? Shooting hundreds of digital images hoping that they look as good as the ones you see on the internet? If that is what you do and you like doing it, more power to you. But, if one day you get tired of shooting indiscriminately hoping for one good picture, maybe that will be that day that you decide to actually learn photography.

There is nothing wrong if you don’t know anything about photography, long ago I was in the same boat. Then, one day I purchased a film camera, learned how to use it and I end up owning my own photography studio and business for 26 years. But before I could do that I needed to learn what photography is. You and anyone interested can learn photography as well, either with a digital camera or a film camera. But it is important to learn from someone that knows and has been teaching for a long time! Yes, you can look at videos on the internet and do what they tell you to do, but, do the people that uploaded the video know what they are talking about? Or are they just re-posting something they themselves found on the internet?

Photography as we all know it has not changed in the last 200 years, what has changed are the cameras that we use to capture images. Do you know that you can capture a photograph using nothing but a shoe box? Yes! You can. But that is not how we all capture images nowadays  Now we use computerized cameras that come with a 200-page manual so you can learn how to use them.

Film photography is easier and way more rewarding. You finally get to create something with your own two hands and not by trying to find the right app that edits the photos the way you like them. I hope you give yourself a chance to learn photography the way ALL the great masters of photography did.  Become the next Ansel Adams!

Thank you.

Ignacio Alvarez