I used to be a camera settings geek and then I met Bil Zelman –
If I had to give advice to anyone at all, it might be to know your tools inside and out, but not let them get in the way. I can go from a 125th to a 30th and from f2.8 to 5.6 while walking backwards and holding conversation without missing a beat. Add too much more to that equation and I’m paying more attention to my gear than to my subject — not a good thing.
That, and take lots and lots of pictures.
This post has been collecting dust in my ‘to read’ folder for ages (so it’s a little older) but I highly recommend it for all of the photo bugs out there. Zelman’s photos remind me of the days when I didn’t care about camera settings and rules of photography and such. We so often try to Photoshop coolness into our rather bland photos, or come up with techniques like HDR to give our photos a different look. When really, all of that’s just an excuse for poor composition to begin with.
He has such an inside-out understanding of his camera that he’s naturally able to capture even the most sporadic, candid moments creatively. Me? I can’t even change the settings on my camera without glancing at the LCD.
Hopefully, that’s about to change.
