Photography Student Questions and Answers

A Running List of Questions I Receive from Photography Students Along with My Answers

Will be updated regularly

I often receive requests from photography students seeking information for research projects or papers for their photography programs in college and even high school. I’m always delighted to help students and offer whatever knowledge I have gained along to young people.

But I thought I’d start posting the questions and my answers here, in hopes it might be helpful to someone out there. Most of the questions are pretty basic, and so are the answers. The questions tend to fall into categories, so I’ve grouped them under headings for easier scanning.

Categories are listed below:

• Cameras and Gear
• Influences
• Inspiration
• Light
• Software
• Technique and Professional Practice

Questions and Answers about Photography

CAMERAS AND GEAR

What camera and lenses would you advise someone to use?

I think all modern cameras are very good. If a beginner has the budget, I would start using a 35mm full frame camera (digital) with the best lenses they can afford. To give a good coverage of focal lengths, maybe a 24-70mm lens, a 70-200mm lens and perhaps a 50mm. If you plan to specialize in portraits, perhaps instead get an 85mm or a 135 mm. Or if you plan to make mostly wildlife photographs you may need a much longer telephoto. If possible, a beginner might also start out with a 35mm film camera — perhaps a Pentax K1000 and a 50mm lens — especially if your school offers a darkroom.

INFLUENCES

Are there photographers or artists who have influenced your style or way of seeing?

My work has been influenced by so many artists and photographers, from Hokusai and Hiroshige, to Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper. Probably the most important photographers to influence my work have been Walker Evans and William Christenberry, but I have enjoyed and learned from so many others. I go to every photo exhibit I can manage. I enjoy the tree photographs of Beth Moon and the visionary black and white work of Robert Frank.

How do you balance being inspired by other photographers while still maintaining your own artistic voice?

It’s always important to be aware of the work not only of the legends of photography, but also innovative new work being done by contemporary photographers. But if you find your own vision, the work of other photographers make may enhance your techniques or thought process, but you will always be driven to keep striving toward accomplishing your own vision.

Are there any photographers or artists who have significantly influenced your style or approach to photography?

I’m inspired by many past and current photographers and artists. Look at the work of American photographer Walker Evans and British-American photographer Michael Kenna.

INSPIRATION

What inspired you to start doing this genre of photography?

My preferences in photography developed over a period of time, based on the types of photographs I enjoyed making, the type of light that I prefer, and the images that I found most satisfying in review later in the studio. As I stated above, I wanted to be in the landscape and to make landscape photographs and eventually that lead to abandoned places (which I found in the landscape) and other types of images.

I read that you believe photography is a way to capture the essence and spirit of the land, I am fascinated by this concept are you able to say a little more about what this means in terms of your own work?

There are places on the planet that clearly portray a natural power to give humans a sense of awe, but even mundane or modest places can be photographed with mood and emotion if the composition, light, and atmospheric conditions are conducive.

Hello Keith. I am a year 12 student studying photography, I am using you and your photographs as inspiration for my work. Could you please tell me a little bit more about what particularly inspires your work, the process of finding good photo opportunities and what about nature/landscapes interest you as a photographer?

Since I make photographs for reproduction in black and white, I focus especially on simple compositions with the kind of light that I prefer (for me that’s cloudy day light where the shadows and highlights are less harsh), and a lot of detail and texture.

I look for a dominant subject, such as a large tree or something that can become a strong focal point, and I try to use the proper aperture to make the background in-focus or out-of-focus, depending on the effect that I desire.

Since I want to make art that evokes emotion, I look for ways to make drama in the photograph rather than just making a faithful documentation of the scene. Of course fog is very helpful for creating mood and simplicity in the landscape!

What initially drew you to black-and-white photography, and what keeps you working in this medium today?

As a less experienced photographer, I bounced back-and-forth between color and B&W photographs, depending on the image. Eventually, I realized my favorite results were those made in black and white and that my work would be better if I stayed faithful to one process. The B&W process gave the most satisfying results based on the subjects that I tend to shoot. B&W seems to give the mood I want and places more emphasis on atmosphere and texture. Black and white removes the viewer from reality, helping them view the subject in a different way. Black and white reveals the essence of a subject without the distraction of color. Keep in mind that my goal is to make an expression of emotion more than just a documentary picture of a place or thing. Color photos can faithfully show what a place or thing looks like, but black and white can show what the place felt like. (Of course, color can also be used to portray mood and emotion in a different way!) 

Are there particular themes or ideas you find yourself returning to in your work?

As an environmentalist and a person who loves the outdoors and hiking, landscape photography was my first love. Over the years I would also find abandoned houses or other buildings in the landscape, which did interest me. I find myself being drawn repeatedly to those two subjects — but if you consider the arc of my work, it includes history (even in landscapes often), and I have realized my basic themes are the relentless passage of time combined with and a sense of loss.

What do you hope viewers feel or take away when they see your photographs?

I hope viewers are intrigued by the mystery of the places I photograph. I want them to be curious about the history of the locations. To be moved by the sense of loss and caught up in the moodiness of the light and weather and landscape. I want them to enjoy the beauty of the landscape or the architectural details and the craftsmanship of old buildings that now fall into ruin.

Does being an environmentalist influence your photography?

I think my concern for the environment has influenced my landscape photography work, as well as how I interact with the landscape and my advocacy in photography and podcasts for conservation of land and curtailment of mining in the American West.

What inspired you to take the abandoned places photos?

I have been interested in abandoned places for many years. I started out as a landscape photographer but sometimes I would find abandoned houses or other buildings on my way to shoot landscapes, and eventually those were the main topic for me. I like to think about the people who lived or worked there. what their lives were like, and all the things that have happened since they departed. I find abandoned places to be mysterious and fascinating and they look great in B&W.

There is a beauty in the spectrum of complexity and simplicity in the details of your abstract work, like the simplicity of cracked earth and the complexity of the water swirls, is this something that you have looked at deliberately?

Thank you! Yes I have looked for these details deliberately but a photographer must hone their senses to notice details in the landscape, especially when desiring to notice abstractions. Find things others would never see.

LIGHT

Do you prefer natural lighting over artificial lighting?

Natural lighting almost always!

What role does light play in your work, and how do you approach it when photographing a scene?

Light is one of the most important things in photography. Subject matter, composition, color and tones, contrast, lens choice and focal length, aperture choice, film choice, and other techniques are all important, but none of them matter if light is not captured and used properly. to capture landscapes or abandoned places, I always prefer cloudy days — and juicy wet atmospheric days are even better because they add mood and softness to the light. My preference for cloudy day light is because I like the softbox look it gives to shadows — but sharp, harsh light can make quite a statement with deep, angular shadows and a contrasty look — it’s just not my favorite. For me, bright light makes shadows a part of the equation to be considered, whereas soft light allows the eye to rest more on texture and details like woodgrains or architectural details. Since I make B&W images, golden hour light isn’t necessary for me but it can be nice if it helps soften the light in the way I prefer it.

SOFTWARE

What software do you use to edit your images?

I use the Adobe products (Camera Raw, Photoshop). A lot of photographers find value in using Lightroom, but I have never really found it helpful. I make black and white conversions using Silver EFX and DXO FilmPack. 

TECHNIQUES AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

Do you prefer to take images outside or in a studio?

I prefer to be outdoors. I started out making (and still do) landscape photographs and I think photography was mostly a reason to get myself out and seeing the world. I do make some images in the studio — most notably the leaf skeletons found here: https://keithdotson.com/collections/leaf-skeletons

Can you walk me through your process from shooting to the final print?

I prefer shooting on cloudy days, and I typically use a tripod for stability.

I use film cameras with black and white film, AND digital cameras. With digital cameras, I make color photographs, processing and archiving each selected file completely as a color TIFF photograph. I often make very large prints, so resolution and sharpness are very important to my work. I now use medium format cameras and I take those very large files and double them in size using Adobe Photoshop’s digital tools, which have gotten startlingly good at upsizing photographs. This results in a file that can cleanly make an 80-inch print (or larger). When editing the color files, I sometimes skew certain colors with a vision of how I want the final B&W tones to look upon conversion. My goal is to make a rich black and white image with crisp and contrasty tones (I don’t like gray or flat or lifeless black and white images). I use various methods to make the B&W conversions and save the files again as a black and white photograph (keeping the original color Tiffs for future use).

I own a 24-inch printer and of course printing is a huge part of my art practice and my fine art photography business. Paper selection is a big part of the equation and I have tried and tested many papers. Mostly I print on baryta surface papers that look very similar to darkroom fiber-based gelatin silver papers. Baryta papers give outstanding sharpness, contrast, and tonal rendition. But because they are coated, they also have some amount of gloss and reflectance, depending on the type and brand of paper being used. Printer papes range from warm natural white to very bright white. I like the bright white papers, but you have to watch for the use of OBAs in the production of the paper (optical brightening agents — they are thought to compromise the archival longevity of the prints made on those papers.)

I also sometimes make gelatin silver fiber-based darkroom prints, but these days I am refocusing more to making platinum-palladium prints. I enjoy that process very much — the prints are so interesting to look at — and I love the thought that they could potentially be around for 1,000 years! Unlike gelatin silver prints, platinum-palladium prints are made on uncoated art papers and the cotton surface gives a more artistic look to the final prints in my opinion.

How much of the final image is determined in-camera versus in the darkroom?

I try to get everything right in the camera but I also have the skills to make necessary corrections and edits later if needed. Of course, as described above, I shoot in color and convert to B&W. That requires adjustments of contrast and colors. Sometimes I correct verticals (so the buildings don’t look like they are sloping from perspective). The same thing can be done with a tilt/shift lens.

As part of my course work I have to produce some images in the style of my chosen photographer. I have chosen to look at your more abstract work in particular. I notice that in this area of your work there is often a strong sense of texture, from the roughness of bark to the swirled patterns of funghi. How do you bring out these details so vividly?

Texture is especially important in black and white work where a photographer cannot count on color. In addition, look for patterns, rhythms, and shapes to help create a pleasing eye flow through the photographic frame. Contrast and tones are also important in this case.