Don’t look like a photographer and get rid of the tension, says photographer John Free who has some strong and rather philosophical thoughts on what makes a good photographer. “Be able to effectively react to a particular instant in a situation that you wanna react to,” he says. Henri Cartier-Bresson might have called this the decisive moment. That’s nothing new. But the way Free brings the message across is. And practice, practice, practice. Or ever thought there is no practice in photography? Always thought photography is just about going out and doing it? Yes but you’re missing every shot…
Free’s short tutorial is compulsory viewing for any photographer, not only street photographers the video is aimed at. So what’s the secret of good photography? No secrets. Just go practice. You practice with the trumpet, don’t you. Not only will you be able to nail the subject/object the way your brain wants it. You gonna be relieving a lot of tension, guilt and insecurity that the camera is laying on you… Because who’s the boss. Not the camera!
Watch Free sitting in his Toyota shaking photographers up. Don’t think you know better. Or you’re really part of the crowd? You could be so damn happy, says Free, creating a photograph that can be admired and understood by all people; a photograph that has the power and the thought from the photographer in it and provides an emotional response to the viewer for having seen that… Don’t you get it, he asks. “Photography ain’t about you. The picture is never about you. It’s for them.”