I could tell you about myself, I could tell you that I owe an awful lot to the Navy in part of my Naval career. I spent in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, from 1969 to 1971 and again from 1973 until 1976. I could also tell you that I worked with the Guantanamo Bay Gazette. I had two columns, one was call GTMO's pulse the other one is called Scenic GTMO. However, what difference does that make, you will never ever see any of my work because I think they were all destroyed a long, long time ago and besides I don't think Guantánamo Bay has museum.
The other point is that none of that is really important to shooting pictures. I could also tell you a lot about photography, about composition, about focal lengths, about apparatus, about shutter speeds, about a lot of things in photography, composition, how to use color. I could tell you about using the Rules of Thirds, all of that. However, you can get all of that information in the library or perhaps take a course at home, perhaps through the Adult Learning Centers.
One of the most important things about photographers is this; they love to impart the knowledge that they have. So don't be surprised if you have seen your newspaper photographer is holding a photo course. They just love to do it. I know, I did, because I always thought in the back of my head that, no matter what I do somebody is going to along and do a lot better than I do because photography is an art and like all arts it's subjective.
What I will tell you though is that you are capable of shooting some amazing photographs just where you are. Look around you and shoot pictures, that's it; just shoot pictures. What you find is that a lot of people will criticize your work. It doesn't mean that your work is bad, or your work is indifferent, or without meaning, it simply means that they chose to criticize your work, that's all.
There are a million critics, but there is only you and in the end all that matters is you, yourself, that's it. Just remember this, self; be sincere about your photographs that you are shooting, use the correct exposure for what you hope to accomplish, love what you do, I mean really love shooting pictures; that makes a big difference. And when you shoot a photograph, when you take a picture rather, remember that the chances are the picture will outlive you. So when you do consider shooting a picture that's going to last forever. SELF: Sincere, Exposure, Love, Forever.
Now just as the movie said, a write writes; well you are a photographer, so shoot pictures, join the ranks of such notable as Mathew Brady, Gordon Parks, Andre Kertesz, Margaret Bourke-White, Edward Stelchen, Dorothea Lange, and then there is you; enjoy what you do to the max and shoot some great photographs.
May I suggest that you turn the sound off and look at this video again and each time try to figure out, how you would have shot the picture but do it better? I'll bet you could improve 90% if not 100% of these photographs? Enjoy yourself.
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