Learning from the Legends – Joe Buissink

[Read Time < 5 Minutes]

Stephen King said, "If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot."

As a photographer, I agree with this completely.

If you want to be a photographer, you must take photos and you must study photos.

I'll take this one step further and say you should also study the photographer. What were they seeing and thinking in the moment they clicked the shutter?

This is a very valuable exercise, and in addition to reading and watching, I've had the great pleasure of meeting and talking to some of the best wedding photographers ever.

One of them is Joe Buissink (joebuissink.com)

He started his photography career relatively later in life, at the age of 44, and has become a Canon Explorer of Light and a wedding photographer for a mile-long list of celebrities.

I found my old notes from some of his talks I attended over 25 years ago, and compared them to a great interview he did with Vanessa Joy, which I just watched online (link below).

His advice he told me in 1998, is still as powerful as it is today for aspiring wedding professionals.

BE DIFFERENT

As a creative person interested in taking that creativity public, Joe emphasizes the importance of asking, "How do I separate myself?" or "How do I make myself different?"

It's one of the biggest questions you can ask yourself because on one hand, you have the Marketing Mavens telling you to replicate what works.

Then you have the Committed Creatives telling you to do something totally different that no one else has ever done.

So which is it?

Joe's advice applies to both artists and technicians. "Do what works for you."

You need to be smart AND creative.

Yes, you're running a business, and that's important, but you're also giving life to your creativity, and you need to let that creativity flow in and out of you.

Whatever you need to do to make that happen will be your unique style, flair or secret sauce. Just make sure you do it!

LEARN TO USE YOUR GEAR

Joe describes "The moment between the moment" as The Perfect Moment.

You shoot, shoot, shoot, and somewhere during a nice moment, is that one shot...the one that defines the entire scene – the one that only comes by being there, camera at your face and shooting.

You don't get that shot by accident. Sometimes you get lucky, but for Joe, he seems to be lucky an awful lot.

It's not luck.

When you know your gear so well, you're in control. Exposure, depth of field, and composition are all calculated in a split second, and the difference between a good photo and a piece of priceless art is how you control that image-making tool in your hand.

Your camera is not smart. It's technologically advanced, but it's not smart.

YOU are the artist.

Know how to use every facet of your tool, and you'll create amazing things no one has ever done before.

Remember that scene from Back to the Future when Marty finished shredding his slightly ear-splitting solo at the dance near the end and then handed the guitar back to the band member who looked at it like it was possessed? THAT'S what others feel like when they take a picture and you create a work of art...using the same camera.

Are you up for the challenge?

THE ORIGIN STORY

Every great superhero has an origin story, and Joe's wedding photography lore started with a photo of his wife and newborn son – "This was a moment."

His pursuit of transitioning from a photographer to "A Wedding Artist" will inspire any photographer, but his commitment to being more than a wedding photographer is advice EVERY creative should listen to.

"When I'm sitting with the bride, I'm not selling my work, I'm selling me."

This is how you make yourself different...by being YOU, and by selling YOU.

Your story is yours and yours alone.

It's about you telling that story and helping your bride understand who will be there on their wedding day – The Photographer or The Artist.

A Parting but Paramount Piece of Advice

Joe was and still is a lover of film. He shoots digital as well, but as a former photography lab tech, he knows the craft of creating a great image and the precision a medium like film imposes on a photographer.

Only an artist can appreciate a limitation like this.

At a time when a DSLR can shoot 30 frames per second, it's hard to imagine a photographer shooting a roll of 36-exposure film in 1.2 seconds.

Joe's advice about the future of our industry is exactly what you expect from an artist and it’s something you should read twice.

"Here's what I hope would happen – That people would start to pay more attention about what they capture in camera rather than thinking about what they can fix."

On a Personal Note

Joe is a very humble person.

He's always so generous with his time to teach and inspire, and I treasure the time he took with me as a young photographer many years ago.

I became a better "seer of moments" because of him. That one skill changed me and my career and it will never leave me.

As you move through this journey as a photographer and perhaps as a wedding professional, never underestimate the power of listening and learning from others.

Yes, YouTube makes it very easy to watch interviews, but if you can, seek out photographers and talk to them in person.

Ask them questions, look at photos together, and really hear what's in their head and on their heart. You'll be surprised what you discover.

And then don't forget to make yourself available to others so they might learn from you. This is how you grow as a professional, and that's what this newsletter is all about for me.

If you've been shooting for a year, there's something you can teach someone who's been shooting for a month.

Be generous and open, like Joe and so many other legends.

In my slightly biased opinion, that's how you become a legend.

Here's the interview with Vanessa Joy and Joe Buissink. Vanessa (vanessajoy.com) is also a brilliant photographer and teacher, and this is well worth watching!

Watch the Video Here

Learning from the legends is one of the little parts of the "inner game of wedding photography."

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