[Read Time - 6 Minutes]
Author Stephen King famously 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 completely agree with this... but about photography, of course.
If you want to be a photographer, you must take photos, and you must study photography.
I’ll take it one step further and say you should also study The Photographer.
I’m not as concerned about their brand of camera or their settings as I am about what they were SEEING and THINKING in the moment they clicked the shutter.
One of the most influential photographers in my career is Joe Buissink (joebuissink.com)
He started his photography career relatively late in life, at the age of 44, and quickly became a legend in the industry.
Joe became a Canon Explorer of Light and a wedding photographer for a mile-long list of celebrities.
I was poking around my old WPPI notes from almost 30 years ago, and compared things I learned to a great interview he did with Vanessa Joy, which I recently watched online (I’ll link it below).
The advice he gave me in 1998 is as powerful today for aspiring wedding professionals as it was then.
Be Different
For me, as a wedding photographer and creative interested in helping others take their creativity public, Joe Bussink’s advice is perfect.
Ask yourself, “How do I separate myself from other photographers?”
It’s one of the biggest questions you can ask because, on one hand, you have the Marketing Mavens telling you to do what works for others. After all, it’s proven.
And on the other hand, 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.”
For him, it was shooting 35mm when every wedding photographer was shooting medium format. Everyone else was doing one thing, but that didn’t work for him, so he did something different.
Joe was about the moment, not the mechanism, and speed matters in the moment.
He also never worried about being copied.
“You can’t steal my eye.” is a great line he used, and I’ve borrowed it many times when talking to my brides.
For Bussink, the focus was about reducing the limitations and letting creativity flow and grow into something personal.
For you that can be your unique style, flair or secret sauce. Once you find it, USE IT and let it build within you.
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 is revealed by being there, camera at your face and shooting.
You don’t get that shot by accident. Sometimes you get lucky, but Joe 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 that 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 simply take a photo, while you create a work of art...using the same camera.
Are you up for the challenge?
Every great superhero has an origin story, and Joe’s wedding-photography lore began 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 your 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 genuinely surprised by 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.
“There’s no such thing as a perfect picture...only a perfect moment.”
― Joe Buissink
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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If you’re starting as a photographer and haven’t quite figured out how to handle the hundreds, or even thousands, of photos from an event, I’ve created something to help you.
It’s a guide to help you process your wedding in one week, and it’s a system I’ve used for over 25 years and still use today. Don’t spend weeks processing and miss out on The Glow. This system will help you get your photos to your client, make them happy and make you look like the professional you want to be.
What a great article! I know that from reading about and seeing Cartier-Bresson’s work, it changed how I thought about capturing moments and thinking about how a moment might appear before it actually does. Learn from the masters, FTW!