Stephen Walton Photography Workshops

This is one for all the new photographers learning this wonderful art form and thinking ‘why is it so damn complicated, but everyone makes it look so easy?’

If photography had a spectrum of learning then the absolutes (the black and whites) would be 20% of the teaching and the other 80% is the middle grey – the variable, the personal preference, and subjectivity – the stuff that’s really hard to learn, and teach.

From a beginner’s point of view, I can only liken learning photography to a big step and then a gentle incline, but with big gullies on either side of the path, you’re treading.

The First Step – The Black & White

The hardest part is at the start of the journey and then the rest becomes easier (somewhat) over time. The first step is learning the basics – the exposure triangle.

Understanding that to brighten your shot you need to make the hole (aperture) wider. This is a constant and non-arguable fact in photography – this is what I call the ‘black and white’. These are absolutes and easily teachable facts to beginners.

There are many black and white areas in photography – shutter speed, ISO, histograms etc. They’re all evidence-based and we know what they do. Learning these areas will improve your photography to a point…but then comes the mist; the grey.

The Smooth Incline – The Grey

Next, we have the rest of the journey up the slow incline – but watch out for those huge gullies on either side of the path you’re following.

We’re now treading the grey path. This is the path of subjectivity, trends, personal opinion, and style and it’s very hard to teach these vague, shapeless variables which makes learning photography that much harder.

After the first step of learning the ‘black and white’ everything looks formulaic and logical but we’ve been lulled into a false sense of security thinking it will continue. If only.

These grey areas are filled with differences of opinion and changes in your own taste as you explore the world of photography.

You need to be comfortable with what you shoot and how it makes you feel. Don’t go chasing the black and white anymore you need to walk the grey path but be aware you’re on it to begin with.

• No one compositional style is best every time – that changes.
• No one type of light is best every time – that changes.
• No one angle is best every time – that changes.
• No one editing preset is best every time – that changes.

Getting distracted by trends, other people’s opinions, and quick fixes can knock you off the path and fall into the gully. You can lose confidence, and motivation and ultimately give up unless you stick to the path.

Looking for a Summit, that never appears

The walk along this narrow misty path wouldn’t seem so bad if we knew there was an endpoint – but there isn’t. Photography has no summit or peak to arrive at.

As much as National Geographic will happily brand certain shooters ‘world’s most accomplished’ or ‘top global photographer’ there really is no top tier to reach. What would motivate you to continue after that?

Accept that you’re always on the grey path for life with your photography after the first step. By all means, try out new things and experiment with your camera, but do it for yourself and not chase the attention of others.

I’d be interested to know if a) you understand what I mean and b) if you agree with the grey path we’re all walking on and continuing to grow.