APractice makes perfect…
By Robert de Gast

There’s an old rhyme, found in an Elizabethan manuscript dated 1570, that goes like this:

Multiplication is vexation, Division is as bad; The Rule of Three doth puzzle me, And Practice drives me mad.

Well, I hope not. Do you remember the old joke? A stranger in Manhattan asks a native for directions: “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” “Practice, practice,” comes the answer.

Learning to make good photographs is the same as learning how to ride a bike or play the piano. It requires practice. Repetition breeds familiarity, and familiarity breeds confidence. But with photography it is not just about becoming adept and at ease with your camera. More important even is practicing how to see.

Camera manufacturers would have you believe that buying their product will automatically ensure great results. But the fact is that it is impossible, even for experts, to tell with which camera (or film, or lens) a photograph was made. Sure, we can get sharp pictures. Sure, we can get great color fidelity. Yet what we really want is interesting pictures, beautiful pictures. And that requires work: practice.

But what pleasant work! Here’s a chance to indulge in something you really like. Here you have a chance to explore the streets of San Miguel. Here you have a chance to spend time with someone you like. And here you have a chance to share your interest with other people—seconds later with your digital camera, or hours later with your film camera at the one-hour photo lab.

Give that kind of practice some structure. Set aside a specific time—once a day or once a week—to go out and take pictures, or better yet, to make pictures. Don’t combine it with going shopping or running errands. Consider that time a gift to yourself and make that time subject- specific. Decide what you’ll investigate: charming door knockers, children at the playground, San Miguel’s roof dogs, what have you. This will help give you a sense of purpose.

Beginning photographers, especially, often lack that sense. “I don’t know what to take pictures of,” is a common complaint. Many think that photographs are somehow miraculously, or perhaps automatically, delivered without work, without effort. Here, too, advertising might be blamed. But professionals know better: shooting more means shooting better.

At National Geographic I once calculated that the average assignment yielded about 200 rolls of 36 exposures. You do the math. The average story ran 15-20 pictures, or about one-fourth of one percent of all the pictures made. These were all, by and large, well-exposed, well-composed photos. Selecting the most interesting, exciting or relevant photographs for publication was made easier by having so many good pictures to choose from. Having so many pictures available is not an indication of lack of confidence but a proven, useful way to maximize your opportunity! 

Practice may not always make perfect, but it goes a long way toward increasing your skills, your confidence and your pleasure.

Robert de Gast is a photographer, teacher, and the author, most recently, of Behind the Doors of San Miguel. He leads photography workshops and offers short tutorials. He can be reached at 152-7396 or e-mail robertdegast@hotmail.com.