蒼穹，翽羽

　　這篇文章翻譯給每個想要成為攝影師的攝影新手，或許你看過很多『怎麼拍ＯＯ』或是『ＯＯ，這樣拍就對了』，但是真正想要成為一個攝影創作者，或許這篇文章會另外讓你注意到一些你該知道的事情。

What Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know
By Cheryl Jacobs Nicolai [作者網站 Website](閱覽時請關閉浮動視窗攔截)
中文翻譯(Translated)：Liu Jon 原文出處(Source)：PhotoDino

　　以下這些是我的理念，僅此而已。

　　總是會有人要我說幾句話給新進攝影師或是有志成為攝影師的人，不管是在攝影工坊、書信往返、或是私訊皆然。以下是我的答覆：

　　風格是屬於你自己的聲音，它不是道具也不是一個機器零件。不管是用買、借、下載、竊取，你得到的都不會是你的風格。不要師法於外，要內省。

　　熟悉你自己的作品成功之處。好運當然是不錯，然而如果依賴好運是件很可怕的事情。它就像錢一樣，只在你不需要的時候出現。

　　絕不要為自己的美感道歉。沒人有資格規定你應該要愛什麼。盡管放膽厚著臉皮去拍。 你獨有的美感不可能建立在和別人的共識上面。

　　拒絕。勇敢拒絕。或許這不容易辦到，然而這是你欠自己也欠顧客的。對於不適合自己的工作就拒絕，更不要答應做出超出自己能力所及的事情或排滿行程把自己忙壞。在高壓而焦慮的狀況下工作，對誰都沒有好處。

　　學著勇敢並大聲地說出：「我是一個攝影師。」而且要面不改色。如果你自己都沒辦法相信這句話並且大聲說出來，那更不會有別人相信你。

　　你不可能什麼都精通。

　　不要因為別人說你該去接工作而進入職場！職場上的成功更不一定要是全時工作還賺取額外收入才稱得上成功。如果你真的決定要投入職場，開始前就要先設定好自己的能力限度。

　　亮出招牌前先知道自己的風格。若不這樣做的話，你的顧客將會支配你的風格，這樣你只不過是個拍照的人。之後若要改變自己的風格，你就得要一切重來，這將會十分艱難。

　　接受批評，然而不要盲目地全盤皆收。別人說的不一定對。批評只不過是些個人意見。考慮別人的建議的同時也考慮給你見譯的人是誰，再考慮你自己的風格還有你想要在作品裡面展現什麼。只貫徹有意義的原則。你不會因此就顯得忘恩負義，這會讓你更加獨立。

　　為自己保留成長蛻變的空間。把自己的事業視作「珍貴又可愛的小胖腿」或許是不錯的想法，然而，一但你決定只拍老人或是閨房照的時候，後果會如何？

　　記得，如果你的作品看起來和別人的沒什麼兩樣的話，那顧客憑什麼不找別人要找你？除非你和別人削價競爭，可是沒有人會想要成為知名的『廉價攝影師』。

　　小噱頭小賣點都會隨時代而失去風采，但是真誠的攝影永遠不過時。

　　想著要添購新器材總是比起要善用手中的器材拍出很好的作品來得簡單。分心去買新傢伙是件容易而昂貴的事情。你真正需要只有一台像樣的相機、像樣的鏡頭、和一支測光表。除非你能夠持續而且熟練地善用這些工具，否則就不要再多花一毛錢在器材上面。只有在你的技巧已經成長到超出器材的性能，讓你受限的時候，才考慮花錢在器材上面。沒有什麼神兵利器這回事。

　　記得，人像攝影的重點是人像、而不是攝影。好的人像照是強大的交際技巧所帶來的副產品。

　　絕不要忘記你拍照的初衷。優秀的技巧是很好的工具，但卻是很糟的成品。而你的技巧所能做到最好的一點並不是讓人注意到你的技巧。絕對不要讓你技巧搶過了主題。

　　不要把自己的攝影之路和別人比。攝影是一場沒有終點的馬拉松。別人或許比你早出發，或許跑得比你快，但每個人都有他自己的步調。你的旅程就是一場你自己的旅程，而不是競爭。你永遠不會「達成」自己的攝影。永遠沒有人會。

　　擁抱挫折，它會把你推向學習成長，拓寬你的視野，並且在你的作品冷卻的同時燃起你的熱情。對藝術家來說最危險的一件事情，就是『自滿』。

以下附上原文，本文出自於Cheryl的部落格：PhotoDino

What Every Aspiring Photographer Should Know

These are my thoughts, nothing more and nothing less.

I get asked all the time, during workshops, in e-mails, in private messages, what words of wisdom I would give to a new and aspiring photographer. Here’s my answer.

- Style is a voice, not a prop or an action. If you can buy it, borrow it, download it, or steal it, it is not a style. Don’t look outward for your style; look inward.

- Know your stuff. Luck is a nice thing, but a terrifying thing to rely on. It’s like money; you only have it when you don’t need it.

- Never apologize for your own sense of beauty. Nobody can tell you what you should love. Do what you do brazenly and unapologetically. You cannot build your sense of aesthetics on a concensus.

- Say no. Say it often. It may be difficult, but you owe it to yourself and your clients. Turn down jobs that don’t fit you, say no to overbooking yourself. You are no good to anyone when you’re stressed and anxious.

- Learn to say “I’m a photographer” out loud with a straight face. If you can’t say it and believe it, you can’t expect anyone else to, either.

- You cannot specialize in everything.

- You don’t have to go into business just because people tell you you should! And you don’t have to be full time and making an executive income to be successful. If you decide you want to be in business, set your limits before you begin.

- Know your style before you hang out your shingle. If you don’t, your clients will dictate your style to you. That makes you nothing more than a picture taker. Changing your style later will force you to start all over again, and that’s tough.

- Accept critique, but don’t apply it blindly. Just because someone said it does not make it so. Critiques are opinions, nothing more. Consider the advice, consider the perspective of the advice giver, consider your style and what you want to convey in your work. Implement only what makes sense to implement. That doesn’t not make you ungrateful, it makes you independent.

- Leave room for yourself to grow and evolve. It may seem like a good idea to call your business “Precious Chubby Tootsies”….but what happens when you decide you love to photograph seniors? Or boudoir?

- Remember that if your work looks like everyone else’s, there’s no reason for a client to book you instead of someone else. Unless you’re cheaper. And nobody wants to be known as “the cheaper photographer”.

- Gimmicks and merchandise will come and go, but honest photography is never outdated.

- It’s easier to focus on buying that next piece of equipment than it is to accept that you should be able to create great work with what you’ve got. Buying stuff is a convenient and expensive distraction. You need a decent camera, a decent lens, and a light meter. Until you can use those tools consistently and masterfully, don’t spend another dime. Spend money on equipment ONLY when you’ve outgrown your current equipment and you’re being limited by it. There are no magic bullets.

- Learn that people photography is about people, not about photography. Great portraits are a side effect of a strong human connection.

- Never forget why you started taking pictures in the first place. Excellent technique is a great tool, but a terrible end product. The best thing your technique can do is not call attention to itself. Never let your technique upstage your subject.

- Never compare your journey with someone else’s. It’s a marathon with no finish line. Someone else may start out faster than you, may seem to progress more quickly than you, but every runner has his own pace. Your journey is your journey, not a competition. You will never “arrive”. No one ever does.

- Embrace frustration. It pushes you to learn and grow, broadens your horizons, and lights a fire under you when your work has gone cold. Nothing is more dangerous to an artist than complacency.

- CJ