My concept when I began MSS (Marc Silber Show) was to find accomplished photographers who were also generous enough to share their know-how, and connect them with you the viewers as directly as possible. It actually began when I was delivering my workshops and I had the thought “wouldn’t it be amazing to hear directly from Ansel Adams himself?” But at that time I couldn’t find footage of him that covered his key points on photography.  But then the show began and I did my interview with Michael Adams who offered to loan us unreleased footage of Ansel—what gems!

From there the show’s idea grew to talking with various photographers who would show you and talk about their skills.  In addition, I started doing short video tips covering key points from these photographers or inside stories about their work.

So I thought it would be a good idea to summarize some of the point I’ve covered so far, but this is just one of those sample ice cream spoons, go to the video to get the whole bite!

1.   Ansel Adams:  What it means to visualize the shot. He quotes from Alfred Stieglitz, that the photograph should express what you saw and felt. The whole key lies in the process of visualization.

2.  Chase Jarvis:  Get out and get your shots: Look over the scene without using your camera to get the feel of it. Look at how you can “turn the shot on its head.”  Don’t be afraid to blow it, just “bang the streets, bang the shutter.”

3. Thomas Hawk: He carries his camera & backpack with him everywhere—he  shoots daily, “stealing moments” here and there. He looks for images of all types and is willing to do what it takes to get them—like wading into the cold Pacific in December to get the shot of the Golden Gate Bridge, near dark (I was there with him.)

4. Jeff Flindt: He travels the world getting shots of the best surfers on the planet. He can’t afford to miss a shot. He “babies” his equipment, doesn’t let sand and stuff get into his CF cards for example. He shoots early morning to get that great light. He  does his cropping in the camera and processes quickly.

5.    And my final point: I’ve heard this from so many photographers: Don’t get hung up in your equipment, get your shots.  It’s not about the machine, it’s about learning to see your shots, and having the passion to go out and find them. Look at other’s work to see what they saw and why you like the shot and go out and get your own images.

What sticks in your mind from MSS so far?