Following Ernst Haas' Advice Changed My Photography

[@BethBuelow]

Great message, Alex. It reminded me of this favorite quote: “The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are.” -John Burrough

[@ToddHoff]

This is not just a photography secret, it's a secret to life. That must be why it's so hard to learn. The new is the easier path.

[@iaincphotography6051]

Thank you for showing the great Ernst Haas, he has been my inspiration for half a century. He seemed to photograph everything and anything, he had a great vision with large helpings of creativity.

[@barryobrien1890]

If you really think about it, everything is experienced locally, in the mind. No matter where you go, everything is still experienced in your mind, so as long as you can find a new experience, it does not matter where you are

[@stephenroberts7828]

My favourite photographer and constant inspiration as are you and your channel

[@scottgraham6717]

Simply, thank you. In my early teens I saved up $18 (early 1970’s) for my first camera. All I could photograph was my neighborhood, family, friends…but it was all magical to me! Thanks for reminding me of this.

[@tedbrown7908]

Great points Alex. I see things now that I never saw before. Like a face on a house with two windows as eyes and a bush for a nose with a thin garden line as a mouth. I took that photograph.

[@cliffblackerby8738]

Such a great video. I found myself getting in a rut, the lesson from this video gives me renewed interest in getting out with the camera again. Thanks so much.

[@Tedwill-home]

I got more accolades for macro flowers taken in a vase in my kitchen than I did with all the photos from a recent Iceland trip. I do struggle every day with "new place" vs. the "new vision" of the old place. This video reminds us of that. I do have Ernst Haas' book on his work from 1952 - 1962 and it's a master class in finding the interesting views of the ordinary things.

[@tduke91]

I live in Hastings on the south coast of England and belong to many local Facebook groups with many local photographers. One admin of a particular group stated that Hastings has been shot to death and there is nothing left to capture yet every time I go out walking the same streets I find new things that get loads of likes when I post them. Like you say it's about looking at the same things but with a different eye. Thanks again for inspiring others to do the same. `It's out there...go find it'.

[@MaliDaviesPhotography]

Keys to the photographic door… 4:27 of gold. Thank you Alex.

[@bobmitchel664]

Brilliant! Ernst Haas is probably my favorite photographer of all time. Your interpretation of his words are right on the money. When we begin to "see" those new things our photography becomes better. I struggle with this every time I go out but I'm not giving up. Thanks for this enlightening talk.

[@amsterdamguy520]

After around 8 years of photography this was the best tip I ever got. Thank u for sharing it!

[@ddsdss256]

Always my guiding star--find the extraordinary in the ordinary. It's easy to great shots in great settings/conditions, but far more rewarding to get great shots anywhere at any time. There is so much to appreciate all around us--great photography can help others to see that, so that they might try and make the world a better place instead pf continuing to degrade it and each other.

[@dalejones146]

I stumbled on your channel quite by accident and am really thankful I did. I took up photography just before the Pandemic began. I watched hundreds of hours of KZbin videos about photography and photography gear. I learned some basic skills and techniques this way and posted a few photos to Instagram and Flickr, but I felt as if I were still taking photos that were nothing more than snapshots--better snapshots than I was taking before--but still snapshots and uninspired. I was considering selling my full frame camera and lenses and just using my iPhone and Sony A100vii. Your videos convinced me to look back through my photos the last 3 years and I realized that I actually had improved and that a few photos at least, by design or by accident, looked pretty decent. Your videos also helped to remind me that I should have fun with photography, not chase IG likes and buy gear I don't need. Thank you.

[@tommartin9731]

This video is why I love your channel. And these comments show you attract thoughtful and interesting photographers of all skill levels.

[@IsomJacobs]

I love to go back to my old photos years ago and look at it again to see how my perspective changed.

[@AndrewJacksonSE]

Very true. Also easy to say and agree to - very hard to develop the skill!!

[@FocalPointPhotographyLLC]

Great quote from a great photographer...he reminds me a lot of Saul Leiter in his approach to the simple things in life.

[@cdsreenath]

There is something ZEN-like in your uploads. I come back and watch again and again. 🙏🙏

[@Dawnarizen]

I get so excited when you post your videos! It helps me to be a better photographer. Thank you!

[@ElektraTig]

I love your channel, Alex. Thanks so much.

[@curiousabout1]

As always, exposure to photographers we might not be familiar with is appreciated! Ernst Haas' work really speaks to me and the concept very much a method I'm desperate to improve. This way of looking at the world is something I've always done instinctively, but being new to photography, trying to make it tangible is an exhilarating challenge. I look forward to exploring more of his work, thank you!

[@lensofsolacephotography]

Thanks for this video Alex. Amazing!

[@adambaileyshow361]

I liked the discussion on how we should strive to photo what happens on the daily/the mundane, and the beauty to be found there can be even more pricless. The TV in the living room, what a great case in point.

[@UltraFlynn]

Arguably one of your finest productions. Thank you.

[@tommartin9731]

Exactly, precisely, spot on!

[@ommm8]

Brilliant and meaningful, thanks - and my god, some of the greatest photographs I've ever seen !!! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[@scottfineshriber5051]

Thank you. I need to look at a lot more of his images and be inspired.

[@elvisjoseph8632]

Brilliant! Thank you for introducing me to Haas' work and the idea of seeing things new. Binoculars would have to be my favourite.

[@ronaldquint]

Thank you sir. That was such a wonderful insight. And, thank you all commenters. Words of wisdom .

[@ThePhotographicEye]

Thank you for watching

[@michaelhull1813]

This is a confirmation bias for me! Thank you Alex!

[@toomanyjstoomanyrs1705]

Yup, you nailed the reason why I don't like sunset photos, and sunrise for that matter.

[@JohnDrummondPhoto]

This thought of seeing old things in a new way is absolutely crucial to creativity. Thanks so much! Side note: on my Android phone, I didn't see the end card you were pointing at. This has happened before; I thought you had it sorted out.

[@edc5338]

Excellent point! Everything seems a cliche now-waterfalls, milky ways, fall scenes, etc. There is a scenic farm in VT called Sleepy Hollow Farm outside Woodstock, VT.. It has been photographed ad infinitim in the fall. Traffic has gotten so bad there on the dirt road, that the street has been closed by the police this fall because the locals are trapped and their property trampled on. We need to open our eyes to new possibilities or at least of new ways to see things..

[@derricksansome236]

Thanks for this, suitability encouraged I am off to play in the urban landscape this weekend. 👍

[@Jim-ot9sd]

New to me, this is a lovely homage to the man

[@timmallette1888]

I live in Albuquerque and I immediately recognized that first picture as it could have been taken yesterday.

[@andreaslundskog]

Brilliant! So true! Thanks for the reminder.

[@pipari21]

Great video and great quote! I think it was Einstein who said something similar like "If you change the way you look at things, the things you are looking at, change".

[@JohnColson]

The best five minutes of my day (which might be a bit depressing to acknowledge!). Thank you!

[@wolfgangtoeglhofer1710]

you are a great teacher not only for photography 🙏

[@alan.macrae]

Thank you, Alex. Great, thought provoking video.

[@othomsen1]

Wonderful photos 👏👏👏👏

[@fedevelasco1]

Love and completely agree with your message! Bravo!

[@mdraper8180]

Ernst Haas is definitely a photographer to emulate. Have one of his books but after watching this I'm going to have to order another one! I guess, thanks?

[@Rob.1340]

Thank you. All the best. 👍📷😎

[@johnkeating3891]

What a great mantra!

[@TedPartrick]

Turn on your curiosity engine and go out to take some photos. You've made another good video to get me out for some photography. Thanks

[@richardsimms251]

Great presentation. Thank you. RS. Canada

[@erichstocker8358]

Haas had the most amazing sense of color use.

[@buchsg]

The photographers you take exemples of, were alive on the last century… in think that’s why theirs images talk to us, nostalgia for some, novelty for youngest, their tone, their medium (film)etc. I understood your point on the « ordinary » things but it only will be a great image with age, if nowadays's digital medias are always readable in 80 or 100 years... in my mind, as you said all the great places in the world had been photographied a billion time so if i visit one of this place i try to find a new way of showing them, cause i don't want the same boring picture than all the others own... For exemple, when i went to London few years ago, i didn't take any "cliché" pictures, i went on the docks, i took a picture of stompy (t34 soviet tank in the middle land) some street art far away the hyper center etc. and i was sleeping near by the unfamous murder mile street just to be more like a guy who living there than a tourist, i think this type of approach makes me realise better photos than a tourist tour in the hyper center of London

[@Jack_Schularick]

I think you are on to something. Which is why so many people use "vintage film" settings and otherwise degrade pictures to look old. Nostalgia and emulating old masters. You can go to iconic photo spots and shoot the photographers. Cheeres

[@silviakittys]

Amazing, fantastic, perfect

[@martinlawrence8427]

Powerful advice!

[@osmanlatif9369]

Thank sir thank you so much for inspring me ❤️

[@andrewdennes1608]

Hi Alex, Good advice; I like to re-visit familiar places to look for alternative viewpoints to photograph. BTW, the link that you were pointing at the end of the video is not visible.

[@thearabicdp]

I'd love to see you and AoP do a collaborative video on these topics.

[@Photo-ops_OnPeninsula]

Interestingly enough its the everyday places that I inhabit where I occasionally am forced to stop, breathe and look; and find joy in what I see,they are the moments I want to photograph and share.

[@peterlieberzeit3138]

Great video! And fully in line with my humble experience. Slightly "unusual" photos of the - rather mundane - village I live in gather quite a bit of attention in the respective FB group ....

[@kaiwenhe5518]

I don't know how he achieved such a beautiful color tone in his photos.

[@jimphilpott902]

Alex, are you familiar with Mike Disfarmer? He was an American photographer known for his portraits of everyday people in rural Arkansas from the 1920s to the 1950s. His stark, realist photographs were rediscovered in the 1970s and later came to be regarded as works of art. I would love to hear your take on his work.

[@hansformat]

Great video.

[@jeffstreck]

Inspirational Williams 😅

[@lensman5762]

I think two of the best examples of such photographers are Robert Adams and tbe late Raymond Moore, who show the magnificence in the mundane.

[@ianiles6430]

We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. T.S Eliot

[@zaidisphotographers]

Thoughtful

[@alancoligado8540]

An image really is less about the subject and more about how the photographer has seen it.

[@policeluber6720]

Is this art history ?

[@canturgan]

British English, also known as English.

[@vyzant4697]

…….new (neu) means seeing things differently/from a different angle.

[@bryanforeman4144]

The world is saturated with cameras. 91% of the world population has a device with a camera on it. We are social creatures and we want to remember all the cool stuff we do. There is a lot of delusion about the quality of photographs. You go on vacation and take some photos, the personal enjoyment in reliving those moments skews our perception of the photograph, or rather the technical execution of the photographs, and if 100 friends like one, we think we are a photographer and then get the idea we can be an artist. The accidental photographer doesn't realize the work required to be consistent. iPhones and low end DLSRs make it feel easy. Not everyone has the fortitude to power through the crappy photos to gain consistency.

[@glennalexon1530]

Don't be so quick to criticize others, especially since this is ironically a video about mimicking the work of someone else. Just because a person goes on vacation and visits a spot somebody else took a picture of doesn't mean that it's some ugly trend of merely copying the latest trend.

[@frankgurtler7316]

It's a lot harder to get a good photo of your neighbor's trash can than it is of the Grand Canyon ;) F.

[@kronkite1530]

Ah, so Ernst Haas, Saul Leiter et al gained fame through photos of the ordinary; the mundane. Adams and Weston took photographs of standard, now routine, landscape sites and compositions. Many a view presented daily of those former feted images sharper, more highly detailed, more colourful… So, photography is better now? No! Not because they were pioneers with access then to places most had never seen and couldn’t hope to get to, but because they had the artistic vision and eye to create something uniquely beautiful or telling. And would still today, even if they were battling for tripod space with the multitude of photographers with better tools, great skills, technical ability and knowledge undreamt of “back then”, but lesser vision. They epitomise, literally, the Art of photography. How many of us today can fairly claim that of ourselves or our work? If we just retread and attempt to better what has already been done (increasingly) to death: Iceland and black sand and ice blocks; Namibia with “those” dunes and trees - stunning, but seen dozens of times; that oh-so aesthetic lone tree standing in the beautiful New Zealand lake, if I never see another shot of that as long as I live it’ll be too soon! Originality; originality of vision, that artist’s eye, that’s the clincher.

[@Jack_Schularick]

Most landscape shooters, unfortunately, seem repetitive artisans shooting the same mountains and woodlands. And the nowadays popular editing does not make things better. Why are people doing this instead of just going for a walk with or without their camera or a smartphone?

[@cliftonwhittaker260]

What you have to be careful about with this philosophy is trying to create a silk purse out of a sow's ear. You can waste hours or days doing this. I know a photography professor who wasted an entire promising career.

[@peoplez129]

There comes a point where tricks become seen as just that, tricks. Really it's more about timing than anything. Any area on the street can make a good photograph, if the lighting is right, if the subjects are right, etc. The problem is, that takes time. You could be sitting there for hours a day, for weeks on end, and the best moment won't present itself. A lot of imagery today is based on nostalgia. So it's more on concept than just content. It's the same reason why someone will find a polaroid of a mundane scene more interesting than the same scene taken with the highest image quality modern cameras can offer. It's about allure in the viewer themselves. The biggest problem in photography is editing is more about making the lighting right. I've had images where I simply couldn't edit them better than they came out of camera, and trying to do so only made it worse. That's what separates good images from bad ones. You can make a bad image look "good", but the real aim should be to make images that are good from the start. Of course that's harder, because it takes more work than just carrying a camera and editing a photo. It takes time, dedication, effort, and patience. The problem is though, with what photography has become to the masses, it doesn't matter whether an image was taken on a whim or meticulously crafted....they're pretty much viewed for the same duration of time, and then the person moves on, completely forgetting it. That makes it easier to just not bother to take the time to put in the extra effort, or to even think of what that extra effort could be. And the real truth is the magic is mostly in the film itself. These old timey photographers would struggle to make images look as alluring with modern camera's. I mean just look at Steve McCurry, his old film stock stuff is good, but most of his digital stuff is absolute crap. Soo much so that he seemingly pays people to edit his photo's to try to make it look like Kodachrome, but it's never quite right, so it just looks like an overprocessed digital photo. Steve McCurry wasn't the magic, the gear and film stock were. You take Kodachrome film, a portrait lens, expose it right, point it at anything colorful, and you've got magic. Period.

[@Jack_Schularick]

@@peoplez129 I disagree. There may be some nostalgic air to old film look but otherwise, the return of film is a distraction for people who do not enjoy taking pictures and believe they get more creative and successful this way. Period.