5+ Artists Chosen- Beshoy

Who are the 5+ artists you chose?


Jean Fruth

Al Bello

Howard Schatz

Elsa Garrison

Walter looss Jr.


What were 5+ themes the artists addressed about making work?


Emotion

Motion

Storytelling

Light

Environment


What were 5+ challenges the artists faced in making their work?


Jean Fruth- In the beginning of her career was one of the few women in a predominantly male industry.

Al Bello- One of his biggest challenges was shooting the winter Olympics, he had to ski the same mountain the athletes ski and he had to do it carrying heavy lenses on his back. He dealt with demanding weather.

 
Howard schatz- One thing Schatz tried to do is challenge himself to photograph boxers. Most sports require you to do many things but boxing was one of the only that consisted of only ducking and punching, limited range of motion. He tried to find ways around that showing energy and power without making the images look flat.

 
Elsa Garrison- Garrison's challenge had to do with manual focus. Back then everything was done manually so it was a lot harder to grab the right shot especially in sports that involve you capturing the action fairly quick.

 
Walter Looss jr- Like Garrison, Looss used film, he was very limited in terms of capturing the action whilst adjusting for it in a split second, what he’d do is anticipate the action. He had to understand the game he was shooting to know where the ball goes etc.


What were 5+ inspirations you drew from the artists and 5+ things you would like to incorporate into your own work after watching these videos?


There's a lot of inspiration I drew from these artists, although some of them used film to shoot sports, I focus on digital, but everything works pretty much the same way.

1. I have to make sure my subject is always in focus, depending on the shot I want. Though Walters work makes me want to use a lot more manual in moments that are possible.

2. I have to understand the sport enough to anticipate what's going to happen, even if I dont, know the basics. When someone shoots a bucket or dunks, know to grab the following frames, the reaction. Photographers like Schatz inspire me to do more of that.

 
3. Another thing, which I'm still learning to do, don't just focus on the sport itself, sometimes the best kind of pictures in a sport are the sidelines. Similar to Howard Shatz, you have to find ways to capture things in an interesting way.

4. Although this is something that should be your daily routine, be nice. Even now in the beginning of my career I've met older photographers who are sometimes pretty rude or shrug you off. Though what I have noticed is that a lot of the time you have conversations with different photographers you learn and grow. I'm by all means not at the level where I can teach about my work, but I can guide if anyone who's just starting out needs help.

5. I didn't know too much of Al Bello before searching him up but he proves that it's possible to get some amazing photos in harsh conditions. I've shot sports in harsh conditions before and was not prepared for it but I still got the photos done. He’s inspiring because he did everything he could to get a nice photo, even if he literally has to walk up a mountain.