I am an artist, not a technician

I have often stated that from a technical perspective, I could easily teach someone everything I know about lighting in fifteen minutes.   Well, maybe I am over exaggerating a bit; it might actually take more like thirty.  The sooner we can come to the realization that lighting is so much more than f/stops, ratios and lighting diagrams, the sooner we can move into creating beautiful images.  When I teach lighting, it would be a grave disservice to only present a technical nuts-and-bolts perspective, and neglect a much greater issue, the art of creating.

If all we have is technical proficiency, we miss the most important ingredient, the ability to strike the heart that stirs our emotions.  It is the language of art that communicates by cutting to our very soul.  We must move beyond techniques to the art of creating.  Photography is a process that gives us the opportunity for the application of self-expression.  If we are to create, we must view ourselves as artists, not technicians.  The process of creating takes a lifetime to learn, it is always an ongoing and developing process and can not learned overnight.

Over the years I have often stated that the way light strikes a face is paramount.  In the process of creating images, it is true lighting plays a very important role.  But remember, it is just one aspect of the whole process. The goal is not to become a master of lighting, but a master of creating.  Once you begin to grasp this, then the application of how to use lights takes on a whole new approach.  Lighting does not become the means to the end, but just one role in the process of fulfilling the creative vision as an artist. 

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