”I always say the day that I say that's it, that’s the
perfect photo, then that will be the last photo I ever take. Of course that
will never happen!” The person who said this amazing quote was Laura
Warfield. She is a well-known photographer from California that agreed to
answer some questions I had for her to help me and other photography beginners!
She began her love for photography in 8th grade when she received a
Kodak camera and Chukka boots for Christmas. She has upgraded her camera since
then, first in high school to a Canon and has been a Canon lover ever since,
now with a Rebel T2i.
Warfield does various kinds of photography including: real estate and
architecture, portraits, fashion, abstracts, equine, and landscapes. She has
photographed the children of celebrities and Hollywood actors as well as
actors, stuntmen, models, etc. People are her favorite thing to photograph and
she explained that “there is nothing on earth more incredible than the human
spirit and I strive to capture a little of each person’s essence in my
photography.” She does sometimes get burned out on one area of study, then
simply returns to a past or new one; however, she never fails to be
photographing something or someone.
She has many words of advice for budding photographers. She began by
encouraging them to read anything that has to do with photography, art, and
mainly composition so it becomes instinctive. A practice technique that we have
in common is to think about how you would photograph something, even the most
boring of subjects. This can be seen as a game and helps to train your eye as a
photographer. She also recommends continuously studying, researching, and
watching light until that becomes second nature as well. She also said that it
is not about the camera, it’s about the eye, keeping your equipment to a
minimum is important as well as training your eye and finding your own personal
style. “Having an eye always trumps technical
ability and gear,” said Warfield.
She also recommends beginners to do their best to “learn to use your camera in
such a way that it is an extension of you. Be so familiar with it that you
never have to think about the controls, you shoot naturally and instinctively.”
This is something that is difficult to do and takes time, but when it happens,
it’s amazing. She also said that if she was told she was going to fall in love
with photography when she began in eighth grade, she would have never believed
it. Now, 42 years later, she is still in love with it just as much and still
finds ways to challenge herself just to improve her own skills and that is what
a beginning photographer solely needs, dedication and commitment.
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