Never Stop Learning

by Geoff Dickinson, October 2008

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
Rudyard Kipling

I have heard it said that the sign of a good education is not top exam grades but rather a lifelong desire to learn about the wonderful world around us. I will always be grateful to the people who taught me because although my exam grades were never more than average, I have never stopped trying to learn and for over 40 years photography has given me so much help and insight.

It continues to do so and in the last few months I have gained a better appreciation of, amongst other things, English Literature, Physics, Sociology and the Performing Arts as well as expanding my photographic knowledge base and inspiring further work and investigation.

In August, I was asked to cover the joint production by Hamilton Girls and Boys High Schools of "Hamlet." Set in the 1930s, the dark subject matter of the play was mixed with the shadow of Nazism yet lightened and complemented by music and song from the era by Cole Porter performed by a live band and singers from the schools. Ballet and tap from the senior girls and a sword fight at the end from the boys added some full on action sequences.

What a photographic challenge. Most of the action took place on a minimal set with minimal lighting much of which was provided by hard spotlights. How do I deal with this? Where is the best vantage point? Who are the main characters? How do I convey their character? To do this required an understanding of the plot. I had never really appreciated just how relevant Shakespeare is today. A dysfunctional family; mother on her second marriage with an adolescent son confused, bitter and angry at her indecent haste in remarrying. Wonderful stuff and I lost count of the phrases that are now part of our everyday language. Pity though that lines like "Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him Horatio" etc.... raised such a snigger.

Working the light needed ISO3200 and an f1.4 50mm prime lens for best results. That and a lot of observation, anticipation and filling of memory cards. I reckon I saw the production around 7 times in all. So....maybe I might look at Shakespeare in more depth. And maybe go and take some dance photos.

Physics? Well, Ron Dean recently lent me a book called "Light, Science and Magic" which tells me all I need to know and more about light and its properties. It is heavy going in places but most interesting. I was supposed to learn about this stuff at school but my youthful head was far more interested in rock music, trains and planes than boring old physics and my photos turned out just fine, thank you very much! Better late than never though, I suppose. Now I understand a little more about what light is, how it behaves, how to tell direct light and diffused light apart and just why the shadows at midday are so harsh and how my photography might improve.

Sociology? My recent Scottish trip raised the question: Just why ARE there so many hot food takeaways in the UK? It seems like every town has whole streets full of them. Who operates them? Why does Government planning policy freely allow these to open whilst displaying so much concern about lack of healthy eating? And coffee shops.... Hamilton (and NZ) is full of them. Why? Where do all the customers come from? Who operates them? Interesting research material for its own sake but it also means I have a few photo projects brewing, so to speak, in my mind.

The point I am making is that knowledge and photography go hand in hand. Photography can trigger off all sorts of new experiences which in turn can stimulate new photography directions. Developing an enquiring mind helps concentrate our thoughts on what we need to do to get results from our photography that satisfy us and/or our target audience.

Never stop learning, employ Kipling's Six Honest Serving Men and you won't go far wrong.