uncommons

We should be grateful to Alec Soth for breathing new life into the Magnum blog and satisfying our Soth blog craving. I knew I couldn’t keep posting literature forever while waiting for his return.

His recent post, “Wear Good Shoes: Advice to young photographers” is outstanding. And it’s outstanding because Alec collaborated with his colleagues to produce the article and because it’s in a convenient PDF download to print out and keep in your pocket for easy reading during that next story budget meeting.

So, which photographer’s advice plucks your strings? I like Thomas Hoepker’s advice for young photographers the most because I followed — heedless at the time — a similar path. Thinking back, earning a non-photography degree was the best decision I made, not because I think photography schools twist your mind, but because I developed my own sense of style and vision by finding great photographers and great artists to study on my own terms.

Avoid all photo schools and courses. Most will give you lofty ideas and twist your mind in one direction. Find your own way to photography, nobody will ask you later if you have a diploma. Visit as many museums as you possibly can. The images you see (painted, drawn, etched or photographed) will stay with you for the rest of your life. They will help you to discover good pictures in real life. Suppress any silly ambitions of becoming a great artist. Being a good photographer is difficult enough. -Thomas Hoepker

Now, the responses for wearing good shoes can’t be emphasized enough. Every six months I wear out two pairs of shoes — one pair of New Balance tennis shoes and one pair of Doc Martens. My feet hurt and the soles are thin by the time I walk in the shoe store. It tells me I’m working hard. It would be better if I wore them out in three months. That would say I’m working even harder.