New York Institute of Photography Interview Michael Doven
Michael Doven: Make a Picture
~ My best advice to you is to don’t ever “take” a picture. I want you to "make" or create a picture. ~
The transcendentally majestic azure peaks in the above photo were taken by Los Angeles photographer Michael Doven, hailed in a Nikon Owner magazine cover story as “photography’s next rock star.” He told me about the events that led up to his now-famous “Everest valley” shot.
"Some years ago, I rented a helicopter and went from Kathmandu, Nepal to Mt. Everest Base camp. I had tea with the lamas at the highest monastery there and saw Everest—the mountain of my dreams—and took images. As we turned back down valley to return to Kathmandu, I saw the most spectacular- huge, blue mountain ridges in the distance that we would be passing, and I got my shot. The combination of our altitude (18,000 feet) and the clear day caused the color temperature to go very blue to the eye and on the (medium format) film negative. The result was a view of the Everest valley we never see."
Central Park in NY city is one of the most iconic and famous parks in the world. Most people can locate in this image a building, street, location or landmark they have been to or have memories with. Can you? You can find the World Trade Centers months before they fell, The Empire State Building, the Chrysler building, the Guggenheim Museum, the reservoir in Central Park and the Natural History Museum. Can you find more? This photo was taken from a helicopter over NY city and has ben auctioned off at Christies international Auctions for charity. Shot on film. Fine Art Limited Edition of 100.
Traveling Man
The travel bug bit Michael Doven early on. By the age of 25, he’d already logged in trips to over 50 countries. But his interest in photography started even earlier.
"In my teens, I had the privilege of assisting John Kelly of Aspen, Colorado, a great sports photographer. It was during adventure shoots with John that I fell in love with getting up early and going to remote places to create images and art.
"In 1991, Michael embarked on an enchanted twenty-year journey in Hollywood where he was able to watch, study, and learn from the greatest directors of photography in the world, all while serving as Production Associate and Associate Producer on major motion pictures like Mission Impossible: II and Minority Report. His film experience afforded expanded opportunities to take pictures.
"As a film producer, I would travel to different countries for sometimes years to get a film made. I would shoot stills on my weekends and whenever I had a day off. I’d most like to visit Nepal again and go trekking there; beautiful country, beautiful people. I've never been to Alaska and Africa, but they look very photogenic and I’d like to travel there!
"in 1996, he signed up for and completed NYIP’s Complete Course in Professional Photography, all to improve his basic photography skills and shifting his focus from motion pictures to still film. Now his fine art photog- raphy is represented worldwide by Christie’s International Auctions, and his work has been shown at the Venice Biennale and various new York and Los Angeles galleries. His photography has also been featured in People, HELLO!, OK!, MATCH!, and hundreds of others publications and websites.
Unique curving and sprawling tree trunk with winter-like purple, blue and green leaves filling out the frame with pure artistic aesthetics scream out of this Maple tree in the Portland Japanese gardens. Fine Art Limited Edition of 100.
Shoot Like A Pro
It’s a golden opportunity to have Michael, and nine other world’s-finest photographers offering their advice to you, and to anyone who wants to take better photos while on holiday or a short trip. The core of Michael’s advice is how to approach each photograph you take.
"If you want images that you’re proud of, then go out to create these images. They don’t just happen by chance or because you happen to have a camera in your pocket. True artistic images are not “shot”—they’re “created!" My best advice to you is to don’t ever “take” a picture.” Instead, I want you to make a picture!
"Making and creating a memorable travel photo is what separates the professional from the amateur. The amateur just fools around with the camera and photography because it’s fun—and that’s true and fine—but the pro takes the extra time, care, interest, and actions to cause a photograph to be the best image he or she can make."
"Always strive to improve each photograph you take. And be willing to shoot more shots, and check the light and the angles and continue to study the shots you’ve made to try to get the best results. Of the 100 or so photographs on my website, only about three resulted from me recognizing great light and running out right then to shoot in that light and even for those shots, I had staged a camera nearby and was hoping for great light and was ready for it. But 97% of the photos I’m proud of were premeditated and planned for shoot sessions. I created those images on the shoot.
"Michael is not a fan of “accidental” photography. He gave an example: one Sunday morning near where he lives, he decided he’d purposefully “create” images near the ocean. He planned the exact gear he wanted to bring to the beachfront, picked the exact spot with the right scenery, and thought in advance about what specific images he was looking for. He went to that spot for the sole purpose of capturing beautiful images.
"If you plan a photo session in advance, no matter where you travel, you’ll shoot images you’ll be proud of nearly every time. I recommend this to anyone who wants to improve their shooting. Simply put, this is the methodology of a professional photographer: decide to shoot, plan your shoot, prepare for your shoot, and go do it. Once you’re on location, do your best to constantly improve your results and take multiple, multiple shots. When people go “WOW!” when you show them your images, you know you’re improving."
Orange cliffs below a purple starry sky with streaks of wispy clouds forming patterns above. While on top of Hunt's Mesa in Monument Valley, as sunrise approached, I watched the clouds and stars in their poetic dance over the landscape. Fine Art Limited Edition of 100.
Michael's Jungle Rules
Michael teaches his photography students and crews using the following "just-do-it" rules of thumb, but he added, “please, please break each rule if you have to. Photography should be fun, and I don’t want this to seem like homework or an army boot camp!”
"Don’t Take pictures. Give pictures, create them, and grant being-ness and life to them. Liberally, give photo- graphs to your subjects and to others to help their lives. Help people and their businesses with your images."
"Learn how to hold a camera! Hold it strong and stable like a professional. Your legs are a sturdy tripod,your torso moves, and you compose for the end ofthe shot if your subject is in motion. Life is a contact sport, so be active when you’re traveling and making photographs. I want you to move, communicate, and be active and alive!"
"Use available stabilizers to keep your camera steady while shooting: walls, cars, trees, objects—lean or brace the camera against them if you don’t have a tripod."
"Look at the light and shadows composing each shot. Use available light and see it and be willing to physically move people to better-lit areas. They’ll appreciate that you care enough to move them to a better spot for a better shot."
"Use natural reflectors (white sunlit buildings and surfaces, for instance), bring reflectors (pop-open discs are easier to take with you), and recruit assistants to help you with lighting for a great shot. Ask people for help; people love to help!"
"Change the viewpoint and angles of your shots. Go up and down. Move around. Be willing to look for special shots in odd places and awkward angles. Sometimes I like to shoot low from the floor or from a rooftop."
"Here’s one of my biggies: prepare for a planned shoot! A planned shoot will help you “make” your best travel photos ever."
Like a shooting star, comet Hale–Bopp streaks across the dark starry sky in the gap framed by the silhouette of fir trees. It is a comet that was one of the most widely observed of the 20th century and one of the brightest seen for many decades. It orbits the sun every 2,000 years. Shot on film in northern England. Fine Art Limited Edition of 100.