Photo by: Lisa J Huber
This post is about a beautiful soul and person that inspires my photography, Lisa J Huber. I met Lisa one day while volunteering at Humana. I saw this short woman walking around with a camera inside our building and had to go inquire about what she was up too. It was not long after we struck up a friendship. I even converted her (partially to switch to Fuji).
Lisa inspires me not only because she is one of the few photographers that are actually educated in photography (has a degree), but she also teaches and helps others learn. I have assisted her with a Lightroom class, gone on photo walks with her, and we even traded headshots once. Lisa is a genuine person and I knew that the first time I met her. Our shooting styles are a bit different but I am still inspired by her work and creativity. Lisa is always there to answer photography/Lightroom questions for me, and also accepts any suggestions I might have. She is helpful and respectfully critical of my work (when asked). She has helped me learn and grow so much. I cannot thank her enough for that.
As with a previous post I sent these questions below to Lisa and she was kind enough to reply. I highly recommend you check out her links, follow her and if you ever get a chance to meet her you will know why I am so inspired by her.
Lisa Huber
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LJHuberPhoto/
Twitter: @ljhphoto
Instagram: LJHPhoto
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ljhuberpmp/
Which is your favorite lens?
Photography has changed so much over the past 20 years. 20 years ago, or even 10 years ago, I would’ve had a clear answer to this question. I began my career using SLR and DSLR cameras exclusively. When I purchased the Nikon 18-200mm VR lens for my Nikon D300 back in the day that was my favorite lens because it was so versatile. Some years later, I purchased a 24-70mm 2.8 lens for my Nikon, and it became my favorite lens because of the wide aperture capability. It was also the most expensive lens I’d ever bought, and I was very excited to have it. These days, I still have all that Nikon gear, but I don’t use it very often. I bought a Fuji XT-1 mirrorless camera a couple of years ago, and I love it. I have a 35mm fixed lens and a 10-24mm wide-angle lens for it, and I like both, but the 35mm lens is so compact that it makes the camera easy to carry. The 35mm lens is an F2, so I like the shallow depth of field that it produces at wide apertures. I’ve always been a fan of that look.
What is your favorite style of shooting?
I love nature photography most. Nothing inspires me more than photographing landscapes and nature in general. I’m especially inspired by the nature out west. I was born, raised and still live in Louisville, KY, so I grew up with the nature of the east coast, which is beautiful, but nature in the western US is so different, so much larger and grandiose. I’ve enjoyed taking photos in California- Yosemite and Joshua Tree National Parks, the High Desert area in Southern California and in San Diego, which has everything from desert landscapes- the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park outside of San Diego- to the beaches and ocean landscapes on the coast.
Among the gadgets that you own, is there something that you wish you hadn’t bought?
I don’t know that there is any photo gadget that I regret buying, but some of the gadgets I’ve bought weren’t as useful as I thought they would be. I hate the “planned obsolescence” nature of electronics- electronic gadgets are like cars- as soon as you carry them out of the store or as soon as they arrive on your doorstep in a cardboard box if you ordered them online, their value has depreciated. Technology changes so fast with photography in this age that it’s near impossible to keep up with trends and advances and have the latest, greatest gear unless you have a bottomless budget and I certainly do not have that. Every gadget I have is outdated. My iMac was made in 2010. My Surface Pro is a Surface Pro 3, circa 2014. My Nikon D300 is very old in terms of cameras, and even my Fuji camera was purchased in 2016. My iPhone is version 7. However, all these gadgets still work and so I’m not upgrading unless they quit working. I guess I should count myself lucky that I’ve never had “buyer’s remorse” with any of the camera gear I’ve bought. Everything I’ve ever bought, I’ve used until it’s become obsolete, or until I replace it with a newer version. Part of this is because I’m a cautious buyer. I spend a long time thinking about large purchases and never buy any camera gear on impulse.
How do you educate yourself to take better pictures?
The best way to get good at doing anything is practice- lots and lots of it. Malcolm Gladwell posited in his book, “Outliers” that it takes at least 10,000 hours of practice to become an expert at anything. I believe that. I started studying photography in college at the University of Louisville in 1996, went on to get an MFA in Photography at Virginia Commonwealth University, and have been a photographer ever since. I’ve done freelance photography, contract photography, corporate and commercial photography, and have taught photography since 2000. I’m a “pro,” but there is still a lot more than I can learn. That’s one of the things that drew me to photography- you will never know it all- there is always more to learn and that is especially the case in the era of digital technology and digital photography. Photography has changed more in the past 20 years than it changed in its first 100 years of existence. Photography will continue to change. It’s a challenge to keep up with the technology, but I make sure that I do. My studies in college and graduate school were mostly about conceptual photography and the art of photography, so I have had a solid base of knowledge of composition and style for years, so I concentrate more currently on keeping up with the technological side of photography, and with keeping current on the Adobe software used for photography- Photoshop and Lightroom.
Whose work has influenced you most?
We studied the history of photography when I was in college and graduate school, so I was first inspired by the men and women who pioneered photography: William Henry Fox Talbot, Imogen Cunningham, Edward Steichen, Albert Stieglitz. In graduate school, I became fascinated with the work of Francesca Woodman, who was active in the 1970s. Part of my graduate MFA thesis was based on her work. I also love the work of contemporary Virginia photographer Sally Mann. I love her landscape works. Poking around on her web site (which is powered by Squarespace, the same content management system that I use for my web site, which I find gratifying- if it’s good enough for a famous photographer, it’s good enough for me!) she has some pretty creepy memento mori type series, which reminds me a little of Francesca Woodman’s style. I’m inspired by surrealism in photography. I also love the look of 19th-century photographic processes. There are photographers these days using 19th processes, but those processes use dangerous chemicals, so I’m not going to try that. There are ways you can emulate the look of the 19th-century process with Photoshop filters and techniques, which isn’t as tactile as using chemicals and chemical baths, but sometimes technological innovations are a good thing in terms of safety for the photographer!
What is the one thing you wish you knew when you started taking photos?
As I mentioned in previous questions, I started studying photography in college, and we were taught about the art of photography and how to process film and how to develop prints in the darkroom. We were not taught how to use the camera. I guess it was assumed that if you signed up for photography classes in college that you already knew how to use the camera, but I didn’t. My difficulty with this was compounded by the fact that the camera I used all throughout college and graduate school was an old all manual Minolta camera. It was not the greatest camera. It took decent photos, but the light meter was not intuitive- instead of the +/- style that most cameras have, it had the shutter speeds listed, and you really needed to know the exposure triangle well to interpret it, and I did not. I took a lot of badly exposed photos. One positive thing about that, though, as I became very good in the darkroom because of all the work I had to do there to compensate for badly exposed negatives. These days with digital photography, it’s so much easier to tell if you have the correct exposure. I don’t regret learning exposure the hard way, though. I’m glad I learned on an all manual camera, where you had to set ISO, aperture, shutter and even the focus yourself- nothing was automatic. So, to sum up, my rambling here- I wish I would’ve learned how to use the camera first, before anything else. It took me many years to understand the settings. If I’d had a camera that was a bit easier to use, and if basic settings would have been covered in my classes at the outset, I would have had a much easier time of it. The Minolta was all I could afford, though- it was given to me by my uncle- and college classes at most arts & sciences schools don’t concentrate on basics and settings- technical schools cover that more. I eventually got it down, though, and because I went to a 4-year university and majored in English and Art and not a technical school majoring in only Photography, I’ve had many more options for jobs throughout my career, so I don’t regret my course of study. Sometimes, things happen for a reason.
I appreciate the time and thought Lisa put into answering these questions. Photography is more than taking pictures. It is about learning various styles, experimenting and finding inspiration from other’s work that you admire. In this case, I am lucky to know and have met Lisa in person.
Until next time,
Tim
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