Lessons From A Photographer :: John Free
Photo: Courtesy, Street View Photography
“IF PEOPLE KNEW WHAT YOU WERE DOING—THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF ALL THIS, THAT YOU’RE TRYING TO SHOW PEOPLE OUR LIVES SO THAT THEY MAY LEARN ABOUT THEIR LIVES—THEY WOULD HUG YOU, THEY WOULD LOVE YOU FOR IT.”
— JOHN FREE
John Free is a social documentary and street photographer based in Los Angeles, California. His photographic essays range from railroad tramps in California to street life in New York, Paris, and London, and across the world. His other bodies of work include automobile abstracts and still life.
John has been inspiring photographers of all ages and skill levels for many years through teaching classes and workshops that carry on the tradition, values and discipline of “street photography”: full frame, candid, available light. Part stand-up and part evangelist, John teaches year-round in the United States and across the world where he speaks from the heart to inspire new generations of photographers through his workshops. He also has shares intimate narratives, insights, and photo walk sessions on his YouTube channel and his blog. He is currently involved with several non-profit organizations teaching inner-city kids the excitement and power they can get from being dedicated photographers.
John’s work has been featured in numerous publications from U.S. News, World Report, and Newsweek to Photographic Magazine, Smithsonian, and The Sun. He was among the international photojournalists selected to take part in the project that resulted in the book 24 Hours in the Life of Los Angeles. His upcoming book The End of the Line revisits his decade long photo essay on railroad tramps in Los Angeles and is due for release in Spring 2021.
In December of 2020, we had the pleasure of sitting down for a chat with Mr. Free on the podcast. In the conversation, he shares many lessons critical to the development of the emerging photographer. John speaks passionately about the importance of practice, things to consider in order to make better photographs, and the power of photography.
The following are some lessons gleaned from the conversation that is most relevant to artists (photographers) & creatives.
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We all have Art in us. But we are probably blocking it by trying to be Artists. If we try to do artful work, the real Art might not find its way out of us. If we do our job as a mechanic with the instrument—the camera—then our true art has a way of emerging into the photograph.
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With the camera in hand, the mundane of everyday life is suddenly transformed into an enlivened reality. Hitchhiking becomes an adventure; a walk down the street becomes a sport of seeing and discovering the beautiful, quirky things and moments that every passerby does not.
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The mechanic does not do his work for him, he does it for the improvement of a motor or for his customer. The musician does not make music for him, he’s playing for you; he wants you to hear that high note that he can hold for a long time that no one else can. In the same way, the photographer does not do her work for herself, she does it for the people who will one day see the work and be moved by it.
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Remarkable photographs are visual plays and poems with a beginning, a middle, and an end. They include a foreground, a middle ground, a background, the subject and its relationship to its environment. And most of all, remarkable photographs are marked by their play with time.
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Every photograph is like a book that you produce. It’s a form of writing, a form of painting—it’s a form of expression.
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If possible, find physical mentors and closely study as an apprentice so that you know what is expected of you as an emerging craftsman. Spend more time meticulously studying the how and why instead of expecting all of the methods and secrets to be revealed and handed down to you without having done anything to earn it. You, too, can do what your predecessors have been doing for decades if you’ll just develop the discipline to follow through with all of the necessary procedures.
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My job as a photographer is to make images that other people will look at so that they may understand a subject more because I made a photograph of it that was more telling and informative for them.
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In Kyūdō, a form of Japanese archery, there is a philosophy based on the impact of longterm practice. Through years of practice, a physical activity becomes effortless both mentally and physically, as if our physical memory (today known as "muscle memory") executes complex and difficult movements without conscious control from the mind. Therefore, it is Zen when “the archer ceases to be conscious of himself as the one who is engaged in hitting the bull's-eye which confronts him. This state of unconscious is realized only when, completely empty and rid of the self, he becomes one with the perfecting of his technical skill, though there is in it something of a quite different order which cannot be attained by any progressive study of the art” (Eugen Herrigel, Zen in the Art of Archery, 1948). Photographers ought to apply themselves to these very same principles and practices because they would soar in their ability to make good photographs.
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Your job as a photographer is to go out and take pictures to show people in a different way what they might be missing.
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When making a photograph, focus on having three (3) or more elements inside of the frame that will bring a dynamic mood or energy to the final image. For instance, seeing a boy on a bike is just one element but it’s not enough nor is it interesting in a compelling way (anyone can photograph a boy on a bike). Instead, explore the foreground, background, unusual angles, light quality and direction, shadows, pedestrians, traffic, etc. to capture a truly unique and composed scene that tells a comprehensive story in one single image.
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The beauty of photography is that it reminds us of our humanity when everything else in the world distracts us from it.
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No education is needed for photography except for how to operate the device — the camera (as well as the corresponding equipments needed to bring great photography to life).
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Street photographers ought to understand this: when people see you coming with your camera, they don’t like you. You’re the “bad guy,” and you’ve got to learn how to be the “good guy.” That said, you can be prepared for these attitudes in a way that the people you’re photographing cannot be prepared for you. You can learn how to manage tempers and uncomfortable scenarios to keep out of trouble. When confronted, you should ideally be approachable, non-confrontational, and whimsical—you’re after-all doing something you love, something that brings much joy to your life and to others. Be a bit more outgoing than you normally would be without the camera.
A few tips to break tensions and keep you out of trouble. When confronted, say:
“I’m from [insert organization here], and we’re doing a project on [insert cause here].
“I’m a photography student at [insert institution here] and I’m working on a photo project on [insert random topic here]. I’m really hoping to get a shot of [describe images you’re aiming for].
“Do you know how to work these cameras?” as you fidget with it and slightly gesture handing the camera over. (This will usually flatter because you’ve insinuated that the person is much smarter than you are, and now you can both strike up an honest conversation.)
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Your knowledge of the craft is just as important as your ability to make good photographs. Do your homework. Study historical figures. And their influences. Study those who’ve elevated the craft and innovated to get us to where we are today. Know who’s who of your practice. Sometimes that’s all it takes to stand out from an undiscerning crowd. It’s a small world. And opportunities happen when we are best prepared for them.
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A great question to always ask yourself is: “What can I do today that is important with this camera?”
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Recognize that photography has an unshakable power. You have to go out there to discover how to harness that power and put it to good use; to document the rarified moments that you feel must be preserved. You have to have enough nerve and enough belief in yourself and in the process. You have to believe that is a wonderful thing that is capable of completely transforming lives, including yours.
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