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Above: Images by Christian Chaize via https://www.jacksonfineart.com

Christian Chaize is a French artist born in 1960. Chaize has enjoyed a successful career as a commercial photographer for three decades.

In 2004, Christian Chaize began focusing his artistic attention on a small stretch of coastline in Portugal. Since then, using medium and large format film cameras, his commitment to documenting one specific beach from a consistent vantage point – that is, taking its ‘portrait’ at various times of the day over a variety of seasons over several years – has culminated in his most renowned series, Praia Piquinia.

Above: Bali fisherman Fuji x100f image by Gina Milicia

I can’t believe 2018 is almost over! It’s been a huge year, and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the two most valuable lessons I have learned.

Those of you who regularly read my newsletter, follow me on Instagram or listen to my podcast will be aware of the frustration, dummy spits and challenges I have encountered making the switch from DSLR to mirrorless.

To be clear, I still shoot with DSLR for my commercial shoots because I believe mirrorless isn’t quite there yet as a pro commercial camera. It’s close, but I’m not ready to make the switch – yet.

I did, however, make the switch to mirrorless for all my personal projects and after a few frustrating months, I’m over the moon with the results. I love my Fujix100F more than Nutella! There I said it. This year, this tiny little pocket rocket has taught me more about photography and life (yep it gets deep), than shooting DSLR has in the last five years.

The reason for this is that DSLR shooting was . . .

“When you buy something from an artist you are buying more than an object. You’re buying hundreds of hours of errors and experimentation. You’re buying years of frustration and moments of pure joy. You’re not buying just one thing, you are buying a piece of a heart, a piece of a soul… a piece of someone else’s life.” –Rebekah Joy Plett

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

In the digital/Photoshop age this image is no big deal but imagine the skill and patience required to capture this image in a single frame?

In the following video, Halsman’s daughter explains how the shot was created and includes the outtakes.

Above: Philippe Halsman Dali-Atomicus

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

Here is one thing every photographer needs to update before they can take their work to the next level.

There have been so many incredible advances in photography in the last 5-10 years. Every day I hear about a new camera model, faster lenses, lighting kit, and post production software improvement. It’s difficult to know when to update or switch systems.

Upgrading your gear is both a huge financial and emotional drain. It’s hard work, and there are no guarantees that stepping up to new equipment will improve your photography.

What if I told you there was only one thing you need to update today that is guaranteed to improve your photography? A new mirrorless camera system will undoubtedly make your life easier as a photographer because you won’t need to lug all that extra weight of DSLR around but it won’t make you a better photographer.

A new faster lens, with better optics, will make your images sharper but not necessarily better.

The same can be said for lighting systems and software.

There is only one upgrade . . .

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

“When people look at my pictures I want them to feel the way they do when they want to read a line of a poem twice.” ― Robert Frank

Above: Image by Jay Maisel

“You can take fantastic pictures from a jet, you can take great pictures from a helicopter, you can take great pictures from a car, but if you get down and start walking, that’s when the intimate, meaningful, insightful things happen. It’s not a game to see how much territory you can cover, it’s a game to see how much you can see.” ― Jay Maisel

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

What would you do if I gave you the choice of:

A. A brand new mid-range DSLR or Mirrorless camera + lens of choice, yours for free today B. Wait two years and receive two brand new DSLR or Mirrorless cameras + lenses

I’ll give you a couple of minutes to decide….. *cue game show think music*

If you chose A. Congratulations you are the proud imaginary owner of a brand new DSLR. Enjoy!

If you chose B. Congratulations x 1000 because according to research your ability to delay gratification or put off a smaller win today (one camera) to have a greater windfall in two years (two cameras) is one of the most essential character traits of a successful person.

The problem with delayed gratification is, well, it’s delayed. Why wait when you can have instant gratification? We live in a world where everything is about instant gratification. The interwebs are filled with blogs about overnight success stories ranging from the superficial:

“How to lose 10 pounds in three days by eating potatoes” (it doesn’t work, don’t judge me) to “How this YouTube/instafamous/Facebook earned a . . .

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

Above: Image by Gina Milicia

“An amazing thing happens when you stop seeking approval and validation: You find it. People are naturally drawn like magnets to those who know who they are and cannot be shaken!” ― Mandy Hale

Are you an innie or an outie? I’m not talking about belly buttons, I’m talking about how you create your photos.

For the record, I’m both an innie and an outie photographer. But I’m working hard to become more of an innie. So what is the difference between an innie and an outie? Let me explain.

There are two ways to create an image, the first and most common is to work from the outside in. An example of this style of photography is when a photographer is commissioned by a client to shoot an advertising campaign. The client will supply a specific brief that includes the type of location, style of lighting and editing and even the vibe of the shoot. The photographer then uses their technical skills to bring the brief to life. This image was created from the outside in because, in this instance, the photographer was asked . . .