很多朋友可能不知道馬格蘭,馬格蘭攝影通訊社(Magnum Photos)是世界相當知名且具有影響力的攝影經紀公司,成立於1947年,為了忠實呈現第二次世界大戰後的影像紀實而成立。裡頭成員都是在職的專業攝影師,過去有許多卓越的新聞攝影獎得主,都是馬格蘭的成員,也因為成員不超過80位,所以要進入馬格蘭攝影通訊社是更加困難。令人感到驕傲的是,攝影師張乾琦,是台灣唯一馬格蘭攝影通訊社的會員。

馬格蘭網站上的一篇訪談,裡面對每一個攝影師都問了兩個問題:第一次對攝影感到興奮是什麼時候?對年輕攝影師有何建議?在這篇馬格蘭網站訪談中,34位攝影師對此都給出了自己的答案。

轉載這篇文章的初衷,是看見週遭有許多朋友對於以攝影這志向感到困惑,因為希望能夠藉由這篇《馬格蘭攝影師給年輕攝影師的建議》,讓更多朋友對攝影更有信心,也更明確自己的方向。由於長度的關係,文章分切為上下兩篇,如造成不便,請見諒。

ABBAS
Get a good pair of walking shoes and…fall in love

買雙好鞋,並且……去愛(愛攝影,還是愛別人?)

ALEC SOTH
Try everything. Photojournalism, fashion, portraiture, nudes, whatever. You won’t know what kind of photographer you are until you try it. During one summer vacation (in college) I worked for a born-again tabletop photographer. All day long we’d photograph socks and listen to Christian radio. That summer I learned I was neither a studio photographer nor a born-again Christian. Another year I worked for a small suburban newspaper chain and was surprised to learn that I enjoyed assignment photography. Fun is important. You should like the process and the subject. If you are bored or unhappy with your subject it will show up in the pictures. If in your heart of hearts you want to take pictures of kitties, take pictures of kitties.

去嘗試各種攝影:新聞、時裝、肖像、人體,任何種類。你不會知道是什麼類型的攝影師除非你嘗試過。我大學時期有個暑假做了一個桌面攝影師的助理,他是個再生的基督徒,於是我跟著他每天聽著天主教電台廣播拍攝襪子。在那個夏天我發現自己不適合當影棚攝影師,也不會成為再生基督徒。另一年我為一家郊區報紙工作,那個時候我驚訝地發現自己很喜歡接受拍攝任務。興趣是最重要的。你應該享受這個過程,並且喜歡拍攝的主題。如果你厭倦了,或者不喜歡這個主題,就會在圖片中顯現出來。如果你內心想拍攝小貓,那就去拍攝小貓。

ALEX MAJOLI
I would advise to read a lot of literature and look as little as possible other photographers. Work everyday even without assignments or money, work, work, work with discipline for yourself and not for editors or awards. And also collaborate with people not necessary photographers but people you admire. The key word to learn is participation!

我建議多看些文學作品,而盡量少看其他攝影師的作品。每天都要拍攝,哪怕沒有任務或者是錢。拍攝,拍攝,拍攝,這必須成為自己的原則,而不是為了圖片編輯或者是得獎。同時,也要與別人合作,不光是攝影師,還有你尊敬的人。關鍵就是要參與進去!

ALEX WEBB
Photograph because you love doing it, because you absolutely have to do it, because the chief reward is going to be the process of doing it. Other rewards — recognition, financial remuneration — come to so few and are so fleeting. And even if you are somewhat successful, there will almost inevitably be stretches of time when you will be ignored, have little income, or — often — both. Certainly there are many other easier ways to make a living in this society. Take photography on as a passion, not a career.

要因為熱愛而去拍攝,因為那種不得不拍的感覺而去拍攝,為了在過程中得到滿足而拍攝。其他的收穫——別人的讚譽、報酬——這些只有極少數人能夠得到,而且是那麼的短暫。哪怕你在某種程度上獲得了成功,也不可避免地在一段時間之內受到忽視,沒有收入。世上有很多容易的謀生方式,把攝影當作自己的興趣,而不是職業。

ALESSANDRA SANGUINETTI
I could use some good advice myselff … but first thing that springs to mind is Bob Dylan’s: “keep a good head and always carry a light bulb.”

我自己倒是有不少好建議……但在我腦子里首先跳出來的是鮑勃·迪倫(Bob Dylan)的話:“保持頭腦清醒, 帶一個電燈泡。”

BRUCE GILDEN
My advice: Photograph who you are!

我的建議是:拍出你自己!

CARL DE KEYZER
Give it all you got for at least 5 years and then decide if you got what it takes. Too many great talents give up at the very beginning; the great black hole looming after the comfortable academy or university years is the number one killer of future talent.

給你自己五年時間然後看看是不是達到了自己的目標。很多有才華的人在開始的時候就放棄了;舒適的學生生涯之後巨大的黑洞是最大的天才殺手。

CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON
Forget about the profession of being a photographer. First be a photographer and maybe the profession will come after. Don’t be in a rush to make pay your rent with your camera. Jimi Hendrix didn’t decide on the career of rofessional musician before he learned to play guitar. No, he loved music and created something beautiful and that THEN became a profession. Larry Towell, for instance, was not a professional photographer until he was already a famous photographer. Make the pictures you feel compelled to make and perhaps that will lead to a career. But if you try to make the career first, you will just make shitty pictures that you don’t care about.

不要去想成為一個職業攝影師。首先你要當一個攝影師,或許之後自然而然就職業了。不要急著靠拍照付房租。吉米·亨德里克斯(Jimi Hendrix)並不是在學會彈吉他之前就決定當職業音樂人的。他首先熱愛音樂,並且創造了一些美妙的曲子,然後才成了音樂家。在拉里·托維爾(Larry Towell)成為職業攝影師之前,早就成了一個著名的攝影師。去拍攝那些你認為不得不拍的影像,或許這會慢慢把你引向職業的道路。但如果你一開始就想著職業,那你只能拍出自己都不在乎的劣質圖片。

CHRIS STEELE-PERKINS
1) Never think photography is easy. It’s like poetry in that it’s easy enough to make a few rhymes, but that’s not a good poem.

2) Study photography, see what people have achieved, but learn from it, don’t try photographically to be one of those people.

3) Photograph things you really care about, things that really interest you, not things you feel you ought to do.

4) Photograph them in the way you feel is right, not they way you think you ought to.

5) Be open to criticism, it can be really helpful, but stick to you core values.

6) Study and theory is useful but you learn most by doing. Take photographs, lots of them, be depressed by them, take more, hone your skills and get out there in the world and interact.

1)不要覺得攝影很容易。就像寫詩,要寫幾句韻文或許很容易,但那不足以成為好詩。

2)學習攝影,看看大師們是怎麼做的,向他們學習,但不要試圖複製他們的影像。

3)去拍那些你真正關心的事物,那些真正吸引你的事物,而不要拍攝你認為你應該拍的東西。

4)用你認為正確的方式去拍,而不要用你認為應該用的方式去拍。

5)願意接受批評,它們有時是有益的,但是要堅持你的核心價值觀。

6)學習和理論有一定的作用,但是你更多地是通過實踐來學到東西。拍攝,拍攝很多很多照片,為之沮喪,然後拍攝更多。磨練你的技術,投入大千世界並且做出回應。

CONSTANTINE MANOS
Try not to take pictures, which simply show what something looks like. By the way you put the elements of an image together in a frame show us something we have never seen before and will never see again. And remember that catching a moment makes the image even more unique in the stream of time. Also, try to do workshops with photographers whose work you admire, but first ask around to make sure they are good teachers as well as good photographers. Taking good pictures is easy. Making very good pictures is difficult. Making great pictures is almost impossible.

不要去拍那些僅僅顯示出事物表象的照片。你把圖像的各種元素組合在一起的方式就想我們展現了我們未曾見過的東西。更不要忘了,影像中被捕捉下來的瞬間使之在時間的長河裡成了唯一。另外,盡量參加你敬重的攝影師的短訓班,但首先你得搞清楚他們不僅僅是好攝影師,同時也是好老師。拍出好的照片很簡單。創造出很棒的圖片很難。創造出偉大的圖片幾乎是不可能的。

DONOVAN WYLIE
Never stop enjoying it. Try and not look for pictures but keep yourself always open and allow yourself to be stimulated by whatever hits you. Work towards a goal … book, exhibition… but more importantly work towards finding your own voice, your subject and your application. Accept that your work is more about you than what you represent, try to bridge that balance, without resorting to photographing your feet! In other words try and translate personal experience into a collective one, it is very possible and I think the key quest of any art form… (study the book “Waffenruhe” by Michael Schmidt) — study all the great photographers and love doing it, start at the beginning, look at early American, and German, then French, then take a close look at artists using photography in the sixties, Rusha etc. Don’t get bogged down in theory, but respect it, read Robert Adams on Photography, in fact embrace Robert Adams generally and you will learn a lot. Read literature, especially early Russian, French and modern American, (and Irish, Joyce), the journey literature has taken as an art form in terms of description and representation is very similar to photography. Don’t rely on style for the sake of it, if you have your own subject , you can adopt other people’s styles if it helps, and visa versa, if you photograph something every one has, then adopt an style, execution, that can only be yours, entually you will achieve both, your own voice will come through, but it can take time. Study the book “How You Look at It” … Important essays there will help you. Always try and be honest with yourself… for example, is the idea of being a photographer more exciting to you than photography itself, if this is true think about becoming an actor…if you genuinely love photography don’t give it up. Understand and enjoy the fact that photography is a unique medium. Respect and work within photography’s limitations, you will go much further.

要享受攝影。嘗試不要去尋找圖像,而要保持開放的心態,讓圖像來刺激你。要帶著目標來拍攝,為了出版一本書,或是舉辦一個展覽,但更重要的是,要為了找到你自己的意見、自己的主題和自己的方式去拍攝。記住你的作品是關於你本人的,而不是你所代表的東西。這是個微妙的平衡,你要學著去把握,當然,別最後去拍自己的腳就行了。

換言之,你要試著把自己的個人經驗轉換成普遍經驗,這確實是有可能的,而且我認為這是任何藝術形式的關鍵訴求……去研讀Michael Schmidt的Waffenruhe一書—— 去研究所有偉大的攝影師並且要喜歡研究他們,從頭開始研讀,去看早期美國攝影師,然後德國的,還有法國的,然後再仔細研讀一下二十世紀60年代採用攝影術的藝術家,比如Rusha等。不要讓自己陷入理論中不可自拔,而要尊重理論。

去讀讀羅伯特·亞當斯(Robert Adams)的攝影理論——實際上,好好研讀羅伯特·亞當斯,你會學到很多東西。去讀文學作品,特別是早期俄國文學、法國文學以及現代美國作品,還有愛爾蘭文學,比如詹姆斯·喬伊斯(James Augustine Aloysius Joyce,1882-1941),遊記類文學作品在描寫和記敘方面與攝影極為接近。不要為了風格而風格。如果你有自己的主題,你也可以採用別人的方式,只要對主題有幫助。

反之亦然。如果你要去拍大家都已經拍攝過的東西,那麼就採用你自己獨有的方式和風格。而最終你兩樣都會得到,你的意見會自己顯現出來,但這需要時間。去讀讀《How You Look at It》這本書……其中重要的文章會對你有幫助。要保持對自己誠實……比如,到底是當一個攝影師這件事更讓你激動,還是攝影本身?如果是前者,那麼你應該去做演員……如果你真的熱愛攝影,那麼就不要放棄。理解並且享受攝影作為一種獨特的媒體的特性。接受攝影的局限性,在這些局限之內盡量拍攝,然後你可以走得更遠。

DAVID HURN
Don’t become a photographer unless its what you have to do. It can’t be the easy option. If you become a photographer you will do a lot of walking so buy good shoes.

除非你真的很想當攝影師,不然不要去做。那不是個簡單的選擇。如果你當了攝影師,你會需要走很多路,所以買一雙好鞋

DENNIS STOCK
Young photographers should learn their craft well and don’t expect to make a constant living at taking pictures. But they should FOLLOW THEIR BLISS. Find time to pursue themes that indicate their concerns, big and small. Above all when shooting, MAKE AN ARTICULATE IMAGE.

年輕的攝影師需要了解攝影技術,但別指望能夠靠拍照謀生。不過他們需要追隨自己的內心。找時間去拍能夠反應他們關注點的主題,不管是大是小。最最重要的是,拍攝清晰的圖像。

ELI REED
Stop talking theory when a camera is in their your and do not over-think the image. Lose the ego and let the photograph find you. Observe the life moving like a river around you and realize that the images you make may become part of the collective history of the time that you are living in.

拿著相機的時候別想太多理論,也別過分考慮出來的圖像。把自我收起來,然後影像會自己找上你。觀察你周遭如流水般的生活,你得意識到你所拍攝的圖像終將成為你所在的時代的公共歷史。

ELLIOTT ERWITT
Learn the craft (which is not very hard). Carefully study past work of photographers and classic painters. Look and learn from movies. See where you can fit in as a commercial “photographer”. Commercial: meaning working for others and delivering a product on command. But most of all keep your personal photography as your separate hobby. If you are very good and diligent it just may pay off.

學好技術,這並不困難。仔細學習以前攝影師的作品和古典畫作。多看些電影,並從中學習。試著讓自己成為一個“商業攝影師”,我指的是,為別人工作,根據要求拍攝。但更重要的是,把你自己的攝影當作單獨的愛好。如果你做的足夠好並且足夠勤奮,自然會得到回報的。

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