Making It Look Easy or Difficult

[charles_wood]

<p>I was watching Peter Lik's show on The Weather Channel yesterday. His show, like Art Wolfe's on PBS, make travel and landscape photography look so easy at times while at other times you would think the hosts are climbing Everest without oxygen. And they seem way over produced.</p>

<p>As an example, Lik was showing panoramic shots taken at Glacier NP. The images were framed showing a film template from 120mm film but the cutaway was to a Mamiya digital medium format 645. Wolfe's show often features him snapping away with huge Canon lenses, handheld and capturing razor sharp shots while doing so. Laughably, the last show of his that I saw featured him in northern Australia, in a boat cruising at a good clip with him snapping away and the scene interspersed with shots of birds in flight, tack sharp. </p>

<p>This all strikes me as a bit dishonest when you look at the credits at the end of the show and look at the numbers of crew, grips and additional still and video photographers that accompany these guys to make them even better than they admittedly are.</p>

<p> </p>

[michaeljlawson]

<p>Isn't that how it is though? Sometimes you walk out your front door and the shot is right there, and sometimes after hiking all day, you're hungry, tired, and still don't have a shot. Sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's difficult. Do they play to their audience, take some dramatic license...certainly, they have a show to market and sponsors to make happy. I personally don't like Peter Lik's show, after two episodes and his special unveiling show I couldn't get over the feeling it was about him and not the process or location. I like Art's show and don't mind the photos posted that he likely didn't take during the shooting of the show, but most certainly could have taken before or after the camera's were turned off. At least his show is about the location and not so much the photographer.</p>

[Spearhead]

<blockquote>

<p>to make them even better than they admittedly are.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The photos are what makes them who they are. Why not enjoy the photos and not worry about what got them there?</p>

[leicaglow]

<p>Haven't seek Lik's show, but the thing that bugs me about Wolf's is that the cinematographer's work is as good or better than Wolf's, yet they don't really get much credit.</p>

[eric merrill]

<p>Have you ever watched a fishing or hunting show?</p>

<p>Ever watched an *unedited* fishing or hunting show? I can't imagine wanting to watch all the hours of sitting around, waiting for the right opportunity. Nor can I imagine a photography show being popular if it showed all the preparations needed in real time. I'm fine with sitting out in nature myself and waiting. That's enjoyable. I sure wouldn't want to watch somebody else doing it on TV, though.</p>

<p>Eric</p>

[john_h.1]

<p>In addition to the thoughts already given the show is really about the perception of the adventurous appearing personality making exotic travels to all this grand scenery. An escapist type show. TV rarely reflects a subject in reality. An aging bald guy's tutorial videos about using the right shutter speed for moving water shots isn't going to be successful. The good news is that people can go to the internet now for that sort of thing.</p>

<p> </p>

[charles_wood]

<p><em>I personally don't like Peter Lik's show, after two episodes and his special unveiling show I couldn't get over the feeling it was about him and not the process or location. I like Art's show and don't mind the photos posted that he likely didn't take during the shooting of the show, but most certainly could have taken before or after the camera's were turned off. At least his show is about the location and not so much the photographer.</em></p>

<p>I pretty much agree with you. Wolfe certainly seems to explore local cultures and make it more about the location than himself. I also think that Canon, as one of Wolfe's major sponsor for his series, wants to make photography look as appealing and easy as possible, even in difficult locations/situations.<em><br /></em></p>

[JDMvW]

<p>I only find it annoying when I'm trying to actually find out about the weather - how foolish of me to expect weather on the weather channel!</p>

<p>Another reason to go to the non-advertising government website on line: http://www.weather.gov/</p>

<p>For photo hints, well, I'm not sure whether I like Lik or not. I find the internet, just as for weather, somewhat more useful.</p>

[stp]

<p>Jeff, in the case of Peter Lik, I really don't think it's the photos that make him who he is as a host / producer of a television program about photography. Rather, it's his personality and his inner drive to do what he does that are most important. IMO.</p>

[Brad_]

>>> MAKING IT LOOK EASY OR DIFFICULT

 

Haven't see either show...

 

But in the general case about photography, isn't the end result seen by viewers, from whatever endeavor,

always about good editing (or not)?

[studio460]

<p>Charles said:</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>This all strikes me as a bit dishonest when you look at the credits at the end of the show and look at the numbers of crew, grips and additional still and video photographers that accompany these guys to make them even better than they admittedly are.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Hmmm . . . I'll look forward to try to catch this show. <em>Any</em> show devoted exclusively to photography, I think I would find interesting. As to the craft of "making" television, that's what I happen to do. Believe me, we use every trick in the book to make things look "better than they admittedly are." Then the editors take it from there and sometimes add so many FX, I can't even recognize my own shoots.</p>

[john_h.1]

<blockquote>

<p>I'll look forward to try to catch this show. <em>Any</em> show devoted exclusively to photography</p>

</blockquote>

<p>You may enjoy it but its not really dedicated exclusively to photography as discussed above. Its more a quasi reality adventure personality show with the photography almost incidental. </p>

[dan_south]

Peter Lik's program airs on The Weather Channel, not on a Scott Kelby blog. These shows are not produced for photographers

exclusively. They're designed to appeal to anyone who's looking for a bit of vicarious travel adventure even, people who for one

reason or another will never e able to visit these locations. Some of the audience will have experience with photography, others will

simply dream about what it's like to fly off to faraway places and take great pictures. These shows need to appeal to a wide audience

in order to be successful from a ratings perspective.