 (Above) Credit/Copyright: David Photography Ltd. https://davidyarrow.photography/ “I must shoot about 95 days a year, and I’m probably at events and shows in my galleries around the world for about 50 days. People ask me what I do with the rest of my time. When I’m not travelling, I do a lot of research– perhaps the most underrated word in photography. Research is the platform for everything I do.” What would be the results if you collected wisdom from one of the best-selling photographers in the world right now? I decided to find out. David Yarrow won’t let you call him a wildlife photographer– he isn’t one. He’s “a fine art photographer, using wildlife as my subject”. How can we learn from Yarrow’s pitfalls and triumphs to make our photography more valuable? In today’s episode, you will find out the key lessons from How I Make Photos by David Yarrow/Masters of Photography. It’s the book that’s had the biggest impact on my photography so far. DAVID YARROWS KEY PHOTOGRAPHY LESSONS DO YOUR HOMEWORK “When I’m not travelling, I do a lot of research– perhaps the most underrated word in photography. Research is the platform for everything I do.” “Never underestimate how much better a photographer you can become by using the internet to prepare well” “My best pictures are taken in seconds, yet I’ve put in hours of research” “There is no doubt in my mind about what’s most important in the process of producing a great image: it’s the work you do before the camera is in your hand” “There are photographers who ‘make’ pictures and photographers ‘take’ pictures. I’m very much in the making category. To me, that means doing research and having a clear idea of what you’re setting out to achieve.” Research is key. The best photographers have one thing in common: they do their homework. The more preparation you put in before pressing the shutter button, the clearer the image is in your mind you wish to make. The clearer the visualisation, the better the shot. Since putting in more research before going out to photograph, I’ve seen splendid results. I started planning my recent trip to Scotland 3 months in advance. Most of the planning was researching Highland Cows, Scotland’s most iconic animal. As the trip neared to an end, I hadn’t found one. Due to researching beforehand, I’d found multiple locations where they’d be found. On the last day of the trip I found them, and made a frame of the famous ‘Beastie’ with the spectacular Kilchurn Castle and highlands as a background. Without putting in the hours to research before the trip, I’d have gone back empty handed. Like Yarrow, research is the platform for everything I do. Here’s the brand new print no one else has seen before from my recent Scotland trip:  AWE, Loch Awe, Scotland, 2025 For 1/1 Super Limited Edition Print Enquiries, visit https://www.jacobwatsonhowland.com/limited-edition-fine-art-photography-prints.html... SHOOT LOW, CLOSE, WIDE, AND AGAINST THE SUN IN BLACK AND WHITE “I use a wide-angled lens with my camera angled low to bring the viewer close to the animals” DY preaches getting intimate shots of your subject. That means using a wide angle and getting as close as you can. “I wanted to capture the atmosphere and tell a story. Therefore, I knew I would looking as using a wider angle lens.” There can be drawbacks to this approach. You have to make sure you’re close enough to your subject. Yarrow explains: “If you’re shooting with a wide-angle lens, you have to make sure the composition isn’t too ‘loose’. The danger is that if there isn’t anything within 5 or 6 metres (16-20ft), it can lead to a boring composition. So I’ve learned over time to always make sure there is something quite close to the camera”. Another key technique championed by Yarrow is working against the light. Yarrow explains “I try not to work with the sun behind me if possible, because it’s never flattering; it immediately reduces the sense of space, to have everything lit up.” Why does he shoot backlit? Here’s why: “You want the light to look interesting in a photograph, and the way to do that is to work against the sun, not directly into it but 15-20 degrees either side of it. That’s my default position. It just makes the picture more interesting.” I’ve also heard him say he shoots 45 degrees either side of the sun. Both angles get dramatic results, especially in monochrome. Yarrow believes if you can feel the sun on the back of your neck, you’re doing it wrong. You should feel the sun on your face when photographing. Backlighting creates powerful image. It gives the image layers of depth and contrast. Bold images stand out. When making close up portraits, Yarrow positions his camera as close to the floor as possible. This makes the subject, whether an African Elephant or a British supermodel, look more powerful. Again, resulting in bold images. LEARN FROM THE GREATS WHO CAME BEFORE YOU “When I was 17/18 and learning to be a photographer, I was a sponge. I absorbed everything my photographic heroes did– and I had many heroes”. “Read books about photographers, look photos online or in galleries, become a scholar in the history of photography. I think that is very important.” “If you are going to be a great photographer, look at the work of great photographers” “Allow yourself to be inspired by what others have done. You should never stop learning from other people. You never stop learning as a photographer, full stop. Some of the greats I’ve had the pleasure of meeting over the years are a little older than me, and even they are still learning.” That is precisely what you’re doing by reading this every week, so congratulations. BE YOUR BIGGEST CRITIC When brainstorming photos (doing his homework, remember), he rejects 99% of his ideas. “If you’re going to the trouble of photographing wildlife, don’t settle for mediocre images. Aim to create pictures with impact.” “I hope I can share a little of what I’ve learned over my many years in photography, encourage you to be very tough on yourself– to be your own biggest critic.” DY wouldn’t have made the captivating photos that sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars if he didn’t have the highest standards. Too many modern photographers have the impulse to share every photo they’ve taken. Any good photo they make drowns in the noise of the average ones they maybe should’ve deleted rather than posted. As you mature as an artist, you have to be harsher on yourself and share the 0.1% of images that have 99.9% of the value. Be proud of your work, but be picky. REMOVE TENSION POINTS, BE MINIMALIST. “We won’t add an erupting volcano if it’s not there, but we will take out distractions” Removing tension points is a key lesson I’ve used over the last few months, and it’s helped me create images that make the subject stand out. “Avoid tension points at all costs.” What counts as a tension point. Yarrow says it’s “something that is of little or no importance in the photograph, something that jars or distracts It grabs the eye, but for the wrong reason. You want to viewer to look where you direct. There is no room for things that shouldn’t be in the composition.” A tension point is anything that distracts your eye from the subject. If removed, it would make no difference to the image quality. Like “a rogue tree or half-cut-off subject.” Minimalist photos that utilise empty space are the antidote to tension points. Yarrow agrees, “Negative space actually isn’t negative space at all. It is actually very full space. It plays a vital role in context and balance. In that sense, it is very active space.” “Reduction is a very important word in photography. Less is more. Keep it simple. The best ideas can be explained in two sentences. The best pictures are those that are simple and uncomplicated. It’s possible to achieve that by getting rid of extraneous features- details that don’t have to be there.” We’re lucky. We can utilise removal tools in Lightroom and Photoshop to remove tension points. An advantage previous photographers didn’t have. Fine art photographers should have no shame in the usage of removal and filling tools. You’re an artist. You have a vision of the finished print in your mind. The RAW file is the blank canvas. Editing software is the paints you use to create an artistic masterpiece. To fulfil your vision. To remove tension points. To create empty space. Andy Warhol in episode 2 can summarise this: “Empty space is never wasted space”. HAVE A TIGHT FOREGROUND TO CREATE IMPACT Since learning this, I’ve noticed it in all the great photographers work. “The foreground is a really important part of your picture. You don’t want to have an empty, uninteresting foreground.” “First and foremost, think about the foreground and where you want the viewer to enter the image, and make sure you lead the eye through the frame in a way that sustains interest.” Yarrow does this by placing the subject in the foreground, leaving little space between the bottom of the picture and the subject. If the subject isn’t placed at the bottom of the frame, photographers create interesting foregrounds by utilising leading lines that lead to the main subject. If there are no leading lines to utilise, like in my majestic print of a Buzzard, Silver Rain (2024), make the space between the bottom of the picture and the subject tight. This can be done in post-production. It ensures there’s interest right away by avoiding a lose composition.  Silver Rain (2024). For 1/1 Super Limited Edition Print Enquiries, visit https://www.jacobwatsonhowland.com/limited-edition-fine-art-photography-prints.html PRINT BIG, PRINT SCARCE, BE YOUR OWN BOSS AND SALESMAN. “Many of my images are printed at the size of a pool table or larger” As I study the fine art industry, I’ve noticed the most valuable works of art tend to lean on the larger size. An even more important factor in high-value artwork is scarcity. If you do a print run of 1000, “you’re doing [a] poster run”. If you make 10 prints, that’s scarcer. Not everyone who wants one can have it. That increases demand. That drives up prices. If you make a 1 of 1 edition. That’s a true work of art. Fully differentiated. Very valuable. It's no surprise that David Yarrow’s prints are scarce (printed in two editions of 12), are “the size of a pool table or larger” and are gatekeeped in the world’s most exclusive galleries. Another key aspect to succeed in the fine art world is brand. You need to create brand equity and brand value; people need to look at your image and recognise it’s by you. Yarrow explains the essential ways to do this:
“If someone calls up asking for that print and 24 copies have been sold, I have to say, ‘Sorry you can’t get it’. That’s the key to having pricing power, to making the print coveted, difficult to get a hold of, limited, exclusive”. 2. Be a salesman, “I think everyone has to be a salesperson. I might spend 100 days photographing, but I spend many more days marketing myself and my work”. This is a common thread amongst successful people. You have to get out and sell by attaching stories to your images, and using your website and social media as leverage by sharing your products (your images) and keeping people aware of your personal brand. 3. Build reach by collaborating with galleries. Galleries allow you to extend your reach and build up credibility. Yarrow has a few warnings: “It takes time to break in. My advice is to never give up. I got rejected several times before they took me on. Second, don’t try for gallery representation too early. Galleries aren’t going to be interested in one picture. If you turn up prematurely, it could put the gallery off forever. So bide your time. Wait until you have a portfolio of maybe 12 or 15 images. And, as ever, read, read, read use the internet, look at every gallery-artist relationship you can find”. Follow Yarrow’s business model and you’ll be generating disposable income from your prints. 3 Key Takeaways to Improve Your Photography
David Yarrow is more than a photographer. He’s an artist, an entrepreneur and teacher. Even if you take just one lesson from David Yarrow, your photography will improve tenfold, but the more lessons you take from him, the better. I can’t emphasise enough how much his wisdom has shaped my photography. A piece of his philosophy can be found in every print I make, and without this book I’d be much worse off. This is my bible for improving my photography. “If I were to leave you with a few final points, they would be these: Don’t be afraid to get yourself and your camera dirty. Get stuck in. Put in the work and the time. Be true to your vision; be relentless in your pursuit of excellence; learn from your mistakes; and be your own boss.” That’s where I’ll leave it. I highly recommend this book if you want to make a career as a successful photographer and creator of any art. If you buy the book using the link below, you’ll be supporting the show at no extra cost to you. Thank you for reading. Jacob J. Watson-Howland  Read the book yourself below. If you buy the book using the link below, you’ll be supporting me at no extra cost to you.
David Yarrow: How I Make Photographs (Masters of Photography) amzn.to/4bkrfyy (All quotes are attributed to this book unless stated otherwise) BREAKING: Jacob J. Watson-Howland Triumphs in British Wildlife Photography Awards, Beating 13,000 EntriesLearn More: https://www.jacobwatsonhowland.com/winning-image.html Other books to read before you die https://www.jacobwatsonhowland.com/best-photography-business-books.html View my best limited-edition prints https://www.jacobwatsonhowland.com/featured-fine-art-photography-prints.html Check out last week’s episode if you want to improve your photography and art. https://www.jacobwatsonhowland.com/fine-art-photography-blog/previous/2 What’s in my camera bag? https://www.jacobwatsonhowland.com/pro-photography-camera-gear.html Instagram– keep updated for future episodes. www.instagram.com/jacobwatsonhowland
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
JOIN THE NEWSLETTER
LEARN FROM THE GREATS.
STAY UP TO DATE.
|
COLLECTIONS |
ABOUT |
|
© 2020- 2025. JACOB J. WATSON-HOWLAND