“A Funny Thing Happened to Me In the Camera Store”

Canon EF 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM

11/08/2009 12:58:26 PM · #1

â��A Funny Thing Happened to Me In the Camera Storeâ��

Just wish to share this little story with you that you may find interestingâ�¦

I want to shake you ALL upâ�¦I never studied photographyâ�¦I never wanted to be a photographer. I studied architecture and played drums in a punk rock group. I literally fell in to photography by ACCIDENT..Everything I learned was by experimenting. I was such a bad photographer when I started, that if I got lucky and took a good image and was asked to replicate it I couldnâ��t. In fact about one year in to shooting, I was asked by Sears to shoot an advert for them based on an image in my Sâ��tty portfolio. The problem is that I didnâ��t have a vocabulary and I didnâ��t know how I did what I did in the first place, so couldnâ��t replicate it. I must have lost about 50-60 percent of the clients I shot for. I would get a great fluke shot and wow them with it. â��Hey Ben, we want that!â�� â��GULP OKâ�� and I would think, â��OOOOPPPPSSS Sorry, ummm, I canâ��t recreate it, I donâ��t really know how I did that!â��

But the good thing was this. I did stuff that nobody would even consider doing if they were taught what and what not to do. One of my techniques that I and perhaps a few people around the world at the time were doing but not aware that we were at the time was the following.

One day I walked in to a camera store in Toronto to ask advice from the sales people who happen to be Ryerson Polytechnical School (Photography) grads now called Ryerson University. They knew all the techniques, which I had none of. I asked them for a certain emulsion for doing, if I remember correctly â��Cibachromeâ�� or development for slides. They kind of giggled and said, â��Here use this and this and thisâ��. I said OK I willâ�¦Well lo and behold, they gave me the wrong stuff that became what is now known as cross processing that got me in to Lâ��Officiel, Elle, etc. I was on exposition at the Arles Festival in 1986-7 presenting my C41 stuff with Mondino, Satoshi and Nik Knight. I was known for â��THATâ�� technique.

Well, about five years later I went to Toronto to visit the family. I was being published everywhere. I mean everywhere. I needed some photo stuff and walked in to the same camera store â��Toronto Cameraâ�� at the time on Yonge Street and there were two of the guys who sold me the â��WRONGâ�� stuff.

Well I walked right up to them and said â��Thanks for your advice. Do you remember a little joke you pulled on one of your customers? You know, ah you need this stuff for that type of film?â�� â��ahhh yyyeeeaahhh maybe, sort of â�¦WHY?â��

â��My name is Benjamin Kanarek,â�� â��Your BBBBeeennnnjjjjjjjjammminnnn KKakakakkanarek?â�� "Yeah"â�¦They just gawked and said something like "Wow" I said â��I want to thank you for giving me the BEST wrong advice I have ever gotten in my whole life!â��

I walked out of the store with a huge smileâ�¦

Because of that advice I shot some very interesting Ad Campaigns.

//www.benjaminkanarekblog.com/2009/06/21/a-funny-thing-happened-to-me-in-the-camera-store/

Message edited by author 2009-11-08 17:30:20.

cpanaioti

Canon EOS-40D

11/08/2009 01:02:12 PM · #2

Now that's funny. Cool things CAN happen by accident.

BeckyT

Nikon D300s

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

11/08/2009 02:04:39 PM · #3

That is an amazing story. Thanks for sharing. Still waiting on my accident.

11/08/2009 03:34:33 PM · #4

If you like you can listen to the Pod Cast here:

//www.benjaminkanarekblog.com/2009/07/31/my-camera-waves-radio-interview/

Ben :-)

Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II

11/08/2009 03:49:21 PM · #5

Originally posted by BeckyT:

That is an amazing story. Thanks for sharing. Still waiting on my accident.

Whenever you are about to do what you think SHOULD be done, stop yourself, take a deep breath and do the opposite. If you think you are coming in too close to the subject, come in closer. If you set up your lights for a subject with your intended orientation to be at point "x", move to point "y". If you are standing up to take the shot, don't. Get up on a ladder or lay down on the floor to do your capture. If your images look too bright make them brighter. If someone tells you that your images are too dark, make them darker. If your images are looking too normal, fuck them up. If you are worried about camera shake, don't. If the dress the model is wearing is begging for the classic accessory, don't do it. Take that "Lagerfeld" dress and stick a â�¬ 3,95 tacky "Eiffel Tower" huge chain around her neck.

Breaking down the walls of Predictability is a tough call. If all of the competing photographers are cropping one way that is in "Fashion" do it the other way. When I was using film, I would go to the store and ask, "what is the shittiest or most obscure brands that you have?" Ever tried Konicachrome or 3M or "CrappyChrome". Everyone was shooting Ektachrome...BORING. I would use Agfachrome 1000 ASA film. Polachrome or anything that would make my stuff stand out from the norm. I would set up shots using totally insane Fashion Stylists, Make-Up and Hairstylists, telling them to fly and that fear is the greatest hindrance to creativity. Let accidents happen. That is how they happen. Better yet, don't even worry about them happening, just be open to the possibilities. Don't be AFRAID to be different. Just BE.

Thanks for your inspiration "Becky T"

Ben:-)

Message edited by author 2009-11-08 16:32:10.

snaffles

Nikon D7100

11/08/2009 05:10:21 PM · #6

That sounds priceless! What a cool way to 'accidentally' get a real cool technique mastered! :-)