Secrets PAINTERS Know that PHOTOGRAPHERS Don't! - Creative Crossovers 

I was a painter and a draftsman decades before I even considered picking up a camera. I've spend many hours sitting drawing and painting from models, so I’m as comfortable with a pencil or conte crayon or a brush as I am a camera. The one thing that I believe gives me an edge over photographers who haven't had my background is 1) I was taught to _really_ look. Most photographers put their eye to the viewfinder, make minor adjustments to the position and press the shutter. Done. That's not enough time to really "get" the picture. I remember my drawing teacher once asked me what was going on on the other side of the models's head. I said, "I don't know. I can't see it." She replied, "Then get up and go look." For a photographer if you don't see it, it isn't important. For a draftsman, knowing what happens on a hidden side can inform what you can see because a draftsman draws as much from knowledge as what can be seen. 2) Adjusting values, enhancing lines and shapes, emphasizing certain colors can exert a strong influence on how a viewer perceives an image. These qualities the photographer leaves for the camera. Painters have to learn these tricks to create the illusion of three dimensional space in two dimensions. Scale is another important factor. Most photographers shoot for online viewing. Scale those images up and they might work, but likely they would not. Seeing "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," by Seurat hanging on the wall in the Chicago Art Institute after viewing a postcard sized version in a book was like a kick in the stomach. The painting is about 10 feet wide and 7 high. Gregory Crewdson understands the difference. Many of his prints are painting sized. Almost everything a painter knows can be applied in post-processing except the qualities of pigments. Sometimes just a tiny amount of one pigment can make the richness of another pigment shimmer. That you can't do digitally. But the rest is something that can be learned and applied. When people ask me how they can improve their photos I tell them, "Draw." They look at me like I’m crazy, but improve how you look and learn the tricks the all painters and draftsmen know to enhance your photos in post-processing. Nobody knows or cares about what the original image looked like. All a viewer has to rely on is your photo.

Thank you so much for this outstanding series!

All your videos are extremely informative and inspirational. I hope you are still on this! I'll be watching all your videos. Thank you!

Fstoppers bright me here. This was an outstanding video.

Greetings Vinny! Love your videos, please keep making them. I have learned so much from watching you and picking up the books you suggest. I am currently reading Photography, The Definitive Visual History and the History of Modern Art. My skills as an artist and photographer has grown and continue to improve because of your generosity.

just found your channel. REAAAAALLY enjoying it! Thanks!

I'm thoroughly enjoying your channel. You definitely bring a happy union between photography and painting.

Thanks, I enjoy the thoughtful content you provide :-)

Great video and awesome points. I'm a trained painter who NEEDS to use photography so it's helpful to think about the connection. BTW: like the beer features on your channel, and how you break up the points with time stamps in the description. Both add even more depth to your content. Nice video and nice channel !!

One difference is photographers often try to control and subdue reds in skin tones whereas painters happily capture red noses and cheeks and back lit glowing ears.

Hi Vinny, Loving your videos, especially the ones that cover photography from a painterly point of view. Keep it up! All the best from Cape Town, South Africa

this was fantastic. bravo!

Well done, insightful and informative.

I'm working on the patience part since January. It is so rewarding. Great video!

Excellent Video and solid insights especially for neophytes. I will recommend you highly. Very good approach.

Excellent essay, loved it! I like to think about every element in my viewfinder as "if I were painting this scene, would it be there?" That helps me keep out extraneous elements.

Funny story. I'm more of a drawing type, and sometimes I look into photography just as some photographers might look at paintings. I'm not a painter, but I definitely see the connection between light and shadow, composition and structure when it comes to drawing, painting and photo. Color might be the only exception, but even so, with a good understanding of lighting, color theory is easier to understand and incorporate, something I'm personally working on. Keep it up mate. Cheers!

Found your channel right now - and I‘ll stay!

hey Vinny! great video! I have a question that I'm kinda struggling with, which I would love to see or hear your answer in a future video maybe. I see you have multiple passions/talents, music/photography/video/drawing etc. and my question is how do you manage all of them. do you get overwhelmed with being passionate about more than one thing and how do you answer the question "what do you do?" looking forward to your next video! cheers

Awesome video, very insightful. What happened to your voice audio? Why is it echoing?

Insightful and informative. I am going to check on Florent Farges. One small suggestion - the background music felt a little too loud/overpowering. In a couple of spots I could not follow you and had to go back and listen carefully. I am waiting for more creative crossovers

Why you wearing a hat indoors?