Do You Own a Photo Vest, Fedora, or Light Meter?

I always look forward to being mentioned (and usually genially slagged, which I don't mind), on Blake Andrews' blog. The latest entry is equal parts amusing and yet also, curiously, useful—it's his "Photo-Flo Chart" (a flow chart, the joke being that Kodak Photo-Flo was is a surfactant you add to rinse water to prevent water spots when developing film. But then, if you own a photo vest, a fedora, and a light meter, you already knew that). It answers the question, "Which photography style is right for you?"

It's funny. Yet it also kinda works, which is a little scary.

Check it out and see what kind of photographs you should be taking.

Mike
(Thanks to Simon Robinson)

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Larry Gebhardt: "It worked. So much for my illusions of being a unique individual."

Mike replies: You are a unique individual—just like everybody else! (I know everyone already knows that joke, but I couldn't resist.)

Gene Spesard: "Well, I got to 'Favorite Adams?' and realized it was spelled wrong and Morticia wasn't an option."

Richard: "Ha! Try it in reverse. Pick the Green Box with the type of photography that you would like to do, and then back your way out, taking note of all the reasons you are not good at it."

Crabby Umbo: "Two 'stingy brim' Fedoras (one felt, one straw), two Porkpies (both felt), one Fez (with a martini glass printed on it, no less). Three meters (one Minolta, two Sekonics). One photo vest that was a gift, and that I cannot wear, because it crosses the line into total geekdom. It's just too much. I consider the triumvirate of geekdom to be: Tilley hat, beard, photo vest. If you're wearing all of these, just give up.... Hell of a funny chart tho'...."

Fred: "After using the photo-flow chart it appears that I either have multiple personalities or the one that I have is a little shaky. It looks like long term psychotherapy or...oh wait, there is great light outside right now. Gotta go."

Comments

[Manuel]

I must be a weirdo. I don't fit in any category and the ones I could remotely relate to give me disparate results.
And what does 'MFA' stand for? (Don't answer! I don't want to know.)

[John Krumm]

That is funny. I ended up on architectural even though I wanted to find landscape photography somewhere (it's not listed as such, I think). The truth is, though, I do take a lot of architecture shots. I would never be seen in a fedora. No light meter or photo vest either. I do carry around a rocket blower and a white balance target which has to count for something.

[Dogman]

Since I own more than one photo vest, Tilley hats (fedora-"ish") and light meters, the progression leads me to Neo New Topographics style. Actually, that's pretty accurate. More so than my horoscope anyway.

[Mike]

As time goes by I'm getting the distinct impression we're not going to hear about your thrilling adventures with the Nikon D7200.

[Because there basically were none. It rained for five days during the rental period, and I was not able to make any of the shots I rented it to make. The only conclusion I reached decisively during that time was that a) it is a truly good DSLR, and b) I am over DSLRs...I don't imagine I will ever buy another one. But wow, what a great camera, especially compared to the best we had ten, 15, and 20 years ago. --Mike]

[Aaron]

Hmmm... For me it's either environmental portraits (which I actually do get paid to do) or porn...

maybe I'd be making more with the latter.

[Animesh Ray]

I own a photo vest but hardly ever use it. Stealth is lost in a photo vest. As to the others, never needed Fedora, and consider even the light meter inside my camera as dispensable.

[Niels]

When do you do a print sale with Blake? His tumblr is overflowing w great candidates: http://penonomen.tumblr.com

[Geoffrey Heard]

Thanks, Mike. Does he know us all? His "Extraneous Information" is a good one too.

Cheers, Geoff

[Chris Norris]

The interesting thing to me is that you can find the type of photography you engage with and work backwards to learn thing about yourself.

It was very accurate for me. Neo New Topographics with a side of architectural and night photography.

[Walter Glover]

How accurate this is!! I was once given a Dome photo-vest for reviewing it in a local Photo-Mag. I could not get rid of it swiftly enough, but I did have one.
As an outdoorsy photographer in the melanoma capital of the universe, Australia, I do wear a hat for shade on all peregrinations — even to the local store. Not a Fedora, as such, but an Akubra (local Stetson emulation) or a cricket umpire's Tilley with its soft brim for yielding in close work with a loupe on a ground glass. Unlike many contemporaries, I have not been near a skin specialist for skin cancer treatments so stopping with the hat is not an option.
As a perennial LF shooter there is no alternative to a hand meter and, as an acolyte of the late Phil Davis and his BTZS philosophy of exposure (and processing) the meter of choice has swung from the 1º spot meter to an incident. And in quest of a simpler life, free of batteries, I have just switched from a Minolta FlashMeter V to a wonderfully pristine and accurate Weston Euro-Master with invercone. Besides, who needs a flash meter in a world where the days of flash and studios have been relegated to the nostalgic past?
So, with fear and trepidation I embarked on the flow-chart and did not have to venture fare. It led straight to "Adams" — the thought of which mortified me — but then there was the option for Robert as opposed to Ansel and I was hime.
Walter

[Ricardo Silva Cordeiro]

The chart requires one to be a "people person" to be a Street Photographer, so O gess that a lot of street photographers (including myself) should really be be doing something else :D

I got "night photography", wich at least is something I do sometimes.

The chart is fun though, the "Bellybutton Morphology" made me laugh.

[David Lee]

I have a very nice Panama hat and a Minolta light meter. What's my style Mike?

[Terry Burnes]

This pretty much nailed me. Not really a people person. And I do own a photo vest, though I rarely use it. My favorite blog is TOP. My favorite Adams is Ansel. And I’m currently reading Group f.64 by Mary Alinger, which I’m enjoying. Yikes!

[Steve Higgins]

Yes, quite amusing, however...

Seeing as:
1. I'm not much of a people person,
2. I do own an exposure meter,
3. Yours is the only photo-blog I read (so, I presume, it is therefore my favourite)
4. Never heard of Robert Adams (OK, I'm ignorant, so sue me!)
it would appear to be f/64 Redux for me...

Nah, 1 don't think so. Birds, trains, insects and so on don't stay still long enough...

[Bryce Lee]

Sort of wished his posting was physically larger and hence more legible.
Me, two light meters, both operational, both working and I don't assume the systems of exposure in my Nikon D750 is correct; I check and recheck. Fedora, also yes.
Most photo vests are for physically small or medium sized people.
Omar the tentmaker is my friend and he suggested no photo
vest. It would rival one of his tents in size.

[Maggie Osterberg]

Light meter, but I use my iPhone for that now, and that sparingly, because I've been shooting ISO 400 film for so long my brain is my light meter.

[Thomas Rink]

Does an outback hat count? Mine is indispensable for taking pictures in rain: Just grab it by the crown with your left hand and hold it over the tripod-mounted camera. Presto: Rain cover. Also makes the best lens hood ever!
Anyway, I prefer Robert Adams to Ansel Adams.

Best, Thomas

[marcin wuu]

I own a trilby http://imageshack.com/a/img661/6295/z9rfoT.jpg ;), but it still worked for me. Maybe a joke, but a startlingly accurate one.

[Kent]

I still have one of those fabled Pentax Spotmeters in my camera cabinet, among others. And I think there might even be a crumpled photo vest hidden away in the back of a drawer somewhere. Large format film can do strange things to a man's mind.

That flo-chart. I started several times and ended up at different destinations. So you're right, it does kind of work. Inconsistent, indecisive, lack of focus ... yep.

[David Dyer-Bennet]

I particularly like the "birth stone" question there!

I'm not really sure if I qualify as a "people person"; not sure what that means. Like them? Understand them? Good at manipulating them? Or something else?

Don't own a light meter any more, I sold both of them off some time ago when I'd gotten rid of the film cameras. And have never owned a Fedora or any similar hat.

[Richard Man]

It is surprisingly accurate ;-)

(I end up with Fine Art portraits and Environmental portraits)

[TC]

I love Blake's writing, and he is very cool in person as well.

[Dean Johnston]

Finally, not responding weeks late!

Anyway, not only do I own two fedora, which I wear brim snapped up all round, rude boy stylee (never the oyaji look), but I've also recently started making my own custom hat bands.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BLJ_BkuD2hy/

I own cameras old enough that I need a light meter on occasion, so, yeah.

My "vests" would properly be called singlets, and my fav. one is the one with Alberto Korda's famous Che Guevara photograph on it.

Not sure what all that says about me. Probably something, yet nothing.

Peace & stuff.

[Steve Jacob]

I don't own a Fedora or photovest, though I do have a leather gilet with a secure smart-phone pocket, read TOP for preference, and prefer Robert Adams any day, plus just about everything from that genre from Shore to Gursky.

My lightmeter hasn't seen the light of day (sic) for a while because everything I need is on my Android phone (GPS tracker, shadow direction, elevation, weather, light meter, DOF table, Google Earth) hence the need for the gilet.

So I guess new topographies suits me, though I don't use an MF camera so I'm clearly a dabbler, but APSC these days seems to be about as good as my 645, if not better - and I don't need to stop down near as much.

Good laugh though.

[Darlene]

No fedora, no vest, but a few light meters with pixie dust.

[Kent]

Dean,

You're lucky there's at least one other Japan resident here, otherwise nobody would have got "the oyaji look".

[Max Kellner]

Maybe you more often should drop us beginners in the world of photography a few hints to the really interesting photo places in the internet.

Where less about the newest digital gear they talk to us, but more about maybe lith printing. Or about the odd feelings when trying to get a picture of a total stranger, who shows stunning beauty and peril aggressiveness at the same time. Or, or.

[Dan Khong]

My photo vest did a good job in the past until I found that it is starting to frighten people who don't like to be photographed by what appears to be a pro. So it has become my travel vest.

I still have a few light meters and two fedoras.

[Antony]

My favourite Adams is Douglas.

[William Furniss]

Photo-Flo is not was, Also I clearly don't work as a photographer, can't make the chart work! OCD the most important photo quality is only linked to typologies and I had to look that up.

[David Adam Edelstein]

ahahahaha. Nailed me. Went straight to street photographer.

[John Shriver]

Three light meters: Yashica YEM 55, Gossen Luna-Pro, and Sekonic L-208 Twin Mate. Never use the Yashica, never was very accurate. Love the Luna-Pro in hand, but it's so big in pocket, so I use the Sekonic instead.

Yes, T.O.P. is favorite photography blog.

[LJ Slater]

Not sure how an agoraphobe could also be a people person.

As a DSM5-certified agoraphobe, I photograph "still lifes".

[Kodachromeguy]

Photo vests are one of those odd pieces of clothing that seem like a great idea because of all the pockets, but probably rarely get used for their intended purpose. I occasionally see them on chubby mature gents who also have an enormous leather-and-canvas camera bag or backpack. They are similar to "adventure" vests that travelers to Nepal or Australia insist on wearing. In hot weather, they sweat in those things, and in cold or rain, the vest does not provide much protection.

[chas]

Photo vests are not for wearing when out taking photographs but for putting extra lenses into when the airline clerk says words like "your bag is too heavy for carry-on..."

My fate in the chart was "abstract expressionism", which oddly enough is a lot of what I shoot.

[blake]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for the shout out. Much appreciated.

-B

[Wolfeye]

Too funny. The fine line between Erotica and Porn is a BFA. No wonder my wife says every naked photo I make of her is porn - and I don't even get to that option on the chart b/c not a people person!