PC Book Review - Interview: Scott Kelby

Interview: Scott Kelby

One of the most successful and prolific authors in the fields of digital photography and Photoshop in particular is Scott Kelby. Following on from our recent review of his latest book The Digital Photography Book, we were fortunate enough to be able to catch up with Scott and ask him a few questions about photography and life in general.

1. What got you in to photography to begin with?

I shot travel and fashion photography back in the day when people used to use film. ;-) I loved capturing the feel of an exotic place, or a moment in time, but after years of shooting I simply lost interest in it, put my camera gear in storage, and didn't shot another serious photo for more than 12 years. Then digital came along, and once I got my first digital camera, it completely re-ignited my passion for photography, and now that all I want to do.

2. You are a prolific writer, how do you find time for all your interests/work?

Well, when your hobby is your work, it never seems like work. It seems like you're playing around all the time, and anyone who knows me would probably tell you it always seems like I'm just having fun. I love to write, I love to shoot, I love to play around in Photoshop, and the three go hand-and-in. Also, when you travel a lot, you spend a lot of time in airports, and airport lounges, and flights, so while everyone else is watching the in-flight movie or sleeping---I'm writing, or editing my photos. This stuff is just a blast for me, and I'm really having the time of my life.

3. What are your views on digital versus film?

I think digital is a one way trip. If you seriously go digital for two weeks, there's no turning back. I think the main reason is that I believe that a digital camera will make you a better photographer for two reasons:

(1) The little screen on back. Now you get to see if you "got the shot." You can, with just a quick look, see if your subject's eyes were closed, or if the flash fired, or if the shot is way out of focus, or if the white balance is totally off, or one of a hundred different things you wouldn't know with a traditional film camera until a day or two later when you got the prints back, and then it's too late. and...

(2) you'll take more shots with digital (since there is no film cost) so your chances of getting a great shot go up exponentially. Back when I shot film, every time I pressed the shutter button, I would pause and think "Is this worth 22¢?" Now I just fire away. This really levels the playing field with the pros, because they will often shoot hundreds of photos for a portrait, where the average person would rarely shoot more than a roll of 24. Maybe 36. How can you compete when the pro is choosing from 300+ photos to get that one perfect shot, and you have to choose from only 24. Being able to take 300 (or 3,000 if you want) with digital really levels the playing field, and increases your chances for getting the perfect shot---just like the pros. So, those two things: (1) seeing if you got the shot, and having a chance to retake it on the spot if you missed it, and (2) being able to shoot as many shots as you like, will almost guarantee you get better shots with digital than you did with film.

4. What one tip would you have for new photographers looking to improve their game?

Don't shoot in anything but great light. Photography is really all about the light, and great shots don't happen in crappy light. Shoot landscapes at dawn and dusk. Shoot people in open shade, or a few feet from a window that's not getting direct sunlight. Look for great natural light, and shoot in that. It makes people, and just about everything else look their very best.

5. Consumer priced D-SLRs have made a huge change to photography's direction. What do you think is likely to be the next 'big thing'?

I hope it's better on-camera flash. Most of the on-camera built-in flash units create harsh, yucky awful light. I'm hoping the trend will move toward quality built-in flash units that enable you to soften the flash, bounce it, or better yet, angle it up and away from your subject, so you can bounce it down and create directional light.

6. Do you think the power of Photoshop has caused many photographers to be 'lazy' when it comes to getting the original photo right?

I think it certainly did at first, but I think photographers are starting to realize that although Photoshop can fix many mistakes, fixing those problems can be very tedious and labor intensive, and that keeps you from doing the creative fun stuff. So I've been preaching (and teaching) people to get it right in the camera, because you don't want to "fix it" in Photoshop; you want to "finish it" in Photoshop. That's where the fun is. It's so easy to set things up in your camera to shoot right from the start, and that makes your time in Photoshop infinitely more fun, and at the end of the day, I think that's what we want---to have fun. Looking a great photos is fun. Making great photos is fun. Fixing problems isn't any fun.

7. Your book on fatherhood was an interesting departure. What was the driver behind that?

It was a real life story that happened to a good friend of mine. His wife got pregnant and he was just miserable think his fun life was basically over, so his wife asked me to have a "man to man" talk with him about the other side of fatherhood. The side his other friends weren't telling him (they didn't have kids), and the side most guys don't hear about. Well, the talk worked so well, I knew I had to turn it into a book to help other guys in his same situation.

8. What are your thoughts on the increasing pressure on photographers not to take pictures in sensitive public places?

I think it's really sad, and a terrible overreaction to the current situation. I totally understand the need not to have just anyone shooting photos of nuclear plants and military installations, but if you see a soccer mom from Wisconsin shooting a photo of the Chrysler building, I don't think that should be a national security matter. I think we all need to use a little more common sense.

9. Who inspires you?

I love the outdoor photography of people like George Lepp, David Muench, Bill Fortney, Art Wolfe, John Shaw, Moose Peterson and Rick Sammon. I also love's Rick's Travel and people shots. I love about everything that Jay Maisel and Joe McNally shoot. I love what Julieanne Kost did with her book "Window Seat" and I love Vincent Versace's flowers and people. When I look at any of these photographer's work, I get so inspired that it makes me want to grab my camera, run out the door, and start shooting.