Notes for Brooklyn Beckham (from an old man to a young man)
Will GompertzArts editor
PABrooklyn Beckham's first photography book, What I See, has been published to somewhat mixed reviews.
Here are a few thoughts:
- Don't caption your photographs. Your pictures can speak for themselves.
- Edit. Less is more. Take a leaf out of Ernest Hemingway's book: "I write one page of masterpiece to 91 pages of s***. I try to put the s*** in the wastebasket."
Read more: Brooklyn Beckham's book: Is it any good?
- The snide remarks being made about your work are cheap and self-serving. Ignore them.
- If you haven't already done so, go see some Magnum photographers. Ask their advice.
- Don't ignore them.
Brooklyn Beckham- Finding your own distinct visual language takes time and experimentation and experience. Be patient. You can't be a master without first being an apprentice.
- Mary McCartney would be a good mentor.
- Sincerity is an artist's ballast. Critics often call it wrong. If you mean it, do it.
- Be curious.
- Stop biting your nails.
Brooklyn Beckham
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