Doylem,
After several months of checking in daily here to learn what I can about taking good pictures, it's occurred to me that your genius is very much in parallel to your method for taking pictures. You just need to sit back a little, not knowing exactly what is going to come into frame, and after some patience you end up with something really special.
I have to admit that when I first got familiar with this site, I didn't understand the fuss... what's so great about those landscapes and random sheep? But now I get it-- and would say your work is like a fine wine (you need to know what you're looking at to really appreciate it). I've really enjoyed seeing the range of your art over time, and you've taught me to be a little more patient in the process (as well as some keys to fine photography).
Cheers.
Thanks for this. There's nothing 'special' about how I shoot: Nikon D200, 18-70 kit lens and tripod. And I only started using a tripod because my pix were being rejected by a photo agency I wanted to supply. It solved the problem (and, incidentally, allowed me to get the best out of what is very much a budget lens). I was obviously not as good as I thought I was at holding a camera rock steady at, typically, 1/125sec
Best of all, it slowed me down. I set the camera up, locked the composition, and started to look a bit harder at what was going on around me. I stopped
having to get good pictures; without that 'pressure', I started to relax. Fewer expectations, less 'friction'. I 'settled into' the landscape - less thinking, more looking - which easily became a kind of meditation.
When I came back home I seemed to have more pictures I liked. It seemed an odd equation: less effort = better pictures. But by not rushing around, it's easier, I think, to see the potential of a location or event. I trust that things will work out for the best, and often they do.
I was out walking the hills with friends last week. I took my camera, but no tripod... it actually felt strange and restricting, like something was missing. But, of course, I can't ask friends to sit down and watch light chasing shadows across Lakeland fells for an hour. But it might be fun to lead some workshops. At the very least I might be able to persuade a dissatisfied snapper that what he needs isn't a fancy new lens... but an empty mind.
It's healthy, I reckon, to slow down a bit. We all find it hard to concentrate on anything, because our attention flits from one thing to another every few seconds. I threw my TV away three years ago, finding there was nothing worth watching (celebrities eating grubs in the jungle? I don't think so...). And now, when I see a bit of TV, it's all cut so fast. The camera isn't allowed to linger on anything for more than a second or two. Watching it just gives me a headache.
So, yes, a bit more patience is something we can all do with. Sometimes less
is more...
