As usual, Doylem speaks wisdom. I'm sure he can remember when I was posting photos here that only a mother could love (and I suppose some people still feel that way about my work!). It was Doylem who first inspired me many years ago to put my camera on a tripod for a reason other than achieving camera stability. I had heard this idea coming from many photographers, but none sold it quite as forcefully as he did. So I tried it one day, using my tripod even when I didn't really need it to get a sharp shot. For the first time ever, I was going to use the tripod to slow down and work creatively. I came away with a photo that was better than anything I had shot previously because schlepping along the tripod transformed the purpose of my outing into one that was expressly dedicated to photography.
I soon realized that the lesson I had learned wasn't really about the tripod, however; it was about method, about taking a whole different approach to practicing photography: putting the photos first. You can hope to get a lucky shot while being involved in some other activity, or you can make photography your top priority. If you take the latter approach, then everything else just follows: you will plan ahead, think strategically, use a tripod, exercise patience, make repeat attempts, learn new techniques, go the extra mile, get up early, stay out late, seek out criticism, etc. And I think I can speak for most people who work this way when I say that it's ultimately more exciting, enjoyable, and gratifying than doing things 'the easy way.'
"Doylem speaks wisdom": I would put that on my business card... if my real name was Doylem. It sounds a bit contradictory, to a Yorkshire ear, because 'Doylem' is just a bit of local vernacular, and means an idiot ("He's a right doylem").
When I started posting pictures here, I hadn’t been using the tripod long. I made a promise to myself that I’d take my photography more seriously, which translated into using a tripod for most shots and having my photo gear on me at all times. So I always have a backpack with me: camera, tripod, 18-70mm lens, cable release, plus spare cards, batteries... and the grey grad filter that I don’t seem to use any more. The tripod has made a big difference. As Phrasikleia says, it’s as much about attitude and intention as it is about holding the camera steady. With a tripod, you don’t need to compromise: you can pick the aperture and shutter speed that’s best for the picture you want, rather than on what you can ‘get away with’, handheld.
Taking pictures becomes an ‘event’, rather than a moment. Instead of looking through that cramped little viewfinder, you can be aware of what’s happening all around: what the light’s doing, where the weather’s heading. The idea of staying in one place isn’t just an exercise in tedium; it’s good to acclimatise and ‘settle into‘ the landscape... and be ready.
I’m gratified to have given Phrasikleia that little ‘nudge’, but she’s raised the bar pretty damn high since then. It’s time she got together with a good publisher and thought about producing a series of books. Her locations are stunning. I appreciate that it’s easier to be inspired by mountain scenery than by strip-malls and suburbia. But loads of people come to the Lake District and go home with photographs that don’t do justice to the landscape, or how they felt about it. The pictures don’t create themselves... no matter what the camera manufacturers would like to suggest!
As Phrasikleia’s pictures prove, improvements come in small increments: more time, more effort, more self-discipline, a continuous tweaking of technique and PP. It all takes time, though she seems to have taken the ‘speed learning’ course! The decisive moment, for any photographer, IMO, is when we stop looking for short-cuts and commit to some good, old-fashioned work ethic.
I feel my own photography has levelled out, in terms of quality, even though I’m busier than ever. Shooting for stock sales requires a whole different way of thinking. The biggest kick I get out of my photography, at the moment, is just slinging the bag over my shoulder, going for a wander and seeing what happens.
The slope of Helm Crag, near Grasmere...