Advancing Your Photography. Marc Silber
Stieglitz (1864-1946) was known as the “father of modern photography” and was one of the most respected photographers of his day. He emphasized that his process was to see in his “mind’s eye” the photograph that he intended to create, in order to convey what he saw and felt at that moment. He said, “I have a vision of life, and I try to find equivalents for it in the form of photographs.”
Equivalent here means “something that is considered to be equal to or have the same effect, value, or meaning as something else.” It comes from a Latin word meaning “be strong.” (Encarta College Dictionary) Thus, when you convey the equivalent of what you saw and felt, it can be very strong for the viewer. Having a “vision of life” of what you see and feel when you view a particular scene is what sparks the whole creative process. You are conveying a message including emotions to your viewers that they can connect with.
Another milestone photographer was Minor White (1908-1976), who taught the steps of visualization. Here’s what he said:
“Previsualization refers to the learnable power to look at a scene, person, place or situation and ‘see’ at the same time on the back of the eyelids, or ‘sense’ deep in the mind or body, the various ways photography can render the subject. Then out of all the potential renderings select one to photograph. Such selection makes up a large share of the photographer’s creativity.”
I agree, but I prefer the term visualization to “previsualization” as I want to emphasize that visualization carries through the entire cycle of photography, not just “pre-” or at the beginning. I also believe that the process occurs mentally and spiritually, not within the body.
The common point from these artists is that you as the photographer have a huge choice of tools to use for how to capture a photograph and how you render it from there. Think about just a few of your choices: Do you use your smartphone or DSLR? Do you intend it to be black and white, or color? Will you post it on social media or do you hope to eventually print and frame it? Then there are all the settings available to you to get the desired result you want. Later I’ll cover some examples of my images and tell you my story of visualization.
Minor White also said, “One should not only photograph things for what they are but for what else they are.”
That is another part of the visualization process: Look for what you see, but look more deeply for what else is in the image.
» Horseshoes, Canyonlands, Utah, Marc Silber
Some of the best examples of photographing “what else they are” are by Edward Weston (1886-1958), a contemporary of Minor White. Look at his images to see how he was able to photograph everyday objects to show what else they were, revealing the beauty all around us. As a note about Weston, he used a very simple printing process, so all of his attention was really centered on visualization and capturing the image.
He said this about his process: “Anything that excites me for any reason, I will photograph; not searching for unusual subject matter, but making the commonplace unusual.”
Again, I don’t want to lead you to believe that only the past masters talked about visualization. In my hundreds of interviews with leading photographers, most of them discussed it in some way as part of their process. As an example, Chase Jarvis, an award winning photographer and Founder & CEO of CreativeLive, told me about his process:
» Runner, Chase Jarvis
“The first thing I do is walk around and look at the scene without a camera, because when you put the camera to your face, you see a lot less than you do just walking around. So I walk the area I’m going to shoot and look for interesting things. When I find things I’m going to shoot or that I can build into a scene in my mind, I’ll start putting the pieces together, and that’s kind of a visualization for me. So when I’m visualizing I know exactly how I want this thing to look – I even pre-visualize what this could look like in post-production. Then I fantasize about it a little bit and think, ‘What could I put in here to make it the absolute best picture it can be?’”
MAKE A SHOOT PLAN AND SHOT LIST
Note: I use “capture”, “image” and “shot” interchangeably to mean a photograph. I use “shoot” or “capture” as the verb; the action of photographing. I’m not a snob about always saying “capture” or “image” (example: “nice capture” or “great image”). I use “shot” to mean “an image captured deliberately,” as opposed to “snapshot” – one taken quickly as a toss-off.
The action of visualization also extends to your planning before you even arrive on the scene you’re going to shoot. I do this all the time when I’m traveling. For example, when I went to Paris, there were certain images that I knew I wanted to come back with. One was the Eiffel Tower, but it had to be a unique shot, not one that looked like a cliché or postcard – that was as far as I’d visualized it before I arrived there. And by the way, that is the trick to capture an image that has been photographed a million times: Find some new angle or a new way to approach it that is your own way of looking at it. When I was at the tower, I tried various angles and ways of looking at it until I captured this image:
» Eiffel Tower, Paris, Marc Silber
I recommend that you make a shot list before you go on your next vacation. Do some research ahead of time to see what’s already been photographed, and to get some ideas for when and where you might shoot. That in itself can add a whole new level to your travel, guiding your entire trip with new purpose.
When you are shooting an event, particularly a wedding, there are certain mandatory shots that you must get, so you don’t leave out the bride’s favorite aunt or niece for example. But on the other hand, you want to capture those spontaneous moments that no one could have anticipated, which we’ll talk more about later. The answer then is to write a detailed shot list and get each and every shot on it, and then get your spontaneous shots.
A shoot plan where you plan and sketch out what you intend to shoot is also helpful, when this makes sense. Your drawing can be simple and not necessarily artistic, as it is just a guide. When you get to the scene, you’ll already have some ideas for where and how you’ll get the shots you want. It’s useful when you have a tight schedule to follow, such as an event or performance. This will also cause you to think through all the details so you can create the photographs that you intend.
For example, your son or daughter is graduating from high school or college (or you are), and you want to come away with some really memorable images. There’s little chance that you’ll get those memorable shots from way back at the venue. Thinking like a photographer, you plan how to get up close and get a really great image. This is one of the advantages of being a photographer: it can afford you great access, right past the normal barriers!
Your shoot plan then drives all the other items that must be in place to capture that great image: the equipment you’ll need (maybe a tripod, telephoto lens, etc.), the location you’ll want to arrange access to ahead of time (as above), and the timing of the shoot itself. This planning all comes under the heading of visualization.
HOW ABOUT BEING SPONTANEOUS AND
“CAPTURING THE MOMENT?”
That is a very good question and shows that you’re paying attention and thinking about what I’m going over with you.
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