Going Beyond Thought Is Often The Key To Better ImagesIn photography as in all of the arts, going beyond thought into the areas of intuition and play(or “experiment”), often results in pushing through the barriers of a preconceived plan and produces the best results. Most photography sessions are based on conscious thought: there is a plan, even if vague, to take some photographs in a specific place or of a specific thing or at a set time. Blindly following the plan and only the plan leads to images that may be technically excellent but also may be quite routine. Routine images are everywhere and do not stand out no matter how technically perfect. The way to get past the routine is to spend enough time with each place, thing or time to form a strong emotional connection with it and see, with the camera, beyond the surface to the spirit of the place or thing and what it might really have to say visually. Go beyond thought to the photographic heart.
Follow the plan and go to the chosen place or find the chosen thing. If it is a time, arrive early. Prepare all equipment and spend some time just getting a feel for what is there. Then, and most importantly, become aware and open to possibilities and don’t hesitate to veer off in a new direction if the opportunity presents itself. Actively open yourself to opportunity by stopping the inner dialog and becoming fully aware of your surroundings as they are, without the usual running mental commentary. Experience it rather than thinking about it. If shooting a landscape, first follow the plan and take the preconceived shots to the best of your ability. Once that is taken care of, continue past the plan. Is there a particular leaf in the mid-foreground that is nicely back-lit? Change to a macro lens and explore that leaf fully. Is there a wind-sculpted tree on the horizon? Switch to the long telephoto lens and try a graphic silhouette against the sky. Is there a brightly colored array of flowers in the close foreground? Try a very wide angle looking up at them and through them. Be open and fully explore the possibilities that are waiting all around for someone to notice them. These are the discoveries that the casual observer(or casual photographer) never sees. That is why they speak more loudly and have more visual impact on the viewer. Like most aspects of life, photography is much better when you refuse to settle for the ordinary but keep trying until you reach something that truly speaks to your heart. This is not about gimmickry or extreme lens focal lengths or reality-altering filters but about finding effective visual communication. It is about finding the way to show others how that place or thing or time looks to you and what it means to you and capturing that meaning in your image.
A recent personal example was a copy shoot for another artist who does multimedia 3-D work. This type of photography is generally very straightforward: for flat paintings there is a large light source at 45 degrees on either side of the work, color balance is set and a satisfactory shot is completed. This time, being part flat painting/collage and part sculpture, I went in with the preconceived notion that the traditional copy-lighting set-up would not be adequate. I spent more than an hour trying various two-, three- and four-light set-ups and was not making progress. So I just stopped shooting, turned off all the lights and let my thoughts settle down and die away. Then, without conscious attention to what I was doing, I rearranged the lights into a traditional two-light copy set-up with white translucent umbrellas. Five minutes later I had an image that both the artist and myself were very happy with. I went beyond thought, beyond the plan, past my preconceived ideas and arrived at the desired destination. But it was necessary to first follow the plan and exhaust those preconceptions. This is often the way of things in much of life. Have a plan and have a back-up plan and follow them as far as needed to see if they work. If they don’t work, go beyond thought and past the plan to arrive at where you want to be. Again, in the immortal words of Lao Tzu, “Wander without seeking and you will find what you need.” Your heart and your soul know how to get there more surely than your brain.
Return from Beyond Thought to Inner Photography
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