Pictures are visual poems, the greatest of which are those that move us the way the photographer was moved when he clicked the shutter.

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1 VISION IN PHOTOGRAPHY By Deb Evans, 2011 vi sion noun 2. the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be Vision is the beginning and end of photography. It is what moves you to pick up the camera. It s what makes you want to SAY something with your images. It is what makes you FEEL. What drives you to SHARE. Vincent Versace wrote: Pictures are visual poems, the greatest of which are those that move us the way the photographer was moved when he clicked the shutter. Vision is the process of saying something with your photography. You can have perfectly crafted images that say nothing. You can also have technically perfect images that all say the same thing. You can make sharp images of fuzzy ideas and it means nothing. Think about photographs or other art that has moved you. Was it because of the technical aspects? The Golden Mean? Or was it because the image spoke to you and you felt the poetry, the music of it. When I photograph children s portraits the parents are never drawn to the image that is technically correct they re not judging my work based on composition or lighting. They are drawn to what that image makes them FEEL, what they see of their child in that image. Now, as a professional, of course, my goal is to always create work that is technically accurate but a correct image without passion is nothing. To paraphrase Ansel Adams there are always three components to an image there s YOU, the creator of the image, there s WHO/WHAT is IN the image, and there s SOMEONE viewing the image. ALWAYS consider them. Create images that make them see what you see, to feel what you feel. There is something worse than someone disliking your images it s indifference to them. When they feel nothing. They don t connect. They don t care. Nothing in your image is saying anything. It s usually because your vision isn t clear. Vision is inspired by your imagination and your emotions. The world doesn t need more mediocre photographers, more average photographers, it needs more passionate photographers. Be passionate about your work. And, passion starts with vision. Henri Cartier Bresson said Photography is nothing; it s life that interests me. Vincent Versace writes: We are witnessing a revolution in photography. The digital image allows anyone the pathway to creative greatness where impossible is merely an opinion an opinion held not by the viewer of the

2 image, but by the creator of the image. Which means that the photographer s imagination is the only limitation. How do you NURTURE your VISION? nur ture verb (used with object) 1. to feed and protect 2. to support and encourage 3. to bring up; train; educate. So, here are my tips for helping you to develop, to nurture your VISION, which will, in turn, improve your photography and make you stand out from all of those Guys with Cameras. The first is Passion. A photographer shoots because he has to. Your camera is always with you. You care about things and you want to share that through your images. Where is your passion? Find inspiration outside of photography. What else inspires you? It could be people or nature, ideas or things. God? Your family? Literature? Poetry? Be passionate about everything. Discover your passion and you will discover your vision. Allow your vision to change, to grow, to evolve with time as your passions do. The next is Curiosity. A Photographer always looks at the world through his camera s eye. A Guy with a Camera walks onto a scene say, the park or the peach, and starts shooting. There s no thought process. A Photographer walks onto the same scene and the options are unlimited. Is the light soft or dramatic? What element jumps out at me? What do I feel? What do I want to say? What lens do I use? Do I want great or shallow depth of field? Study the masters what moves you about their work? Why? How? Go to art museums look at the work of the great painters. What can you learn from them? The rules of composition and our understanding of light first came from the master painters. Look at your own work specifically images you ve shot over the past few years. What do your images have in common? What s different? What have you been saying with your images? Is it clear? Fuzzy? What are your images saying about you? Develop your style what do you like in an image? What kind of lighting moves you? What do you like to shoot? Flowers, people, dogs, buildings? One theory is that you shoot what you like to look at. If you enjoy looking at nature images, then that s what you should shoot. If you love viewing abstract images, then that is what you should shoot. Not just that, but start there. Then, mix it up do something complete different. Take Risks. Do you always the same lens, the same aperture? The same camera angle, point of view? Are you in a rut? There s style and then there s monotony. As your vision grows, your craft must grow. As your skills grow, your vision will also grow, usually staying one step ahead of you. Your skills grow when you practice, when you stretch. Then your vision jogs ahead again

3 Never stop learning. Never stop improving your skills. I was good when I started. I m better now. I ll be better next year. If you re a Guy with a Camera who really likes photography, you ll learn some techniques you ll figure out the basics of shutter speed and aperture, and then you re good you know enough to do what you want to do. I know enough about sewing to repair a rip and replace a button. That s it, and I m good. That s the maximum I need to know to do what I need to do. That s how the Guy with a Camera thinks about photography. My mom with all of her many talents and skills will never, ever take her camera off the easy button. I bought it for her specifically because it had a setting that actually says easy. She s a Guy with a Camera and she s perfectly happy. A Photographer, however, never stops learning. You look for new ways to shoot, new ways to edit, new ways to share your vision. You re good, but you re never good enough. Henri Cartier-Bresson said "Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst." The best is yet to come. Skills. You probably understand the difference between a fast lens and a slow lens. You know you re way around exposure and composition, and maybe you can recognize good light or modify not-so-good light. The Guy with a Camera doesn t have a clue. If that 7D didn t have an auto mode, they d leave it in the box. If you don t know the fundamentals, then start learning. Now. Consider our written/spoken language. It s made up of grammar, vocabulary, syntax. Effective use of these tools allows you to communicate your ideas. The more effectively you use these tools, the more effective your communication. Authors, playwrights, poets and songwriters have mastered these tools. They make us feel with their words what they feel. Photography also has a visual language with its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. The more effectively you can use these tools lighting, composition, exposure the more effectively you share your vision, the better able you are to make your viewers SEE what you SEE, to FEEL what you FEEL. If your vision is vague, or if YOU don t feel anything from your images, then go ahead and put the camera on P and shoot away, allowing the camera to determine what the image looks like. But, if you have vision, then use your tools to express it and create the image that you have visualized. Your raw tools are LIGHT and TIME. Learn how to use them. Know, without a doubt, the impact of your choices. Be intentional. Without technical skills, your vision is shackled. You have to know how to create that image that s in your head. As your vision grows, so must your skills; as your skills grow, your vision will also grow always staying one step ahead of you. That s what keeps it fun and not stale. Randomly choosing an aperture because it lets in the right amount of light is not art. It s math. There are several ways for your camera to get proper exposure. It will think of ONE. Your camera is good at math it s not good at vision. Which combination of ISO, f-stop and shutter speed will achieve your vision? Which lens? If you don t know, then learn. Understand how you can control what the viewer sees? Your image will tell a story. A good story needs conflict so does your image. To create conflict, create contrast. Understand what elements in your image will draw the viewer s eye in and through the image? Viewers look for that contrast we

4 look at light before dark, at warmth before coolness, at sharpness before blur, at isolation before clutter, at large before small By understanding this, you create a composition that s compelling and tells your story. Master your camera - You should know your camera so well that you don t have to think about the settings, so they don t get in the way of your vision. You shouldn t have to stop and THINK, OK, how do I change the ISO? What button changes the exposure compensation or the metering mode? It should be second nature. Learn the Rules and then BREAK THE RULES! Learn how to do it right, and then do it wrong. Scott Adams said Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes; art is knowing which ones to keep. Go low-tech shoot for a week with nothing but your point and shoot or camera phone. Force yourself to rely on nothing but light and composition. Vincent Versace cautions again having too much control over your image. He says the poets within us are becoming imprisoned by the technology. Get to know yourself some photographers shoot intuitively, some shoot analytically. The artist versus the geek. Whichever you are, embrace the other side for a while and see what happens. Be open-minded. Stop debating whether Canon or Nikon is better. Stop arguing about film vs. digital (that was the huge argument when I got started professionally digital was ruining photography ) Quit being a snob about lenses and flashes. Don t assume that one set of tools is always right and everything else is wrong. Another pro photographer told one of my students that she would never be good enough until she bought X, X, and X. What? That s ridiculous, and that s what I told my student when she asked me. David duchemin wrote Might it not be time to stop worrying about the meaningless and overly-vague questions of which cameras, lenses, formats, computers, even photographers, are better, and return to the ongoing attempt simply to make photographs that are better and better at expressing ourselves and moving other people? That s the only better that matters. He continued in the hands of an artist, a child s toy will create beauty. SLOW DOWN! Be patient. One of the advantages of digital is also one of its drawbacks. Being able to shoot more and more allows us to try different things and be more creative, but it also makes us lazy by allowing us to shoot and shoot and not think about what we re shooting. So SLOW DOWN. Think about your shot. Visualize it. Now, which of your tools will allow you to create that? Now, what different tools can you use to make it look different? Don t approach a scene expecting to see something just look and see what is there. What jumps out at you? What is the most important element to you? What do you feel? Then, create an image that shares that with the viewer. Look at this! This is important this makes me feel something, so you should feel it too. As a visual storyteller, you are responsible for every element within the frame. You are also responsible for everything left out of the frame. Be conscious and intentional about that. Learn to read light. You don t even need a camera. Practice seeing light its color, its characteristics, its shadows and contrast. There s no such thing as good light and bad light. There s

5 just light, with its many aspects. It may be good or not good for your VISION, but it is what it is. Either use it, modify it, change your image, or come back another time when the light is different and better for your vision. And, finally, PLAY have fun. Give yourself photo assignments. Force yourself to be more creative by allowing yourself the freedom to play. This is ESPECIALLY important if you re making your living as a photographer. When it s work, it quits being fun. Photography is awesome - never stop having fun with it. Develop your Vision, Nurture your Vision, Grow your Vision and you ll never be just another Guy with a Camera. Permissions: This article is copyrighted by Deb Evans and is based on a speech she gave to The Woodlands Photography Club, June You do NOT have permission to copy this article. You DO have permission to share the direct link to this article. Author s name and copyright notice MUST be included. Thank you! Deb Evans