Micro Blog: 27th February 2011 (Thoughts)
There has long been a saying, "As long as you care to look, there will be something to shoot. " It's something like that and I trust you get the meaning of it.
Sounds optimistic? It is and in time of bad light, lousy weather or lack of subjects, I tend to push this statement to the front of the line and remind myself that there really is something worthwhile out there. We just have to look a little harder and put the normal shooting techniques aside. If all you are doing is looking straight ahead, then looking up to the skies or down on the ground will certainly be of aid here. Throwing out your commonly used shooting techniques of f/8, low ISO and safe shutter speed for handholding will release the creative juices. Instead, think shallow depth-of-field, get down low, bring on the ND filter, there is just no limit to what you can do to make a different image.
Of bad light, lousy weather and lack of subjects, I would think that the weather is not one of those factors that result in my lack of inspiration. On the contrary, I have shot in the rain, in the midst of lightning (though they were seriously many many miles away) and have gotten some different images. I believe as we grow as photographers, the desire to steer away from the common imagery should be getting stronger. If we shoot from the same position as the other 10 shooters then we are not really getting anything different. Thus when I am in a spot where I find there is nothing worth bringing the camera up to my eye, I push myself to think differently to create the unexpected and bad weather is one reason you should BE out shooting as that is when all the rest will be indoors. Do of course take note of the conditions, if the lightning is too near or the waves are just strong, then stay indoors and read a book or do some post-processing. Makes sense?
Lousy light? Diffuse it, shoot backlighting at work or just get in the shade to look for your subjects. Many a time, I turn to closeups and use my shadow to block the light or just hold a white umbrella to diffuse the light. If there is nothing worth doing a closeup of, I aim for subjects that are going to benefit from having the light source behind them. Leaves are one common subject and getting under a tree and shooting upwards will reveal the backlit leaves nicely. Get into a position where you can hide the sun behind a branch and you will not have flaring or contrast issues to deal with. Slap a ND filter on and you are going to be getting some surreal stuff.
Lack of subjects? Just look up or down and you will find something. I for one find clouds fascintating and am always looking for interesting ones. Bring out the telephoto lens and isolate the clouds. Get shots without any signs of land and just the patches themselves. Think different.
I try to pre-visualize differently but equipment-wise, it has always been pretty standard. I am armed with a tripod, ND filters and a filter holder. Old habits die hard and a lack of trust for my handholding skills has resulted in a strong dependence on my tripod. Ok, I can handhold (though I would rather not) and leave the tripod at home but if I were to be doing so, I would have to leave the ND filters and that will not get me anything different from the guy shooting next to me.
I am more a fisherman when it comes to photography. Simply put, I am a shooter who will just be stuck at the position or location till the light gets better. The hunters are the opposite and they quickly move on when the shooting conditions do not suit what they had expected or pre-visualized. There is no right or wrong here and largely a gamble that both sides take. Of course, I do admit being a hunter at times but it's mostly logistic issues such as a location getting too crowded that many potential angles are taken up. Knowing when to be a hunter or fisherman is something you really have to decide yourself and much of the time, it happens on the spot and all dependent on your gut feeling.
So what if you are in a place with 4 white walls and an equally bland flooring and ceiling or you are just having a great big mental block that even refuses to think just a minute ahead? If that rut is really there, then either sit down, enjoy the scene or move on to the next location. As long as you are out there, there is something worthwhile to get a shot of and all you have to do is look and think out of the box. Be free of the pre-visualised images and expectations, that is the key.
*Images on the left were shot when there was light not worth talking about or a lack of pre-visualized subjects. Long lenses and ND filters coupled with an open mind resulted in a series of different images. Stuff that I would never have thought if I was shooting in optimum conditions.