When I look at a photograph that I like, I ask myself: Why does this image move me? Do others see what I see? Is it a good photograph? And then I think of my own practice: Will I be able to take a photograph as moving as this? How will I know when I have it? And then: How did I get it? Where did it come from? How do I know that my audience will like it? Will I be able to get it again?
These are questions that arise from a mishmash of practical considerations and personal confidence. The answer to all these questions will never be a constant; we change our opinions as we grow, change, shift.
But if there is a something that is core, intimate and true, no matter how it expresses itself, it is your vision. And its a damn hard thing to pin down, to render, to give light to. It’s there, but getting it so others see it is no cakewalk.
This is what I am proposing: I can help you articulate your vision. Help you shoot it, and shoot it consistently.
This is not about setting up a rigidly controlled system. No, photography is a representative art, you need to be sensitive to the subject, to the setting, to the nuance of a random act. I am a firm believer of letting the accident happen. Even in a portrait session, or a landscape panorama, there is always the accident: the look, the subtle shift in colour. Photography done well, is the act of a photographer’s vision framing the dynamic of the subject.
Some people call this style. To me it’s more about understanding the processes and thus being able to dwell in spaces that reinforce the vision. Understanding the processes means that you are free to shift and change, and also know how to make room, to guide, to allow the accident to happen.
How do we do this? Well we begin with an image, and then we have a chat. And then we look a little more. So what is required to make a good photograph? Our ability to see. First we identify why the image moves us, and then we seek that feeling in the subject or scene around us. So the first step is to discover how to see. This is not metaphysics but very basic (and once recognised) obvious traits any image encompasses.
What about f stops and depth of field and CMOS sensors and film grain and so on? These are the easy bits. Really. If you don’t already understand the technicalities, you will come to understand them when they are meaningful to your work. Photography is a mechanical art, you cannot avoid the fact that a machine mediates between the physical world and your feeling, your view, you vision of that world. Letting the machine do all the work will get you close to where you want to be, but in the end you will need to do some heavy lifting to craft your photography.
So what do you want out of your photography? To take home that I-was-really-there-sunset in Bali? To capture the vibrancy of a carnival in summer? To create images of loved ones that will transcend time? To re-imagine the banal? To create an other-world of impossible physics? To produce a lingering feeling of ahhhness from that landscape? To immortalise that lovely face? To produce that awesomeness that has evaded your capture?
Yes I want all this too. All of this is possible.
Why me?
I am both a photographer and an educator. My work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. I have been involved in photography education for over 20 years.
My one-to-one sessions can be as frequent or as random as you like. There is no minimum number of sessions. The best way to determine if we are a good match is to have a coffee and a chat. Speak to me about rates. Contact me through the form above.
