Six Silver Bullets

Who among us isn’t hoping for a secret formula or a magic spell we can use to conjure up great images anywhere, any time, at our beck and call? A switch we can flip to reveal unique compositions, beautiful light, rare moments, and deep insight – a Silver Bullet.

Obviously, there is no such thing and, when you think about it, it’s good that there isn’t. If making powerful images was as easy as snapping our fingers, will we truly appreciate them?

As we are constantly bombarded with hype and buzz from marketers, from self-proclaimed experts, and from technology zealots, it is no wonder so many photographers are “looking for love in all the wrong places”.

And yet, there are some easy answers. There are some things you can do today that will not cost you a penny, and that may make a significant difference in the quality of your work. They have for me.

Silver Bullet One: It’s (Mostly) Not The Gear You Use
Not to be disingenuous – good gear does play a significant role in photography, but only up to a point. Too many photographers will be quick to tell you that gear “doesn’t matter,” but ask to peek into their camera bags and you’ll generally find several-thousand-dollars-worth of gear that “doesn’t matter.”

What’s important is to keep in mind the role gear plays in our craft, and to consider its value in that limited context. Good gear will enable you to make technically-good images. Gear will not make your images more evocative. It will not improve your composition. It will not make the light better. It will not make the subject any more interesting and, consequently, it will not make your images more successful. The best kind of gear is the gear you don’t have to worry about – gear that lets you concentrate on making images rather than technical minutia. If you compare a fine image to a fine dish, remember that even the best and most expensive dinnerware will not make your food taste any better.

So – get gear that can capture sufficient detail for the size of prints you want to make (so you don’t have to worry about that), and can help you make good exposure decisions (so you don’t have to worry about that), and gives you sufficient support and stability to make sharp images (who wants to worry about that?), and provides flexibility in framing your composition (so you don’t have to worry about that), and that is sufficiently light and comfortable to carry where you like to photograph (so you don’t have to worry about these, either.) With all those worries out of the way, go on about making images and forget about gear. If you current camera handles well and meets your printing requirements, spend your time and effort in the field rather than drooling over ads and reviews, or speculating about what might be revealed at the next camera expo (your images will not be worse off if you find out a week later, along with everybody else.)

Silver Bullet Two: Get Out More
Magic happens. Somewhere out there something wonderful is unfolding. This is true for this very moment as it is for any other. If you are reading this you are probably not there to see it; but rest assured there will be more such miracles to be found than you can fit in a lifetime.

The more time you spend outdoors, where your favorite subjects are, the more likely you are to be at the right place and time to experience and photograph them. Too many people are under the impression that a quick trip to a pretty place comes with a guarantee of superior images. Not so. As landscape photographers we are very much at the mercy of numerous random factors. Some phenomena can be predicted with some accuracy and some cannot.

There is always an element of luck in getting a great image, no matter how well-planned. There is no public schedule for serendipity, great light does not take reservations, and dramatic skies do not appear on command. Your best chance of finding something unique is to give something unique a better chance of finding you.

Silver Bullet Three: Be Serious
Take your subjects seriously, take your camera seriously and – more than anything – take yourself seriously. Believe that you can make great images, believe that whatever camera you’re holding right now is capable of capturing great images, and believe that there are great images to be found wherever and whenever you are. A common mistake is to dismiss a great moment for lack of faith in your own abilities or the abilities of the camera you happen to have with you.

When you come upon an interesting subject, take your time – study it, ask yourself: “What can I do with this?” and “Is this really the best possible composition?” These questions have nothing to do with whether you’re toting a hefty 8×10 view-camera or a little point-and-shoot. They have nothing to do with whether you have hiked twenty miles to a remote wilderness or just stepped out in your flip-flops on a family vacation.

If it’s worth doing – it’s worth doing well. If the scene evokes emotion, if the light is good, and if you compose it properly – you will have a great image. Anything short of that and all you will end up with is excuses. Put your best effort into it and you just may turn what would otherwise be a missed opportunity into a masterpiece.

Don’t let yourself off the hook, don’t cut corners, and don’t underestimate your viewers. Photographs do not play Poker – they can’t hide a weak hand. To put it bluntly: nobody cares why an image doesn’t work, or why an image almost works.

Silver Bullet Four: Do Your Research
Much as we are dependent on any number of factors that are beyond our control, there still are a lot of things we can do to increase our chances of finding those special scenes in their prime. These can be as simple as timing our visits appropriately (right time of day, right season, etc.) or as involved as learning the natural history of the places we visit: geology, weather patterns, wildlife and plant life and their unique characteristics and behavior at given times in their natural cycles, the phase of the moon, the direction and timing of sunrise and sunset, etc.

Learn good outdoor skills. Just as important as knowing where to go and when, is knowing how to work and move comfortably when you get there. Outdoor skills are invaluable in many ways, and not just for those seeking images. The comfort, confidence, and safety of knowing where you are, what to do, what to look out for, how to find your way, where to find water, how much food and clothing to carry, etc. can all work wonders towards improving your state of mind and allowing you to concentrate on more creative endeavors.

Silver Bullet Five: Don’t Force It
If you’ve been to a beautiful place and did not capture great images, you are still better off than if you had not gone at all. If you let your lack of photographic success on a given trip make you bitter and frustrated, only then will you have truly wasted your time.

Keep in mind the reason you wanted to photograph these places to begin with – you were likely inspired by their beauty, moved by their timeless majesty, touched by their raw spiritual powers. None of these should change just because on a given day conditions were not conducive to photography.

Savor the experience for what it is. Otherwise, it can be a dangerous Catch-22: the harder you try, the more likely you are to become frustrated and to miss the very things that inspired you to begin with. Let the place speak to you, let its beauty – both grand and subtle – touch your soul. Images will likely present themselves when you are in the right state of mind, and even if they don’t – you will be doing a disservice to yourself and cheapening the very experience you set out to find by hanging your enjoyment on whether or not you manage a “keeper”.

If you’re not enjoying yourself, your work will suffer as a result. While many aspects of good photography have to do with technical proficiency, those intangible little things that distinguish “good” from “great” are all about emotion. If you do not feel it, you will likely not be able to express it. Natural places can do wonders for your spirit – they can put your mind at ease, inspire inner peace, make you forget about the mundane drudgery that makes up so much of our lives, give you a chance to be transported into a simpler, more beautiful, world where things just make sense. Make it your primary goal to immerse yourself in the experience – don’t over-burden yourself with the thoughts that you must find something – anything – to photograph. Remember you are there to make images of beautiful experiences. Make it a beautiful experience first, and you will have something to photograph.

Silver Bullet Six: It Doesn’t End With The Click
You went to great expense to buy your gear, you spent your time traveling and finding the best light and composition, you captured a timeless miracle of immense beauty – you put all this effort into building up towards the moment of sharing something incredible with your viewers. Now what? It’s not over – not by a long shot.

Much had been written (and will continue to be written, including by yours truly) about the importance of the photographer’s vision and creativity. What often surprises me though is that so many of us fail miserably when it comes to the ultimate test of the image: presenting it to our viewers. Some might even say this is the most important and critical point in the proverbial life-cycle of an image – its raison d’etre, its ultimate test, the point where all our efforts, our vision, our skill, our expensive gear, and our desire to share something with the world – all culminate into one singular experience.

Your work in the field is only the beginning. It’s where you gather the raw materials, the inspiration, and the concept of your final image. All images require post-processing to achieve their final look and to optimize them for a given presentation, whether in print, on the web, a slide show, or any other medium.

Post-processing techniques are just as important to the success of an image as composition, exposure, and field work. Take the time to master your tools, whether you prefer a wet darkroom or digital editing, or both. If your post-processing doesn’t measure up to your camera skills, your images will always be half-done.

Ask yourself honestly why you make images in the first place, and if anywhere in there is the desire to share something with others – be it beauty, ideas, inspiration, or story – you owe it to your art to make sure it is dressed up to the nines before you strut it in front of those you wish to impress. Don’t quit before the finish line.

Category: Rants and Raves, Thoughts and Musings