A lot of photographers I talk with wait for inspiration to hit’em before they make a picture.
I’m not a big fan of inspiration, especially if we have to wait for it to move us to action.
But I
understand the feeling.
It’s not so much inspiration as an impulse based on something we see that gets our attention.
If it gets our attention, it’s worth looking at closely and with curiosity, and if it’s worth looking at closely and with curiosity, it’s worth making a picture of.
But if we always wait for that impulse, our photography would never improve.
My teachers constantly challenged me to make a picture wherever and whenever.
They would remind me that it’s not our job to find interesting things to photograph; instead, it’s our job to make everything we photograph interesting to see as a photograph.
So, there’s two times and two places to make a picture:
when we get the impulse in the place that gives us the impulse, and when the impulse doesn’t arise in whatever place we’re in.
Of course, it seems easier to make a picture when that impulse arises spontaneously, seemingly out of nowhere,
than to push ourselves to draw inspiration from whatever we’re seeing right now, wherever we are.
However, a lot of the time, it’s better if we challenge ourselves to take a moment to see what’s around us, find something that looks
ordinary, and create our own impulse to photograph it.
This takes perseverance and discipline.
Although I consider myself a lazy photographer because I like to work as efficiently as possible making a picture without the impulse automatically arriving to us isn’t for the lazy photographer.
It’s for photographers interested in honing their skills, understanding photography, and experiencing what it’s like to be thoughtful and intentional photographers.
We can wait for us to arrive at the time in a place where we get the impulse to make the photograph, or we can understand that anytime, in any place, is the opportunity to make the photograph.
The latter is the better choice.
It would also be helpful if we chose to work in manual exposure.
If we know what we’re doing in manual exposure mode, we can be at our most creative.
If we don’t know what we’re doing when it comes to manual exposure mode, we can work in any other exposure mode we want, but no matter what time and where, when we learn to work in manual exposure mode, we’re well on our way to being better photographers.
Whatever exposure mode we work in, whatever time and place we
are in, impulse or not, make a picture.
That approach to our photography helps us develop a visual awareness and vocabulary that allows us to express ourselves as the unique humans we are.
The time and place we’re experiencing right now
are our chances to make the best picture we can with our understanding of photography.
The Introduction To Photography classes are starting soon.
If the schedules don’t work for you, we could arrange a series of private lessonscovering the same material.
