“You don’t take a photo you make it” - Ansel Adams.
His very particular approach to photography means that for him this was totally true. He spent ages post-processing and assembling the exact ingredients to get those impressive photos. This is one style of photography, one approach. In as much as I am a huge fan of Ansel Adam’s work, I choose a different philosophy.
You don’t take a photo, you capture an atmosphere.
Capturing moments, people and spaces in this way requires presence. Being present to the smells, noises, light, colours, feelings and emotions allows you to do the complex math intuitively and come up with an abstract sense of what it is you’re there to capture. The space opens up to you so that you may see it and capture it.
So that I can be as present as possible, I need to be able to forget the camera. Forget the equipment and take in the moment. When I’m ready I know what I’m here to do, I need to capture that whilst carefully remaining engaged with what I’m sensing. Getting distracted with settings, equipment and lighting is a sure way to exit that moment and never find the way back in.
Today, there are endless possibilities: different lenses, cameras, apps, lighting options,…the world is literally a huge overwhelming salesforce at your doorstep. It’s easy to get lost in the technicalities, in the software and hardware options and in the sheer expanse of choice or to be seduced by it.
Gear: Keep it simple
I have a Canon 6D with a 40mm Prime lens, peak design camera strap, and …that’s it.
It’s a good discipline and learning experience to stick to one lens you like and really get to know it. Prime lens mean you have to do the hard work and walk around, move yourself in the space to get where you want to be, see it from different angles until you get it right. For me choosing 40mm easy: this is also how I paint and draw.
I usually have my camera on Manual, because I’m not taking a photo, I’m capturing an atmosphere. I want to be able to change the way you perceive what I’m seeing by using the available light to alter things. When I’m taking holiday pics, what the heck, auto can let you take a lot of awesome lighthearted shots that become deeply loved images. There is some ego around this I noticed amongst some photography groups, but I don’t think it’s important. The technicalities become almost obsolete as technology improves. My iPhone X takes a pretty decent shot.
I always use available light and sometimes a head torch when I’m out in the dark. The style of photography I enjoy is raw, emotional, real. I’m not after a slick studio feel, or to sense the artificial lighting. So it forces me to get good at making do with the light I have.
No tripod. Never. This has been the most freeing and interesting part of my photography practice. I’ve had to learn to be very still to get some those slow shutter release shots, and Yoga practice helps hugely. It allows you to have really good motor control over your body but also breath control. By using the same tools I use in Asana practice, I can take great shots without a tripod.
Now my photography practice includes my whole body and breath too.
Keeping my gear to a strict minimum means that I have to learn to make do, and stretch what I have. It forces me to be resourceful and solve problems in creative ways that I’m robbed of if I have all the right gadgets.
There are plenty of lucky accidents that help shape my style and open up other possibilities. Precise equipment is great because it allows you to get an exact, predictable shot the way you intend it. In my own practice, I want to create images that stink of serendipity and weirdness. The cost for that is to be open to exploration and a lot of failed attempts.
The shot is the shot
Never post-process. I spend a lifetime at computers and screens during my day job, and I didn’t want to put in any more screen time if I could help it. It was therefore an easy decision to restrict myself to the shot I take in camera. I never use Photoshop or anything else to change the image. The image you see is the image I captured. I have to frame it well, make sure it’s straight and be happy with the light and everything else. If I’m not, I go again. And again.
There’s a certain honesty I like about that, and a Wabi-Sabi essence that fits well with my aesthetic sense and my philosophy in life. Our visual lives are becoming so curated, uniform and clinical. Filters on apps, software and an avalanche of images all over the place do nothing to help this. Instagram is rife with images that are exactly alike, predictable, and boring. We have allowed photography to be accessible to everyone, even my 2 year niece Margaux.
This is great in many ways, because it opens up a form of self-expression to everyone, but creativity and self-expression are not often on the table. It is often copying a style or a perceived coolness from someone else who is recognised for theirs. Finding your own way is well worth it, because your unique perspective on the world is worth sharing. What is that unique gift you have to offer though?
