Ripples in pool, Northumberland, March 2008On this post, Colin Griffiths left a comment that included:
This particular picture looks very considered!about my shot of the rocks and lobster pot.
This offers a dilemma between the well constructed & considered shot versus the "grab shot". It seems that my best work in Northumberland coming from handheld, walking about shots, rather than the ones I spent ages scoping and then crouched over the tripod. Maybe it comes from the though process being the difference between "that should be a good shot" and "let's try these things and see if they work".
One excuse I could offer is to do with the small format view-finder. Having worked for a while now with large format, I find the VFs on small format SLRs squinty for static work, not helped by less than 100% coverage. I find it harder to properly compose. My hit rate with large format is much higher for the same effort.
Maybe I'm an instinctive photographer.
It's not that the more instinctive shots are not considered it's just that the period of reflection is minimal and there is little faff. And yet I seem to prefer the results. What does that say about me as a photographer?
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To your last open question, I really wonder about that myself.
ReplyDeleteLike so many others, I want to be serious about my photography, but what is the measure for being serious? My conscious side tells me that I can be serious, even if I am happy with a shot I spend 10 seconds on, but still I often feel kind of guilty for not spending time with each subject.
What is the difference between a snap, and a fine art picture that was conceived in less then 10 seconds? How can anyone tell? A picture that appears to be a snap shot may have taken 1 hour to get, and the fine art photo may have taken just a couple of seconds.
I don't think the shots that comes easy is any less worth than the ones you work hard for. The work involved does not show up on the paper (usually not), and the viewer doesn't really care.
I think we should just he happy for the pictures that comes easy. We have to work hard for most of them.