Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Ken wrote: <<< I have images in mind before I go out and then when I do venture out everything around me is blah.>>>>>> Hi Ken, I believe you have described one of the worst traps a photographer can fall into when "going out and looking"! <<< I have images in mind before I go out>>>>> Don't preconceive, just go out with a completely clear clean mind and eyes. Let things happen before you without searching for your "images in the mind" as many/most times they aren't there! You are at the wrong time of the year, wrong location, bad time of the day and any other reasons why you don't find what you have/had set in your minds eye before going out. If one considers some of the great B&W photos of HBC, Eddie Adams in Viet Nam and some of the others of great spontaneous moments, then maybe you can see that they just went out "looking for something" but not something preconceived. Sure there are times in advertising and art photography where the photographer has an idea for a particular scene and they search or more than likely "create" what they had in their minds eye. And that's a major difference than going out and "just looking for something that turns you on by you having your eyes open and a clear visual mind!" Sometimes you can go for hours just walking and looking and nothing, absolutely nothing happens or is there to excite your photographic enthusiasm. And if that is the case, so be it. Go home, you've had a nice walk about that didn't do you any harm. :) Maybe the next time the light will be absolutely magical and everything from the sidewalks, the people, to the sky will create more exciting moments than you can imagine. Then the worst case thing to happen! You run out of film while in a wild frenzy of Leica photography! :) Take your time, stay cool and don't look "TOO HARD!" :) ted