2.5 sec at f/22, focal length: 200mm, ISO 200 - October 13, 2008, 8:34am PDT
Photographed with Canon EOS 20D, EF 70-200mm f/4L, tripod mounted
I find myself being drawn more and more to the quiet moments, the quiet compositions. You'll often hear of photographers that would rather pose a question than to answer it. I find that if I strive for this as well, then I become more engaged with the subject and can connect with what's there in front of me in a very real way. I begin to feel the pulse of nature harmonizing with my own and it no longer becomes about making the photograph. But at the same time, the photograph seems to become easier to make. It's almost as if nature is saying "OK, now that you can see, I will show you".
Even at this point I continue to ask questions, and continue to leave those questions unanswered in the final image so that the viewer may participate. This doesn't mean that I have to completely abstract the situation to the point that the only question left to be asked is "What is this?", but it does mean not being completely narrative or "scenic".
Now, I have abstracted a subject pretty much to that point, as can be seen on this blog. But even with those images, I still try to leave other questions to be asked without being stumped by the "what is this?" conundrum.
I encourage everyone that hasn't taken this approach to try it out. It's a very refreshing way to interact with your subject and I think you may just like the results.
3.2 sec at f/22, focal length: 91mm, ISO 200 - October 13, 2008, 9:01am PDT
Photographed with Canon EOS 20D, EF 70-200mm f/4L, tripod mounted
Sam Abell, famed National Geographic photographer, discusses his gravitation towards the quiet moment in a recent interview with PDN's Conor Risch. You can read it here. I had the pleasure of spending three days with Mr. Abell while attending Brooks Institute of Photography, studying photojournalism. The man is poetry; in his photography, his writing and his speech. He is a very gifted artist and if you aren't already, then you should become very familiar with his work. "The Photographic Life" is a great place to start. He also has a new book coming out (thus the interview with PDN) titled "The Life of a Photograph" which will be joining my collection once it is released.
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