Avoiding first impressions
You know the old saying: “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”? Well, I think that you do, photographically speaking. For me, a first impression of a subject is a judgment of whether or not I think the object has merit as a photographic subject. This judgment can be colored my own feelings that day, more specifically if I’m tired, ill, or just having one of those ‘Been there. Done that moments’.
Working the shot
As most photographers that I’ve met are wont to do, they share ideas and things that they have learned. During our travels in the car, Kate and I share things that we might have learned from other workshops. One of the things that she has shared with me is something that she learned in a Frans Lanting workshop. It’s called working the shot. The premise is that if you find a subject that calls your attention for some reason, make sure that you give it your attention. My implementation of it is that I don’t just shoot one or two shots and then move on. I work the shot. Try it from every conceivable angle that I can think of, even if I think it is silly. Today, I saw how that could really pay off, IMHO.
Seeing is believing
Today, after our sunrise shoot, I wanted to put this technique into practice. To be honest, it wasn’t foremost on my mind. Breakfast was! 
However, Kate wanted to stop and shoot some plants, so I obliged. Initially, I didn’t really feel like shooting anymore and was content to sit on a dune and watch the light. Eventually, many things started catching my eye. So, I got into a prone position and started shooting. After about 30 seconds, I really got into it.
I came upon a yucca plant. The needles were interesting, but I’d seen hundreds upon hundreds of them already and wasn’t really interested. So, I snapped a few and then decided to work the shot. After a bit, I started seeing how the stiff breeze was blowing the needles to and fro and thought that it was good for an abstract. To make a long story short, I shot about 40 frames from various angle and spent about 10 minutes with this one plant. I was glad that I did!
Note: Both pictures were taken with the Nikon D300 with a 50mm f/1.8. I did not use any filters nor did I modify the shot using Photoshop except to add a little bit of sharpening. The final shot was ISO 100, 1/3000 @ f/1.8. And yes! It is exactly the same plant!!!
So, what do you think about the first impression vs. the final product? Was it worth the effort?
Great story, Paul – -
I had a similar experience about 7 years ago – - One of my clients is on the board of directors for the Santa Fe workshops – - He liked what I was shooting, but it was mostly wide-angle panoramic landscapes, and said it was time to break out of the mold, so to speak…
He suggested that the next time I was out shooting, pick a 10′ x10′ area out in the wild, and don’t leave it for one hour…Sounded BORING!!!
Anyway, I respected his opinion… The next time we went out shooting was on Christmas Day, in the mountains of San Diego county…There was about 2 feet of fresh snow, and, lo and behold, it was one of the most memorable and productive photo shoots I ever had! I ended up staying in that same 10′ x10′ area for over 2 hours…
Great shot, by the way – keep those creative juices flowing, and thanks for sharing with us…
Cheers,
John
@John: Thanks! That sounds like a really positive experience. It’s also one that I’m going to try this evening!!! We are going out to shoot again at about 3:30 PM MST. I’ll pick a hundred square feet, or so, and get cracking!!! I love these ideas!
So frequently your posts are inspirational and this is one of my favorites. Thanks for the push.
I certainly like the lasting impression MUCH better. I have often noticed that sometimes you know something is calling you to photograph something, but your conscious is a bit on the slower side than your subconscious. Another way I think of it is that most subjects are camera shy, just like many people. But the more time you spend with them, the more they open up to you.
Personally, I like the first shot better. I also tend to find that my “first impression” of a given spot is the one that works best (that’s not universally true, but often enough to make a generalization). Forty images on one plant? Definitely “overkill”, in my opinion. Trust your intuition – it will almost always point you in the right direction, and it won’t take 40 shots to find that “lasting impression”.
There you go, Paul. I’ve heard that from him before in an article or something. I think it’s a good exercise or warm up for getting into or back into the zone…even if your tummy is rumbling for breakfast. It was most definitely worth the time, that shot is so cool. It is warmer, more inviting, and very artistic.
I think it was worth it. Your resulting image is excellent and worth the time it took to make it happen.
I like and practice the idea of working the subject, but I take a little different approach. I’ll often spend a lot more time looking than shooting. When you find that subject that commands your attention, it’s worth the time to THINK about the elements that attract you. You can take the approach of brute force and just start shooting from various positions and perspectives, but if you can determine what part or parts of the subject fascinate you, it’s a little easier to start from that point and work forward. In short, I often find myself working a part of the subject rather than the whole of it. If I find additional pieces of intrigue within the subject, I may work those as well
@Paul: Thanks for chiming in! As for overkill, perhaps it would be for you, but it’s just a way that I work my way into the shot. Call it shutter meditation, or whatever. Perhaps all of the clicking releases the right enzymes to allow me to enter the right state.
As for image number and taking a long time, I don’t worry about it. I’m there having fun, not trying to beat a record or anything. BTW, the second image actually happened around shot 10, but I just kept shooting until I ran out of ideas. In the whole take, I had about 4 that I really liked. Certainly a worthwhile venture.
@John: Sometimes, I just sit, look, and wait. Then ideas do start to pop into my head. Other times, I’m in experimental mode. It depends on the mood that I’m in at the time. I don’t do much ‘thinking’ when I’m shooting. Mostly it’s feeling and going with intuition. In the end, getting the shot is what counts. Each way is, IMHO, perfectly valid. The end justifies the means, truly.
I think it’s a fine way of exploring the subject. Sometimes I take my time to think through how I want to picture the plant. Will I make an abstract or will I put the plant in its content (surroundings) and then I start out exploring it.
I like the second picture best because of the movement in it. Love it