Does one size fit all?

From time to time, I’ll go back and read: On being a photographer, which is a book written in an interview style. It’s a conversation between David Hurn, a Magnum photographer, and Bill Jay. I’ve read it a couple of times and each time that I read it I pick up a small nugget of wisdom that I hope not to forget.

Choosing a subject
Of particular interest was his idea about how to pick a subject. Certainly, this top has been beat to death, so I’ll be very brief so as not to annoy you. He says that you should pick something that interests you. Something that you can study. You should make a list of all of the things that you find interesting. Cross of those items that cannot be represented visually, such as Greek philosophy. Further, cross off those that are not conveniently located or that you do not have access to. The remaining list has the potential subjects that you might pursue. He says that it should be very specific. For example, rather than to say “The Beach”, perhaps you could say “Couples showing affection on the beach.” This reduces down the subjects or actions to a manageable size such that you could create a meaningful body of work.

Pregnant moments
Next, he went on to talk about capturing a good shot. He talked about pregnant moments. Those moments that build to a crescendo and hopefully ‘deliver’. If you see one, you’ll recognize it. The example he used was of a man walking towards a woman; You’re anticipating a kiss; you take a few pictures as he approaches her, move your feet a bit to simplify the elements, continue taking pictures, wait, wait, wait, for the kiss, but in the end, he was just going to get a sandwich. Sometimes those moments work. Sometimes they don’t.

Does one size fit all?
I think that this technique works well for people or animal photography, but does it work well for the landscape, which is basically static, save for the ever changing light? Perhaps the changing of the light becomes the pregnant moment. Perhaps the changing breeze. Perhaps it’s waiting for the sun to be in the right position, shining on that little plant … the moment when all of the elements come together.