Think More and Shoot Less

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Reflections, Clear Lake

Reflections, Clear Lake, California, New Year’s Day, 2001

What shooting film taught me:  Think More and Shoot Less
There are many reasons I love using digital technology to make my photographs. The immediacy of the capture process invigorates my creativity and the quality of the printed image exceeds my expectations. Digital photography has a number of clear advantages over traditional film/darkroom technology. However, one digital advantage was so attractive, that, for a time, it seduced me away from the way I create my best photographs.

Some things I love about digital photography:
• Instant image capture provides powerful feedback loop for confirmation and/or adjustment.
• Development of the negative and print in safe fresh air instead of hazardous, smelly chemicals.
• Prints are superior in visual quality to previous darkroom prints.

Here’s the feature that got me, temporarily derailing me from my creative rhythm:
• Tiny memory cards that hold a seemingly inexhaustible number of captured images.

A Great Feature?
Wow!  Why wouldn’t I want an endless supply of film, taking up virtually no space and weighing next to nothing? Wouldn’t you? Maybe if you never shot film, this potential wouldn’t seem so incredible. But, coming from where I was, this was like winning the lottery, or finding a pot of gold.  When I wired with film I’d  keep track of how many exposures I had left, making sure I’d save several frames for the magic hour – the time when the good light might come. My film was a precious commodity and as such was allotted out carefully. But, now, through the miracle of digital I could make as many photos as I wanted… any time I wished. The days of counting exposures and rationing film was over. Boy, was I seduced!

What Went Wrong?
I was wealthy beyond my imagination. Or, was I….? At first, I shot like a madman. I was the crazy guy in the desert, who when finding a pool of water from which to drink, starts scooping it up and pouring it over his head. I had it all..everything but the yippee! I shot wildly for the first few times, happy to never run out of my digital film. I was sure that I was getting lots of great photos, as I jumped from one great scene to the next. Each evening, though, my spirits sank as I reviewed the results on my laptop screen. I spent a long time sorting through the hundreds of images searching for winners. Usually, there were none. Something was missing, something that volumes of shooting wasn’t providing. I wondered what?

A Lesson from the Past
As I thought about what went wrong, I remembered how I had worked when using film. Things had changed. Now, in my current excitement to make lots of images (because I could!), I was going so fast that I had lost my focus, my attentiveness to my subject, the landscape. Previously, when shooting film, its scarcity and made it precious – it slowed me down. The film attained value, and as I conserved it I became more conscious of how I went about making an exposure. My tempo in the field, seemingly driven by the scarcity of the film, also had a positive side-effect on my awareness. I had developed a heightened consciousness and care about every photograph I made.

Less Really is More
Since this realization, I’ve changed the way I work, returning closer to the method I used with film. Just because I can make tons of exposures, doesn’t mean I should. I now work much the same way I used to work with film. I slow down, examine my subject from every angle, consider if there is even a photograph worth trying for. In short, I think more and shoot less. Because of this, I now find a higher percentage of my compositions have value. They express a deeper way of seeing and are imbued with the thoughtfulness that occurs when enough time is allotted.

Getting Connected
There is another benefit to a practice of careful, thoughtful shooting. By making fewer exposures, you will be more connected to the ones you do make. The increased attention you give to your photos will bring you to a deeper connection with them and you’ll better understand both your successes and failures. This feedback will provide you with accelerated improvement in your expressive work.

Precious Time
One of the greatest wealths you will obtain is time. The hidden cost of mindless shooting is the loss of your precious time… time lost not only while you were making all those poorly considered images, but again, later, as you sort through and then trash the hundreds of bad photos you made. Your time is the only wealth you’ll never recover when it’s gone. I hope you’ll consider that the next time you go out photographing. Think more, shoot less and be glad you did!

Blue Oak Group, Briones Regional Park, California

Blue Oaks, Briones Regional Park, California

Lenswork Publishes Infrared Trees Photos

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Last Monday night after returning from a day of photography with a friend, I found a notice from Lenswork that their latest online digital edition had been published. Exciting news! This meant that my portfolio Infrared Trees accompanied by the audio file of a conversation I had with editor and publisher Brooks Jensen was going out into the world! (You can listen to the conversation, courtesy of Lenswork, on my site via the link above.)

The beautifully-produced pdf edition, which also includes collections from six other photographers, is available only from the publisher for $9.95 and can be downloaded here:  Lenswork Extended #125 Computer Edition. Please note: only the extended “computer edition” contains my portfolio. The tablet version does not. 

Lenswork selected twenty-one photographs to publish from a larger group of my tree photographs here. Screen shots from my section of the online publication are here below:

Infrared Trees title page     Infrared Trees Marty Knapp text page

I’m honored to have my photography featured in this prestigious publication. I’ve been a long-time subscriber and follower of Brooks Jensen and Lenswork. Their bi-monthly print and online journal features the best of contemporary photography along with thoughtful essays about the creative process. I have been inspired and benefited greatly from both the print and online versions of Lenswork.

Brooks Jensen’s more than 900 podcasts have informed me during my migration from film to digital photography. His musings on the creative process are so insightful and motivating that I recommend them to all aspiring and practicing photographers. His are the best and longest running podcasts on photography. They are free and accessible via several means. Check out this great resource here!

Why Cropping Matters

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The art of making a photograph involves many decisions starting with the positioning and timing of the original exposure and culminating with critical considerations that affect the expression of the image in either a print or electronic version for website or email. No matter how much work goes into trying to “nail” the original composition there is almost always a considerable amount of work needed afterwards to successfully express a fine image. With the advent of nearly automatic focus and exposure available in today’s digital cameras, perhaps the most important decision of all is how to crop your source material. A well-considered crop can spell the difference between a good photo and a compelling one.

During the last several days I went through exposures I made during the last year.  I was looking for the best candidates from thousands I had made over the preceding 12 months. In looking, I hoped to detect trends in the subject matter that I had been drawn to that could then help inform my further progress and perhaps suggest a continuing, deeper direction. Last night while I worked on a photograph I made at Drakes Beach last winter, I was reminded how critical the final crop can be. In Lightroom, I made several virtual copies and adjusted each to a different crop for comparison.  I’ve posted several of those here to illustrate why cropping matters. First up is the full frame of the scene:

Original .67 AR

Original .67 AR

This is the only exposure I made of the scene. I  positioned my camera to capture the brilliance of the late winter sun on the nearby lagoon and out at the point. The sandy beach on the right leads out to the nearby landmass on the right, which in turn leads the eye toward the distant point on the horizon left. But last night when I looked again, I wondered if I could improve it. I made several virtual copies in lightroom and adjusted the crop on each one separately. My first crop variant was a square one here:

Crop 1.00

Crop 1.00

In this square version, I kept the brilliant reflections of the tidal pool, but removed most of the large bluff on the right. Notice how the driftwood log seems more important, taking center stage if you like.  It seemed too centered, so I decided to return to a horizontal approach, but this time much more panoramic than the original composition.  Here it is:

Crop .42

Crop .42

Here, the driftwood log remains a featured player, but is supported by the long shapes of the near and far landforms.  I’m still not sure which I like best. Because I sometimes have need for a “banner” image to head a webpage or email, I made one more version, here:

Crop .25

Crop .25

I’m still mulling over which one I’ll add to my catalog. In the meantime, I wonder which one you like and why?  I welcome your comments.