Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/10/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>I shoot more from feeling or motivation of the moment, than any other >reason that could be explained. I guess it is a motivational / gut thing >rather than a technical moment that triggers me to squeeze the shutter >release. Ted, When I am shooting I am so involved in the experience of creating the image that I literally feel like I am reaching out and grabbing the exact image I want. The camera and lens is simply an extension of my mind allowing me to grab the moment, light, and mood I see through the finder and record it on film. I am so involved in my subjects that I feel that I am part of what I am photographing. Perhaps this is a little to Zen, but I think that you have to be emotionally involved in your work or it is staid and stale. You must allow part of yourself into your work for it to become something more than snap shots. I think this is true if shooting sports or landscapes. I also think this is why I prefer the manual features of the R6 over my former Canon EOS stuff. Since I am doing all of the work including focus I am totally involved in the photo process and not having to worry about keeping the af sensor on the subject, I can keep the image sharp by using my hand eye coordination which in turn allows me to "see" clearly. Looking at great photographers work, or hanging out with a good photographer are both great ways to begin to break into developing your own style. Doing this can teach you to look at the world from more than standing up and straight on. However, at some point you have to begin to "see" things on your own. I know when I was first starting out and was covering a difficult assignment I often would think "What would such and such do" and I would find a photo. This was simply a cop out to allow my creative brain to start working. Now when I am on a roll I am thinking fully with my creative brain and when I look back on my work I sometimes do not even remember how I came up with the idea to do what I did to get the image. I really believe there is something to that old Right brain/Left brain thing and you have to allow the creative side dominance over the analytical side. Harrison McClary http://people.delphi.com/hmphoto