Shooting From The Soul

          The "Wow Factor." I love it. That moment when I look at an image presented by a photographic friend or colleague and the first word out my mouth is "Wow!" With all due respect to ego, I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that I like being on the receiving end of the "Wow Factor" as well. It's gratifying to know that I have the equipment, skills and experience and sometimes  just the dumb luck to create an image that can make someone say, "Wow!"            

     Often  when I press the shutter button, the resulting photo is less than spectacular. It does nothing more than capture the essence of the scene or subject in front of the camera. It's not necessarily a bad shot. It just lacks the "Wow Factor". American photographer, Garry Winogrand is quoted as saying, "The photograph should always be more interesting or more beautiful than what was photographed." By that standard,  the vast majority of images in my collection are pretty lackluster. However, there's something to be said about simply capturing the essence of the scene or subject. When an image exists without pretense, the reality of the subject or scene is all that's left. It's a glimpse into its soul. 

     I don't want this to devolve into a defence of mediocrity. I firmly believe  that I have a responsibility as  a photographer  to create images that attempt to  exceed conventional expectations. I wrote a blog post about this a while ago. https://refractivereasoning.blogspot.com/2019/06/shooting-with-intent.html   What I'm trying to express here is that sometimes photographs that don't garner significant interest (or sales for that matter) can still be important to the photographer who created them. 

 

    

    Firstly, they can function as learning tools for the creation of better work. If I can make an accurate analysis of an image's faults, I'm in a much better position to create better work if I find myself in a similar situation in the future. Secondly,  they can serve as a catalyst to an emotional response.  Often a photograph can trigger a memory of my state of mind when I took it. A photograph can serve  as a simple, yet valuable record of an event, place or time.  It is the reason that, until recent times, the family photo album was the most precious book in the house. A photograph doesn't always have to be brilliant to be of intrinsic  value. 

     So, in my quest to make images that have the "Wow Factor ", I try not to fret too much over the thousands of images I create that are less than stellar. In my journey in this craft, they might just be the most important pictures of all.

...more later