A beautiful cover photograph brings immediate attention to the latest Craft and Vision eBook. Notice the color harmony with the rich blues of the sky and water combining with the warm hints of light and reflection. That’s actually a lesson in itself on aesthetics and balance in photography. The Vision Driven Photographer by David Du Chemin is subtitled Notes On Discovering and Refining Your Vision. It may be described as the culmination of David’s teachings on vision and why it matters when it comes to photography, a teaching process that has encouraged countless photographers through books, ebooks, blog posts and evocative imagery. Fans, colleagues and friends will already know that David has a big adventure planned for 2011 and will be eagerly looking forward to the photographic journey that comes from that.
Part one of The Vision Driven Photographer looks at the importance of vision. Vision in the personal, macro sense and vision in the photographic, micro sense. We all have vision in the personal sense in the way we see and interact with the world around us. It’s natural, it’s organic, it’s always evolving and changing. Pick up a camera and we add an extra layer to that by way of our intent. How we show what we see and what we want to show go into our photographic vision. The key to great photography is intent.
Continuing with the theme of vision, the reader is shown why vision matters. If you haven’t read the ebook yet, take a moment now to consider that question. Ask yourself why your vision matters and how it affects your photography. Done? Good, but did you confuse vision for style? David then explains why this is a common mistake and gives reasons why vision is not style, although there necessarily is a relationship between the two.
It’s also not technique. As is pointed out, our photographs don’t always look like how we want them to. We can have all the technical know how in the world but if the vision is lacking, the photographs will be lacking. Here I’m reminded of an Ansel Adams remark where he said he considered it a good year if he came away with 4 excellent photographs. The expression of vision depends on a number of variables and it will differ from photographer to photographer. Why? We need to know what we want to express, and when we photograph with that already in our mind, the resulting images will be stronger. Consider how many times you’ve walked around with no intention just hoping to see something interesting to photograph and come home with nothing special. Knowing what you want to convey in the photograph will lead you to decisions regarding what settings and technical requirements there are to express that aesthetic, and lead the viewers to see what you want them to see. It’s not, by any means, easy. If art and creativity were easy, then a) everyone would be creating great art and b) it would lose most or all of its power. Two of the photographs in the Vision Driven Photographer took 4 days to make. Numerous attempts from different angles in different light were required. Here is probably where the amateur (in the work sense) has a big advantage over the working photographer. An amateur doesn’t have client deadlines to deal with. There is the freedom to continue shooting over and over again until your vision has been properly expressed. Don’t overthink things but at the same time, don’t be lazy.
Inside pages pf The Vision Driven Photographer
Finding Vision is the theme of part 2. It’s all about discovering your intent and becoming more clear about about it. A big component of that is the common themes that run through your work and here a creative exercise is offered that will help you discover and understand your vision. There are similarities between the process as outlined here that allow any photographer to nail down your vision and some of the techniques that Selina Maitreya talks about in regard to commercial photographers building portfolios. In both personal work done and commercial work, your own creative vision is what sets you apart and makes you unique.
Continuing on, there’s a note about competition. This, as alluded to, is likely to create some discussion in the coming days and weeks. The competitive mindset is, by necessity, different from the expressive, creative mindset. Competing can be distracting and winning even more so. Play is much more satisfying.
More creative exercises and simple suggestions are offered to help you find your vision. Shooting in the rain, or without focusing or any of a number of other possibilities all serve to open your mind and lead you to vision. Beware of imitation. It’s a very easy trap to fall into, especially with so much great photography being placed online daily. Listen to other photographers but don’t imitate them. I might add here that if you do imitate them for some kind of learning exercise, remember that it’s just that – an exercise. It’s not your personal vision.
Advice and suggestions are offered in regards to personal work. This is mostly directed at working photographers, reminding them to pursue some non-client assigned photography projects. Study other creative fields. Maybe paintings resonate with you, or writing or music. Look at how the creative artists in other disciplines express their vision. Grow. Evolve. Let your vision be a part of your daily life.
For the first five days only, if you use the promotional code DRIVEN4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of The Vision Driven Photographer for only $4 OR use the code DRIVEN20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes start at 1:00am PST, November 24th, 2010 and expire at 11:59pm PST November 28th, 2010. Click here to visit Craft And Vision.
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