'Swagger' When You Shoot!

Have you ever watched a really good photographer work? What did you notice about how he or she approached the subject? Was there any hesitation with regard to the photographer's ability? Did he or she fumble around when trying to set up a shot, or did the photographer step right into the situation and take control?
My point is that many times people react to the way you approach them when it comes to taking photographs. Maybe an example will say it better. When I was working for the government I took a course in how to teach police officers photography. One of the practical parts of the course was an assignment to take a 4x5 film camera and 'go take some pictures'. We were given 4 hours to take the photos and return. Three of us immediately loaded up our gear and drove to JFK airport (don't try this now!)....
When we returned later that day we had photos of the pilots and flight attendants inside the cockpits of several jetliners... we had many shots of people inside the terminal (especially the pretty ladies!)... and dozens of photos of people who worked in the terminal.
As we did the show and tell later that day most of the other photographers had photos taken outside the classroom. Pictures of cars, the street, etc. Needless to say our photos were discussed in much more detail.
What I'm trying to say is this...even if you don't know what you're doing... act like you do. While it is true that taking decent photographs requires a certain amount of technical expertise, it is also true that all the technical know-how in the world won't make up for a lack of zeal in approaching the subject. It is a fact that no one person knows your shortcomings except you. And if you approach a subject (especially a living, breathing subject!) with misgivings about yourself that will be transmitted to the subject faster than you can say 'cheese'.
I used to teach a class in medical school about touching patients. The idea was that in your profession as a physician it was many times going to be necessary to place your hands on the patient. What I tried to stress was that the ideas a physician has in his or her mind at the time of doing so are transmitted directly to the patient in numerous ways, and as such become very clear to the patient. I demonstrated that by shaking hands with one of the male students in a very matter of fact way... no big deal. Then I would repeat the process... simply shaking hands... but would send a totally different message! In almost every case the student would recoil and pull his hand away!
People 'read' us all the time. It may be at work, at home, on the basketball court... but we are being watched to see 'where we are coming from'. It's part of our protective mechanism as human beings to do so. The same happens when you take on the job of directing a subject in order to make a photograph. That person (no matter what age!) is 'sizing you up'... and most of the time how the photo turns out will depend on how you handled that situation. You can bet most subjects are at least a little self-conscious when they approach a photo shoot... if not just plain scared.
When I say 'swagger when you shoot' I certainly don't mean to say you should behave in a boastful or conceited way... but rather with confidence in yourself and your ability. As you do the feelings you have will be sent straight to your subject. That relationship... between you and the subject... can be an extraordinary thing. It will be different based on each situation and each person you encounter... but it will be stronger if you pay attention to your subject, connect with the subject on both a physical and emotional plane, and exhibit your ability to have faith in yourself.
After all, if you don't have faith in you... who does?

OK....I Was Wrong!

Having just returned from a wonderful workshop experience I have to say my comments earlier about the cost of such an excursion were wrong. Not only will my photography benefit from this experience but my life as well.
I had my doubts when I signed up for the Santa Fe class. Would it be worth the time and money? How would my work compare to that of my peers? It was my first workshop and so I had many unanswered questions about the experience as a whole. I was fortunate enough when I first arrived to read a small book of essays by Brooks Jensen entitled "Letting Go of the Camera". One of the essays was about workshops and what to expect from them as well as how to approach the experience as a new participant. After reading it I knew I had some decisions to make about how I was going to handle a new situation.
One of the first things I had to do was decide how I was going to deal with the idea of being in a class with so many creative people who shared my interest in photography and who probably were much better at their craft than I was. I guess I could have tried to be competitive, but life has taught there are always going to be those who have achieved a higher level of expertise than me no matter what the endeavor. Okay then...maybe I'll just be a fly on the wall and soak up all I can by osmosis....wrong! You can't do that with folks who are engaging and intelligent. They just naturally draw you in their direction and feed your hunger for 'connections' with real people. Finally I decided maybe it would be wise just to 'go with the flow' and let events take their natural course.
The truth is once you decide it isn't a competitive situation the rules are already set for you. It's going to be fun, exciting, educational, interesting, exasperating, tiring, and on and on and on....in other words exactly what I had hoped for. And you're going to end up engaged in the situation as a whole experience....one that filters through you and can change you at the core if you trust it and let it happen.
Who would want it any other way?
I can't remember the last time I woke up anxious to face the new day with the enthusiasm I felt during my stay in Santa Fe. I think the experience may have even rolled back a few years! To be able to carve out a few days in such a creative and enjoyable atmosphere is like cool rain on your face. You just want to stand in the open with your arms out-stretched and your face toward the heavens and say "Hit me with your best shot!"
Did I mention the people I met there? :-)
To Edie, Erin, Jennifer, Dawn, and John I say thank you....thank you for your kindness, your warmth, your knowledge, your humor, your patience, your unselfish nature,....and most of all thank you for just being you.
My life is richer for having met you.
How much is that worth?

"Dancing with the Devil"

I have put off writing this essay for a while for a number of different reasons...but I think its time has come. Watching some of the activity on various web sites has led me in this direction...
I have thought for some time the computer and all its associated activities has been both one of the greatest boons to mankind and at the same time one of the worst things that could have happened to our society. Like a lot of things it appears to me to be a two-edged sword.
Put aside the patients I have seen in my practice whose lives were ruined by the chat room experts who draw others into their fantasy world and know exactly what to say to control them. Put aside the porn sites that pry couples apart and isolate people from the real world. Put aside the "You Tube" idiots who do anything for a moment's fame. Let's concentrate rather on the well-meaning folks who think they are doing the rest of us a favor by just existing and sharing their mantras and paradigms with us....
I've said previously that the internet provided unequalled opportunities for growth in many areas...especially areas such as photography...where the experience and knowledge of others can move us forward at a faster than normal rate. I still believe that...but only with certain caveats.
Take for instance the recent critique I made of a photograph on one web site. I gave what I thought was a kind, honest appraisal of a photo...not the highest rating but not the lowest either. Immediately...and I do mean immediately!...I was accosted by someone (not the photographer who took the photo...) who berated me for posting a rating he considered too low. He further stated it was necessary for us all to be 'agreeable' (whatever the heck that means!) and that we were members of a 'club' where giving less than glowing ratings of a photograph could greatly discourage newcomers and seriously hold back their growth. In essence he was saying posting lower than average ratings was a no-no. I wanted to ask how it was fair to new members (or old members for that matter) to be dishonest and inaccurate in our critiques but I chose not to do so. In my experience these folks aren't interested in any real discussion...they just want to be heard. Talk about 'dumbing down' the learning process! What a load of horse poop! The end result was that I resolved not to go back to that site and critique any more photographs.
Sound like sour grapes on my part? Maybe so...as I said I've been thinking about this for a while and something did prompt me to write it. But truthfully? I think I'm just making an observation on the current state of affairs. Let's be honest...look around at what happens every day! It's not just this one instance that causes me pain...such things are bound to happen when one can hide behind the anonymity of the internet...it's the repitition of this type of behavior I see over and over again that distresses me...
Somehow in the ether of this electronic milieu we have developed an elite vanguard of those who...most without the slightest authority or expertise...decide what is right and wrong and force it upon themselves to 'police' the activities of the evidently untrained and hopelessly lost rest of us! These folks don't even claim to be experts...they just ram ahead with no forethought for the consequences of their actions. How discouraging! And I know the same thing applies on other sites devoted to any number of vocations or avocations. I hear and see the same complaints from others.
Oh I know....this isn't a new happening! And it won't go away...time has proven that. But at least I can vent and raise my own awareness that the internet with all its associated goodness also at times shows the worst of us all. The ego, the desire to be someone else or at least exist in another place (even if it's unreal!), the selfish nature of so many people, the desire to be on top (at the expense of others), etc., etc., etc...
Like so many things this two-edged sword cuts both ways...so be careful. Dancing with the devil is exciting...but also dangerous. Keep your wits about you...judge everything based on fact and not pseudoscience...parse everything you see and read through real world facts and judgements. In other words....partake, but keep your eyes open and your head up!