A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting on a river, happily photographing grizzly bears. After a two-day drive and a quick turnaround at home, I was off to San Francisco to sign 1,000 copies of the hardcover special edition of my new book, Light, Space, & Time: Essays on Camera Craft and Creativity. I also spent time with my publisher and my editor, much of it dreading the inevitable question: “So? What’s the next book?”
I just finished this one; can we not just revel in that for a moment? Yes? Fantastic!
Oh, that moment is over now and it’s time to get back to work? Drat.
Every time my long-suffering editor, Ted, has asked me that question, I’ve replied with the same answer: “I have no idea. I’m empty and have nothing left, so I’m certain I’ve written my last book.” But then we get to talking about what I don’t want to do, and “if I were going to do another book (which I’m sure I won’t), I’d want it to be more along the lines of…”
As an hour ticks by, I realize I’m describing my latest itchāsometimes an itch I didn’t even know I had until I started talking about itāand Ted asks when he should send the contract.
Every. Damn. Time. It’s uncanny.
And now I’ve got an idea. It’s nothing more than a spark of an idea, reallyāa hintābut I’m excited about it. Starting places are some of the hardest bits of the creative life to come to, whether you’re writing or making photographs. “Where do I begin?” is a tough question. I also wrote a book about that called Start Ugly: The Unexpected Path to Everyday Creativity, and if you haven’t read it, you might want to (though this is not about that).
This is about the magic of knowing what you’re interested in. Doesn’t every photograph start that way? With something that catches your eye and distracts you, something that pulls your interest and makes you pick up the camera to explore it more. We used to say “shoot what you love,” but I think the better advice is to shoot what you’re interested in. Here are a few quotes about that from Light, Space & Time: Essays on Camera Craft and Creativity,and if you haven’t ordered it, you probably should š). Also? Some grizzly bears. Keep reading.
“The photographers with the most to contribute are those who are interested in the world around them and, because of this interest, see that world from different angles. They think about what they see in interesting ways, and when they share that with their audience and the world around them, it is a glimpse into new ways of seeing the world.”
“Being more interested in the world around you affects the practice of your craft because thatās how you get to new perspectives on what you photograph. Itās how to get to new ideas about those subjects towards which you point your lens. You canāt think more creatively about anything without being interested in it and giving it at least a second glance.”
“Only by being interested in what you photograph will you think about it long enough to see it from every angle, consider new approaches, and experiment with different combinations. This is the creative approach, and it alone is what gets you past the obvious, past the low-hanging fruit of what you have already done. I often hear the longing for more (or greater) creativity from photographers who say, āI wish I were more creative.ā There are many angles from which one could approach finding that increase in creativity, but for now, I suggest it might be as simple as finding something in which you are truly interested. Not just kind of interested, but something closer to fascination. Something you think of when you donāt have your camera in your hand. Something that distracts you when you should be doing other things. Find that subject or theme, and youāll have rich veins to mine.”
“To have more interesting perceptions is to be more interested, not just in one thing, but in many. Thatās how we gather not only the dots that creativity is concerned with connecting but also the dots we actually care aboutādots we spend time thinking about. In my experience, thatās how we get there: if you want to be more interesting, begin by being more interested. Want to be more creative? Be more curious.”
“If more interested photographers create more interesting photographs, then I donāt think itās unfair to wonder what kind of photographs are made by bored photographers.”
A quick note: if you’re interested in how I made the low and close photographs, I’ve made a short post about my remote camera set-up here.
When Ted asked me what my next book was,Ā I had no idea. But pokingĀ at it a bit,Ā I sure knew what I was interested in (and what I definitely wasn’t interested in), and that was enough to get me started.
What are you interested in? What distracts you when you should be thinking of other things? Use that; leverage it. It’s both a compass to point you to new ideas and new work and fuel to keep you going past the ugly starts and the feelings of “this isn’t working” and into the new and heady creative territory that we find ourselves in when we get past the same-old, same-old.
Light, Space & Time explores the inner game of being a photographer. It’s about thinking and feeling our way into better photographs by being more aware of how we use one of our most important tools: our creativity. You can pre-order it through the links below.
For the Love of the Photograph,
David
Light, Space & Time, Essays on Camera Craft and Creativity is available in 2 editions. The softcover is available at Amazon and wherever great books are sold. There is also a hardcover edition limited to 1000 hand-signed copies, which includes a digital copy of the book so you can read it on the go on your laptop or device and leave the book at home, safe on your coffee table. The signed hardcover is available exclusively from the publisher here.
Comments
Interesting questions, David. What grabs me lately is photography that’s not typical photography. We’ve had decades of documentary photography and in the last 2 decades video has taken some of that ground from under our feet. I noticed a growing number of photographers who exploit odd angles, long exposures or looking through objects. Saul Leiter was way ahead of us, but the point is: beauty. Freezing a moment of beauty that may otherwise be missed in our busy lives. I’m not sure if my skills can meet this challenge. š
Hi David.
Love your Light, Space & Time. Studying the digital version at the moment. Chapter 6 has challenged my comprehension. As best as I could sum up my understanding of the chapter in a question, I wrote the following;
āStarting with the feeling evoked in me in response to the scene, what visual elements in that scene accompany/contribute to that feeling that I want to convey and promote to the viewer of my image?ā
David, does this question of mine come anywhere near close to understanding your primary message of chapter 6?
Hi Steve – Yes, I think you nailed it. And to think I needed a whole chapter to say what you did in one sentence. š Well done!
Of course I have ordered your ridiculously beautiful book! What you say about your interests leading you works in any realm. I am writing a novel and whether it is ever published or not, Iām having great fun putting in everything Iām interested in, that takes me down dozens of rabbit holes.
I take photographs, and also make them with ai, to put in my working notebook. The more complicated, the more joy it brings me.
I havenāt received your pre-ordered book from Amazon yet, as much as Iād love a signed hardback, but I am eagerly anticipating a frabjous celebration when it arrives.
Thanks, Sandy! I think that the softcover (which is just as beautiful as the hardcover) should be shipping a little sooner than initially expected. Fingers crossed. And 10 bonus points for the use of “frabjous” š
David, your readers must be the smartest photographers in the world! I tried four times when you first announced your signed, limited edition book to buy one from Rocky Nook using PayPal. I eventually gave up. Today, when you told me there are still copies available, I tried again, Three more times entering my PayPal password, a reset of my Rocky Nook password (who knew I had to have a password to order a book?) and 16 captcha’s later, Rock Nook accepted my order! This was the most difficult online purchase I’ve ever made.
Hi Tom, Well I like to think my readers are smart but not for that reason. I’m so sorry you had to jump through the hoops you did. How frustrating. I forwarded your feedback to the publisher in hopes of sparing others from that. Thank you for your persistence!
As a fledgling photographer and liver of life for the last 7 decades,
I get lost in light, space and time daily.
And so,
I thank you for your body of work ( thus farā¦)
and look forward to each email with your words and photos .
Light, Space & Time is beautiful.
Thank you, Joanne!
What are you interested in? What distracts you when you should be thinking of other things?
There are two great questions. As a planner and a acchiever I spend too much time thinking about the how I am going to pursue my interests or create the story I want to tell vs setting the intention and taking photographs.
When I look at the stories Iāve crafted that I enjoy the most theyāve not quite ended the way I started. But the journeys were amazing I allowed my self to think less about the experience and allowed myself to get immersed in the experience.
I have never had a real affinity for wildlife photography, it just doesn’t do much for me. But I have to say, David, that the photograph of the bear emerging from the water, shaking his head is absolutely riveting – a picture I could look at over and over again. I know how fascinated you’ve become with backlighting these animals shaking off water and this image takes that “interest” to the max. Oh, wait a minute, that’s what this whole article is about, isn’t it? :>)
That means a lot to me, Kerry. Thank you, my friend. š
Seeing the photos in this introductory article I see photos of bears too near to be taken by you, sĆ³ I ask what sort if camera trap do you use. I have been looking for this acessory for photographing spirts using also external flash, but it is very difficult to find informations
Hi Francisco! I don’t use what is traditionally referred to as a camera trap. I set my camera on a tripod only once I see a bear walking the shoreline. That camera is controlled with a CamRanger 2 trigger and I can see and adjust almost everything through an iphone or ipad, including when I press the shutter. It works well up to about 100 ft or 30m away, which is plenty because I’m also in a boat. I suspect using a flash would be fairly easily incorporated into this. You can find more at https://camranger.com/camranger-2/ – And I’ve put up a short post about this here: https://davidduchemin.com/2024/10/my-remote-camera-set-up/