Trust the Process?


The first in a series of 3 videos exploring the process of making photographs. We talk so much about "taking" photographs, but anyone that's ever worked hard to create images that are less than accidental, images they love, knows that it's much more complicated than that.

I'm always telling my students to trust the process but that assumes we know the process, that we're comfortable with putting the many pieces of our craft together, and many of us aren't there yet. It's one of the reasons our photographs remain somewhat accidental: we know many of the moving parts but aren't as comfortable putting them together as we'd like to be.  In fact, even for those learning the many elements and techniques, they'd learn so much better if those things were taught in context of each other, of our vision, and of the creative process.

I'm hoping this conversation sparks something for you and helps you begin to put the pieces together.  In a couple of days I'll send you an email with a link to the next video, 3 Things You Need to Know About The Photographer's Process, and the third video, simply called The Photographer's Process, will follow a couple days after that. That third video is a little longer but goes deeper and walks you through the making of one of my own images from beginning to end. I hope it's helpful to you.

If this video, or any in the series, raises questions, I'm happy to discuss those, just leave a comment below!

For the Love of the Photograph,
David.

 

Comments

  1. Thank you! I’m at the point where I feel I “ought” to be making fewer images to get the one that works for me. Your video reminds me that it’s ok that I make a lot of experimental images in the field. I can take time to live in the scene for a bit – it’s never as long as I think. I can try settings and angles and I’m ok with photos that don’t quite work. I’m not failing when I make these images. They may not be the final image, but they are creative steps that I need to take. Regardless of how long I photograph, I may ALWAYS need to make a lot of sketch images.

  2. is there a way you can add CC ( closed captioning) to your videos. Being as I am damn near deaf I cannot follow your advice. I am sure there are others with this issue.. thanks David

    1. Hi Cynric – I’m sorry to say, no. I have another student with this issue and I’d like to be able to do this but I just can’t. With the ongoing nature of this course and the heavy audio/video it’s just not financially viable. I know this disappoints and I hate that it does, but I’m just one guy with a very small niche audience and there aren’t ever the number of enrollments that would allow me to do this. I wish it were otherwise.

  3. Thank you for being thoughtful.It means a lot to me.I have had an awakening.

  4. Yes, good advice. I kept a few years’ worth… and have found ways to ‘rehab’ my thinking and perspective about some points of view – which a photo often is.
    I find it useful to delete when I am vacillating and can’t tell why – as an incentive to go try again.

    1. Jacques & David,

      I guess my feeling on delete is similar to David’s, but I think of it in a more practical way.

      At this point, almost everything is digital — even if it started in film. So images reside on disks (in files). Disk space is, essentially, free. Yes, every few years you get more, deal with crashes (you are backing up, right!), but it is a relatively low-cost item.

      Thus, in my mind, the major cost of all this is _time_ — specifically my time. I can fairly quickly go through a shoot and pick out what I suspect will blossom. But I don’t have the _time_ to find everything that won’t make it. So I just leave it. Later, my tastes or aesthetic may change. Or, I may learn more about what drives me (or others), and that may change my outlook. Lightroom can handle the load.

      So, leave things. Later, they may prove valuable in and of themselves, or may contribute to something else.

      1. Well said, Fred. Exactly my feelings on this as well. Time is worth too much.

  5. Absolutely! It IS the process that takes us further. Asking why and why not are critical at times for being able to move forward and to see other options. Thanks for this video.

  6. This. Having come through a four year (!) process of designing and building a custom home, I completely understand how one massive creative undertaking can obliterate your capacity to take on anything else. I’ve been a high volume shooter since I switched to digital in 2003 and I’ve always felt that fed my creativity, so it’s great to hear that approach being validated. And named! So my many, many failures are just sketches. After years and years of landscape/travel images, most of which could be replicated by anyone in the right place at the right time, I’ve started focusing on abstract compositions. I’ve made over a thousand sketches of the same subject, to end up with 10-20 really amazing compositions, all of which were heavily cropped and manipulated. Now I’m collecting rejections from publications and exhibitions and I’ve wearing every one as a badge of honor. Would I like more exposure? Hell, yes, but not getting it won’t make me stop. I have to create. I’m teaching friends at my home by setting up what looks like a hot mess on a table and encouraging them to experiment. My proudest moment was having a friend, who lives with severe mobility issues and hasn’t picked up a camera in over six months, sit on a sofa and make over a thousand images in a matter of hours. You don’t have to travel or even move very much to create beautiful art. Thank you David, for inspiring so many people!

    1. Thanks so much for this, Jacqueline. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one that got creatively paralyzed for anything but the home while it was happening. Nice to have my brain back now! Thanks, too, for sharing that moment with your friend. There’s nothing like seeing someone get out of a rut and take a needed step forward, is there?

  7. Awesome talk, David, and I don’t mean it pejoratively. It is liberating to hear.
    I have been aware of having my very own process for a while – not that the results are NG-worthy, they are not.
    But, I get a creative boost that feeds a need to shoot and post-process. Thing is, I have had guilty feelings about it and thought it was selfish to spend so much time on “a photograph”… Through it, I’ve come up with a few answers and revelations of my own, learned to quickly delete what I consider a bad shot (even if there is a small chance it could please someone else – it would not) and that I am my own yardstick so no need agonizing over the awful result, opposite what I thought when I decided to only go for only one or two sketches. I felt that feeling at the start of your video but decided to continue. It was well worth it.
    Thank you.

    1. Thanks, Jacques. The only thing I’d add to this is to be careful about deleting. I’ve found that when I photograph I need time to make several edits – that too is part of the creative process. Often I have almost deleted an image that didn’t do what I currently hoped in the way that I hoped, only to go back later – sometimes years later – to find that those exact images are the ones that now feel the strongest. I almost never delete now, and if I do, it’s years later.

      1. David, how do you store & organize all of the bazillion sketch images then? I’m already somewhat overwhelmed after roughly 18 months of working at this craft…

  8. Yay! Love this post so much. I used to be a process engineer and we used to joke that you always ask five questions: Why, why, why, why, and why?

    Also, love the idea of sketches so much and do what I can to practice the idea in reality–not just within an hour, not just within a day, but again and again over the years and in different seasons at the same spot. Of course, I don’t do this for every photo, but I do it for the places and people that inspire me the most; the ones that trigger something deep within. Honestly, it’s almost as if some places have become a life-long exploration project (possibly made a little easier for me because I’m not a pro). Truly, I’m an uber enthusiast in a very long love affair with photography. =)

    1. Yes! I love this, Liz: “it’s almost as if some places have become a life-long exploration project ” That’s the way I approach it all. The camera becomes, then, a collaborator in opening my eyes to see that which I’d have likely been blind to without it. The photographs reflect that. The more I explore, the more iterations I create, the stronger and more personal the work becomes.

  9. David,
    Not long ago, you sent out a short questionnaire to tease out those questions your students might have that you hadn’t thought of to address. Since then, another question has surfaced for me, and it did while watching this video, too. I’m not sure I’ll be able to frame it as a question, but here goes:

    I (and others) am passionately dedicated to photography as my art form. I spend money on online classes, learn things, improve, invent projects and execute them. I love my own work.

    However, there’s not much I can do with them other than post one frame a day on Facebook and Instagram—only one on FB because people don’t click open more than one. I enjoy those social medias, and Eye Em, too. I make books for myself that go on the shelf. I’ve been in one juried show and had a couple of small local shows that cost me a fortune in framing and now I’m stuck with expensive framed photos in the garage.

    I don’t anticipate ever making money from my art. I see how hard you work for your money—no, thanks!

    I realize that really, nobody is ever going to care about my art.

    Since you like taking on the big existential questions, how can ordinary, everyday photographers like me think about that?
    Photography is our passion, but it’s never “going to go anywhere.” How do you think I/we can come to gentle acceptance of that? How can we frame that reality in a way that makes us want to continue on regardless?

    1. Wow, Sandy. You don’t ease into things, do you? LOL! 🙂 That’s a fantastic (and really big) question. It’s probably one for which there are a million replies, all of them depending on who we are, what we desire, and how honest we are willing to be with ourselves. I think, to get rabbinic on you, I’d answer with this: Why do you make your art? You said you love your own work. Is that enough? If you want recognition, how much is enough? Is it enough that your work brings joy to 1 person or must it be a million? We’ll all answer differently. Art doesn’t need to go anywhere. Not for me. Art is the “anywhere”.

      Art IS the point. The making of it is the point. The questions it raises, the transformation it brings in our own lives, our thinking, our emotions.

      Without this turning into a counselling session for which I am not even remotely qualified, I’d say pour a glass of wine, open your journal, and don’t put the pen down until you’ve dug deep into why you do this. Then do it for that reason. Find the joy in that. and remember there’s a price to pay for all things – those that seek the recognition give something up in trade for that. Often they give up too much. Those that do not keep a freedom that others will rarely experience, both in the art-making and in their own inner lives.

      There are 7 billion people. No matter how good your art, no matter how revered, it will always be the case that more people will never see it, will be indifferent to it, or just not like it, than will ever celebrate it. So find the joy in the making. That’s the one sure reward we all get. You must be your own audience. (Keep an eye open, on May 26th I’ll be sending you an email about this very thing!).

      I hope this helps. I’m honoured that you ask me the deep and honest questions.

  10. Hi David, it is always great to read or listen to your advise. Thanks for that! You are a good storyteller and it fits in most of the time with the way I look to photography. Having said that I want to talk a little about previsualization. To me previsualization is a starting point, a faint idea of what kind of image I m searching for. Armed with it I enter the real life scene and naturally it all changes. The light is wrong, the desired point of view is out of reach, all that kind of complications. So I have to move on and let my starting idea evolve or even trow it away. But the result of this proces is that I have faith, focus and attitude. Sometimes the first shot is the best, sometimes the last, but the journey is full of joy anyway. And that’s what it’s all about!

    1. Agreed, George. And some people do pre-visualization really well. I do not. But I do approach my scene very intentionally and openly and I think what matters is not HOW you do that, compared to others, or whether Ansel was right or wrong, but that we all recognize what works best for us, that it is a process, and that starting, and working the process our way, is what matters. Many photographers are not nearly as self-aware as you are. I’m hoping to encourage them in that direction! 🙂

  11. Great video – I should have watched the first before the second (and maybe the comment would have been different). I have a couple of photographers I know that say they ‘see the image before taking it’. I looked at them strangely and said, I never do – I start, then continue to shoot based on what I see when I chimp (yes I do that) and I change based on that. Sometimes it is a simple image that I have no idea what I will do with later – but the ideas will flow whether it is a future composite or something else. For me, I think the tough thing is “being in the mood” (not finding time, just being in the correct mood) because I know that my photos change based on my mood – those when I am not in the mood reflect that same “not caring” look – but when I am more in the groove, the photos are much better. Keep making these thought provoking videos – that’s more important at this point than the equipment – thank you!

    1. Linda, If you see this, I left a reply to you in the comments on the 2nd video where you left a question.

  12. Thanks so much, Tom. It feels good knowing there are real live people on the other side of these things, people for whom this stuff makes a difference! Have a great photo walk today!

  13. Hi David
    Thanks again for another great “therapy session”. Like many of your disciples, I often struggle with finding my own artist vision statement. I’m hoping to hone that skill for my fast approaching trip to Venice and Dolomites… really trying to focus on that visual storytelling this time but realize I should have some vision in mind (yet keeping open to whatever unfolds in front of me or presents itself). I’m sure your next sessions will help me unfold that mystery. I also love taking outs of sketch images but maybe I’m not doing enough to really think that angle through. I will try that later today on a little photo walk planned with a friend (whom I will FWD this video to, along with an extra copy of your Soul of the Camera book)
    Anyways thanks again. I really enjoyed your other seminars and found them so helpful; looking forward to more and can’t wait for what’s next!

  14. Thanks again Dvivid for your thoughts and expressions, they are very similar to my own.
    The big difference being, you are able to express so eloquently, always look forward to your musings

  15. Always love your vids!!! The take-away from this one for me was unexpected….I thought my passion for photography had dried up – right after buying a heap of awesome new Sony gear and an editing computer and monitor, but listening to you I realised all my creativity has been flowing torrentially into decorating my new house and creating a garden, and that’s OK!!! House project is now nearly finished and my love of photography is revving up again….I’m excited to see what you are cooking up for us!!

    1. Fantastic, Deb! I think most of us have a finite amount of attention and creative resource we can apply in our lives and I know for me if I’m doing one focused creative thing, that’s all I can manage. I photograph, but not when I’m writing a book – the two compliment each other well, but not at the same time. When the reno was going on I thought I had brain damage. I couldn’t focus on anything except the renovation. And when I realized that it gave me such freedom to let the other stuff take the sidelines.

  16. Thank you David. I enjoy your words immensely…you are not only helpful but inspiring. I am looking forward to the next video and applaud you for helping us all.

  17. Thank you Davd. So many times people, photographers and non, have been astounded at the number of images I take in one place. I’ve been told that I should look more and take less, but for me that doesn’t work and I often get mediocre images..sketches…. and I’m disappointed. I now take lots more and try to experiment. It’s so freeing. Thank you.

    1. I’m thrilled that you’ve found that freedom and know what works best for you. I slow down. I look more. But I do it with my camera to my face much of the time. 🙂

  18. I almost cried. You’ve articulated the very thing I haven’t been able to put my finger on but have been beating my head against forEVER! Thank you! Thank you!!

    1. I don’t consider my day a success until I make someone cry, though usually that person is me! 🙂 Glad this helped in some way. I have 2 more videos coming – so stay tuned, Beverly.

  19. Hi David,

    when you talked about renovating your house as a creative process I feel reminded in my own situation. We are actual renovate an apartment in a 60 years old house for our daughter and son in law. All the doors and the bathroom are expanded, a lot of new slots for new electric wires are cutted and the rooms looks awful and like a ruin. My mother always says, it must become worse and ugly before its getting better. But we have a vision how it will look when the work is ready. We see the result as we say in german “in our spiritual eye”. But this vision won’t became realitiy without a lot of work, with trials and errors and shifting. But we trust the process, because we have a lot of experience after building and renovating several apartments and houses over the time.

    And the same I feel sometimes with my photography. What will be the result, why will I get that result and what I have to do to achieve this result. And I will trust the process, that I will get that result also with trials, persistence and collecting experience. I’ll look forward for your next thoughts.

    Have a good time, Manfred

    1. Thanks, Manfred! Good luck with the renovation! I hope yours goes at least as well as ours – we love our home now, but it sure took a lot of work!

  20. Thanks for this video, David. A very good reminder to me!

    have a hard time to hold my camera because of very severe arthritis in my hands. So I wondered what the ‘gadget’ or whatever it is that’s part of your camera in the video. I see it on my left side of the camera when watching the video. I wondered if it can be purchased, separate from a camera, if it would help me hold my camera with less pain. Thanks a lot.

    1. Hi! That’s a finger loop that Leica makes for the Q. I love it and wish my Fuji cameras also had one. I don’t know if you can get them for other cameras but there would have to be a way to connect it to the camera.

  21. Great advice and your teachings are always so refreshing. I’ve been floundering around in my business for 9 years and I think I’m finally getting a clear head. What I didn’t realise at the start was how much untangling of my psychological self I would need to do. Nothing to do with photography except that was what it was holding back.
    I’ve come close to losing everything, including my mental stability, in fact, I think I’m still tiptoeing along the edge of the cliffs. Now I have a clearer picture of what I want to do, what gives me purpose and now I believe this time it can be me taking on the cool and meaty projects. Not just those I would longingly view from a distance.
    The process has been long, very dark and painful beyond anything I’ve ever been through. But the process is the process, it’s mine, mine alone, I own it and I will prosper from it.

    Look forward to hearing more wise words. Incidentally, your home looks incredible.

    Have a delicious weekend.
    Cheers, JT

    1. Thank you, Jonathan. I just spent some time on your IG feed – you’ve got some lovely stuff there. Nice work. Sorry to hear it’s been such a slog to get to where you are, but I bet the results will be sweeter, and if not always sweeter, then as you point out, yours and yours alone.

  22. Thank you as always for your insight and guidance David. As a film photographer, I cannot fill my memory card to its bursting point nor can my income justify burning through endless rolls of film. However, asking “why” is still a huge take-away for me. I’m grateful for your wisdom and enjoyable delivery.

    1. Thanks, Rob. You’re right, there are different ways to apply these ideas. Film or digital, it’s still about taking risks, being intentional, asking why. Thanks for the reminder that we’re not all making ones and zeroes. 🙂

  23. Great , David ! I really look forward for more ! And thank you for doing this just for us photographers without a fee !

    By the way, you have the new Leica Q2 on your table . You would recommend as a travel camerca ? to reduce all the normal staff …
    Thanks !
    Richard

    1. Thanks, Richard! That’s actually the original Q, and while the new Q has a larger sensor, I don’t think the difference would be worth the price to change. I love this camera! it’s simple, easy to use, built like a tank, and the files are beautiful. I don’t get too bent out of shape about sharpness, but man are they sharp! For all around use, it’s a brilliant camera as long as you’re willing to embrace the constraint of the single focal length. I’ll go to Italy, Spain, and Ethiopia in the coming 8 months and only take that camera.

  24. Yes!!!! Love the process! Took a long time to ‘own’ it but it’s liberating!

  25. Thanks David a great video I just dusted my camera off after a few months ,
    Like you say cold not get the image I liked so I put my camera away
    listen to You I try again
    Thanks Robert

  26. David
    you appeared in my inbox at exactly the right time….your approach to teaching is brilliant . I had my own sucessful workshop and tour company for many years …in spite of doing it all backwards. My challenge was the left brain technical in-camera operation stuff … My first digital camera was in program mode all the time. That didnt stop me as my creative juices were flowing once I discovered innovative digital software enabling me to experiment and go beyond the limitations of in-camera capture. I sent a portfolio of my work to NIK software and was honored to be a part of the original team NIK. Photographers were
    thirsty to learn how to elevate their imagery to fine art and I was more than willing to share everything I knew. Now retired and
    I’m really inspired to hear from brilliant educators like you! It keeps me engaged and inspired to keep pushing ahead with my
    artistic passion!!!!!!! I look forward to your next video bobbie goodrich

    1. Thank you, Bobbi! If I could never make another photograph I’d be heartbroken, but nearly so much as if I couldn’t teach. It helps to know there are people like you on the other side of that teaching and that I’m not (just) some lone crazy man shouting into the void. 🙂

  27. Uh oh. I have a feeling I’m going to be giving you some more of my money in a few days. Not that the video isn’t valuable on its own. It is; that’s the problem. Whatever is coming down the pipeline is sure to be good…

    1. LOL. You’re not wrong, there’s a new resource coming. I’m hoping it’s helpful to you. Not going to lie, I’m really excited about this one. It’s a longer-term thing with more chances to interact, address specific questions, etc.

      1. I’ve never regretted spending money (within budget!) to make my life better. You’ve never failed to deliver (in part because you’re consistently transparent about whom the resource will benefit). Looking forward to this one; I think I’ve seen some sneak peeks in the Facebook group (which has also never failed to deliver), and I’m excited to see if this resource meets my needs. Watching my inbox!

        (And no, in case anyone reading this is wondering, I have never gotten and do not expect to get anything out of positive comments… just trying to give back some of what David’s work has given me.)

  28. Great video David, and very intriguing. Henri Cartier-Bresson used to describe his camera as a “sketchbook” (I love his work). Have you been reading his biography? 🙂 I’ll be looking forward to your next video!

    1. I have not, though I’m a big fan of his. Might be time to re-read The Decisive Moment.

  29. Your challenge of Ansel Adams’ process of pre-visualisation was appropriate. When I used to shoot film, I found his zone system and purchased a Weston lightmeter to help me understand it. Because the film process was a long process, and expensive, pre-visualisation, combined with the care of the exposure, correctly measuring and prioritising the zones was absolutely necessary. Leaving the field and returning to the darkroom needed to be a confident step. Dark slides were heavy and sheet film was delicate, so there was no opportunity in those days for “spray and pray”. I shoot people, but I would like to shoot landscapes really well, so I am looking forward to more of “trust the process”.

    1. I guess it’s different tools for different tasks, right? Shooting sheet film would require a great deal of awareness of the medium and pre-visualizing would be the way to go. With digital and the possibility of much more immediate feedback I think we can change our approach. But either way, it’s about being perceptive, knowing how the camera sees, and being intentional about how we use that camera to apply our vision.

  30. I totally agree when you say that “why” can be a scary question. It is for me and sometimes i find myself avoiding it, i cover my ears and keep shooting. I’m just too scared of not knowing the answer. Thank you for sharing, looking forward for the next ones. Cheers!

  31. Again David your wisdom cuts through the crap. I needed you again, just when you appeared today. Looking forward to more

    1. LOL. Thank you, Marilyn. I might just put that on my next business card. “Wisdom that cuts through crap!” 🙂

  32. Looking forward to the series, David. I have an image in my head for 10 years that I wanted to create of a location. Every time we went to that place, I took images over and over again. My husband was patient with me, because he understood as a photographer himself. Last year I finally had the image that I was after 10 years ago. And believe it or not, I actually squeeled and cried after I processed it. Some times it just takes trials and errors. 😃

    1. Wow, that’s some persistence! I bet it felt good to finally find a way to give voice to that vision, Iris!

  33. David,,,, You are talking about me… I love to read about photography and pour over Masters work… I do shoot but only a few images at a time… and if I don’t come back with a great shot I am discouraged…By reading and reading and studying there is no risk of failure… I stay in a happy place the way.

    I am going to push myself to make more images and not judge myself if I don’t have any good images.. Hope I can step out with courage and not stay where it is comfortable.

    1. The magic is in the risk, outside the comfortable. Most of us are afraid of that place, but it’s where the good stuff is! See you there, Susan!

  34. Personally, I always preferred Jerry Uelsmann’s idea of post visualization. I don’t necessarily know what an image will end up being. Stuff happens. Like remodeling an existing house. 😉

    1. I like that. I’m more of a “keep your damn eyes and mind open through the whole process” kind of guy. 🙂

  35. Dave, in between my constant revisiting “The Soul of the Camera” you touch me with something like this. I needed to hear this concept of “Trusting the Process” and “Own my Work” Thank you so much for what you give and share.

    1. My pleasure, Michael. I’m glad it helped. Keep watching, there’s more to come!

  36. Loved this video David. I went through my own introspection of my process recently on my blog. I found it therapeutic to just write down what I thought my process was. I look forward to hearing more about yours and seeing what I can adapt to grow mine even further.

  37. Thanks David. You’re such an inspiration. You always seem to know the exact message to impart and the exact moment to express it. Looking forward to the next instalment.

  38. So wise, so helpful, and so needed by me right now. Thank you. You continually offer a kind of wisdom about this journey I am on that is so timely and in language that speaks what I need to hear at the perfect moment. Thank you.

  39. Once again, you nailed it! I felt like you were talking to me in the middle part. I can’t wait for the next videos.

    Thank you!

  40. When you mentioned making more than a few frames and working the scene, I started to wonder if you could illustrate this point by showing us one of your own series of frames and how you edited those down to the one keeper that was eventually added to your portfolio and what you did with the rejects; also, why you felt that one worked while the others did not. I guess what I’m saying is show us your actual process (editing, at least, not so much the actual shooting, for purposes of this particular video), in addition to describing it. That would be very helpful to me! 🙂

    1. I’m looking forward to the upcoming videos. I’ve been one of your photo-deciples for several years and and each time I dive in to your teachings on vision and techniques, I surface to the top of my craft feeling more confident about my work.

      Thanks you David

  41. Looking forward to your next two videos,,,like the questions to ask myself, Why? and Why Not? Seems these questions might help keep my attention and intent on why I picked up the camera to take the shot.

    1. I think those two questions have been more helpful to me than any others.

    2. Great video David. It really resonated with me. I love what you said about the number of shots that need to be taken to achieve our vision. I’m going to focus on t hat as a goal. I’ve been feeling a bit stuck in my photography, so I’m looking forward to the next videos.

  42. Fantastic! You’re a great speaker – very polished with an appealing manner. I loved what you said and will pass this video on to a beginner and an advanced friend. All can benefit from your message.

  43. David
    I have done a lot of personal emotional work over the years & the principal behind this work was –“Trust the Process”
    My son recently applied for a new position that he felt was “the” ideal.
    He didn’t get it and when he emailed me just yesterday-dejected & heartbroken I responded with the same “Trust the Process”
    “The ideal position is just around the corner So what have U learned? Why did U not get it ?
    Now quit feeling sorry for yourself , dust yourself off & get on with your process”
    So trusting process applies to not just photography but to life
    So now I have to practice this wisdom when I am in that beautiful world that gives me the chance to capture those special emotional moments
    Thank you
    Allan

    1. That’s some solid advice you gave to your son, Allan – so much of it has to do with expectations, doesn’t it? We want it all and we want it right now, forgetting that sometimes the point of the mistakes and circumstances is to get us to an even better position a little further down the road.

  44. Inspiring. Ot my creative juices flowing. Can’t wait to view the other videos!

    1. I’m looking forward to the upcoming videos. I’ve been one of your photo-deciples for several years and and each time I dive in to your teachings on vision and techniques, I surface to the top of my craft feeling more confident about my work.

      Thanks you David

      1. Many thanks I feel inspired again been feeling down about my progress now I realise I have been expecting too much too soon with too few frames

  45. Thank you! This makes so much sense to me. It’s something I’m wrestling with right now for sure. I’m able to pick things up quickly, so in a couple of years I’ve learned a lot about camera settings, lenses, composition, lighting techniques, etc. BUT, I’m very aware that this is going to get me exactly nowhere, unless I can figure out what my vision is, and how to use the things I know to execute it in an image. This third career of photography is the first time I’ve ever attempted any sort of artistic endeavour, and I finding the hardest thing is to get a clear picture of what I want to say with my images. I also know that I have to shoot my way to figuring this out, and having a creative process to rely on will help me as well. Hearing other people talk about how to do this is very helpful for me at this point. Thanks again for posting this, and also for addressing these issues in your books.

    1. Thanks Christine – I think you’ve identified the big struggle of any artist – the ongoing discovery and use of our voice! It’s not so much that you find a process as that you acknowledge it is one, and begin to see how it works for you. You’ll get there! But I do think the next videos will help.

      1. Thanks for validating my approach! Gives me more confidence (trust). Can’t wait to hear more. Thank you for sharing.

  46. Unfortunately, it’s more tha point and shoot. Today’s cameras are wonderful, but the person behind the camera is most important,

    1. Exactly my point. It’s about the decisions we make and the risks we take!

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