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The Best Things About Photography
Recently, I had the opportunity to listen to world-class photographer Bruce Percy talk about his images of Scotland, Bolivia, India and Nepal, as he presented the images. In the course of his presentation, Bruce spoke about trying not to have too preconceived an idea of what you are going out to photograph. I can empathise with that sentiment.
Somtimes I jump in the car and have no clear idea of exactly where I am going to go with my camera, or what I will find once I get there - I simply leave it all to serendipity. But on other occasions, I have a vague notion of where I may end up and I then go off and have a look at Google Earth and do a bit of research on my chosen location - and at times like that, I tend to do just what Bruce warned against.
On a trip to the Ayrshire coast today, I knew exactly where I was going to - a little place on the called Lendalfoot. There isn't actually a lot there, other than a memorial to the Russian cruiser 'Varyag', which sank just off the coast in 1904. But there is a wonderful rocky shoreline and in my mind, I was already picturing the images I intended to capture. As it turned out, the light there was far too contrasty to get any decent shots, so I ultimately moved up the coast to Maidens.
Here, there is a little harbour and in the middle of that, an old and slightly forgotten-looking little boat which had a very photogenic appeal. Idiot that I am, I climbed down into the harbour, as the tide was out. Very quickly I discovered a patch of quicksand which I had to fight for my shoes. I won. Just. And then I discovered precisely how slippy the silt on the bed of a harbour at low tide can be - very slippy indeed, to the amusement of the people standing near the harbour wall and watching me, no doubt wondering what this lunatic was doing. Acting very nonchalant and as though I was perfectly in control of what I was doing, I went about my business, muttering under my breath while trying to retain some semblance of professionalism.
If you've read this far, you may have figured out that one of the best things about photography is the unexpected. As American street photographer William Klein once rightly pointed out, it is the 'accidents' in photography which set it apart from other art forms - the serendipity or chance of it all, capturing an image you didn't expect to see.
Another of the best things about photography are the people you meet as a result. In the course of my travels round the country, I've found myself talking to a number of people I would never have met otherwise
There is that little nod of the head which ackowledges that other person who is also holding a camera. And after that, the opportunity exists for a conversation - where are they from? What are they photographing? Such was the case again today, when I ended up having an extended chat with a lovely lady called Jane and her husband - she 'borrowed' his camera and ended up loving photography as much as he does. We spoke for a while about photography and camera clubs and places to go, before going our seperate ways.
Those little occasions make the day worthwhile as much as the images do. Definitely two of the best things about photography.
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