Stories Of Photographers – Why Having Something To Say Is Important
July 10, 2007
Good photographers are storytellers.
Often the story of the photograph is not seen and interpreted by the viewer exactly as the photographer intended it, nevertheless a photographer without a story to tell is in deep trouble.
When I saw the kids on the above photo, I saw right away something interesting therefore picture worthy was happening. These kids had a short attention span and after one of them slid down on his belly on the Waikiki Beach Wall a couple of times they were gone.
I had a few seconds to create one good photo out of this very brief event.
I had mixed emotions while taking the few pictures I was able to take.
I felt excitement that I am capturing a unique story, fear that I will miss the decisive moment and regret that it ended so soon.
After checking my camera’s the preview screen I was happy to see this photo. The picture which was taken after this was too late, the kids’ expressions were not as excited. I could have used motor drive and just hold the shutter button down but I hardly ever do that.
That technique always seemed to me like I am making a movie thus resulting in less satisfaction if a nice photo is actually created. Like using an Uzi to kill a cockroach.
The actual point of this post is about my thoughts to stop Hawaiian model photography and not regretting it.
I still get inquires from models for photo shoots but I am being even more selective than before. I believe I used to be quite picky but now I am using another filter: will the photos of a particular model tell a story I am interested to create and share?
If the criteria of every good photo is that it tells a story I must ask myself: do I get inspired by our chemistry, the model’s look, personality and the list of possible photo shoot concepts?
The reason why I have been answering no to these questions is perhaps because I have been staying in Hawaii too long (5 years on and off) but also because I might be too “out of the box for Hawaii” as one model called me.
My lack of interest in the scenery and the lack of available models lets me arrive at the same answer. I have no more stories to tell in Hawaii (unless a fantastic model contacts me dying to shoot with me).
Of course I had mixed emotions when I decided to go on hiatus, am I giving up too easily or am I following the right path. The straight and honest answer is always the first one: stopping is the right decision for now.
I admit I did fall off the wagon and I did contact some new models and some old ones I have worked with to touch base and start a dialog. Seems like the same old story is repeating itself, models I am interested in are still flaky models and not even returning my e-mails, ones I am not interested in are contacting me all the time.
My stay in Hawaii is coming to an end (again). Soon there will be new and exciting photographic opportunities!
