I’ve always found this idea to be so paradoxical, yet so true. It’s totally unromantic to think about, but then again, I feel like actual reality is pretty unromantic… it’s not until we have those intentional meta mindfulness moments or look back with fond nostalgia that it becomes magic.
Being creative to me is a process. Like any other process, a structured set of steps helps to bring that flow state where amazing things start to happen. And then you go back and scrutinize for edits and improvements. It’s rarely linear. Whenever I try to shoot with literally no boundaries or guidelines, my images actually tend to come out pretty generic and underwhelming. Too many points of focus results in none. Capturing everything at f/8 or f/22 gets what I see (sort of - in a crappy 2D rendering of a 3D world), but not what I feel. I find (and have read) that having some hard rules and guardrails forces a fresh perspective and new ideas.
The workshop started off with taking pictures of flowers as a composition test, a subject that I find to be not very interesting, but that’s where the skill has to stand alone. This could pass for a nondescript stock photo, but otherwise, meh. Granted, I was feeling strained and bored when I took it, so maybe I did capture the feeling!
To go back to the basics, I signed up for a photography workshop tour during some down time I had when I was in Puerto Rico for a business trip.
Instead of tossing back beers at the bar with coworkers and ‘grammin local eats (though I did do my fair share of that), I traipsed around Old San Juan for 4 hours with an experienced photographer who forced me to go back to those foundational “rules” of composition - rule of thirds, keeping elements in background and foreground, looking for lines, etc. Not going to lie, it was an intense workout for the eye and a bit personally hellish to focus so exclusively and singularly on composition fundamentals at the expense of learning more about the interesting history… but it worked. I got better quality images than I have in a WHILE.
Better, but still missing something.
Interestingly enough, I just faced the opposite direction down the street from the previous shot and managed to capture this, which is one of my favorites!
Like anything else, incredible creative work requires focus and discipline - a level that I just haven’t had time for in the past year that I’ve been settling into the new gig and also running the gauntlet that is wedding planning. The experience (and straight up advice from the pro) made me realize that I need to go back and overhaul my process with some composition basics and literally write down some process steps to run down when I’m lacking an immediate light bulb inspiration rather than relying solely on my eye in the moment.
Active Shooting Time: already counted
Review Time: 5 hours
Hours To Date: 709
Gritty and old doors that are part of El Morro - designed to guard the entrance to San Juan Bay, with construction beginning in 1539.
Land, sea, sky - I like the distinct focal points and lack of unnecessary background noise. This shot took a few tries and a bit of precarious climbing along a ledge that was a few feet off the ground to compose to my liking.