Creating Luck!
Text and Photography Copyright Jim White - All rights reserved.
A package arrived today. It was an envelope full of prints containing some of my
favourite images from the past six months. Thanks to the support and suggestions
of my colleagues at T/NPN, the number and quality of these prints have increased
dramatically over the past two years. But one thing I noticed as I went through
the pack is that many of these images were not planned. So with my best Carrie Bradshaw
impersonation, I asked myself, "Did I just get lucky?"
Woody Allen once said, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." Many of those
images were made possible simply because I made the effort to get out of the house
and had a camera with me! But naturally I also like to think that there was insight
involved in recognizing the opportunity, and a little skill used to take advantage
of it. To the extent that you agree with this premise, you can improve the chances
of seeing your next great photograph!
Just look behind you!
All you need to do is to be aware of all that is going on around you. We all go
out with an intended subject, but focusing too tightly on that goal can cause us
to miss the world going on around us. For example, while on holiday in New Zealand
last December, I got up well before dawn to climb (car and hiking) a small volcano
in Tairua. The intended goal was a sunrise over a few scattered islands in the foreground
of a vast Pacific Ocean. The sky was clear out to sea even though there was the
occasional shower where I stood on the volcano summit. After shooting the most perfect
sunrise against a cobalt blue sky, I turned around to find a glorious double-rainbow
lurking just behind me. The resultant image, Tairua Rainbows, has been one
of my most successful images to date. The moment presented itself, unplanned and
unbidden, and I was lucky enough to have been there, prepared and equipped to take
advantage of it.
Similarly, on a different occasion on the other side of the world, at the opposite
time of year at sunset, I found myself in Spain shooting sunset images in the resort
town of Calpe. I was disappointed as the sunset wasn't remarkable so I started to
pack up. As I headed back, I spotted a full moon moving behind the Ifar Rock. The
moon was already mostly hidden, so I had to run up the hill away from the beach
and break out onto a veranda at a local bank to get the best position of moon and
rock. As I scrambled to reassemble my gear, several tourists were concerned that
I might be up to no good, but my wife smiled warmly and assured them I was (mostly)
harmless. The resulting Calpe Moon image managed to capture the spirit of
the moon peeking out from behind the rock, with the seagulls flying around it as
they did at dawn and dusk every day. Another great, unplanned image was captured.
Following these unplanned yet wonderful results, I started to ponder the pattern
that seemed to be forming. I realised that if I had only focused on my intended
goal, then I would have missed the golden opportunities for excellent images that
were right there, just behind me. Naturally, I also had to be equipped and prepared
(both physically and mentally) to take advantage of them as they happen since these
special moments are always fleeting.
Well ... sometimes it's good to look ahead too!
Saying all that, sometimes an image jumps right out at you in the scene before your
eyes, even if it initially appears well hidden. You usually have to either react
quickly before the scene changes, or wait for things to change before the image
really appears. The next two images demonstrate this dichotomy.
A fast moving opportunity happened when I was walking along shooting twilight street
scenes in Zurich. The streets are full of tourists, international contractors, and
the relatively affluent local population. The mood is always upbeat in this very
safe and clean city.
Just as I was surveying the scene, a man crossed my path who was not in step with
the rest. He settled onto a window ledge in front of me with his beer and cigarette
- I had mere seconds to compose an image that highlighted the difference between
the backlit subject and the affluent environment passing him by. He moved on quickly
and if I hadn't been walking around with my camera already mounted on its tripod
looking right in front of me, this Zurich Street Scene image would never
have been possible. Who knows what was right behind me?
On the other hand, in the case of The Street Musician, which was taken in
the old town of Barcelona, there was a constant stream of passers-by that actually
prevented this serene scene from appearing. I had to pre-visualize the image through
the crowded street, and have the patience to wait for the field to clear. Then I
had to move very quickly to capture the image when the area cleared momentarily
of pedestrians.
In fact, the action was so quick that the original image was a bit blurred from
handholding a telephoto lens at too slow a shutter speed. It was impossible to re-shoot
as the woman had moved on before the next break in the crowd, and the scene was
lost. In this case, a little help from the PS watercolour effect helped to rescue
the scene. It's great when technology can help overcome bad luck!
The Prague Main Station image is the only photo in this article that dates
back more than a year. It was the summer of 1995 when I had just started the European
phase of my life. While working in Frankfurt, my colleagues and I would typically
hop onto an overnight train to a different city every weekend. The trains generally
arrived at the destination at dawn, and we'd unfold ourselves from our economy class
seats where we'd slept and step into a different culture. As I disembarked on that
particular morning in Prague, the weariness and mental cobwebs were overruled by
my photographic autopilot instinct. The scene that presented itself captured the
essence of the feeling of stepping into Eastern Europe. Seeing this image, reminds
me of the feeling that I had in my first moment behind the former Iron Curtain albeit
half asleep at the time. Photographic preparation and a handy camera allowed me
to take this image - essentially in my sleep!
And then there always is the scene right there in your viewfinder!
On the extreme end of being lucky photographically, images can occasionally appear
unplanned right before your very eyes in your viewfinder. An example of this happened
on another recent trip to Zurich. The modern Swiss urban architecture is generally
not the most exciting. I wanted to take a record shot of two buildings on the Limmatquai
to demonstrate this style.
While composing the view, a cyclist moved into the frame. The photo was taken purely
by instinctual reaction. The resultant image, which benefited from a wonderful (and
lucky) choice of shutter speed, was not a record shot but a dynamic statement on
the Zurich lifestyle. Seeing this potential, I shot a few more images as pedestrians,
cyclists, and trams passed through the frame, but none were as good as that spontaneous
first image.
"Of course, it's all luck" - Henri Cartier-Bresson
But, of course, the best possible scenario to be lucky ... er, I mean prepared, is
when you set up your tripod first, and the heavens and humans move around to create
an image for you in your viewfinder. And you don't have to travel to distant countries
to find this luck.
Walking along the Thames one evening, less than a mile (about one kilometre) from
my house, a new view of the Richmond Bridge presented itself as a possibility. I
had passed this spot hundreds of times, but hadn't noticed it before as a photo
op. The weather, however, was grey that day (well, it is London after all). So I
decided to take a few practice shots to evaluate framing and composition. The plan
was to return one evening when the setting sun might cooperate a little more to
complete the composition.
Then before my very eyes, the magic happened. While shooting a completely grey scene,
the water started to glow. The sky remained grey, and the effect was surreal. There
was a sunset happening under the bridge, but not over it! This was unique enough
to start me happily clicking away. The river light intensified to glow quite brilliantly
while the sky remained dull and unaffected. What more could you ask for? And then
it happened. At the height of the river's glow, a rower passed through the reflection.
It was absolutely perfect. I had literally set up the tripod, and the remarkable
Richmond Rower image had simply appeared in the viewfinder. What a pity that
doesn't happen more often. I am so very grateful to have experienced it with my
camera at the ready.
The takeaway from all this is simple. If you go out and shoot your planned subjects,
you will have a wonderful collection of personally chosen images for your portfolio.
But if you are open to spotting opportunities as they present themselves at the
same time, you may find some of your best work can be done spontaneously. Create
your own luck. Look around. Look behind you. Look through the scene. Be prepared
- action creates its own magic. Successful images are all around!
Jay Maisel said it best, "If you're out there shooting, things will happen for you.
If you're not out there, you'll only hear about it."
About the Author
Jim White is the Editor at Travel Photographer Online Magazine. Jim's work can be
viewed at JimWhitePhotos.com,
in
PhotoPortfolios.net, and in the TPN and NPN forums.
Comments on TPN travel photography articles? Please feel free to send them
to editor@travelphotographers.net.
We would be pleased to hear from you!
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