Picture This
In my elementary school years, my mom recognized my artistic or creative side and encouraged me to attend a weekend art class. All I can remember from that experience is that I did it, but it didn’t last for long as I felt it was uncool.
While art wasn't my chosen outlet, I did have an affinity for taking pictures. I still have a stack of old pictures from that same time in my life. They were pictures from our travels; which were camping trips our family took with my parents' best friends, the Gelmans and their family.
As an adult, my interest in photography grew once I had children. Naturally, I wanted to capture them in film. Yes, film. Unlike others, I wasn’t really into video that much and am still not. I can’t explain why.
I mostly take pictures of people and nature. I’ve learned that photography of people is a function of the trust the subject (i.e. the people you are shooting) has with the photographer. If the subject doesn’t trust the photographer, they will not fully reveal themselves. This is why if you want to get a great picture of a stranger in another country you should ask for permission and try to build a relationship of trust before you take the picture.
I love taking pictures of people when I travel. Not of locals, but rather of other tourists. I often ask people taking a selfie if they would like me to take their picture. Oftentimes, I’ll set the bar high for myself and them by saying, "This is going to be your Christmas card photo." To create a relationship and trust, I ask where they are from and joke around with them before I take the photo. I really enjoy this process and it allows me to easily connect with others. One of the things I do is take close ups. Many people want a photo of them with an important building or mountain in the background; but for me, getting close ups is where the beauty lies. Like in relationships, zooming in and getting close to people makes for a better picture.
I also love taking pictures of nature. As you may know from reading my blogs, I am most at home in nature, specifically on ski mountains.
One of the things I love about taking pictures in nature is the impact lighting has on the subject. On our recent trip to England we visited Stonehenge. We were on the first bus out to see it at about 9am. That was intentional on my part because the best times of day for great photos are in the morning and at the end of the day. I have learned that after the sun sets on the horizon we get something called the blue hour. That’s where there is still light in the sky and if it's a clear day, the sky will be a beautiful blue. This is an awesome time for photography.
When we arrived at Stonehenge it was cloudy, windy, and with a slight drizzle. There is a path that takes you around Stonehenge. Between listening to the audio tour and taking photos it took us about an hour to go all the way around. I took over 45 photographs. Why did I take so many? Because the light kept changing, as did my orientation to the subject and the direction of the light. I got some amazing photographs. The reason why is because I took a lot of photos. That is another key to getting great photographs: take a lot of pictures, look for the very best, and throw out the rest. This is critically important if you are taking pictures of people as someone won’t be smiling or someone else will blink or close their eyes or move their head.
Part of getting great photos is being in the right place at the right time. I heard a professional photographer who shoots images for marketing purposes speak. He shared an image of a truck used by one of his clients crossing a bridge. He proceeded to share what went into the preparation of getting that shot. If my memory serves me, it took him six months of planning, identifying the ideal location, checking the weather, and the best time of day for him to capture the picture he wanted. I don’t have the patience to do that level of planning, but being in the right time and place is powerful.
I believe that we all have an artistic or creative side whether or not we have developed it. My mother took up painting in her 60’s after we were all out of the house. She took lots of classes and even sold a painting or two at an art show in the building she lived in. Her medium was watercolors. Each of her children and grandchildren have at least one of my mother's paintings. I have two.
One of the ones I have is from a photograph I took in Italy nine years ago when Carol and I were celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. I have it hanging on my office wall. Every time I get on a Zoom call it’s part of my background. What a great legacy.
Simon has a painting of my mother's of another photograph I took at Arrowhead day camp, where our boys attended. Having my mother paint my photographs was very affirming of my creative side as she appreciated my compositions.
When working with my branding partner (Justin) to create my website, I mentioned that I am a hobbyist with a camera, and asked if maybe we could use some of my photos. Justin responded by asking me to send him a few and let him take a look. He called me back and said, "We are going to use only your photos on your website. They're a reflection of who you are." It was the first time I felt the vulnerability artists feel about others' impressions of their art.
I share all of this with you to invite you to lean into your creative side. We all have one. It doesn't matter if it's photography, music, videoing, painting, drawing, dancing or singing. No matter what it is, all that matters is that you challenge yourself to gain access to your creative spirit and do what it takes to make it come to life for you.
I have a quote on my office wall that you would also see during my Zoom calls:
“Great Things Never Came From Comfort Zones.”
So get out of your comfort zone and express yourself creatively. Your soul will thank you.