NZPhotographer Issue 46, August 2021

I have not been writing much lately. It is easy to
produce a quick article to meet a deadline, but it is
not so easy to write something worth saying. Will it just
add to all the other noise that is already out there?
That is always the fear - and I find the same applies to
the production of photographs, which is why there are
times in my own photography practice where I don’t
shoot anything seriously for months at a time. This
may seem hard to believe from a full-time landscape
photographer but if I don’t have anything new to say,
I’d rather not say anything at all.
Much like writing an engaging piece, making an
original photograph requires a lot of energy and
the right headspace, which can be hard to find
when focusing on teaching, running a business, and
other projects. I can capture a stunning landscape
any day of the week, but a stunning capture
doesn’t guarantee depth of expression. In fact, it’s
not uncommon for me to find myself in just such a
landscape, in excellent shooting conditions, without
ever unpacking my camera. I study the light and work
out what I’m trying to say. I may see a shot that will
work, but I question if it is worth me taking it: is it a shot
I need? What will its end-use be? Will I even ever use it
or will it just add to the noise of all the other unsorted
files on my hard drives?
Today, life tends to take place in a rushed manner. It’s
hard to leave this attitude behind, even when we go
out to photograph wild places. Our instinct is to turn
up, capture the image, and go. Little regard tends
to be given to our impact on the landscape we are
“capturing” or our reasons for photographing it to
start with. But when I am out shooting, I actually spend
more time engaging in the landscape - studying
it, working out how to compose it, seeing how the
light reacts with it - than I do taking photos. I enjoy
the thought process behind the creation of a work
as much as I enjoy the end product. Of course, this
thought process of ‘what I am trying to express?’ will
not be obvious to the viewer, so how can I express it
in the resulting photograph? If we give ourselves time
to connect with our landscape, take it in, and decide
72 August 2021 NZPhotographer