At some point, everyone has wondered what they would do differently if, knowing what they know now, they could go back and start over. Perhaps sitting on a bench at a park, you’ve pondered what it would be like if you could redo high school or a career path. Everyone has asked this question about something, maybe a couple of somethings.
This thought crossed my mind a couple of weeks ago. It wasn’t something extremely profound like any of those examples. But, it still made me stop and think. Knowing what I know now, what would I do differently if I could start over with my pursuit of photography . . . from the beginning . . . square one?
In a nutshell, I would change the way I approached learning photography.
What do I mean by that?
If you think about it, photography consists of two very broad components: composition and technique. Composition is about the arrangement of the various elements in a photograph (such as line, shape, and form) to create a pleasing image. Technique deals with the technical aspects of capturing the image, such as lenses, depth of field, and exposure. Creating an artistic photograph requires knowledge and understanding of both of these elements.
When I began photography many years ago, I started the same way most people probably do. I grabbed a camera and just shot anything that caught my eye. Any meaningful consideration for either the compositional or technical aspects of photography was the last thing I thought about.
As I began to get more serious about it, though, I began to read all the books I could get my hands on. I subscribed to several photography magazines and looked forward to the latest editions every month. All this was in the days before the internet (yes, there really was such a time when Google didn’t exist!), so Youtube videos and other online resources were out of the question.
I focused all my efforts on learning the technical side of photography. And, within a relatively short period of time, I had taught myself all sorts of various concepts. I could use hyperfocal distancing; I could ensure proper exposure; I could envision in my mind how a scene would likely look using any one of my lenses.
But, as I continued on my photographic journey, I still often found myself dissatisfied with many of my images. Oh, sure, they were well focused, well exposed, and technically correct. But, they just seemed to be nothing more than well focused, well exposed, and technically correct snapshots. There was really nothing particularly special about them. On those rare occasions when I did get something I liked, I had no idea why that particular image worked and others didn’t. I began to grow very frustrated, and I eventually took a break from the camera.
Picking up a camera again after taking what turned into a years-long break from photography, I again found myself shooting technically correct but completely uninspired pictures. Nothing had changed. But, why should it have?
As Albert Einstein is mistakenly believed to have said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. And that was exactly what was happening. I was doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results. Quite insane.
Eventually, I realized that the missing piece of my photographic puzzle was an understanding of photographic composition. I began to work on that aspect of my photography, and it is the aspect I am still working to hone. But, with each passing year, I see improvement in my photographic composition.
I have to admit that luck still seems to play a role. But, unlike the early days, it is becoming less and less of a factor every time I go out to shoot. Now, I find myself consciously making decisions about how to construct the image the way I want it. And, just as importantly, I can articulate the reasons for those decisions. Things don’t always pan out the way I want them to, but I can now usually figure out why.
So, what would I change if I could go back in time and start my photographic journey all over again knowing what I know now, of course? I would reverse my approach to learning photography. I would start learning the compositional concepts in the beginning and figure out the technical aspects a little later on.
I would likely end up in the same place, but I think I would have arrived there sooner and with less frustration if I had taken this different route.