Shoot Like Nobody Is Watching
A good friend of mine mentioned to me the other day about how she has discovered that she loves taking pictures. She went on to tell me she was thinking about a new camera and maybe getting some photography lessons. When I asked what kind of camera she wanted and what kind of pictures she was interested in taking, her reply was, “nothing spectacular, maybe just a new point-and-shoot camera. I don’t need one like you use; I just like to photograph interesting things I find for my own enjoyment.”
This took me aback slightly. I mean, normally when people get interested in photography, it’s to make a name for themselves. Or to make a little side money. Or to be considered an artist or the next great someone. Or get a half million views on Flickr or 500px. Or to get hot chicks to pose in their studio. Or to beat everyone else at the wedding game. Or to show off their Photoshop skillz. Or… for some other reason, right? Who takes photographs just for the sheer enjoyment of doing it anymore?
Her little point-and-shoot was more than adequate to capture what she saw. The simple posting of a few images for friends to see in Facebook and a library to peruse on her computer at home is all the attention she sought. Crazy, right? My friend’s comment challenged me, but I still struggle with my insecurities and fear that everyone is better than I am, so I keep on shooting like everyone is watching and I get nowhere. My enjoyment has gone from going through my shots and reliving the moments to now just nervously waiting for the first comment to drop on my current uploads. I have this weird, crazy sense that everyone out there is watching and that I have to produce some amazing picture to prove to the entire world that I’m good for something. Suddenly, my friend sounds a lot less crazy than I.
Two weeks ago, I did a portrait session with a mom and her son, and while we were setting up, another photographer was walking around shooting someone. I could see in my peripheral that he was working with a bigger “gun” than I was and that he looked “cooler” than I did. Instantly, my mind went from focusing on my next pose to how could I somehow impress or show up this photographer who was actually oblivious to my presence. Once he left, I was suddenly back in my element and fully focused again. I would like to shoot like no one is watching, but it’s easier said than done.
Last week, I finally decided to not renew my Flickr Pro account as I found myself blindly dredging through the denizens of Photographers, leaving comments and favorites everywhere in some vain attempt to get everyone to return the compliments and like my images so I could gain some sort of report on the site and be somebody. As if somehow having “Pro” next to my name actually counted for something more than the fact I had the necessary $25 to put it there. I would like to shoot like no one is watching, but it’s easier paid for than worked for.
If someone hires you to capture their wedding, their portrait, a plate of food, or their cat, Snuggles McGee, there is a reason that they did. That reason, no matter how silly or simple it is, is more powerful than a thousand comments you may hope to get when you post it to your blog, or the dozens of likes on Facebook, or the other five photographers in town with the better websites and gear. If you’re just out and about shooting whatever you come across, taking pictures of friends, or shooting storefront window reflections (see picture above), there is a reason you’re doing that. That reason, no matter how geeky or crazy it is, is more powerful than the award you may win in some contest or the two weeks on Explore or the Editors Choice badge you get.
The reason why you are hired — why you are capturing the images you capture — are what will keep you going long-term. And what is that reason? It’s how you see things. The way you see the first kiss or the way you see your friend’s smile. The way you see the bride’s beauty or the way you see a butterfly precariously perched on a rose. The way you see the world is so unique that no one else, past, present or future, will ever see it exactly that way.
Once you realize this, the easier it becomes to filter out what you think everyone will think of you and simply see like nobody is watching.
I’m a Canon fan boy obsessed with DoF, 50mm lenses, low ISO and in-camera shooting. If you don’t know what any of that means, I’d love to tell you. If you do know what those mean and realize that I really am just obsessed with getting cool bokeh with low megapixel cameras, then we might just be on the same page. I’ve been shooting film since age 15, went digital over 5 years ago and shooting weddings and portraits semi-pro/part-time for the last 3 years.
Grab the Feed
I hope you do learn to shoot for yourself, no one else is going to shoot what you enjoy better than you. It also helps to not care what the photographer beside you is shooting with. All of my cameras are at least 15 years old and out of date, but I know that I take better pictures of things I’m passionate about than any gearhead with the latest DSLR.
Good luck!
Great article, and yes you should definitely shoot for yourself. You must find your trademark for your artistic expressions…Stay focused and don’t lose touch with your true talent..JUST DO IT!
(SMILE)
You are so right. There’s not use comparing ourselves to others because we all have a unique way of seeing.
I learned this at a photography workshop with Freeman Patterson and Andre Gallant. They were so generous in sharing everything they knew, because their job was to get us to find our own vision.
We can always get better at expressing our vision, but it’s important to remember why we photograph in the first place and how the way we see is our own.
That was a very nice article. I hope a lot of people get to read it because a lot of people feel this way and it actually was a bit inspirational !
perfect timing with this. I needed the reminder, thank-you
@ shawn – i usually dont care what the guy next to me is using but sometimes i find that being honest about the times i do make that mistake can help others… and i’m waiting for a close relative to send me a 1973 japanese canon ae-1- once i get it im taking it and my nikon fm-10 into the wild and shooting a few kodak rolls. theres nothing like old school 35mm images!
@ kim- good point =)
@ mike – i really hope so- spread the word!
@ michel – you must have been the reason i wrote this!
This article is awesome, and just what I needed to read (slapped upside the head with)! I worry so much about what people are thinking when I’m shooting, and that adds a ridiculous amount of pressure. Does my camera look cool enough (I have a Canon 40D but purchased a Sony A55 that I LOVE!), do I look like a cool photographer, etc.? If I’m shooting by myself with no one around, no stress. But geez, when people are around and I THINK they are watching (which their usually not anyway), I get all worried and stressed. Thanks for this article…..loved it!
I admire and “get” what your friend is saying but, I have to say, a point-and-shoot is simply not capturing what “I see”. I’ve tried and tried with little results I like and keep. So I am not on board there. I am saving up for my first DSLR this year and hopefully will have more success in capturing what I see and how I see it.
@ dawn glad you loved it!
@ john which DSLR are you looking at? and i am sure you will have more success! new equipment can change you game! the point was making wasnt about the camera she decided to use… it was about the simplicity of following your own path. if i had the cash right now i’d be shooting with a 60D, 7D and 5D mk II all at the same time… believe me- i designed a rig for that on a napkin… but alas i dont. one of my modern heroes of photography, Jeremy Cowart, recently made a trip to Haiti and discovered during the trip that he was getting the images he wanted from his iPhone and not his 5D. the point is to find what works for you and do your own thing. i’m not sure i’d jump off a landing craft in the middle of D-Day, shoot 8 rolls of film, jump back on a ship and develop them only to lose most of them in a developing accident but still get an award winning shot out of the surviving 8 shots. but robert capa did. i would never have tried to drag hundreds of pounds of camera gear into the uncharted wilds of america, but ansel adams did.
if you have a SLR, DSLR, point and shoot, iPhone or even a pencil and piece of paper, use whatever you have to take the images you want to take. and if you can get a new tool to get you there by all means get it =) and enjoy the journey!
I was thinking of a Nikon D5100 or the Olympus XZ-1 advance-point-and-shoot. Most of what I want to shoot are landscapes and my little four year old boy. I’ve already made lists of shooting locations and times I would like to capture. I am into the really sharp photos and dof. I figure any of these two cameras are excellent starting points, quick enough to keep up with my kid and well rounded for when I am ready to try something new.
About the article, I hear ya, I really do but I just don’t think I’ve found the right tools for what I want to do. Or, that is, been able to get my hands on (afford)…but dreams never die. :)
This article really hit home with me. I picked up my first DSLR almost a year ago – a Canon Rebel XS. I immediately felt at home behind a camera and am known to never be more than 20 feet from my camera bag. But the inability to shoot like no one is watching is my biggest downfall. I can’t help but feel that everyone is watching, critiquing, etc.
I will keep this post in mind the next time I go out with my camera – in about 20 minutes :-P
This section of your article might as well been written by me. Thanks for the inspiration!
“I could see in my peripheral that he was working with a bigger “gun” than I was and that he looked “cooler” than I did. Instantly, my mind went from focusing on my next pose to how could I somehow impress or show up this photographer who was actually oblivious to my presence. Once he left, I was suddenly back in my element and fully focused again.”
Joshua:
Great piece, it is all about being true to your style and not trying to please everyone. If you hone your style and then present your work to the right people you’ll develop a craft you love and it becomes less of a chore then!
Keep up the great pieces.