On Vision and Equipment

June 11, 2008

I’ve been challenged recently by several posts David DuChemin has written over at his spiffy new blog.

As a self-diagnosed gear-head, I was particularly indicted by some of his thoughts on focusing less on equipment, and more on vision.

Now, part of my gear obsession was compensation for my lack of any formal training. I guess to my mind, a bag full of top-notch gear and L-series lenses would make up for the lack of a degree in photojournalism or 3 years of art school. Part of it is that I am just naturally inclined toward those technical details…megapixels and Digic III and polycarbonate and Image Stabilization…I actually enjoy learning about the weird technical stuff.

But, David is correct that vision must be the main thing. Like he says:

“Three images make the final photograph - the image you envision, the image you shoot, and the image you refine or process in the (digital) darkroom. The better you are at the second two, the closer you are able to come to the first, namely your vision.”

And, I’m starting to get that. This point really came home to me during the high school graduation shoot a few weeks ago. I had recently sold two of my favorite lenses to fund the purchase of one new lens that I thought would help me get better shots in my PJ work. I had to really look down deep inside and make sure it wasn’t just a desire for a newer, “better” lens. But, after some careful reflection, it was a decision based on the need to have equipment that would allow me to achieve my vision.

I arrived at the Coliseum where the rehearsals would be taking place, and spent a few minutes walking around, looking for my shots. I always want to have an image tell the who, what, where, when and why stuff, but I also want to arrange the visual elements available (leading lines, shapes, colors, patterns, textures, etc.) in a compelling way. I want to create images that communicate, and are also interesting.

Anyway, I soon had an idea for a shot that I wanted to take. This was a first for me: typically I go into a setting and shoot, and then figure out which ones are worth keeping. This time, though, I had a clear picture in my mind of THE SHOT, the one I wanted to get, and the one I would be disappointed if I left without. That’s this one:

I remember, vividly, seeing this scene develop in my mind. I knew I would have to wait for it to develop, pardon the pun, so I positioned myself and got ready. And this is where the equipment side of the equation comes in: I couldn’t have gotten this shot with my 70-200mm lens. Or with a slower lens, or without (perhaps) the Image Stabilization feature of my new wide-angle. Weird light, slow shutter speeds and so on demanded a certain type of equipment, especially if I was to get the shot that I saw in my head.

And you can ask Sara: I came home, started downloading the images to process them, and called her over. I pointed at that shot above and said, “This is the one. I hope they choose to use this one in the story.” A few days later, I was rewarded by walking into a store and seeing that shot, large and in color, on the front page. Vision and equipment came together for me in a pretty cool way.

So, I think David would agree that, while vision is crucial, sometimes you have to have the right equipment to achieve that vision. Even if you’re like this guy I know who has about $20,000 worth of equipment for shooting hummingbirds in his backyard just because he has all this disposable income and enjoys it, all the equipment in the world won’t make a good shot without that vision.

Posted in Life, Links, Photojournalism, Quotes