Just relax and take the shot….

Peruvian Girl Selling Blankets

Yesterday I spoke a little about “visualization” and today I want to talk about artistic flow, or simply put, getting into the zone.   Now,  when I’m shooting I need my comfort zone and  I don’t get there immediately…not many photographers do.   It takes me time to warm up to get the “mojo” going if you will.  Finding that artistic zone can be difficult, but once found it can be very rewarding.  I have found doing three simple tasks can really help you get into the zone a little quicker.  1.  A large coffee is a must..;)  2.  Remember we’re here to shoot photographs – so shoot.   There’s nothing worse than paralysis of analysis.  You’re never going to get the shot if you’re constantly thinking how you’re going to get the shot.   Especially nowadays with digitals that can fire off six frames in a second.  Hold the trigger down…get giddy and have some fun….you might surprise yourself with the results.   Ok, now we’ve had some fun and we’ve experimented a bit and you’ve shot your memory card full.  3.  Time to really think about your work.  This is the point  I download my photos and look at them on my computer and say to myself this shot’s not bad, this shot stinks, this shot is solid and this shot is GOLD!   It’s like watching a video tape of your first date and making note of all the things you did right, all the things you could have done better and not to mention all the things you shouldn’t have done at all.    And, the best part of this process is we get to go out and do it all over again.  I have a pretty good idea of what worked and what didn’t so I’m more relaxed and I’m having fun.  Being relaxed, having a better idea of what I’m looking for and having fun has helped me in becoming a better photographer.  Remember Ansel Adams didn’t build his portfolio over night and nor will any of us…so my point is we have time…so relax, have fun and keep those artistic juices flowing.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2009 at 9:05 am. It is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.