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In my workshops I talk about the \u201cCreative Vocabulary\u201d which are the skills, techniques and judgment that we acquire over time and bring with us each time we venture into the field or sit down at our computers.\u00a0 And just like the spoken language, as we acquire a larger Creative Vocabulary we are able to express ourselves more fully and richly in our photographs.\u00a0 But that\u2019s not to say that I disagree with Neill, not in the least.\u00a0 Let me give an example.<\/p>\n
I get a fair number of participants in my workshops who have studied with other photographers, some of whom insist they shoot in Manual mode.\u00a0 In other words, the photographer needs to think about both\u00a0the aperture and shutter speed. \u00a0Those are both technical considerations to figure out\u00a0when capturing an image.\u00a0 I advocate simplifying the process by shooting in Aperture priority.<\/p>\n
Why Aperture priority?\u00a0 Because one of the primary considerations of a landscape photography is, \u201cIs everything in focus?\u201d\u00a0 And aperture is an important control to achieve this.\u00a0 In Aperture priority the photographer has only one thing to think about.\u00a0 The camera takes care of the shutter speed.\u00a0 And, because\u00a0we\u2019re shooting from tripods we don\u2019t really care what the shutter speed is.<\/p>\n
Having fewer technical details to think about when in the midst of the experience opens up our minds to savor, appreciate and hopefully capture the experience and not get lost in the problem solving, analytical, technical side of photography.<\/p>\n
And again, that\u2019s not to say that technical side of photography and especially digital photography is not important.\u00a0 Our digital cameras are small, powerful computers and there\u2019s no escaping the significant technical prowess that is required to get the most out of them.<\/p>\n
But acquiring the technical skills is finite.\u00a0 Either you can use the histogram and other exposure controls to get an optimum exposure your you can\u2019t.\u00a0 Either you can use focus, depth of field and length of exposure to get appropriate sharpness or you can\u2019t.\u00a0 But these skills are well-defined.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t have them they can be acquired with study and practice.<\/p>\n
The creative skills are a different matter altogether.\u00a0 Using strong composition and recognizing fantastic light to create WOW images is a life-long pursuit.\u00a0 There\u2019s always more to learn.<\/p>\n
The technical and creative aspects of photography use different parts of our brains.\u00a0 One speaks with a loud, attention-demanding voice and the other speaks to us softly, quietly.\u00a0 One side breaks things down and sees them analytically while the other side experiences the whole thing.\u00a0 Can you guess which is which?\u00a0 The technical side of the brain is the loud, analytical one while the creative side is quite, holistic and easily drowned out.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to master the technical aspects of photography so they become second nature, as automatic as driving a car.\u00a0 The less attention the technical skills require the more we are able to open up to the softer, gentler creative skills.\u00a0 And our photographs benefit.<\/p>\n
To quote Neill\u2019s closing thoughts,<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026. Be in the moment.\u00a0 Connect with your senses.\u00a0 Art will come through your emotions when most intense.\u00a0 On that October day, all we \u2018needed to know\u2019 was that we were there to see it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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