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I’m in Yangon and, shock of all shocks, I have wireless at the Trader’s Hotel. I’ve been traveling here since 1986 … this is first. I don’t know why… but it means that I can tell you this tale:
I’m at lovely Shwedagon Pagoda, as the full moon begins the wane, I’m staring through star candle lanterns at the spire, photographing and reveling in the joy of the moment, and I hear a voice, “you aren’t just looking at the light, you are absorbing it”. I turn and there is a young Burmese monk with a friend, of gentle demeanor, yet sharp eyes. I say “Yes, it is tasty!”. And we proceed to converse. “Where are you from?”, they ask. “USA. New Mexico”, I reply. “Ah, yes … Land of Enchantment”, says the rakish friend with a baseball cap. “How did you know that!”, I exclaim. He says dryly, “It is on your license plate.” “Well, I know that, but how do you?” “I read it in a book.” And, we continue to have a wonderful conversation ending with me saying thank you in Burmese and he said “Da Nada”. I love to travel!
I’m mid-flight from New Delhi to Bangkok, and then tomorrow I’m on my way to Myanmar. I have just enough time to reflect a smidgeon on the photography tour I just led for National Geographic to Rajasthan. One of many things I love about National Geographic tours is that they are so international in nature; there were avid photographers from the US, Canada, Hong Kong, Thailand, and France. It was a group of singular synchronicity and fun.
We had many lively discussions. They had very thought provoking questions for me as we went bumping along in our magical bus through the desert of Rajasthan, such as “What is the element that is most important for a photograph?” What makes a photograph great? I’m sure all of you will have your own answer but here is mine, quite simplied.
Those of you who have taken workshops with me know that I talk about how photographs have the possibility of great Color, Light, Action (large in your face action or just a twinkle in the eye), or Pattern (or you could say Composition). CLAP, if you need an acronym.
You need two of these elements to create a photograph but to make a memorial one, one that SINGS… you need an added factor. It could be a punctuation of another element (as I discussed in an earlier blog post). However, I think it is more than that…it is when there is a harmonic convergence of the emotion of the photographer with the emotion of the moment (even if it is inanimate). In a way it is a photographic epiphany. These are rare, but it what all virtuosos of light aim for in their art.
And, because they are rare, this is why I continue to photograph. I don’t expect to reach my photographic Everest; I just love the journey through the ups and downs and many plateaus.
© nevada wier India, Jodphur. Evening Street Scene.
© nevada wier India, Rajasthan. Early morning Pushkar Fair.
© nevada wier India, Agra. Taj Mahal.
Recently I had the good fortune of being interviewed by two top-notch photographers who have very forward-looking blogs: Ibarionex Perello, The Candid Frame; and Matt Brandon, The Digital Trekker.
The interviews took place months apart but they happened to be published days apart. This is not the first time I’ve been interviewed on a podcast, but it made me pause and think about The New World Order for photographers.
The Candid Frame #80 – Nevada Wier
Depth of Field: Nevada Wier Part I
Depth of Field: Nevada Wier Part II
(You can also find these podcasts on iTunes)
There has been a steady, gradual shift in the business of photography over the past few years, but I really see a major tectonic shift this summer.
When I started out it was all about magazines. I wanted to be published in magazines; whenever I was interviewed it was in magazines. Editors were The Great Barrier Reef that all photographers had to penetrate.
Magazines are still around but they are not the only forums for photographers, and they have less and less circulation and influence. Conversely, there is an increasing abundance of alternative venues for photo stories (with and without audio), single images, and videos. It is quite exciting, overwhelming, and much more democratic.
But, I can’t help but wonder …who will be paying for it? How will professional editorial (current event, travel, nature, etc.) photographers survive in this New World Order? And, it seems so much more work to me than writing proposals and figuring out to crack into specific magazines.
Plus there is no way to funnel the photographers who rise to the top through talent and hard work into central showcases. Magazines used to be that funnel leading to recognition known throughout out the general public, not just photographers. Now there seems to be a myriad of cells (through Twitter, Facebook, Flicker, Internet forums, etc.) providing platforms for enthusiastic photographers. This is a great boon to a wide range of photographers, but none have a wide range of followers. So it is A Wonderful New World Order for avid photographers and an increasingly stressing one for professionals. But I don’t think this is such a bad thing (ha! fooled you…no, I’m not bemoaning the situation).
I think it is time for a change. The day rate in magazines has not changed in over twenty-five years (I can’t think of any other profession where a pay rate hasn’t increased.) So pros can moan and groan, but it can be very exciting to reinvent one self. And, eventually, I think there will be a new conduit for the world at large to see the creme de la creme of photographers. And will there be will be a new God of Visual Judgment after the demise of magazine editors? (Do you think the median is the best judge of an art form? I don’t.)
I don’t have any answers; it’s exciting and thought provoking (as well as often frustrating) to be at the cusp of such a change.
As Helen Keller said, “Life is either a great adventure or nothing.”
So I watch, marvel and try to ride the surf on top of the wave! Whether I get crunched … I don’t know.
© nevada wier Myanmar. Inle Lake.
Even though I travel to so-called exotic locations it doesn’t mean that great images will automatically appear. There are the same creative challenges as photographing in your hometown (although there are very different social challenges). The main difference is that we are usually very jazzed and ready to photograph whenever we travel into our own terra incognito. Yet, this is often when the joy of travel overcomes artistic insight. Exoticism should not carry an image; it should stand by its own photographic gravity.
I have often said that there are four possibilities in a color image – the possibility of intense color, great light, strong action or gesture, and compelling pattern or composition (CLAP). There has to be at least two of these if an image is to have impact. And, sometimes one of these elements adds strong punch, zing, woo-hoo, or punctuation. Like putting an exclamation at the end of a sentence. One takes notice. The punctuation is the zing to an already commendable image.
Recently I was in Nagaland of northeastern India right on the India/Myanmar border. Literally, I was standing on the border; it ran through the middle of the headman’s house. There was serious opium imbibing in extremely dark rooms. I blessed the high ISO capabilities of my Canon 5D Mark II since using a tripod was not an option. However, I didn’t want to photograph the usual “person in front of a fire” tribal image. BTDT. Then I noticed the serrated light falling on the face of one of men. I balanced my camera on my knees, framed him on the right side, waited for the right moment, took a deep breath and let it out, then ripped off five frames. (Even at ISO 1600 with a 28mm f/1.8 lens I was down to 1/5 sec at f/1.8). As I hoped, the middle frame was sharp. And the punctuation of the light makes the image. Zing!!
© nevada wier 2009 India. Nagaland State. Longwa Village.
DETAIL OF FACE
Here is another example from an older image taken in Ladakh, India. I don’t know how long the shutter speed was (film days) but it was long enough to “ghost” out the image of the head monk crossing the room (no, it is not a curtain). I was on a tripod (no way to hand hold an image like this one) using Kodachrome 200. The punctuation is in the face peering through the ghosting, it is the only frame that worked.
© nevada wier Ladakh, India. Rizong Monastery.
DETAIL, IN GHOSTING, OF A PILGRIM’S FACE
I have increasingly becoming less interested in photographing a literal moment in time — a portrait, a moment when someone is working, an expression, a stunning landscape, and such. Oh yes, I still photograph these, but, while editing they do not interest me as much as before. I am more intrigued with the moments that a casual glance cannot see. Only a virtuoso of seeing can notice them, and only a master of a camera can express them. These images exist in shadows, fleeting expressions, and wiry juxtapositions.
I think travel (or should I say “destination”) photographers go through certain phases; I know I did:
First: Figuring out how to use a camera and just pointing the lens wherever.
Second: Clicking when you see a moment you like.
Third: Deciphering more of the camera and then clicking more deliberately.
Fourth: Feeling confident about your photographic skill and so photographing with enthusiasm but not intent.
Fifth: Starting to understand that the combination of a camera, lens, and sensor (or film) has a creative potential of its own.
Sixth: Traveling further afield with a camera, feeling confident, and then the emotion of the travel smothers creative photographic expression. (An amazing travel experience doesn’t necessarily translate to amazing images.)
Seventh: The technical level excellerates and expectations rise, images become technically lovely (perhaps like a photographer you admire) yet they are soulless.
Eighth: The photographic journey eventually begins… and expressive levels become very personal.
Ninth: You hate everything you have ever done and see all the imperfections.
Ten: Photography becomes more than a record or documentation of a journey; it becomes an expression of self, place, and beyond. And it is more challenging than ever before.
© nevada wier 2009 Assam, Manjuli Island. Rass Dance.
I recently finished teaching two workshops at the Santa Fe Workshops. I emphasize in my classes that everything has to matter in an image.
I am trained as a magazine photographer to get it right in the frame. As a personal challenge I do not crop my images after the fact. I find that if I just take a step or two forward, maybe left or right, I can tighten the frame and eliminate clutter. Or, if I just move the camera ever so slightly I can perfect the composition.
And, often negative space has as much impact as a person or an object. However, you have to delicately balance the weight of the space with the weight of the subject. It is a balancing act and the tension is critical.
It is as simple as having clean space around subjects, like this:
© nevada wier Myanmar. Chindwin River. Fog.
or space with texture and color
© nevada wier India. Gujurat. Washing.
or a big wad of space and color
© nevada wier Mongolia. Gobi Desert. Sunset. Camel.
You have to eliminate everything that doesn’t matter so that what is left does matter.
And, sometimes what matters is the beauty of emptiness.
I believe it was at the Tucson home of the artist Andy Rush, in the mid-70’s, where I encountered the possibility that we really have ten senses, not just five. [I wish I could remember the name of the poet who was one of the guests. He said, as I was making a salad, "It feels like you are making love to that salad". I was young and impressionable, and immediately in love. However, I digress.] Sunday Morning Update: I remember the poet — W.S. Merton
At dinner we came around to the subject of THE five senses. “No, there are more”, said someone (probably Andy Rush, a very progressive thinker). And, we began to list them… 6: the sense of temperature, 7: the sense of pressure, 8: the sense of motion (my contribution, as I recall), 9: the sense of balance, and 10: the sense of intuition, or maybe someone said imagination for # 10. But, I think it is intuition.
Recently I told a class at Julia Dean’s workshop in Venice Beach that I am addicted to the stimulus of travel. Actually I am addicted to the stimulus of all ten senses that happens while I traveling, especially outside my normal frame of reference — the “terra incognito” of place and spirit.
Sitting at a computer editing images, writing a book, or hassling with a new printer (which took up all of today), and such does not do it for me!
And, I doubt it ever will.
© nevada wier 2006 Amarbayasgalant Khilid, Mongolia
Language
by W.S. Merwin
Certain words now in our knowledge we will not use again, and we will never forget them. We need them. Like the back of the picture. Like our marrow, and the color in our veins. We shine the lantern of our sleep on them, to make sure, and there they are, trembling already for the day of witness. They will be buried with us, and rise with the rest.
UPDATE: THE LIST IS GROWING!
11. Sense of Aesthetics (courtesy of John Lund)
12: Sense of Time (suggested by Richard Hughes)
The Santa Fe Workshops recently started offering mentorships with a select group of professional photographers. It is a brilliant concept, for photographers who want to work in depth or have a consultation with a particular professional photographer. (Check it out http://www.santafeworkshops.com/mentorships/).
I recently had a one-hour conversation with Deigh Bates (http://deighlight.wordpress.com/) about his photography. I thought I was an interesting choice for him as a Mentor since he is primarily a landscape photographer and I am primarily a people photographer. But he was looking for a different perspective outside the nature crowd. And, I certainly have a different perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation and it got me thinking about a number of topics.
One of which is … tripods. I rarely use a tripod, except when it is absolutely necessary.
Nature photographers tend to gasp when I say that they use the tripod too much or that depth of field is not that important. Tripods are limiting and people tend to get stuck photographing from whatever height and angle in which they set it up. I find that people do not experiment with creative angles, such laying on the ground and shooting upwards, or getting up higher than their tripod can reach, or experimenting with different tilts of the camera. I find that people just get stuck in “shoulds” when that tripod is set up.
And, one of those “shoulds” is that most everything should be in-focus. This “should” extends far beyond nature photography. It appears to be primarily a concern for western-culture photographers. I am not exactly sure where it comes from since the early photography is quite dreamy; I think it has to do with the advent of instantmatic cameras like the Brownie (I would love to have your thoughts on this). Of course, not all nature photography is f/16 and beyond; plenty of photographers experiment with “selective” focus but primarily with flowers and details and water. And, there are some spectacular nature photographers like William Neill http://www.williamneill.com/ and Eddie Soloway http://www.eddiesoloway.com/, who push their imagery into new directions. I just would like to see more emerging nature photographers let go of conventional moorings and experiment A LOT. Goggle “bokeh” and start photographing what you imagine, not just what you see.
I will have more to say about my conversation with Deigh in future posts because I think he has an extraordinarily open mind. And, he photographs almost every day in his environs (that beats my commitment to photography!). His dedication and photography are exemplatory! I applaud him.
A final word about tripods: Yes, I rarely use a tripod; however, I know intimately that it is not enough to up the ISO on the camera (a digital photography crutch); sometimes I REALLY need the tripod to avoid camera shake and occasionally for a particular depth-of-field that I cannot get handholding the image… just like I used to shoot with film. 95% hand-held, and 5% tripod.
© nevada wier 2009 Rajasthan, India
© nevada wier 2008 Nagaland, India
Equipment is important, however, it is incidental to the true importance of photography… seeing.
Seeing, feeling, and framing is what really matters to me. I choose a moment, frame it quickly–with intent. Thinking, feeling, intuition, and imagination.
I have a personal imperative not to crop or change any content (not a “right or wrong” just a personal challenge and habit). I want to be creative and precise in the moment of clicking the shutter.
However I do love being able to process the image afterwards with a creative twist.
I’m in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. It is so enlivening to be somewhere where a couple of Gold Medals (and two Silvers) has completely energized a country. People are driving down the streets waving flags, honking, and cheering. Tonight there is a huge celebration on the main square with fireworks, cheering, exulting, and much drinking; but all in good fun. This afternoon the taxi drivers and I, with very little language in common, could easily thumbs-up on the success of the Olympics for Mongolia. “Gold – Boxing ! Gold – Judo!”
We are used to lots of medals, 110 medals this time. Phelps nabbed eight, no small achievement, but not unbelievable for us. China had 100, with more Golds, so it hard to empathize with a country that only has FOUR. However, population for population–Mongolian wins are way ahead.
This has nothing to do with photography but everything to do with the spirit of people (and that is my inspiration for photography). Mongolia has recently had some nasty spats with their government (but we can relate to that, can’t we?), so a positive feeling is very welcome to them.
This is what I take away from the Olympics…. Mongolia, Togo, Estonia, Dominican Republic. You know they are dancing in the streets and feeling very proud. I love this. I rout for the small countries and know how much it means to them to get a medal.
I feel it now in Ulan Bator. Photography is not just about “taking the photo”, it is about being in the pulse, the marrow, and the heartbeat of a country. If you cannot feel it then you cannot photograph it.
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