Attention
The Response: Pay Attention! — Jessica
Attention to detail is not my strong suite. In fact, that is a giant understatement. It’s my biggest weakness. I think it affects the way I photograph.
You know, we’ve talked before, about how I need to have at least a partially developed idea of where I want to go with a photograph, and you, Cheryl, are able to jump in and pull a photograph out of your surroundings. Right?
This weekend I went on an evening photowalk through the National Mall in DC as part of the Kelby Worldwide Photowalk. And it was frustrating. Granted, monuments and architecture aren’t really my “genre” but what was really annoying was not being able to “see” the details to photograph. It was difficult to pay attention to the shots I was getting in order to progress to a better shot. I left with mostly mediocre shots that, once back home, I easily saw could have gone on to better shots if I had been paying attention. Maybe it was the pace — too fast? Or the darkness or a million other things. It boils down to lack of attention. My biggest bugaboo.
I really like that tilt-shift effect, Jessica. I feel like I’m looking at a bunch of bonsai. As far as attention to detail goes, I’d have to say that it’s where I shine: funny that we seem to have just about everything else in common. I can understand the frustration you encountered on your photo walk. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone out on a photo excursion, taken shot after shot — thinking most were great — only to get home, download photos and discover lots of mediocre ones. In situations like that, I look for the details that might salvage a photo and play them up. The neat thing is that art is a package deal, not just a finished product.