i forget what exact source was, most likely a website called lensculture, there was interview with sebastiao salgado and one of the call out quotes was, ‘you can’t be detached in this line of work’. i didn’t read the entire article but the general gist was about how documentary photographers need to put themselves in their subject’s shoe in order to capture the story. it makes obvious sense on many levels due to the sensitivity of most subjects in that line of photography. and tonight, i was reading about minor white in tricycle and the role in played in cultivating the role spirituality modern photography. and so i ponder on the nature of my own development and the nature of photography i do to make a living. undoubtedly i feel quite detached from most of of the subjects i photograph. whether it be young love birds on their glorious day or high society folks enjoying their good life, i sometimes find it very difficult to photograph it. it’s worse than having to take out the trash because there is judgement whenever i snap the shutter.
and so, i think about the nature of beauty when i photograph people that i may not be conditioned to be attracted to. to some extend our responsibility as a professional is to capture not only their essence but to make them look good. in situations such as these, there are beautiful moments when the subject becomes comfortable with who they are and that is my responsibility to cultivate that comfort level. i try to be aware of the choice of words that i use in these situations because sometimes i feel like it would be dishonest to say that they are beautiful and photogenic and it’s easy. to capture their essence can be ‘easy’ but to do it in a way that is visually pleasing in such a way to maximize their strong features is where the challenge lies. and so, how does this relate to the spiritually of photography? how can i be so detached from some of my subjects and yet create ‘beautiful’ images? naturally, i discount most of the work i do these days along the lines of technical proficiency and compositional efficiency. throw in a lot of luck and the volume of opportunities and you’ll be bound to hit some good ones. one day it will all make sense but for now, be one with the frustration and confusion.