What began as a story of the real Chicago in my last post has come to a screeching halt as I’ve struggled to process the remaining images from my early morning venture into Part 2 of my story. Rather than try to force something I’ve decided to share this image of one of the city’s most well-known art pieces fondly called “The Bean” although I think it is actually titled “Cloud Gate”. This image is a panorama of two images and has been worked on in Photoshop to separate the actual buildings from what appears in the reflection.
Today I read a post on Daniel Milnor’s blog Smogranch that resonated with me because it seemed to explain what I was feeling as I laboured to write this post. Daniel talks about having a vision of what you want to photograph while you are in the place that you are photographing and not when you return. His advice is “figure out what you want, how you want it and then go get it” but he also goes on to explain that walking into an entirely new place, photographing it with the intent to visually express what you want to say is not easy. It “takes time and practice. And it doesn’t always work.“
I’ve analyzed my thoughts and process from my morning shoot and what I’ve realized is that my strongest intention was before the sun rose and the city awoke. I knew exactly what I was looking to experience as I wandered the streets and why. After the first hour as the city began to fill with people, I found myself slipping back into experiencing and photographing the city the way I had in the previous four days, generically and devoid of the intense emotion as in the images I posted earlier. The day before my friend Mark Olwick and I had discussed what we look for when we photograph. My answer was that I must be moved and that’s essentially what was missing from my remaining images.
I take heart in what Daniel says at the end of his post “I spent YEARS learning photography before I really began to assess what direction I wanted to go. That means years studying light and composition…But all these years later, after many trials and tribulations, when I go out with my camera I find it very rewarding to feel like I know what I’m doing and I feel like I know what I’m looking for.”
The story of the real Chicago is an unfinished one. I know that I will go back to the city because I really loved it there. The more I experience it, the better I will be able to express photographically what it means to me.
I know exactly what you are talking about. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed and over saturated with all that is around me.
Love your pic of the ‘bean’!
I think Sarah might like that one!
So, like Chi so much you want to go back? Next weekend good for you? Meet ya there!
Just let me know when you are free to meet there, and I will be there in a heartbeat. Next weekend though I will be in NYC where I will finally get to meet Jeffrey Chapman. I think I am going to find it overwhelming there too.
“I must be moved” is an absolutely fantastic way to approach making images. I suspect it is not the only one but it is a powerful one and is something I can certainly identify with, hence why it has taken me so long to go through the images form my road trip earlier this summer. I was never happy with my “Bean” images from Chicago though.
What’s really frustrating for me is to go to a place, like Venice, where you know there are a ton of opportunities but you can’t translate that into images that you are happy with. I’m getting better at coming away with at least a few images when this happens, but not nearly enough.
By the way, I love this shot!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Eli Reinholdtsen, Jeffrey Fielding. Jeffrey Fielding said: Who hasn't felt this? As always, well said, @SabrinaHenry! http://bit.ly/dmEY1H [...]
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A thoughtful and thought-provoking post, Sabrina. Also, a mature photographer’s decision. Too often, I seem to be trying to force shutter clicks or unscuck images; which then only seems to muddle my original (or even undiscovered) intent more.
I experience the same frustration, maybe what we need to do is be happy with fewer number of pictures than we’re used to? If we can capture two or three inspired photos, is the shoot consider a success? I think so.
I’m finally catching up on posts and emails!
I love this image, Sabrina. I think you’ve been able to capture the title of the sculpture very well, as the shapes (and layers of clouds) resemble the form of an old city gate.
I also loved that you knew when to stop with your processing. Takes wisdom to refrain from forcing things.