A photo friend was in town and so, of course, we went out to shoot, filling our frames with buoys, piles of fishing nets, cool texture, and antique cars. I walked the car show with a preconception, an idea I have for an upcoming "motivation" exercise/assignment.
Having a preconception is a blessing and a curse. While I walked the car show looking for material to illustrate my previsualized concept, she walked the show just looking and shooting. As a result yes, I got some of what I was looking for. But that concentrated visual focus prevented me from seeing something she saw.
There were painted yellow lines on the dark asphalt of the car show parking area. Those yellow lines reflected beautifully in the cars' paint. The reflections were pretty obvious and so I shot a number of images incorporating them, even though those weren't my preconceived ideas. I clicked and then continued on my quest.
These are two reflection shots that I'm mildly pleased with. But do you see the little streaks of yellow reflected in the chrome on the handle and the lock? In the chrome on the wheel cover? When I look closely, that's the beautiful surprise. I should have moved in and taken photos that really featured those streaks. Well, Diane saw those streaks and filled her frame with a silver mustang emblem that's full of cool, neon yellow streaks. It's a photo I would have loved to have taken.
There's a lesson here.
Preconceived photo ideas and our quest to achieve them are terrific. It's great to have goals. But beware of preconceptions that fill our brain to the extent that we become oblivious to other, outrageously cool, possibilities. It's all about looking, seeing, creating. I was hunting. Diane was looking. I wasn't seeing. ©Carol Leigh
