Listen Visually

I stand in the rain holding an umbrella braced against my neck and shoulder and try to position my camera on the waterfall in front of me. This is yet another attempt to photograph this waterfall in the high Uintah Mountains in Utah. I have photographed this waterfall many times before but have yet to get the shot that really tells the story that my soul is whispering very loudly to tell.  I hadn’t counted on the rain today. The high peaks here seem to reach up, catch the clouds as they pass over, and squeeze a little, or a lot, of rain out of them; not a hard rain like one would get in the South but a very consistent peppering of light drops of fresh, cool rainwater. Plus, the temperature dropped about 15 degrees.

I stand for a while and look around at the power of the spring run-off as the snow melts on the high peaks sending small rivulets of water everywhere. I also wonder what in the world I am doing out here in the cold and rain, camera on a tripod in front of me, trying to capture an image of this beautiful creation of Mom Nature and the Big Guy up in Heaven. What was I thinking? To what purpose am I freezing my fingers and toes with water dripping on my nose from the constantly shifting umbrella I hold between my shoulder and frozen ear?

The reality is that even though I am uncomfortable because of the climate, crappy as it is, I have a smile on my face and a twinkle in my eye because I am doing what I love to do. I am creating images with my trusty friend, Monsieur Canon. Together we are working to capture an image that has been pre-visualized in my head long before I reached this cold and damp location.

Why do we do this? What is it about photography that makes us try to create images with our trusty cameras no matter what uncomfortable conditions good ole’ Mother Nature throws at us. When we look, and really see, do we have this burning desire to turn it into a photograph so we can enjoy it again and again?  If this internal wish to make images is really a burning desire to create something good and possibly great, then any discomfort in the creative process is just that. It is a part of the whole that is necessary to really enjoy and participate in the wonderful creative process of photography.

Pre-visualization: The beginning of the photographic creative process.

         I guess it is the beauty and mysteries around us that constantly squeeze our creative juices and cause us to have this uncontrollable  urge to make something creative out of what is happening before our eyes.  When I look at something, I am constantly pre-visualizing the different possibilities. Maybe I could use a specific lens, maybe a certain plug-in will look cool, or maybe adding a texture to the image will create the look that I have in my mind.

I think we all need to learn to make pre-visualization a part of our creative, photographic process.  Learn to see and plan for the post-production process as you are going through the production process. This post-production work can sometimes be just as fun as the process of taking the photo.

Photography has been an on-going adventure for me over the years.  I realize that I am constantly learning to be a better photographer. I am always trying to push myself to be more creative; thus, photography has helped shape me as an individual.  It has helped me to see the world differently.  I stop and absorb the beauty of a sunset. I look at faces to see how they reflect the soul of the individual.  I see a cherry hanging on the limb of a tree and go through several scenarios of how I might make a beautiful image of this creation of Mom Nature and The Big Guy. I think photography has helped to gentle my spirit. I appreciate the little things far more than some people I know.

So embrace photography for what it is. Stand in the rain and watch and wait. Look at the reflections on the street after the rain. Watch a baby’s face and see what different light does to this wonderful miracle of creation.  Rejoice as the rays of early morning light skim over the landscape to celebrate the beginning of a new day.

Dewitt Jones, an incredible creative spirit, stated in Outdoor Photography Magazine, “Photography is a spiritual practice.  It is a discipline  that allows me a thousand new perspectives on the world.  It is a discipline  that takes me to a place of reverence.  To a place where I can be the watcher, the appreciator, the celebrator and ultimately,  just the lover of the incredible beauty it allows me to witness.”   I wish I could say it as well as he said it.

What does photography do for me?  Many things….but  most of all it has made me a much better person and helped me to open my soul to the beauties around me and given me the ability to….. listen with my eyes……. ‘Nuf said.