The Unseen Side of Great Photography: What I Learned from a Chance Encounter
megwara favour@favourmegwara336255
6 days ago
Sometime in 2023, I was in a conversation with some photographer friends. One of them was idolizing a particular image by a photographer we all admire. However, I noticed he was making himself and the rest of us feel inadequate, implying that we couldn't even think of capturing such an image. This really annoyed me. I remember saying, 'If you find yourself in the same room as them, you might even see better images.' I didn't say this to belittle the other photographer's work, but to get him out of that mindset.
Fast-forward to three weeks later, I found myself in the same space and scenario as a renowned photographer, with some of the same personalities from the referenced image. Guess what? I didn't see anything remarkable. I was struggling to find inspiration. Thirty minutes into the event, I wasn't myself at all.
I then had a conversation with one of my mentors, who frequently works in similar scenarios and consistently produces brilliant images, just like the one we referenced. He explained his approach to me. What I drew from that conversation was that most of these renowned storytellers we look up to don't just click their cameras; they read photography books, research their subjects, break down their workflow into timeframes, are precise with their images, and stay ready for unexpected moments.
This experience completely transformed my approach to photography.
