8 Jan
2013

Posted in: Composition, Creativity, desert, Inspiration, Landscape Photography, Light
By George Stocking    2 Comments

The Visual Journey; Are We There Yet?

Of course I’m talking about photography and the kind of “Visual Journey” we are all undertaking. And I pose the question seriously. How indeed, does one know when one has actually arrived at the station?

As a photographer learns what makes an image good for him he will have successes and failures. Images that he that ought were going to be amazing sometimes turn out to be slightly less than expected. Then on the other end of the spectrum, we have the shots that we think less of from inception, but shoot anyway, maybe as a kind of afterthought. “We’ll, it’s not all that much, but I’m here so I might as well shoot it. click”. These occasionally turn out to be incredible; the best of the trip maybe. You know what I’m talking about. I call these aberrations of judgement “surprises”.

These things happen as we learn. Therefore to some degree it makes sense that our arrival at the end of our Visual Journey is determined by the bridging of that gap – by diminishing the distance between what we thought before we took the shot, and the way we feel about the same image afterward.

You will know your vision is “maturing” as you get fewer surprises. The shot you thought was going to be killer, was indeed slaying all in the vicinity, and the “over-the-shoulder” documentary image actually turns out to be just that.

Please understand that I don’t believe that’s all there is to the Visual Journey, this is really a simplified guideline to help a beginner get pointed in the right direction. Artistic vision must be developed by exposure to any and all sorts of the visual stimuli that pervades our culture. This is what determines your Visual Journey’s actual destination, but I’ll cover that in another post.

Just one more thing, if you’re “doing-it-right”, you never quite get to the station. You get closer and closer, eventually thinking you might just arrive, but you’ll never actually get there. Just sayin’.

Bronica GS-1; 50mm; 1/20th second@ f16; Velvia

About George Stocking (51 Posts)

George Stocking is a professional freelance photographer, residing in Phoenix, AZ. He works regularly as a contract photographer for Arizona Highways, and his work often graces the pages of Arizona Highways Magazine, Calendars and Books. In addition to capturing the natural beauty of the Arizona Landscape, George also photographs the western United States and Canada. His work has appeared in numerous national publications, such as: Backpacker, Outdoor Photographer, USGA Golf Journal, Country Magazine, Audubon Calendars, Adventure West, America West Airlines Magazine, Portal Publications (posters), Impact, Towery Publications (books) and Smith Southwestern. Other publications include: Oregon Outside, Arizona Foothills, Arizona Adventure, and Plateau Magazine