Cultivate Patience & Presence
“A thing that you see in my pictures is that I was not afraid to fall in love with these people.”
I vastly underestimated the importance of patience when I first picked up the camera. I was all too eager, more than ready to a fault. I just wanted the shot and move on. On to the next site, the next subject, the next town. The next whatever it was. I rarely took the time to actually sit and be present with the scene or subject. I was so focused on getting the shot I wanted and continuing on. But what I’ve realized over time is that while it’s ok to be eager and excited about a newfound location or a secret site, or a new subject, and just frantically snap away, there is something to be said for just being still and present. To be patient. To wait. To let the scene or story unfold. To be present. To observe. I was so quick to click the shutter button that I didn’t even connect with the scene or subject, be it in nature or even a person. I looked only through the viewfinder not actually with my eye as wild as that sounds.
Connecting with your subject is essential, be it a person, an animal, a tree, or a landscape. At our core, we are living sensitive beings living on Earth. We can absorb and feel the energy of a place — a sweeping meadow, a towering cliff face, a raging, swirling ocean. Landscapes have just as much feeling and a story to say as your average portrait of a friend, animal, or stranger. You know it when you feel it. You can feel the energy and emotions arise when you are present with your subject. But to get to that connection, you have to return to your natural state of being, a human, not just a photographer. We have to connect and be present on a visceral and emotional level first. This is especially true for landscape, nature, or wildlife photography, not solely portraits or street photography. When I see a scene that I’d like to capture, say an ocean view, I pause, connect, and feel what’s in front of me with the camera at my side. What does this feel like? What’s the energy here? How can I translate that to my camera? Has something revealed itself to me that I didn’t see before? How can I hold space for this moment and subject? When you approach your subject, take a pause and connect with it, whatever it is, a landscape, a person, an animal… It opens up to you and reveals itself in a manner of ways. Put the camera aside and connect with it on a human level and see what happens when you do bring out your camera. Renowned portrait photographer Annie Leibovitz says she falls in love with her subjects because she sees them so intimately. Can you be more intimate with your subjects just by being patient and present?
Patience even pays off just by letting a scene unfold before you. Often my best images are the very last on my card because I have warmed up behind the lens and the subject has as well. And that goes for food photography too. At the end of a shoot, bites are missing, chunks torn away, slices scattered around, sprinkling of wine droplets, crumbs, and a smeared butter knife. It’s a process of acquainting myself with the scene slowly and then I begin to have a sense of familiarity. I see shots I didn’t see before. I feel more playful with how I handle my camera and with the angles I take. I feel freer to interact with my subject now that I’m more Naturally, this principle is crucial for portraiture. Before I even adjust my settings or think about composition, I put the camera down and actually chat with my subject on a human level. I ensure that they feel at ease with me first. My approach to capturing any subject on a planned shoot (if time allows and it’s not a fleeting spontaneous moment while traveling etc) is to connect first on a human level. Be present and really see and feel your subject, whatever it may be. Be patient and allow it to unfold before you. I think you will have so many more emotional and sensitive images by doing so. It may take longer than you think but often you just need that one glance or vulnerable flicker to capture the essence of a person.
In my landscape photography, there have been countless times I was patiently waiting…waiting for the light to change, the cloud to move, the shadow to pass, but it was always worth it in the end. Over the years, I’ve realized that as photographers we may have to work for those images we want! We have to go after them. When I shot my cookbook, I climbed the tall ladder and for what felt like hours, held the camera in position to capture that exact dappled light I wanted. Sticks and leaves in my hair no matter, I got it! Sometimes we get lucky and get the shot right away such as stepping outside of our car to photograph the scenic view which turns out to be one of your prized photographs in your portfolio. But for others we have to work for it — we literally have to create it by cultivating patience and presence.
Regardless of your genre, I believe patience and presence are essential values to instill in your work. It’s a sensitive approach to our environment, our subject, and the scene from both a human and creative level. Isn’t it rewarding to photograph from a patient and present space?
Alanna
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