APPENDIX 1

Three Ways to Capture

The Major Oak Tree of Sherwood Forest—England’s oldest and most famous tree, which is over 800 years old.

Most photographers give some thought in advance to what they want to photograph—subjects like flowers, children, landscapes, animals sports, sunsets. Heading out with camera in hand, they search for interesting ways to depict their chosen subject. They consider lighting, background, vantage point, and camera settings to ensure achieving the desired effect before releasing the shutter. Such care to details generally provides good results. But there can be more to making a photograph than just managing the physical aspects.

If you’re interested in taking your photography to the next level, this section will challenge you to think beyond the composition techniques you’ve learned so far. You are invited to step outside your comfort zone and consider your relationship to an inanimate object you are planning to photograph—what the object signifies for you, what it means beyond the aesthetics. Spend time seriously studying the object (your intended subject) and allowing it to reveal itself, as John Sexton demonstrates in his celebrated book of photographs of trees Listen to the Trees. One might even consider, as strange as it may seem, talking to the object, becoming one with the object—putting on the qualities of the object as you prepare to photograph it.

As we look more critically at our photographs, especially those by photographers we admire, we may begin to wonder how they prepare themselves before venturing forth with their camera. We touched on this briefly in the “Before Capture” section when we made reference to some photographers meditating before a photo shoot. The following concepts present a more serious and studied way to approach photography.

Photography should be interesting, challenging, and fulfilling. If what follows seems helpful to you, give it some consideration, but if not, realize that you might be able to gain an edge to your photographing experience by taking more time to think about your subject before shooting. Perhaps at a later time you may find that some of what is presented here is worth trying.

Seeing and photographing objects as if they possessed human attributes is a form of animism, the belief that animate and inanimate objects—such as rocks, trees, flowers, and the like—possess a soul. Photographer Aaron Siskind, when asked about the meaning of some of his photographs, pondered the question and after some thought responded, “Pressed for the meaning of these pictures, I should answer; obliquely, that they are informed with animism.” Ansel Adams said it this way: “The whole world is, to me, very much ‘alive’—all the little growing things, even the rocks.” Albert Sands Southworth believed that “an artist is conscious of something besides the mere physical in every object in nature. He feels its expression, he sympathizes with its character, he is impressed with its language; his heart, mind, and soul are stirred in its contemplation. It is the life, the feeling, the mind, the soul of the subject itself.” Animism is an old idea. Pythagoras and Plato hypothesized that there was an immaterial force present everywhere that animated the universe. How strongly one believes or disbelieves in animism is a personal matter.

What is important is the relationship that the photographer develops with whatever he or she is photographing, be it a person, a tree, a stone, a landscape, a flower, or whatever. The relationship established between the photographer and what is being photographed is a critical one. At least three different approaches can be considered:

PROJECTION

Here the photographer projects onto the object what he or she wants it to represent or signify. If the object is an oak tree, the photographer may want to photograph it so that it shows its large size, strength, and endurance. If it is an old oak tree, he or she may want to also portray its age.

INTROJECTION

In this case, the photographer spends time looking at the tree and studying it in a quiet way, attempting to “listen” to what the tree has to reveal. He or she could even talk to the tree: “Hello, tree! I have read a lot about what others have written about you and many things you symbolize; knowledge, life, strength, growth, cosmos, and so on. But I would like to hear directly from you.” The photographer then attempts to capture that quality of the tree. What’s it like to be a tree?”

CONFLUENCE

This is a highly meditative approach in which the tree and the photographer become one and the photograph reveals that intimate relationship. “Greetings, tree! Hope you are feeling well and enjoying the day. You sure do look strong and healthy and I would like to spend some time with you and share common experiences. We both started out as a seed and have grown from that. We depend on water, food and sunlight for life. Your roots are as important to you as mine are to me—where I am from and where I am now. We are connected to our roots. I know that if you were transplanted, you would probably have a difficult time adjusting. We both are part of the same environment and dependent upon each other. What’s it like to be out here day and night, every day, smiling at the sun, welcoming the rain, changing with the seasons?”