Photography : the importance of staying open-minded
‘If at first you don’t succeed – failure may be your thing.’ Attributed to George Burns (1896-1996)
As a comedian, George Burns often had his tongue firmly in his cheek – never more so than here. Fortunately, I ignored his advice when a friend challenged me to take a photograph of ‘wetness’. I would have fallen at the first hurdle with my dull picture taken from the door of our flat.
It’s the rainy season here in Zambia and heavy tropical rain can fall at any time. In my laziness, I thought that a simple picture of the rain would meet my friend’s challenge. But looking at the screen on the back of my camera, I soon realized my mistake. The less said about this picture, the better.
If we keep an open mind though, a dull picture can be a springboard to something better. Before dismissing my first attempt, I noticed the raindrops on the ground, reflecting light from the grey sky. And as a bonus, the flip-flops that I’d used as a prop were black and white. With my theme being ‘wetness’, I didn’t want any strong colours to distract attention.
Zooming in on the flip-flops and raindrops, I played with the composition, taking about a dozen shots. At that point, if inspiration has dried up, I stop. Failure isn’t my thing, but an overworked idea can become stale. Better to put the camera away and try again later.
The moral of this story? Stay open-minded and curious – you might be surprised by the results. If you‘d like to share your experience or give readers any hints and tips, please leave a comment.
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I like the picture.
I like its effective simplicity.
sometimes failures aren’t. they’re like accidents.
Fair comment, Susan – I think we often make over-hasty judgments. I still go through old film contact sheets and it surprises me how often I pick out images that I overlooked when I first processed them.
Submit that one for ‘A Rainy Day’, Richard
Thanks, David – I will.