I recently attended a lecture and photo presentation by several fine photographers at the Michener Art Museum, supporting an excellent exhibit called Tête-à-Tête: Conversations in Photography. What really struck me was the talk given by the well-known photographer Michael A. Smith.

Smith has successfully used both 35mm and large format cameras, including 8×10, 8×20 and 18×22-inch view cameras. Interestingly enough, he says he often uses the large cameras as if they were 35mm! And you can see it in many of the fine portraits and some of other photographs he has made with them. But most importantly, what he stressed was the importance of using the entire space contained in the negative to good effect, including the edges and the corners. In short, everything counts!

This is incredibly important. The point is that the photograph should be well thought out in the first place. Sloppy vision yields equally disappointing results! Believe me, I know!

Even when photographing on the street there is much to be said about framing the subject to the best of your ability, instead of just firing away with the hope that there will be a nugget in there somewhere. We all get lucky once in awhile, but this is a recipe that will yield few real keepers. Look at the greats and see what Smith is talking about. Paul Strand is a good example. Every centimeter of negative real estate was important, right down to the corners, and his prints show it!

So I guess it comes down to making your best effort rather than just going through the motions. Yes, you can go out and “shoot” a couple of rolls – or take a couple of hundred “shots” if you are using digital — and feel good about yourself, or you can really work to make the best composition you can for every picture you make. Try it. You may find that you are tripping the shutter less, but making a higher percentage of meaningful images!