I recently saw a quote by Lee Friedlander that really struck me … “I tend to photograph the things that get in front of my camera.”  How simple!  At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but having pondered it for a while I’ve concluded it is more than a simple statement … it is one that’s deceptively simple … and profound! And as it turns out, it’s something I do … read on!

Think about it. Do we over plan and over think our outings, so that when we get to where we want to be we’re so narrowly focused on the task at hand that we become blind to the myriad of photographic opportunities passing us by?  And what about when we are going from one place to another? Are we oblivious to what we’re missing because we’re not looking?

I own some of Friedlander’s books but I can’t say that I’m an expert on his work. That having been said I really like the concept and while I do some planning myself, especially related to projects, I try to be open to all the opportunities I see … and photograph the things that get in front of my camera.  Now does that mean that I’m firing away willy-nilly at everything that seems to be interesting? Not at all! What it does mean is that I’m open to whatever I see and if I think it has potential I do my best to properly evaluate, carefully compose and make the photograph.

But you could also take what Friedlander said and ask isn’t that what digital shooters do?  Well, I suppose, but firing away at anything that gets in front of their cameras, hoping to get some keepers amongst the hundreds or more pictures made during a couple of hours walking around does not yield good results on my opinion. And it’s confirmed when I look at the mostly mundane digital street photography populating the Internet.

If you ask my wife and kids they will tell you how I would always be taking pictures and holding up things when we travelled, or that when driving I would demand to stop the car, or worse yet to turn the car around and drive back ten miles to make a picture of something that caught my eye and wouldn’t let go. I know it was annoying, but I made some memorable pictures along the way.

So what’s the bottom line?  It’s ok to plan and be focused, but don’t worry about it  too much. Really. Worry too much and you might not make many photographs. Here’s an idea … just get out there and photograph the things that get in front of your camera!

That’s what I intend to do this week. I’m taking off some time just to photograph, and while I have specific plans for each day, I will be looking to photograph all the things that get in front of my camera.

Stay well,

Michael