“Learning patience can be a difficult experience, but once
conquered, you will find life is easier.”
~Catherine Pulsifer~
Reflexions - Rockland Lake, NY
I remember my parents teaching me about patience as a child. It was more than just a virtue; it was something to be revered and indicative of age, discipline and maturity.
As the world evolves, I’ve noticed plenty of changes over the last 20 years and the ‘instant everything’ culture is perhaps the most prevalent. It’s trumping the concept of time & patience… for better and worse.
Today, everything is about speed… the faster the better. “We Report It First” is a TV news mantra full of fluff. Assuming your facts are correct, reporting with lightning speed is great. Sadly, this isn’t always the case. Who remembers Al Gore winning the State of Florida in the 2000 elections and thus the Presidency? Enough said. Not so fast.
Photography hasn’t been spared by this pandemic. Some degree of quality is sacrificed at the cost of speed. Most photojournalists shoot in .jpg format as the smaller files are easier to transmit than the larger raw files. Perhaps this isn’t a big deal in our social media driven world (small files are acceptable), but I think it’s fair to say most images aren’t post processed as much due to time constraints and thus, some compromise takes place.
Haverstraw, NY
Tennis Reflexions - Congers, NY
I’m not sure when this transgression took place, but I have a sneaky suspicion the AOL instant messaging revolution of 1997 and the Blackberry texting platform of 2002 were the culprits.
I’m starting to think old school is a better approach… bring back the Brownie camera (1900)! Okay, maybe that’s too far back. But, let’s do some reverse engineering and a take a giant step back and slow our roll. We don’t have to sprint to the social media finish line. Seriously… what’s the rush? There’s not much urgency in what photographers do. Sure, there are some exceptions, but the overall process of photography should be slow & deliberate.
Good things take time… writing a book, losing weight, gardening… even a Guinness requires time to complete the proper, two-pour process (no messing around on the this one!).
Photography falls into this category as well… it’s an intentional, mindful discipline that shouldn’t be rushed. The ability to relax and heighten one’s situational awareness comes with time… and dare I say, patience & maturity. Getting into the Flow State, as it’s often referred to by athletes, is state of optimal performance, characterized by complete focus on the present moment, a sense of control and a loss of self-consciousness.
The next time you snap some frames, wait a few days, if not weeks, before post processing your favorites. You’ll remove any emotional bias from your images and have a more critical eye during the secondary review. We’re all human and have emotions and/or feelings associated with time & place. A beautiful sunset in Santorini is a memory of a lifetime; however, if your emotions are front-running good composition, lighting and design elements, the passing of time before, during and after capturing your image(s) may be advantageous.
Santorini, Greece