“The expert at anything was once a beginner” – A Fortune Cookie

Keep this ancient fortune cookie wisdom in mind as you look at images that astound you.  These images may be in a museum exhibition, in magazine ads, camera club competitions or just as they pop up randomly on the internet as you scroll through your daily sites.  Each one of these astounding images was taken by a photographer that very likely took many images before and after that are more worthy of the delete key.  Henri Cartier Bresson said, “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst”.  Maybe he once pulled the same fortune from a cookie and was inspired to make a photographic statement.  Either way the fortune and Henri are correct, you get to your best by constantly working towards being better.

This concept was illustrated for me when I went to the hear Albert Watson speak during Foto Week DC.  I had some knowledge of his work as a fashion, portrait, and commercial photographer, but I was astounded by his diverse portfolio of images he displayed and discussed.  The photojournalist, candid and street work was as equally astounding as the work he’s famous for doing.  One theme Mr. Watson continually returned to when explaining how an image was created is keeping your eyes and mind open to opportunity. 

Many of his most astounding images were offshoots from what an art director originally planned.  For example, the image of Steve Jobs, the one everyone knows from the cover of the biography by Walter Isaacson, was shot by Watson.  Looking at the image you’d think Jobs was told to strike a few poses in the studio and the picture was taken.  However, the story is better, and the shot could only have been taken by an expert in his field that keeps his mind open to opportunity.

Jobs was in a studio and Watson was shooting with an 8×10 view camera.  At the time digital imaging was in its infancy and 8×10 film was going to give the best possible image quality available.  Watson was shooting more than a few posed images but was not feeling great about what he was getting as far as expression and finding the inner personality of Jobs, his subject.  During a film change Jobs walked up to the huge camera that was sitting on a very large tripod and covered with a black cloth hanging from its backside and started a conversation with Watson about the type of camera he was using and its differences from a 35mm camera.  At that moment Watson noticed Jobs looking directly in the lens of the camera, left hand on his chin, Thinker style, with an inquisitive expression on his face.  Watson quickly focused and pushed the shutter release and at that moment captured one of the most famous portraits of Steve Jobs.  Only a photographer that has made plenty of mistakes and seen lots of missed opportunities go by could become expert enough to recognize the time was right to employ the other expert that would be able to focus and release the shutter quickly enough before the expression passed.

So remember the ancient wisdom contained in a simple fortune cookie as you shoot images, work on a new photographic project or in your dealings with other camera club members.  Whether it’s a guest speaker or judge, chairperson or any member volunteering to help we’re all at different levels of expertness and through mutual help and encouragement we all become our best and work towards being a better club.

Michael